Posted: 17/03/2013 at 01:55
I still love GW - but given that it seems clear that a 30 minute slot has such limitations, and must in itself be a bit of a nightmare for the presenters - I'm imagining particularly that they don't have control over the final editing - and I wonder if some of the stuff the presenters would like to emphasise is just chopped out to make the programme fit the timing. Monty, Carol and Joe often look as if they're having to rush through things and maybe they don't personally get much choice in the content. Somebody maybe edits out a great deal and splice it together to' present' what the programme controllers decide fits their' idea' of what the public want. Somebody must have decided that every Spring what the public needs is to watch someone put compost in a pot, press in three sweet-pea seeds, take them over to the greenhouse, water them and leave them be. This is no criticism of Monty doing it in this programme at all - it's just that yes, most people will be growing sweet-peas - but could somebody show something additional rather than always this beginning stage - here's how you take seeds out the packet, here's how you put compost in a pot, here's how you press down the seeds and here's how to walk to the greenhouse and water them. I love sweet-peas and I know there are people who would be encouraged to grow them seeing how easy this is and how little time it takes. Usually the next stage we see is planting them out round an obelisk or a quick view of the cordon system. If they start with sweet peas - I'd love to see some detail when they're half-way through growth, what experienced growers do to get the best blooms.
I have nothing against Rachel de T. and it was nice to see the winter garden place - but if you think about timing of the programme, I'd rather have the gardener at the site they visit talking about the type of plants rather than someone using time describing how they personally are impressed with the colours, the fragrances - I want to see the camera on the plants - not on someone describing the fragrance of this or that. I want to see plants and see their names come up on the screen - not an arty farty camera angle on something which isn't named with a nice photographers background blur. But - again, I can understand why they do this.
The little item on Hevers hundreds of roses in the walled area was great to see - but again, the gardener was given the time to talk briefly and noticeably encouraging people to get into roses emphasising the attraction of fragrances. I looked at that view of hundreds of those roses and was desperate to hear the gardener say 'Now I'll tell you what we do to the soil to make it fit for all these brilliant roses, here's what we find is the best thing to feed them with and here's how we keep all these roses healthy". Gardening stuff. We get tantalising views of amazing gardens where they specialise or have a specific astonishing section filled with specific plants - it just comes over to me that the gardeners tips or info which could come out from these gardeners or experts doesn't materialise - which is such a pity. I suppose part of this section is to drum up visitors - which is absolutely right and fair - but the nitty gritty 'gardener' aspect of it is thin air. I get the impression too often that there's more advertising places for the public to visit (which of course all gardeners want these amazing places supported - of course we do) - but is the programme scripted to include more pointers to places to visit rather than actual gardening. It puzzles me sometimes how the time in the programme is used. I like Monty, Carol and Joe - but feel it must be hard for them to really present at their best with time limitations.
