Alan Titchmarsh has named the one plant he "hates" after previously joking he was looking for his axe to remove it from his front lawn. The gardening guru and television presenter recently revealed he had been "taking a trip down memory lane" as he scrolled through 22,300 horticultural images in his phone's camera roll, which reminded him of the flowering plant.
Memories of garden development
"Photos of a garden's development are a way of encouraging your endeavours," Alan explained. "'Can you believe it actually looked like this when we took it on?' you crow to a friend who gasps at it's beauty. Those memories also evoke feelings of shame."
He continued in his Tales from Titchmarsh column in BBC Gardener's World magazine: "You will also spot things that could be better. Why did I plant that there? Do I really like that shrub that gives it's all for a week and then sits there like some dull dumpling for the rest of the year?"
The Photinia dilemma
Alan elaborated that he experienced this dilemma with the Photinia plant, known more commonly as Red Robin. "Do I really hate it that much?" he pondered. "After all, it is red of leaf only for a couple of months of the year and after that it is a really good evergreen that shows off the plants in front of it."
Earlier this year, Alan revealed he was thinking about giving the plant the chop. "I've put in seven Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' to offer me vertical sentinels and will brood further as to what will go between them," he told Country Life. "Then there is the Photinia 'Red Robin' in the front garden. Where's my axe…?"
Other trees Alan avoids
As for trees, the 77-year-old previously revealed one he insists he will "never have" in his garden either. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he told viewers he's not fond of the weeping birch. This tree is often chosen by gardeners with limited space because it "stays small" and has branches that "come down".
Alan stated: "Personally, I don't like it very much, but if you like it and you want a birch, Young's weeping birch for a tiny garden, but jacquemontii for anything of reasonable size."
The betula utilis jacquemonti, or silver birch, is more appropriate for larger gardens as it can grow up to 12 metres high. Alan suggests it is a favourite among gardeners due to its "light and feathery canopy" that doesn't cast "too much shade".
Silver birch and cider gum
But there is one characteristic that particularly catches the eye once winter arrives that Alan truly values. He said: "What it does have, when its leaves have all fallen in winter, is this glorious silvery bark."
The silver birch isn't the only tree that Alan says gardeners should consider. He also enjoys the eucalyptus gunnii, known as cider gum, an evergreen tree that retains its foliage throughout the winter months.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs this Sunday (August 23) at 9:30am on ITV.
