Alan v Monty

Alan

Alan is my hero! Ever since Groundforce to be exact. It was watching the program that gave me the motivation to take a course with the RHS.
Was a gardener by trade at the time, so thought I would add some more knowledge on horticluture.
Monty is fine, but Alan is like a loveable old uncle in his manner and delivery.
Prefer GW as it is more informative than the presant Titchmash offering. As for the hosepipe use for making a line to cut out a border edge, he has done this before on How To Be a Gardener.
How To Be a Gardener was good, but the presant show has nothing new to offer.

 

And from me

 

I like Monty Don as a presenter and found his series of programmes about traditional crafts a year or two ago very interesting and wish there had been a second series. I just don't think his gardening credentials are as good as Alan's.

When it comes to gardens and gardening, I prefer Alan Titchmarsh to talk to me because he's a hugely experienced pro with a sense of humour.

But we're in good spot at the moment with both to choose from.

 

For some reason I find Carol Klein really annoying - her wilted cuttings (Gardeners' World, Friday) might 'perk up', but mine wouldn't! That said, I don't consider I know enough about gardening to say that any one presenter is better than any other.

 

I did some cuttings that wilted and stayed wilted until I threw them out, so yeah, I thought that part was a bit odd! Now I'm wondering if I should have just left them..

and the presenting part of the show (away from the gardening) Monty is better and more likeable, I feel.

 

Sadly the programme that put me off ever buying a Dewalt product.

Clever marketing to promote a very mediocre product.

 

Well we watched both and were very pleased when beloved Monty was on our tv, giving us a wealth of knowledge, charm and enthusiasm.

My husband summed it up I think. He felt Alan's show was like a long advertisement. He said he kept waiting for 'and you can buy these at B&Q'. Funny at the end when B&Q were thanked in the credits.

Lovely to have another gardening program, but it's very 'mainstream' and lacks something, we felt.

 

I do so agree about Alan. And as for his show being 'too mainstream' or 'too simple', stop being gardening snobs! A programme which shows people new to gardening how to do the basics can't be bad. Gardening isn't an exclusive club, thank goodness.

And now I'll shoot myself in the foot by admitting that I missed Alan's show and I can't stand watching Monty (too earnest, too superior) so I didn't see GW either!

 

It wasn't really the basics, though.

Apart from the hosepipe trick, how many people on here actually have a pond (or room to install one into their garden?) and that took up a large chunk of the show!

I prefer shows which are relevant to the time, like GW shows us what to be doing in that certain month/time of the month, which is really helpful!

 

If you asked me about 5 years ago I would have said Alan, 100%.

But I have to agreed with Victoria Plum on this one. Alan Titchmarsh is to me no longer a figure head but is instead a brand. You go in B&Q and hear his voice booming over the tannoy's like big brother, his cardbaord cut outs seems to be standing in every store, not to mention his vague advice he gives to the clueless public in those free b&q newsletters I receive with my paper every month or so.

He has his own brand of seeds, in conjunction with Sutton Seeds, gardening gifts, ranging from mugs to bookmarks etc and now he's brought out his own brand of tools. Even though I've read in countless books of his that "old is best", charging £40 for a stainless steel fork with his "brand" on it is daft as well I should add.

Not to that terrible chat show he presents, countless books, magazine articles etc.

As I've said elsewhere, too many fingers in too many pies. I don't hate Alan I should add I felt I should just point out how much of a brand he has become. I know a lot of fans will still disagree with me on this one though.

 

I have to agree with Peter S in that I love to see other peoples gardens, to see what they have done, and to get ideas and inspiration for my own
Having said that, I didn't see the new programme. I do like Monty Don and Titchy as well, although I feel that the latter is becoming a little bit boring :(

 

This is such a difficult one. I can see why Titchmarsh wants to do as much as possible while he can. He has had a very long career compared with most media people, but the public is fickle. Do you keep a strict limit on the amount that you take on, in the hope that you won't end up boring the hell out of people, or do you go for everything, knowing that in the end you'll probably be down to doing life insurance ads with the other has-beens anyway? I still like Alan and enjoy the stuff he does. I'm afraid I went off Monty some time ago, when he was droning on about his 'seasonal depression', which involves turning a funny colour and staying in bed during November and December in order to be wretched. I thought of all the people in my street who turn out to do godawful jobs every single day, no matter how dreadful they're feeling, because they don't have the option of taking several months off. And I switched off.

 

S.A.D is a serious thing to have. I actually think I have S.A.D but summer S.A.D (20% of Ireland has S.A.D, apparently), but I still get on with life, but I dread waking up to really bad changes in temperatures from day-to-day.. no idea why anyone would get it in the winter, though! :D