Gardening of the Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photograph is from Gardener of the Year; I think the location is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Included left to right are: Joe Swift, Rachel de Thame, Adam Pasco and Diarmuid Gavin.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Kate Hillman: ‘Yes, I was on this one! The contestants did their show gardens around a central decking. I think there was an art theme for the inspiration of the garden designs.’

Adam Pasco: ‘Yes, that’s me. I helped develop the concept for BBC Gardener of the Year, and judged it for a few years. Great fun, and worked with some wonderful people.’

Adam Trotman: ‘Yep I edited 2 of the years one directed by Dennis Javis and the other Patty Kraus.’

Patty Kraus: ‘I remember it well! Yes it was the Botanical gardens in Brum.’

Steve Bricknell: ‘This was the first show i ever worked on!! Not sure if this was my year though!’

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Gardener of the Year 1999 – Vanessa Jackson

Photos by Vanessa Jackson, no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken on location shoots for the heats of the ‘Gardener of the Year’ competition in late spring 1999.  They show gardening expert Nigel Colborn interviewing contributors, and visiting their gardens.

The ‘Gardener of the Year’ competition began in 1999.  It comprised of regional heats, which were held at the Botanical Gardens of Wales, and then a Final which was held at the Earth Centre in Doncaster.  The regional heats included question rounds on a specialist subject, a general knowledge gardening round, as well as skills tests, and a visit to the shortlisted candidates’ gardens. The judges included Nigel Colborn, Adam Pasco and Ali Ward.  The series was presented by Alan Titchmarsh.

I was the series producer of the competition in its first year. Subsequently the regional heats were dropped, but the Final, which included designing and building a show garden remained for the next ten years.Roger Casstles was the executive producer.

The competition was transmitted on BBC 2 in the Gardeners’ World Friday night slot in the run up to Christmas.

Vanessa Jackson