Daily Telegraph blog-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/6054156/Children-in-the-garden-how-to-get-kids-interested.html

Should be new one there now about how to grow your own drugs and do your own topiary-it’s toptip-tastic.

2. Email received: “You should have recently received an early advance copy of Matthew Wilson’s The Landscape Man – Making a Garden, which we hope you like! If you haven’t, it’s probably due to the recent postal strikes and will be with you by next week. Just to let you know, we are still awaiting the final confirmed TX details for the forthcoming series, which will obviously affect the publication date of the book. Therefore, it is possible that both could be delayed to Spring ’10, but as soon as we hear for sure, we’ll let you know.” Ummm…

3. The fashion editor of GQ rang the other day to say: “Wonderful article on trees. There’s one in my back garden they want to cut down. Can you help?” We sent her to Trees for Cities.

4. This year has been an annus horribilus for the RHS. President Peter Buckley died in office late 2008 then Chelsea lost sponsors/show gardens and now redundancies. Expect redundancy fall-out by the end of the month. One insider (Geoff Hodge) said if the RHS got rid of its 12 staff on more than £100,000 it wouldn’t have to make anyone else redundant.

5. Met Wyevale/Garden Centre group rep at Lanesborough at Hyde Park Corner the other day. Ate toast.

6. Did anyone see the Grow Your Own film last week on BBC2? I went to the premiere in 2007. Critic Nina Myskow was sitting next to me and walked out after five minutes. Since the film came out 100,000 have joined waiting lists. They are like council house waiting lists for the middle classes-people want what they think they are paying for and what is fashionable. Why do people who move to a new area having not paid council tax there expect an allotment straight away? Buy a cheaper house with a bigger garden I say.

7. Grow Your Own’s opening sequence includes a 'joke' about Alan Titchmarsh talking manure. Maureen Lipman once told me a joke at Hampton Court Flower Show but I can’t remember what it was. Do you know any gardening jokes? Excluding me of course! How about Hedgehogs. Why so selfish? Share the hedges!

8. Should you weed in January?

9. Top stars met this week: Christopher Biggins (garish shirt, has an Ian Dexter garden, talks about the jungle a lot), Alun Armstrong (New Tricks-has a spaniel), David Bellamy (lives in Pennines, doesn’t believe in climate change, not been on TV for 15 years).

And on his complaints about the ‘silly interplay’ of the presenters?

11. There is a new BBC series on National Trust garden Bodnant out. A year in the life. BBC didn't tell anyone.

12. Alys Fowler has a new grow your own programme out next year on BBC. Shouldn't it have been last year?

13. Should a planteara be called a plantarea/plantaria/plant area etc? the question came up at Garden Retail awards judging this week. Thanks to Steve and Val Bradley, Marc Rosenberg (very smartly dressed after his 'Burtons' shirt last week), Doug Stewart, Graham Clarke, Eve Tigwell and Chris Day.

14. That's all for now.

Do you have any famous Facebook gardening friends such as Cleve West, Anne Wareham, Marianne Majerus, Noel Kingsbury, Sarah Canet or yours truly, Matthew Appleby?

Does the NFU’s use of the term “spring months” when referring to plant sales at B&Q offend you? Do my shorts offend you?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/6029729/The-price-is-right-free-ant-in-every-bite.html

2. Was at Mr Fothergill’s the other day. They have taken over the Homebase contract from Suttons, including own-brand. Cecile Cuzenic is taking over as MD at Suttons from Alex Grenfell. The real Mr Fothergill, Jeff Fothergill, had lunch at my table (actually I had lunch at his table). He now does one day a month “to rattle cages” and has a team of five in charge, including his son.

3. At Mr Fothergill’s I noticed how badly dressed garden writers are. Time to expose them.

#Bob Flowerdew was wearing a black polo neck, overalls, a plait, wellies and llama lips.

#Marc Rosenberg was wearing a brown Army surplus shirt

#George Bullivant was wearing a John Collier linen jacket

#I was wearing comedy surf shorts

#Peter Seabrook had a “gardener’s” flowery tie on (prob a present)

#Peter Dawson was wearing an anorak to lunch

#Mike Wyatt had a liveried pilot’s shirt on

#Jean Vernon had blue plastic overshoes on

#Steve Bradley was wearing a cord jacket teamed with green wellies

#Good thing Martyn Cox didn’t show

4. I was at the British Plant Fair the other day. HTA’s Andrew Maxted told me more about next year’s National Plant Show. More in Horticulture Week 21 August. Bumped into Sakata’s Ian Riggs. Also Mark Moir, ex Wyevale, now Newent Plant Centre. Heard talk of crooks ordering plants from some exhibitors and then doing a runner-seems to be getting more prevalent. Do credit checks is the answer.

5. GardenBanter.co.uk-I joined the other day.

6. londongardeners.ning.com. Also joined.

7. I’m doing magazine reviews for thinkinggardens.co.uk. They will be very fair. Lots of restructuring under review across BBC Worldwide I hear.

8. Off to Guernsey next month for the opening of the polo-style Le Friquet Blue Diamond garden centre. Also going to Southport Flower show to meet Diarmuid Gavin and Roddy Llewellyn, and Christopher Biggins. And to Wyevale (Garden Centre Group) Syon Park for celebration of long-serving staff. Also judging British pot plant competition and Garden Retail awards with Chris Day, Doug Stewart, Marc Rosenberg, Graham Clarke, Steve Bradley, John Connel, Eve Tigwell, Val Bradley,Leslie Kossoff.

9. People who say they are gardeners when they make all their money from writing annoy me.

10. Duty mental:

I have read your article from the telegraph titled "Are koi carp the devil's fish?" and I think it was interesting but way off.

I am an owner of Koi for some years and am a member of the British Koi Keeping Society, I wont bore you with technical information about Koi but will simply say that there is a huge difference in keeping a pond and keeping a Koi.

I am the owner of www.koikeepers.co.uk please feel free to look in sometime and then your understand these are not devil's fish but are gods living jewels.

I also write alot of articles on shows around the country and was also on the BBC4 documentary about Koi in Japan, if you want a true insight into these amazing Koi feel free to ask.

Kind regards

Graham McCartney

Hello, Daily Telegraph gardening blog was their top garden feature for most of this week.

There’s a new ‘hilarious’ one there today (7 August). Maybe someone else will call me an imbecile. "Imbecile" was once applied to people with an IQ of 26-50, between "moron" (IQ of 51-70) and "idiot" (IQ of 0-25).

Below is mostly random emails I've received in recent weeks, while I'vebeen writing 100 best garden centres and guide to Glee.

1. "Career changers are not necessarily trying to make a living, they may just be running a nursery as a hobby. So you can go to a plant fair or a show and find they are undercutting you. It's no surprise that growers are getting the same prices as ten years ago." Who said this?

2. Got sent this. Not a fan of flight of fancy whimsical style. http://sea-of-immeasurable-gravy.blogspot.com/

3. http://www.dobbies.co.uk/blog/10-utterly-mad-barbecues Odd.

4. Some feedback: “Think maybe gardens - aesthetically - aren't actually your interest? If they were you'd be telling these TV types that exciting TV would be created by a bit of honest and interesting evaluation of all these endlessly talked up but terrible/boring/overplanted UK gardens."
Guess who?

5. "Well, yes, your point about Gardeners' World watchers is mostly right, and a week or so ago I'd have agreed with you completely.  But I've just spent some time going through all the applications, and I now think that an awful lot of people used the offer as a way to encourage friends and relatives who might be interested to have a go.  Course, it's always hard to tell with this sort of thing, but I suppose we're relying on the fact that growing a few basic veg isn't rocket science."

Guess who?

6. "Everyone is a green writer now' is pure bunkum/greenwash. You can't actually enter your finest work - that is being left to a third party who may not be suitably qualified in any sense. If you care to join the site then you'll see my explanation for why I believe that, and you can contribute your opinion there in an open forum. If you don't want to do that, and are falling for the above explanation, then I'm at a loss to understand why. It would also beg the question as to why the trade press aren't prepared to join the discussion."

Guess who?

7. More oddness: A garden gnome giving the Nazi salute has landed a German artist in trouble with the authorities in Nuremberg.

Prosecutors are investigating whether the gnome, which went on show in one of the city's galleries, breaks the strict law banning Nazi symbols and gestures.

The Bavarian city is particularly sensitive about the Nazi era because Adolf Hitler used it for big rallies and leading *** went on trial there.

The artist, Ottmar Hoerl, says his gnomes poke fun at the ***.

"I'm astonished that a single garden gnome, in what is for me an obscure gallery in Nuremberg, has unleashed such a public discussion because of an anonymous denunciation by someone," Mr Hoerl said.

8. Odder still: Southport boxer Rob Newbiggin is to undergo a sex change operation to become a woman named ‘Mercedes’. The father-of-three has forged a 20-year career as a boxer and has even sparred with Ricky Hatton, but has only now decided to make this life-changing decision. Rob, 44, is the resident artist at Dobbies Garden Centre on Bentham’s Way, and was featured in the Visiter in April with his portrait of Red Rum.

9. Flying Brands statement to the City: "We continue to believe that the increased interest in 'grow your own' will lead not only to increased sales of fruit and vegetables but also to an increased interest in 'grow your own' ornamental plants as people realise the pleasure to be had in 'proper' gardening."

10. Sent in error:

"Obviously staffing the event is the biggest problem and relates to fact 'normal' staff won't get paid - and that you have then to give them time in lieu - which is difficult.

How about following solutions.

1.College students are offered jobs at normal minimum rate?  We could build up a team - give them some training - provide uniform (or direct what they wear) and they could help at various events.  Be good on their CVs - especially in relation to the 'charity' event (I have moved on in planning this - now in direct touch with the woman who runs the theatre group).

2.College staff are offered jobs in exchange for FREE places at the events/the fun of involvement.

I MUCH prefer proposed solution 1 - more potential continuity - and far more useful PR links.

Let me know what you think ASAP and then we can get second event structured in outline." 

Guess who?