Wild about your garden

[madonplants]

A sort of Ground Force in reverse. I expect you have all heard of it, especially if your are Chris Beardshaw lovers, but if you haven't, it starts next Wednesday BBC1 (yes BBC 1) 8.30pm, but it will clash with the England friendly that's on the other side!

I think it is going to be a grander Charlie's Wildlife Gardens, but we will see. I just hope it's not just another garden makeover series, though it does have wildlife interest, so can't be all bad!

www.bbc.co.uk/wildaboutyourgarden/

[maggyd]

I think I saw the trailer to this Keith they were making different habitats for the little creatures that might come in your garden!! problem there is how do we stop our dogs from chasing them??

[debbiem]

Thanks Keith, I'll be watching it.

There was a programme a while back on ITV about wild gardens and it was glorious - this one looks promising too.

[4pygmies]

Who watched it then? What did you think?


Personally I think that anything that highlights the plight of our wildlife on prime time TV is good, and anything that encourages people to plant for wildlife is laudable..........BUT:

HOW MUCH DID IT COST??? Yet again they get the massive machinery, huge trees, truckloads of plants and dozens of people working through the night to achieve what I'm sure is a perfect wildlife friendly garden but it's not necessary to spend all that money is it? Why not start with a realistic budget and show people how to attract wildlife over a longer period of time, in a MUCH more environmentally friendly way......? I'm afraid it makes me shout at the telly.........

[floweringcherry]

It was easy watching and the message regarding attracting wildlife was a good one.

However, it was OTT with regard to the planting and all of the machinary used. Not thought through how to get the trees into the garden! I also felt they should have been more informative about the what plants attract what.

It was only the first programme so this may get better as we go along.

[4pygmies]

And digging up all that concrete?? What's wrong with tubs/pots/raised beds?? And I quite agree - where was all the info about which plants are best? (And a big hawthorn in a little garden will be a NIGHTMARE very soon...they grow sooo fast and need so much pruning to stop them taking over......that poor lady will cut herself to shreds..)

[madonplants]

Nov 19, 2008 22:57:15 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

And digging up all that concrete?? What's wrong with tubs/pots/raised beds?? And I quite agree - where was all the info about which plants are best? (And a big hawthorn in a little garden will be a NIGHTMARE very soon...they grow sooo fast and need so much pruning to stop them taking over......that poor lady will cut herself to shreds..)

Just watched it, after recording it earlier. Football came first!

I think what I said was about right, it was a grander Ground Force and why was Nick there, to aid in the banter, I suppose?

The lady said at the beginning of the programme, all she gets were squirrels, she'll get more now they have planted a hazel tree!! I would have rather they had taken a few episodes or whole series to do one garden, than what they did do. Then at least they could have been more informative regards WHAT they planted and why it was planted.

I wasn't at the shouting stage, 4P, but more of a, good grief how much did all that cost, stage!! Yes, they achieved the aim to attract the wildlife in, but I believe it was more an entertainment show than gardening for wildlife show!!

If it wasn't for the lady expert, I would have said it was little boys playing with big grown up toys. Here comes the large lorry, look how big my trees are, I bet you haven't seen one that big before!!

Sorry BBC, but 3/10 is all you will get and I just hope it improves. Channel four quality even! The 3 points, was for the water vole bit (they are great creature seen up close) and tidying the riverbank to aid wildlife. As a fisherman, I'm always disgusted about what I find, when I go out by the river, so if this programme stops just one person doing this littering, then I'm happier, but not happy. I do hope they had permission from the river keeper to plant in the river, not sure if you are allowed to do that otherwise. I know as a fisherman, you are not even allowed to prune a branch of a shrub/tree by the river, let alone one in it.

Alright, maybe 4/10, as they did achieve a result at the end, but how many of us, can do it on such a scale?

[4pygmies]

I know I said I wouldn't watch it again but there was nothing else to chill out in front of......I thought it was marginally better tonight - at last they actually mentioned some plants.......but still the grandiose design, the huge machinery, the gangs of people....if only eh? My OH reckoned the garden cost about £60.000... and that pond liner?? Good grief........do the lucky owners get all that at no cost to themselves do you think?

I want them to build me a pond like that.......I'll even shift the goats out of the way......

[floweringcherry]

I watched and it is easy watching. I was a bit concerned about the height of that gate to keep the little one out. Mine could have scaled that at 2 or 3 - I wouldn't want Badgers in my garden, but I could see the logic in that garden and it's setting. Very Ground Force, money seems to be no object but I will continue to watch.

[4pygmies]

I can't resist watching this programme as I do enjoy a good shout at the telly...Prue and I were having a highly enjoyable rant about it in the leek shed this morning - that silly raft, the ridiculous amounts of soil shifting, the horrendous amounts of bought in plants, the absurdity of building habitats for creatures that have a perfectly good natural one down the road (not to mention the fact that they have to cross a road to get to it), the total silliness of giving trees away to neighbours and giving the impression that they will grow really quickly (say, 20 odd years...) PLUS still no planting information, Nick Wathisname babbling away pointlessly and the poor, blonde wildlife expert having nothing to do or say about anything at all...............I know I'm being negastive but it really is such a wasted opportunity.....

[floweringcherry]

Dec 4, 2008 17:34:30 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

I can't resist watching this programme as I do enjoy a good shout at the telly...Prue and I were having a highly enjoyable rant about it in the leek shed this morning - that silly raft, the ridiculous amounts of soil shifting, the horrendous amounts of bought in plants, the absurdity of building habitats for creatures that have a perfectly good natural one down the road (not to mention the fact that they have to cross a road to get to it), the total silliness of giving trees away to neighbours and giving the impression that they will grow really quickly (say, 20 odd years...) PLUS still no planting information, Nick Wathisname babbling away pointlessly and the poor, blonde wildlife expert having nothing to do or say about anything at all...............

So you enjoyed it then.

[maggyd]

I think it was a ridicurlious amount of work for a few red squirels I wonder how much that cost them? Hundreds I should think! and come on how long will it be before them kids are jumping of the floating raft and Mum is curseing Chris Beardshaw?