Former BBC Gardeners’ World host Alan Titchmarsh is a huge fan of all things horticultural, but there are two plants he could do without in his own garden
Alan Titchmarsh is not a fan of pampas grass, pictured(Image: (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto))
Alan Titchmarsh is celebrated for his love of plants, yet there are two garden staples he’d happily banish for good.
When questioned by Talking Gardens podcast host Stephanie Mahon about which plant he’d cheerfully toss onto the compost heap, Alan responded without pause: “Pampas grass.”
The gardening expert believes the plant – notoriously associated with suburban swingers – “looks like a collection of feathered dusters sticking out of a mountain of grass”. Furthermore, he cautioned that once you’ve established it, removing the blasted thing becomes an absolute nightmare.
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He explained: “If you ever want to get rid of it, you’ve got a real task ahead of you.”
Alan’s second pet peeve is large flowered gladioli, although he concedes they can be “very good in church.”, reports the Mirror.
The television personality clarified it’s only the larger, more ostentatious varieties he despises, reports the Express. “I like little gladiolus Byzantine,” he disclosed to Stephanie.
“That’s the one that grows in the hedgerows and in Cornwall.”
Alan’s late friend Beth Chatto was seemingly quite fond of pampas grass, but Alan informed her: “You keep it in your garden, Beth, and I’ll be happy.”
She also established the popular “Unusual Plants” exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show. Alan believes some of the Chelsea displays have become somewhat over-the-top recently.
He added: “I begin to worry when gardens start to cost six figure sums, a quarter of a million and more to make a garden for a week.”
He’s now more attracted to witnessing smaller, more intimate displays, such as the Royal Windsor Flower Show where the skill of the grower truly takes centre stage. He continued: “When I went there first, the weather was lovely, which is always a plus.
“Windsor Great Park is the most beautiful landscape and it was a classic village fête atmosphere for all the right reasons.”
He observed that the Windsor exhibition operates on a more modest scale than Chelsea, but boasts a wonderful ambience, explaining: “Beautifully done but friendly. Lots of different growers,there, with little stands … it’s a bit like portrait miniatures. You don’t always need enormous great, massive paintings to impress.
“It’s so intrinsically British and it’s what we all remember from flower shows as a child. The skills are there, but so too is the friendliness. I think often on a small scale, you get the charm, the magic that is lost on the grander scale.”
