Gardeners World at Chelsea. Excellent TV. First time I've watched this
-- is it on every year?
I thought 1 hour per evening would be overkill, but it is fine.

I must be getting old, though -- the flower show is sponsored by Saga!

Bruce

On Fri, 26 May 2006 12:40:23 +0100, wrote
(in article .com):

Gardeners World at Chelsea. Excellent TV. First time I've watched this
-- is it on every year?
I thought 1 hour per evening would be overkill, but it is fine.

I must be getting old, though -- the flower show is sponsored by Saga!


Yes, it's on every year, though this is the first year in ages that it's been
worth watching! An hour is barely enough to show you what happens at
Chelsea, though we're very much enjoying the fact that they're giving more
actual time to Chelsea and not to peripheral activities. If you have
digital access, press the red button and watch Carol Klein talking to all
the nurserymen displaying wonderful plants in the marquee. It's one of the
most interesting aspects of the whole thing, showing some lovely new plants
and an insight into how the plants are displayed and the people who do it.


--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

On 26 May 2006 04:40:23 -0700, "
wrote:

Gardeners World at Chelsea. Excellent TV. First time I've watched this
-- is it on every year?
I thought 1 hour per evening would be overkill, but it is fine.

The thing that struck me with today's coverage (including the lunchtime
slot) were three people :-

a) the Japanese chap who designed the best in show small garden.
They showed him doing a "speed" flower arrangement at lunchtime. He
produced a rather nice bouquet for Nicki Chapman in about 65 seconds -
amazing to watch. Apparently he is very famous in Japan for his flower
arrangements.

b) that 9 year old lad with the allotment. Clearly very good with
his plants and full of enthusiasm. I think we've just seen the future
Alan Titchmarsh.

c) the lady who was 100 years of age who was involved in flower
arrangement and been to Chelsea 60 years (?) running. She looked
absolutely astounding for 100 years old and was clearly in full command
of her faculties as she was lucid and fun to listen to.

I must be getting old, though -- the flower show is sponsored by Saga!

I obviously didn't look quite old to be given a SAGA bag when I visited
;-)
--
Paul C

On Sat, 27 May 2006 09:12:24 +0100, Paul Corfield wrote
(in article ):

On 26 May 2006 04:40:23 -0700, "
wrote:

Gardeners World at Chelsea. Excellent TV. First time I've watched this
-- is it on every year?
I thought 1 hour per evening would be overkill, but it is fine.

The thing that struck me with today's coverage (including the lunchtime
slot) were three people :-

a) the Japanese chap who designed the best in show small garden.
They showed him doing a "speed" flower arrangement at lunchtime. He
produced a rather nice bouquet for Nicki Chapman in about 65 seconds -
amazing to watch. Apparently he is very famous in Japan for his flower
arrangements.

Yes but if they're ikebana it only TAKES 65 seconds. That's a joke, BTW -
they can take hours to arrange three twigs and a daffodil! The Japanese
'vignette' that I thoroughly enjoyed was when they won their medal and one of
the designers was seen leaping up and down and cavorting with excitement and
delight. I always think of Japanese people as being rather restrained but he
gave the lie to that one!

b) that 9 year old lad with the allotment. Clearly very good with
his plants and full of enthusiasm. I think we've just seen the future
Alan Titchmarsh.

Wasn't he lovely? And so full of delight in his plants and gardening AND of
being able to appear on telly with his hero, AT.

c) the lady who was 100 years of age who was involved in flower
arrangement and been to Chelsea 60 years (?) running. She looked
absolutely astounding for 100 years old and was clearly in full command
of her faculties as she was lucid and fun to listen to.

I thought she was great and still full of spirit and enjoyment.

I must be getting old, though -- the flower show is sponsored by Saga!

I obviously didn't look quite old to be given a SAGA bag when I visited
;-)


Good job we didn't go then. ;-)

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

[quote=Sacha Hubbard]On Sat, 27 May 2006 09:12:24 +0100, Paul Corfield wrote
(in article ):
[color=blue]
On 26 May 2006 04:40:23 -0700, "
wrote:

Gardeners World at Chelsea. Excellent TV. First time I've watched this
-- is it on every year?
I thought 1 hour per evening would be overkill, but it is fine.

Yes an excellent year but a great pity about the weather. Mind you, last year I was on one of the outdoor stands and it was very hot and everyone was sneezing and coughing because of all the pollen from the lime trees!

I'm going to submit a design for a small garden next year, so fingers crossed!!
Ian

O to get old like that.

Lessons taken?

On Sat, 27 May 2006 17:04:39 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote
(in article ):

The message
from Paul Corfield contains these words:


b) that 9 year old lad with the allotment. Clearly very good with
his plants and full of enthusiasm. I think we've just seen the future
Alan Titchmarsh.

I thought that as a TV presenter, Aaron could wipe the floor with AT
right now;it was like watching Geoff Hamilton reincarnated ;-) One of
the very heartening thigs about this year's show, (or the Beeb's
coverage of it) is the involvement of children..wonderful school group
who have become orchid specialists!

Yes, I liked that - it's bringing in the younger generation and developing
their interest but without patronising them or making them feel absolute
wallies for not spending their lives on some infernal machine! Garden
writers are saying/have been saying "where are the gardeners of the future"?
If this kind of coverage is given to the young, others will be encouraged
into the profession and how good that will be for them and for the country as
a whole.
I understand your feelings about AT but I think he's a good presenter. He
*does* know his stuff and he has - as I've said before - that inestimable
gift for a tv presenter of making you feel he is talking just to YOU. I
think those watching him feel that he could be at the other side of the
kitchen table, having a mug of tea and chatting. There's no 'talking down',
which too many people find irritating in gardening talking heads and I think
Carol Klein has the same gift. IMO, she's underused in garden broadcasting.


c) the lady who was 100 years of age who was involved in flower
arrangement and been to Chelsea 60 years (?) running. She looked
absolutely astounding for 100 years old and was clearly in full command
of her faculties as she was lucid and fun to listen to.

O to get old like that. I was watching with two women friends and we
were all agog.

Janet.


I think it must have been her hair but she reminded me of Dame Alicia
Markova. That wonderful poise and self-confidence comes from a lifetime of
working hard and knowing what you're doing and then passing it on to others,
I suspect. And such a nice, giggly, twinkle in the eye - lovely lady!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

On Sat, 27 May 2006 18:23:33 +0100, Sacha Hubbard
wrote:

On Sat, 27 May 2006 17:04:39 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote
(in article ):

The message
from Paul Corfield contains these words:


b) that 9 year old lad with the allotment. Clearly very good with
his plants and full of enthusiasm. I think we've just seen the future
Alan Titchmarsh.

I thought that as a TV presenter, Aaron could wipe the floor with AT
right now;it was like watching Geoff Hamilton reincarnated ;-)

I can why you thought that. There was that very down to earth style
about him. I'm only now getting acquainted with GH via repeats of
Gardeners World on satellite telly - he does have a nice simplicity
about his approach.

One of
the very heartening thigs about this year's show, (or the Beeb's
coverage of it) is the involvement of children..wonderful school group
who have become orchid specialists!

An interesting stand and they were quite pushy too :-)

I understand your feelings about AT but I think he's a good presenter. He
*does* know his stuff and he has - as I've said before - that inestimable
gift for a tv presenter of making you feel he is talking just to YOU. I
think those watching him feel that he could be at the other side of the
kitchen table, having a mug of tea and chatting. There's no 'talking down',
which too many people find irritating in gardening talking heads and I think
Carol Klein has the same gift. IMO, she's underused in garden broadcasting.

Your comments have nicely summed up my views about Mr T. It is his
enthusiasm for his subject, his knowledge and the fact that he has tried
to demystify gardening that has got me interested. I would not have
learned a single plant name without programmes like Ground Force [1] and
How to be a gardener. I know JB has her own views about Mr T but I'll
stick with mine until such time as I can test my views and see whether
the reality matches up.

[1] yes I know you all hate it but he and Ms Dimmock did at least use
proper plant names and show how you can create something of pleasure
from a wide range of gardening styles.
--
Paul C