Alan Titchmarsh celebrates his fifty-year gardening career with an exciting new series, Britain’s Best Back Gardens, taking a sneak peak at the nation’s best-kept secret gardens.
Starting on ITV on Wednesday night, each episode of the three-part series sees Alan reveal his top ten picks, and in the final episode, entitled 'Flights of Fancy', he even pops in to visit Elton John! While Elton's backyard isn't in the top ten gardens it's worth seeing what one of Britain’s most creative stars does with his patch…
Chatting to What’s on TV, Alan revealed: "I only went to one public figure’s home for this – Elton John treated us to a nose around his wonderful garden! It’s very grand and very tasteful. It was really sweet of him to allow us in. He said he was honoured but, my goodness, I was honoured to be invited!"
Throughout the charming series, Alan proves size doesn’t matter as he unveils his definite list of the nation's best back gardens. From London's rooftops and repurposed skips, to battles with the coast and a six-figure designer garden, British homeowners reveal their pride and joy in this very special celebration of real gardens and their passionate gardeners.
Alan said: "The show's been a voyage of discovery, and full of surprises. People are really inventive and the gardens are inspirational. They are tropical, or contemplative, or have pristine lawns. It's astonishing what people do behind their houses!
"I've been gardening for fifty years and my jaw kept dropping. One man has created a sub-tropical, rainforest garden in Beccles in Suffolk and another in Scotland has the best lawn I've ever seen. He mows it every day and hasn't had a holiday in 43 years!"
Alan added: "There's lots that people can copy at home. You don't have to spend a fortune. Some people recycle and others say 'expense is no object'. Both are wonderful things to do."
Britain's Best Gardens gets underway this evening on ITV at 8pm.
