Gardener's World – Is it worth it?

To be honest I look at the free seeds and see if I fancy them.
Don't know what it's called but the best one I came across was fortnightly, I think, and on cheap paper.
Good sensible non pretentious advice.
I'm sure someone can identify it.
I have rhs membership given as a present. I used to pass the magazines on unread but they seem to have got their act together so I read them before passing them on. However, in some cases, articles border on patronising.

 

Years ago I bought a paper called Garden News, not sure if its still going.

 

I did subscribe to GW Magazine for a few years but finally cancelled as many of the articles were basically rehashed and republished with much the same content. The ratio of editorial to advert also went the wrong way. I would say that by the time I gave up it was probably about 60% adverts.

 

For about the same price, you can become a member of the RHS and get a monthly magazine with a wide range of articles, results of plant trials anad news from the 5 RHS gardens. You also get free access to those gardens and many partner gardens. One way to learn is to visit other gardens and see how they associate plants and manage them.

They also have a seed distribution scheme for members in the UK. There's a website listing plants and cultivation info and you can ask questions of RHS experts - botanists, pests and diseases etc.

I subscribed to GW magazine years ag but it was very repetitive and, when I moved to Belgium in 1991 they stopped including the freebies - seeds and other goodies - yet I could buy it with them in Belgian shops. I too thought the Geoff H era of GW on TV was wonderful and learned loads. Alant T who followed was OK and I loved their winter specials - series on Cottage Gardens, ornamental Kitchen Gardens and Paradise gardenns form GH and How to be a Gardener from AT.

With Monty in charge I learn a lot less and much of what he does in that garden is irrelevant to mine. However, the garden vists and anything with Adam or Arit are usually of interest.

Beechgrove is full of sensible, practical advice so, even tho it's way behind me in terms of growing season timings, I store nuggets away for my own use.

 

I'm waiting for MD to move on. I would like to watch Gardeners' World but he annoys me something awful. I realise he has many fans and don't want to spoil their enjoyment but I do wish he'd host some other programme about gardens, dogs and wheelbarrows.

 

I'm too tight to pay for gardening knowledge!
If you really want to learn, find an old bloke who potters about on an allotment or in his garden and pick his brains. Normally, they'll talk for hours and will impart wise wisdom on all things horticultural. I say the old bloke because over the years he would have tried it, done it, grown it, killed it, forgotten about it and tried it again.
If you like reading though, there are enough charity shops with book shelves full of old gardening books that are worth the the pence it would cost.
Also, Youtube, facebook groups and the like are quite helpful.
Of course there's always forums like this where you can ask questions......most people on gardening forums like to talk about gardening and also nose at other peoples gardens!

 

Geoff H did just that when researching for his Cottage Gardens and Paradie Gardens series and books. If you find them in a charity shop, snap them up. You can also go noline and get a set of DVDs of all 3 series plus some invaluable bits from his GW series. Magic stuff.

@BB3 me too - and you'd think that with all his revenue from the books, tours and so on that he'd feel able to retire. He's well past pension age.

 

When I binned all my old GW magazines I cut out the 4 or 5 pages of Plants of the Month. I've kept those as they are a handy reference for what will be flowering at a particular time if I'm reworking a border. That was a very expensive way to create a comparatively thin reference file.

 

Come to think of, I am a member of Gardening Which? and get their magazine every month. More useful info than GW and no adverts. And they offer an email helpline which I have used twice and got sensible advice.

 

I had those too. They're still on my bookshelf. Some of the content is still valid but some is rather dated now, particularly the advice about treating pests and diseases. Maybe there are newer editions that at least don't recommend products that are now banned/unavailable.

 

I'm in a chain where the GW magazine is passed down and I just move it on with barely more than a flick through. I know they are different but the TV programme is the same, they seem far more interested in beginners than delving into a subject to the point where there is very little value in it for a more experienced gardener. I get that they have to help new gardeners but it's just so repetitive.

I'm at the stage now that if I'm interested in a topic I delve down the rabbit hole myself to see where it takes me. You will need to develop a crud filter because alot of the articles online have an agenda designed to sell you things you don't need, much like the magazine, but you have great places like here, where knowledge is passed on freely and helpfully. I'm much more one for collective wisdom than someone who takes it from one source.

 

A heartfelt thank you to everyone. Excellent advice there, I say. Geoff Hamilton seems to be held in some affection and my first search for him on YouTube carried a feature of him narrated by Richard Briers no less. I'll also be frequenting a few charity shops and looking to see if there are any grizzled allotment blokes around to pester, so long as it doesn't get me arrested. As for an in-person gardening course, that's food for thought, too.

Much appreciated, folks.

 

I often find gardening magazines get a little repetitive after a while and pretty much all the information you need is available online nowadays.

I used to subscribe to Grow Your Own magazine but stopped after seeing pretty much the same articles year after year.