Alan Titchmarsh has opened up about a 'dramatic change' in his life, revealing he is gradually 'getting over it'. The 77-year-old gardening guru and his wife Alison have recently traded their stunning Grade II-listed Hampshire abode for new digs in Surrey.
A Rare Move After Decades
For Alan, this marks just the fourth house move in half a century of married life. The decision to 'downsize' came naturally as their daughters have now flown the nest. Penning his thoughts in Gardeners' World, Alan ranked moving house among the 'three most traumatic events' one can face, alongside death and divorce. 'I'm getting over it,' the presenter confessed.
New Garden, New Challenges
The gardening legend has also been mulling over the 'planting scheme' for his new outdoor space, which currently boasts a Mediterranean vibe. Alan acknowledges that when tackling a new garden, it is tempting to opt for minor 'tweaks' rather than bold transformations. Yet the horticultural expert concedes that occasionally it is 'good for us all' to recognise when your plot demands more substantial intervention.
He elaborated: 'It's all too easy, as a gardener schooled in the vital attributes of patience, to value the slowly developing scene in front of one and to resist dramatic changes preferring, instead to do a little tweak here, and adjustment to the planting scheme there. But every now and then it does us good to make a more dramatic change.'
Alan quipped that he was not telling readers to up sticks and relocate, but rather to tackle those neglected corners of their gardens that, 'in their heart of hearts' they know they 'turn a blind eye to'. While these spots may no longer 'give you joy,' Alan acknowledges it is tempting to 'turn a blind eye' and put things off.
Reflections on His Previous Garden
The former Gardeners' World host has previously likened his plot to a 'classic English cottage garden' brimming with 'nooks and crannies and beds and borders'. Though he described the woodland encircling the property as being 'like a jungle'. In a past issue of BBC Gardeners' World magazine, Alan wrote: 'Having just taken on an acre of woodland on acid soil, I have the daunting task of rejuvenating a plantation that was established some 50 years ago and which, for perhaps the last 10 years, has 'got away'. Lovely express that: the implication that the plants have yielded to no one in their ability to romp ever upwards to the light, elbowing weaker specimens out of the way. The result? An impenetrable thicket.'
Alan nevertheless confessed he was 'excited' to tackle the 'once-attractive woodland garden'. Beyond the trees, it boasts an artificial stream bed and a pond 'half-filled with water, leaves and that rampant coloniser of damp earth'.
Back on Screen
The beloved TV presenter is back on our screens from 9:30am today on ITV One with Alan Titchmarsh's Love Your Weekend. Joining him will be actor Neil Stuke and actress-singer Marisha Wallace, while florist Jonathan Moseley will be celebrating the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
