Alan Titchmarsh has revealed why he purposely leaves spaces in his flower borders, maintaining there is sound reasoning behind the method despite the apparent criticism visitors might level at the approach.
Annuals as a cost-effective solution
Speaking on his YouTube channel Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh, the horticultural expert praised annual flowers as an economical means of introducing colour into gardens while disclosing how they assisted him during financially challenging times in the years following his marriage.
The presenter described annuals as plants that fulfil their complete life cycle within a year, rendering them an inexpensive and practical choice for filling vacant areas in beds and borders. Hardy varieties can withstand cooler conditions, while half-hardy and tender annuals require shelter from frost.
Reflecting on his early gardening days, he said: "I was very grateful for annual flowers when I first got married because we hadn't got very much money."
Alan, 77, remembered purchasing packets of pot marigold seeds and sowing them straight into the soil in his modest sandy garden, adding: "They came up and they cost me next to nothing."
Frugal beginnings and a soft spot for annuals
The television gardener depicted those frugal years, saying: "That was the time when we used to save 10p a week with the butcher to buy a Christmas joint. You get my feeling, right? Okay. And that means I've always had a great soft spot for them."
He outlined that annuals are sown at the start of the year, cultivated throughout spring and hardened off before being positioned outdoors once the threat of frost has disappeared. Besides being cost-effective, he noted they deliver rapid colour amongst established shrubs and perennials.
He recommended gardeners who discover bare patches during summer months should look to annual flowers for an immediate boost. "If you suddenly find yourself in June or July with a hole in a bed or border, go to annuals because they'll give you that instant hit," he said.
Downsizing and defending his cottage garden
Alan has in recent months discussed a significant change in his life — his choice to downsize from his Grade II-listed Hampshire property to a single-storey dwelling with a more compact garden in Surrey.
The presenter was swift to address a possible criticism of his new cottage garden, where certain borders seem more thinly planted than others. "Now, in our cottage garden, you could have said, 'Alan, why didn't you plant these closer together? Because then you wouldn't have had any gaps.'"
Nevertheless, he maintained there was a sensible reason for resisting the urge to fill borders too densely. "But if I'd done that, it would have given them no chance over the next year or so to thicken out and grow to their full potential. Also, perennials are more expensive than seed-raised annuals, so this is both practical and economical."
Instead, he fills the spaces with vibrant annuals, including orange pot marigolds, plum-coloured cosmos and the red-and-black Ladybird poppy, which he confessed is "not subtle". "But I really rather like a bit of outrageousness in a cottage garden," he said.
A philosophy of joy in gardening
Summarising his philosophy towards gardening, the broadcaster continued: "Sometimes you want a garden, all the time, to make you smile. Don't you think?"
Alan returns to ITV this Sunday (July 12) with Love Your Weekend, welcoming actress Joanna David and floral designer Simon Lycett.
