Saturday, January 22, 2011

Don't you just love Carol Klein?

Is anyone else loving Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein? I'm enjoying it immensely.
It's just the sort of gardening programme I like: it's presented by someone who knows every inch of their garden; there's no hysterical rush or self-imposed deadline to get anything done; it just follows the seasons and, at this time of year, when it's so difficult to get on with anything in one's own garden, it's a glorious escape.
Klein talks about her garden the way we all do - there are descriptions of plants, advice on what to do with them, memories of gardening with her mother, why various roses remind her of her daughters. It's all twined together in a narrative that takes you through the gardening year.
It's the sort of series where television comes into its own. You can see the garden bloom and fade as the year progresses, with the odd reminder of how it looked a few weeks ago. But that's as tricksy as the camerawork gets.
I'm prepared to have an open mind about the new series of Gardeners' World. But to be honest, I'd be quite happy to watch Carol Klein in her garden all year round.
Apologies to American readers: Carol Klein is a British gardening author and television presenter. She runs her own nursery, Glebe Cottage, in Devon, and this is where the series is set.