91Èȱ¬

Gardeners' World, the 91Èȱ¬'s flagship gardening programme, is banning the use of hosepipes and sprinklers at its Berryfields garden from Easter.

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In response to the current climate predictions of a drought-fuelled summer and news that many viewers face hosepipe bans in their own gardens, the programme is launching a year-long initiative to see if its traditional garden borders can survive without constant watering from a mains supply or irrigation systems.

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Easter weekend (Good Friday 14 April) will see presenter Monty Don launch the programme's self-imposed hosepipe ban.

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The ban will run throughout the summer despite the risk that sections of the garden's prestigious borders may suffer as a result.

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Gardeners' World plan to reveal the effects that the reduced watering has had on the borders at the start of its September series.

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The programme also hopes to use its self-imposed ban to experiment with different types of eco-friendly watering instead. In a radical move, the length of one of the long borders will only be watered by collected rain water whilst the second will be watered with grey water - which has previously been used in the home.

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By the end of the experiment Monty and the team hope to see how the plants fed with recycled domestic water have fared in comparison to those fed on rainwater.

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Gardeners' World hope that both borders will thrive - thus demonstrating there are successful ways of maintaining a beautiful garden without using hosepipes or sprinklers.

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The long borders at Berryfields are arguably the most beautiful areas of the nation's favourite garden, so programme-makers had to think long and hard about jeopardising their future.

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However their decision to impose the ban will be coupled with a series of projects over the coming months showing viewers how to plant drought resistant borders and how to encourage traditionally water thirsty plants to adapt to drier conditions.

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Monty Don says: "In my opinion, the 1991 Water Act is absurd - it restricts the use of hosepipes for gardens and for washing cars. But it allows people to fill a swimming pool.

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"We're not allowed to water-in plants - including the vegetables to feed our families - but the Act allows us to wash down a patio.

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"This is not about gardeners having it all their own way. All gardeners should act responsibly with water - but so too should others.

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"I believe that gardeners have a vital role to play in all environmental matters and particularly in the careful management of water. We must nurture and care for our gardens but it is up to each of us to try and store and recycle as much water as possible.

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"Hopefully we can show at Berryfields that it is possible to do this without losing the essential magic of the garden".

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Gardeners' World Series Producer, Rosemary Edwards says: "This is a decision we did not take lightly.

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"Along with all our viewers, we are passionate about our garden at Berryfields and we want our long borders, our vegetable garden - in fact all our planted areas to thrive.

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"However we feel we need to show solidarity with British gardeners facing a hosepipe ban and we feel confident that we can combine restricted watering with successful gardening."

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The start of the Gardeners' World hosepipe ban is timed to coincide with the Easter weekend when traditionally gardeners flood to the country's gardening centres in preparation for the summer months ahead.

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NT

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