Gardeners World Garden left to Rot.

[seasprout]

Taken from Brimingham Post.



BBC Gardener's World garden in Birmingham left to rot


A showpiece purpose-built garden has been allowed to “go to seed” after it was ditched as the site for the BBC’s Gardener’s World programme by show bosses.

Experts estimate that the Greenacres garden complex in Edgbaston has cost licence-fee payers hundreds of thousands of pounds for its two-year stint as the base for the BBC 2 programme.

The site - on a disused playing field between Winterbourne Botanical Gardens and Birmingham University - has been left to rot after show bosses relocated filming of the programme to the Herefordshire home of new presenter Monty Don in a bid to revive ratings.

The once-pristine garden has gone to seed with piles of earth standing in the middle of an expensively landscaped lawn and a former exotic garden, planted by former presenter Toby Buckland, now containing just one dead palm tree. A large wooden-framed greenhouse is an empty shell and other plots previously tended by show experts, including Kings Heath-based Alys Fowler, has been completely neglected.

The BBC has refused to say how much licence-payers’ cash it spent developing the Edgbaston garden.

But gardening writer Tim Rumball accused programme makers of showing a complete lack of understanding of the views of the British gardening public. “It is horticultural vandalism,” he claimed.

A BBC spokesman said all plants and features from the show were being recycled if possible.

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2 years ago at Gardeners World live i donated a tray of hardy Orchids to the team after they appealed for plants for the 'new' GreenAcres site.. i wonder if i should ask for them back??

[Florence Fennel]

I did wonder what had happened to GreenAcres, how sad! They could turn it into allotments now.

[Bramble_killer]

am sure people would queue up for it if turned into allotments?

[selfraising]

am sure people would queue up for it if turned into allotments?

That's exactly what I thought.

[Jardiniere]

Its not sad its totally disgusting......glad i dont pay my licence fee.
The BBC is making cut backs all over the place ...they have stopped the Radio 4 message board and are talking about cutting back on local radio stations ...just running core nationwide programmes during the day/evening and only having local breakfast and 'drivetime' shows....and yet they can waste all that money...i wasnt keen on the new format of gardeners world but i was looking forward to seeing the 'field' develop over the years.....total vandalism.....hope they do turn it into allotments ....

[TonyF]

That is outrageous. What Jardiniere said about the licence fee is right, the BBC have taken leave of their senses. At a time when so many people are really struggling to make ends meet, why not set up a community garden project and give it over to people from the area to use in some way, not necessarily as allotments but as a community space.

So much good could be done with a community asset like that.

[arpoet]

That is outrageous. What Jardiniere said about the licence fee is right, the BBC have taken leave of their senses. At a time when so many people are really struggling to make ends meet, why not set up a community garden project and give it over to people from the area to use in some way, not necessarily as allotments but as a community space.

So much good could be done with a community asset like that.

Although i didnt watch most of these G/W progames afther fiirst few episodes, i thought that the whole site could become a wonderful community site from early on.
With a little foresight, the producers could have turned it over to a community project and done a regular follow up show... But that would be too easy.
Roger

[rana]

This says as much about the University and the Botanical gardens who surely must have an interest in leasing the land and taking advantage of the garden development. That said I felt it never really looked like a garden anyway - just a jumble of expensive bits.

[Ouya Mellsa]

That is a very, very afflient area of Birmingham. I'm surprised no local millionaire didn't buy it from the BBC and keep it as their own garden.

[seasprout]

This says as much about the University and the Botanical gardens who surely must have an interest in leasing the land and taking advantage of the garden development. That said I felt it never really looked like a garden anyway - just a jumble of expensive bits.

Weirdly enough, i used to work at those Botanical Gardens and knew the 'field' over the fence well. Wonder if my plants are still there, or if any of the BBC staff have raided the place.

[womble]

This says as much about the University and the Botanical gardens who surely must have an interest in leasing the land and taking advantage of the garden development. That said I felt it never really looked like a garden anyway - just a jumble of expensive bits.

Yeah I was thinking that. I'm suprised no one took it over.

[Hilary B]

There may simply be a load of bureaucracy involved in hading it over to anyone, and no-one has been doing anything with it until they have decided what happens next. It's fairly typical of a large organisation with something they are no longer using. They can't decide what its new use will be until it is deteriorating towards uselessness!

[petal]

I am just relieved they got rid of that awful alys posho.

[Ouya Mellsa]

Bit harsh!

[Moononia]

The Truth

It is owned by the school next door KES and leased to the University. It was just left, nothing taken, nothing maintained. It cannot be turned into allotments due to it's location and neither can it be opened to the public or directly signposted. Works are underway with students of KES and participating schools to start growing produce there again. A clearing and refreshment of the site are being performed boys at the school. Hope this is good news to you, the land is not going to waste!