Chelsea Flower Show

Watched it today. It was lovely - and my home city of Birmingham won a Gold again

Oh good, I did think the Birmingham display was very good.

Actually, it was all pretty good.

Just wish sometimes we saw more of the gardens and less of the presenters!!

I think there are too many presenters now. I really can't take to Andy Sturgeon. He seems to be sneering all the time.

Watched with interest last night's programme. I don't get on with Monty Don he only seems to realte to people with very large gardens and large budgets and definitely at Mr Titchmarsh fan- he looked rather hurt when they spoke to him albeit briefly. I like Joe swift but Carol Klein's hysteria is very wearing.

I saw Charly Dimmock making a pond in the afternoon- she's always good to watch- very practical and easy to understand.

I love the more natural style of this years gardens. They are incorporating plants that self sow. It gives me hope as I'm of the 'shabby chic' school of gardening and like to leave the self sown oddities!

It is certainly a week of blissful watching. Catching up back to back on I player.x

Love watching. Just two thing I don't like. 1. Some of the gardens with too much 'hard' landscape and 2. Carol Klein, she really irritates me .

Where's Sophie Raworth? Alan Titchmarsh is supposed to have flounced off in high dudgeon because he was denied the main presenter's job.

She's not exactly earning her corn is she?

Watching Dan Pearson tonight reminded me of my garden design year at hort college. He was an up and coming designer, very trendy and good looking and we were all looking forward to watching a video about him. It was straight after lunch and he was so boring we all fell asleep.

Saw Titchmarsh interviewed briefly yesterday about his garden. He was definitely NOT happy and was very off hand. Oh dear, the intricacies of telly life...... Never mind, he is very 'in' with the Royals these days, so nothing to worry about then.......

Want to see more gardens and far less people

I don't understand why Alan Titchmarsh's garden can be voted for in the 'People's Choice' category when it wasn't a competing show garden in the first place and I don't really get why it's there at all.

He stands a good chance of winning because of the populist vote but having neatly avoided all the stress of the main competition which all the other designers have had to endure I don't think his garden should be considered as it smacks of cheating.

The programme is not as lively without Alan! I agree more gardens and less guests.

Just been watching Emilia Fox and her mother Joanna David luvvying their way through the Great Pavillion. When they asked an unsuspecting couple where the beehive was they even acted out what bees DO to the bemused stares of people who were probably thinking, Who are these nutters?

Love it with Monty Don, Titchmarsh too much of the "cheeky chappie" and he would have fawned all over the likes of David Linley. However... what's with the stick? And does anybody else think Monty is looking a bit thin?

Apparently he's 'Done his leg in', Soutra I agree, he doesn't look well.

I loved the bit about the sheltered housing for retired gardeners run by the charity Perennial. How do I get my name on the waiting list??

After me!! Oh do you think Monty might go for one of those...?
Glad the stick is not indicative of anything sinister, rather debonair I thought!

We were really disappointed that there didn't seem to be any proper coverage of the garden Alan Titchmarsh designed, I had to resort to a YouTube recording so that I could see what he had created. It was a serious mistake to ditch him from the Chelsea coverage this year. When his name was mentioned one evening, the presenters glibly swept away the value of experience and knowledge in favour of promoting as many new designers as possible. Whilst of course it is essential to encourage young talent, it is quite wrong to just discard the sort of wisdom and skills which it takes a lifetime to learn.

If perchance Alan Titchmarsh should read this, then here's two keen gardeners in Yorkshire who have really missed his presence at Chelsea this year. It was simply not the same.

Love song to Alan
Did anyone hear Can You Digit singing a love song to Alan on R4 Gardeners Question Time yesterday? Their other song was hilarious too.

Yes I heard it too, Shysal, lovely tune as well as clever lyrics. Next year, perhaps fewer celebrities, more gardens and flowers after all it is supposed to be The Chelsea Flower Show!

I bet Alan Titchmarsh loves it.