Alan Titchmarsh discusses an efficient gardening technique that significantly decreases the need for weeding in his plants.
Alan Titchmarsh's Tidy Garden Approach
Alan Titchmarsh, a renowned gardener, writer, novelist, and broadcaster, has a unique approach to garden tidiness that emphasizes careful planting techniques and maintenance practices. His small Victorian cottage home, though limited in space, mirrors his love for order and symmetry.
Titchmarsh's garden is a botanic-garden mixture of close-mown plants, a sea of cultivated plants that does not offend his sensibilities. He plants perennials close together, preferring a neat finish over empty spaces. When planting, he gently firms the soil without pressing too hard and carefully positions plants for both aesthetic appeal and healthy growth.
Regarding plant spacing, Titchmarsh recommends giving each plant enough room to avoid overcrowding, which supports healthy roots and reduces soil compaction. His planting technique includes making appropriate-sized holes, parting the soil gently with fingers, and placing plants with attention to their final size and the overall design scheme. This careful spacing also contributes to a sophisticated, tidy look rather than a chaotic or overly dense garden bed.
Practical maintenance is key to Titchmarsh's tidy garden. He prunes, trims hedges, and manages plant health to extend seasons of interest and keep the garden looking cared for. In early spring, he feeds the earth around perennials with blood, fish, and bone, followed by mulching with garden compost. He only mows the lawn weekly and edges it fortnightly in spring and summer.
Titchmarsh values tidiness and symmetry, but struggles with informal areas of his garden due to his love for structured elements. He cuts down the faded stems of perennials in autumn gradually to provide food and shelter for insects and birds. Interestingly, he does not use lawn weed and feed and prefers to let blackbirds feed their young from an uncontaminated greensward.
In his home, Titchmarsh applies the maxim 'Don't put it down, put it away'. He values a tidy shed for easy tool access and does not always clean his tools thoroughly after use. The frequency of falls due to clutter in the small house might have been concerning if they had not moved.
Titchmarsh frequently cleans up woodland paths in his garden and tends to avoid leaving swathes of earth, as he believes it invites unwanted plants. His approach to garden tidiness is a testament to his love for order, functionality, plant health, and a visually pleasing garden.
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