The holidays are now over. The seeds have been ordered. The wind is blowing and the temperature is dropping to -5degF (- 5degF for tonight). It’s time to binge watch some gardening shows. I’ve watched BBC 2 Gardeners’ World over the past few years and have some tips to help you get the most from it.

The Gardener’s World television program is an hour long British gardening show. It’s currently hosted by Monty Don, but other presenters are also featured. The show usually begins with the camera being positioned near Monty Don while he is working on gardening tasks. The camera approaches Monty Don as he’s working on a gardening task.

In each episode, there are several segments. Some of these take place in Monty’s Longmeadow garden. These are usually demonstrations on a particular gardening technique. Just by watching him in his garden, I can learn a lot. I can learn a lot by watching him work in his garden. I also learn more about plants, even though I have to run it through the gardening-in-my-climate filter (see below). Other presenters also demonstrate gardening techniques in their gardens or other locations.

I love it when they feature the holders of a href=”https://www.plantheritage.org.uk/national-plant-collections/what-are-the-national-collections/”>National Collections/a> (eg., the iris bred by Sir Cedric Morris and featured in a href=”https://www.plantheritage.org.uk/media/2085/plant-heritage_spring-2015-iris I love when they highlight the owners of National Collections, such as the National Collection of Irises that Sir Cedric Moris has bred. People who are so focused are often a bit weird and nerdy, which is something I can relate to. I could tell you everything you want to know about colchicums .

Since the pandemic began, they’ve also shown garden videos that viewers have sent in, primarily from Britain, but also from other countries including the U.S. Before you go on a binge, you need to know a few important things.

The British Climate

Nowhere in Great Britain is colder than USDA Hardiness Zone 8. I consider USDA hardiness zone 5 and below to be cold climates. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this map. The RHS’s coldest hardiness ratings is H7 – plants that can tolerate -20degC. Plants rated “H7” are considered to be very hardy. I don’t think they could even imagine temperatures colder than -20degC. Some places in Britain have no frost at all and can even leave tender plants on the ground. Their growing season is also longer in terms of the number of frost free days than ours, because of the prevailing winds which bring the heat stored in the Atlantic Ocean . The summer daylight is also longer in the north because of their location. Their winter nights are longer, of course. Be skeptical when a plant is described as hardy. You’ll have to research further to find out if it is hardy in our area.

They also have a distorted view of what hot weather means. One year, the presenters complained about the heat at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. It got as high as 24degC, which is around 75degF. If you ask me, it’s not that hot! You can convert C to F by using Google or Windows 10’s calculator. If they want decent tomatoes, then they will grow them in greenhouses, as they require the extra heat for them to ripen.

There’s enough similarity in the featured plants, but also enough difference to keep things interesting. The only area I am not certain their conditions apply to is pruning, and specifically how prune. Monty prunes roses in January. I, on the other hand, wait until the leaves start to appear, as I am aware of dieback.

Differences in gardenspeak

When the British pronounce words in a different way, they usually mean the same thing. The first syllable in privacy does not rhyme with i but rather with give. Evolution starts with a long E. saint is pronounced Sin, just as it would be in St. Mark’s Square. You may be like me and suddenly realize a word that you have heard many times but whose pronunciation you were unaware of.

There are words that have a completely different meaning. The word “compost”, to British gardeners, has a different meaning. Compost (pronounced Cumpust to them) is any type or kind of potting mixture. We would call it compost. When they refer to “chalk”, they mean a free-draining, alkaline soil made from limestone. If they say that it grows on chalk, then it won’t grow well in my acid clay.

They also use grit quite a bit. You won’t find horticultural gritty in independent garden centers or big box stores, but you can find chicken grit at feed stores. Turface or vermiculite can be used instead.

Find past episodes

Gardeners’ World is a BBC series that is closely guarded. Why not? This is how they make money. They do have some samples available on their site. Gardeners’ World videos on YouTube are removed quickly. There are some legitimate places where you can find them and watch. You can find them if you have already subscribed to British Box. If, like me you think the subscription fee is a bit steep, then there’s another source for you: HDClump. It’s not clear why they are allowed to archive them, but they do. The episodes of 2021 can be found in the after. The episodes are listed in reverse chronological order, so the first 2021 episode is right here. The regular season consisted of 30 episodes, followed by three Winter specials 2021/22. The Winter Specials are a recap of the 2020 Season, which was not up-to-standard due to COVID restrictions. Update: The 2022 episodes can be found in the folder, and 2023 episodes can be found on this page.

There’s still more!

This will get you going. HDClump offers a lot more. On their homepage, they have “Gardening”. A drop-down menu will appear when you hover your mouse over it. You’ll be busy for a long time. Monty Don’s armchair travel specials are a great choice. In 2008, Around the World 80 Gardens was released. Then, later, Italian Gardens followed by French Gardens, Paradise Gardens and Japanese Gardens. In 2020, American Gardens will be released. Monty’s exploration of the United States garden culture was both fun and frustrating. (How could he have missed [insert favorite garden]?) There was a lot of misinformation (we’re not slaves to our grass) and a lot that was portrayed in sweeping terms. He is currently on tour in the Adriatic. The second episode will be broadcast tonight.

Monty Don has a long menu that I’ve yet to explore. But I’ve yet to watch most of the other garden shows. I did enjoy Carol Klein’s Life in a Cottage Garden, however.

If you still can’t get enough Monty, then you can also follow him on Instagram Facebook Twitter or His own website. ( BBC Gardeners’ World has a Facebook page. He’s authored many. Among others, he’s been featured in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

You can enjoy gardening while sitting on your couch. Enjoy the greenery and growth of plants and learn a few tips and techniques that you will be able to use once our long winter has passed. The next season of Gardeners’ World will be on by then. It starts in March when we’re still dealing with the mud season.

What about American gardening programs?

We are a unique family in that we do not own a TV and don’t have cable or streaming services. Before I discovered Gardeners’ World I had never watched any videos. I’m not familiar with American gardening shows. Since years, American gardeners have complained that HGTV is lacking in G.

HGTV had a show named Gardening by the Yard that featured Paul James. However, it was canceled many years ago and I only found a few episodes. let’s be honest, Monty says “In Britain, it’s not unusual to see a gardener at a dinner party.” In America, it’s rare to find someone actively gardening. It’s not part the zeitgeist and is seen as eccentric. Growing a Greener World produces 11 half-hours a year compared with Gardeners’ World’s thirty one-hour episodes, without counting the specials.

There are many “plantfluencers”, who have large followings, on social media. Please let us know if you have a favorite show you watch or if you know another American gardening program.