Whereas taking out time for trimming trees, shrubs and pruning is an essential part of gardening, in our house Monty Don has become the hero of daytime television viewing. Off hand, I recommend season 19 episode 6 wherein you may learn the basics of plant feeding: the three primary grow nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, apply once a week. Monty Don's easy going manner makes learning about horticulture a pleasure. Plus, the wife always giggles when his dogs make an appearance.
There are other, more agriculture based programs from BBC, whereas this one is focused mostly on flower gardening and vegetable raising. With write-in (home video-in) guests on every episode equally shifting between Monty's pleasant demonstrations of his work on Long Meadow at Herefordshire in western England. It's no wonder this is a very popular series in England.
Various gardens and parks are featured in short segments, shooting from throughout England and including many guest videos from overseas. Always attention is payed to learning exactly what has gone into the growing of various featured plants as well as an appreciation of how gardening can help everyone's spiritual, nature bound attitude toward life. Watching this program somehow better inspires me toward environmentalist issues than watching how the world's environment is being destroyed in TV news shows. Both are valid, but this is the one that gets me off my butt to do something about it.
The show works as both a gardening aficionado check-in and a general public learn-about. I love watching and always come away feeling closer in touch with nature and with a newfound desire to enhance my own suburban house's backyard and front yard gardens. Here in an extremely dry and windy, difficult-to-grow area: a Spanish styled home located in the high deserts of dry Ventura County, southern California USA.
Nonetheless we are determined to infuse shaded areas with moisture helpers of brick and running aquifers, fountains etc in order to grow our bushes, ivy, flowers, veggies and fruit trees right along side all of our desert succulents. Thanks so much for a great documentary program!
