I think it is fairly safe to say that cookery wins hands down in terms of television coverage although those cookery programmes that are all about using ingredients from your own garden do have a slight gardening theme if we're lucky.

We have a regular BBC Gardener's World programme that stops over the winter and then we're lucky to have a 30 minute programme per week for the rest of the year and that's generally it which really is a sad state of affairs in my opinion.  But it's not all doom and gloom there are the odd 2 or 3 episode series that are aired like the Sarah Raven documentary 'Bees, Butterflies and Blooms' and then there's 'How to Grow a Planet'.  Both of these are being aired as I type and are interesting, informative and in some cases inspirational.  Which, in my humble opinion, is more than can be said for ITV's Love your Garden hosted by Alan Tichmarsh or 'Garden ER' hosted by David Domoney; both of which are sadly lacking in the horticultural department and, in Domoney's case, manages to drive me, as a garden designer, to despair when he 'spruces up' a garden by stapling photographs on fences - I have yet to meet anyone who thought that was a good idea!  Why can't we have more of the inspirational, informative programmes?

Monty is Back!

Yes, that’s right Monty Don is set to return to Gardeners' World next year!  I have to say that I am pleased but at the same time I feel for Toby Buckland, I didn’t really like the changes to the format of the show in Toby's first year but I have grown to like him.  

I know there are plenty of experienced gardeners out there who feel the show has been ‘dumbed down’ and the message boards are saying the same.  However, if you think about it the BBC gave Toby the new job and, I would imagine, along with it a brief of what they wanted from him, including the feel of the show and their new targeted audience.  So I can’t help but feel that Toby is getting the raw end of the deal here as many reports are saying he and Alice have been 'dumped'.  In business in general the employer would have to take some responsibility for the employee not performing to the standards that they set.  I would have more respect for the BBC if they just said “we got it wrong” instead of seemingly brushing Toby and his career aside to make way for Monty's return.