Well that was a whirlwind! I am stunned to think that already we are at the end of Beechgrove Garden season 45.
It has genuinely been one of the best work experiences of my life. Filming the sapphire anniversary of Beechgrove Garden has been a very unique and awesome horticultural adventure.
The final show of the main series is shown this Thursday night at 8pm on BBC Scotland, followed by Friday at 7pm on BBC two then once again on Sunday at 9am on BBC Two. It’s a belter, I promise.
The final episode of each series always provides that glorious riot of colours, plants, veg, and the summation of a hectic growing season.
A chance to recap, reflect and celebrate! So what makes working here my favourite horticultural experience of the past 12 years?
Huge variety
I’m easily bored. I’ll admit it. It is one of the reasons I love gardening. There is so much variety from week to week, season to season. Some many different jobs to do. So many skills to learn.
Horticulture provides a never-ending smorgasbord of knowledge that can never all be learned.
For me, Beechgrove Garden offers even more variety than the average gardening job.
It is a chance to bring ideas to life. It is an opportunity to play, explore, and experiment.
Each presenter has their own plans and ideas all of which ends up culminating into a melting pot of a show which provides you at home, with a highly diverse programme.
Gardening from all over the country. All shapes and sizes of gardens. All range of gardening expertise.
My favourite thing about the show before working there was that it was down to earth. They weren’t afraid to admit when things didn’t go to plan and show what went wrong.
They also were very practical, giving salient technical advice. If you’ll be missing you weekly dose of Beechgrove Garden then I’ve got some good news. We are currently busy getting ready to film another Beechgrove Garden autumn series.
It won’t be long until we are back on your screens with all the glorious colour that only autumn can bring. The even better news is that next season, 2024 will bring more new ideas, more experiments, and more chances to entertain, and educate.
Presenting
Although new, I have ended up appearing in 15 episodes (five of which I was a main presenter) this season, much to my surprise and delight!
Presenting on camera is a different ball game. In an environment like Beechgrove Garden we have to show our knowledge. It is not enough to merely know what you are talking about.
We have to be able to relay it, in a way that is accessible and digestible. The ‘Back to Basics’ strand that has ran throughout this series has been very well received for this very reason.
It takes an important gardening skill or concept and breaks it down. What, where, why, when, how? Explain this and you can make anything understandable.
To present though, you also have to make it interesting and entertaining. It also requires thinking about how best to show it.
Props can be a crutch in the wrong hands but also a brilliant tool if used correctly.
I’ve certainly tried my best to use the plants, tools or equipment as my props. I believe a good presenter can make anything in the garden interesting.
Any plant, any tool or any area and make it factually accessible and amusing. It was a real pleasure for me to perform the ‘potting on’ and ‘soil pH’ segments for this reason.
What’s been on?
If you have missed any episodes then you can catch them on BBC iPlayer now. This year has seen a huge range of plans and ideas along with all the usual showings of viewers’ home gardens, allotments or plots.
We have shown everything from windowsill tomato trails, how to make your own free fertiliser with comfrey tea, growing a clover lawn, seed sowing, taking cuttings, rose grafting via t-budding, how to prune various shrubs, lawn care, bamboo care, rejuvenating dying and overgrown plants, hanging baskets, potted plants, pond and aquatic maintenance, veg growing and much more!
The upcoming autumn series will see even more new content to help and inspire you at home when the nights are really drawing in and winter’s relentless march is on the doorstep.
I can’t wait to share these with you in much the same way I simply love writing this column for you.
Thank you for reading this, thank you for watching Beechgrove Garden and most of all thank you for keeping the spirit of gardening and horticultural alive, well and thriving. We all play our part.
Take care and happy gardening.
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