Snowdrop gardens on television

[Tim Ingram]

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_des-perce-neige-par-milliers-dans-le-jardin-de-brigitte?id=1991077

Brigitte and her friend Maryese visited us this morning on a trip over to the UK to see snowdrop gardens and the Myddelton House Snowdrop Day, and Brigitte mentioned this piece about her garden on Jardins et Loisirs. Now why don't we have more programmes like this about plants-peoples gardens in the UK? No hype, no drama, just appreciation of a fine level of gardening and of plants.

[steve owen]

The programme made interesting watching and it would be good to see the garden in summer.
It struck me at once that Brigitte's very nice displays of snowdrop cultivars owed a lot to the size of her garden, allowing her to space out her different cultivars. That in turn lessens the danger of imported stagonospora running riot from one group to another.*
But I agree Tim's point that programmes such as this make good watching. Whether the main TV channels here would find room for such programmes amidst their apparent obsession with so-called "reality" shows I'm not sure - maybe gardening needs an advocate like David Attenborough. A couple of years ago Monty Don did a luminous series about gardens in Italy (I think) so maybe he would be the man for the job.
*Went round a major snowdrop garden known to every serious snowdrop grower recently; stag was cutting a swathe through the collection, grown close together, like the Grim Reaper.

[Tim Ingram]

I'm sure gardening needs an advocate like David Attenborough Steve because it would take our appreciation of plants to a different level - in the same way that we view good Natural History broadcasting. What struck me about this short programme was the rapport between the presenter and Brigitte but also the calm and interesting narrative (even though I couldn't properly understand much of it!) - the celebration was about the garden and the plants and not about the presenter or the programme itself. It was also nice to see other people visiting the garden and obviously enjoying it and commenting on it - the sharing of gardens which those of us who open them regularly benefit from and are enthused by and gives gardening a 'community' rather than a hierarchy.

(Stagonospora, yes - this really is a danger with a monoculture like snowdrops and we try to separate varieties and plant groups in different places as much as possible. It is a reason why good classic cultivars should not be neglected because their longevity must be an indication of some resistance to pathogens like this).
 

[steve owen]

A "strongly agree" to your final point Tim.

[suelander]

This is what we passionate gardeners crave.  There is so much potential for really good gardening programmes.

[mark smyth]

It would be fantastic to have space like that

[Ding Dong]

What a lovely garden, beautifully maintained! If only a UK gardening programme would donate a slot that long to show off snowdrops! I can think of no one better to present it than our own Alan Street 😊😊 It could turn into a very long series!!!

[Mary Tobin]

Gardener's World in 2014 featured a beautiful snowdrop garden in Scotland owned by a botanic artist and they also had a visit to a snowdrop show in Dunblane. I would have liked the visit to the garden to be longer.

[Brian Ellis]

Welcome to the forum Mary, am I right in assuming a link to Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Welcome to the forum Mary, am I right in assuming a link to Paddy

Mary is the Brains of the operation, Brian!

 Welcome Mary!

[Maggi Young]

I think it was the Beechgrove Garden TV programme which you recall for  some of those  features, Mary.  The  SRGC Early Bulb Day has been featured ( as has the  Kincardine Show )  http://www.beechgrove.co.uk/module_uploads/2/Factsheet%202015%20-%20prog%201.pdf

 They also featured an Edinburgh snowdrop garden.... name of the owner escapes me meantime.

In the distant past I  have to say I think  TV did rather better with garden visits - Beechgrove has  often done them well ( rather large numbers of SRGC members have  been the subject of the best of them!) and several of the old Channel 4 programmes  did well too.   
So much nowadays is about "design" - which often means either hard landscaping or some johnny-come-lately ( of either gender) imposing a  scheme on some poor soul with more money than sense!   

[Matt T]

They also featured an Edinburgh snowdrop garden.... name of the owner escapes me meantime.

I think it might have been Shepherd House at Inveresk?
http://shepherdhousegarden.co.uk/snowdrops/

[Maggi Young]

The very one, Matt, thanks!

[Mary Tobin]

Thanks for the link to the garden. What a wonderful garden in all seasons, great photos. Thank you all for the welcome.

[Carolyn Walker]

http://www.rtbf.be/video/detail_des-perce-neige-par-milliers-dans-le-jardin-de-brigitte?id=1991077

Brigitte and her friend Maryese visited us this morning on a trip over to the UK to see snowdrop gardens and the Myddelton House Snowdrop Day, and Brigitte mentioned this piece about her garden on Jardins et Loisirs. Now why don't we have more programmes like this about plants-peoples gardens in the UK? No hype, no drama, just appreciation of a fine level of gardening and of plants.

Absolutely gorgeous, Tim, thanks for drawing the program to our attention.  Watching it made me want to redouble my efforts to increase the number of each variety of snowdrop I have as they really achieve perfection in clumps.  I do have the hellebores, cyclamen, and scilla to go with them but unfortunately I can't grow Iris reticulata and allies.  Have tried all sorts of conditions and locations over and over with no success.