Not a great week. One paper fired me. One ex England cricketer decided he didn’t want me to write his biog at the moment. And a TV gardener said he won’t talk to me and that I’m not popular. Guess who’s who at the bottom in the comments. Win a copy of Matthew Wilson's Landscape Man (series starts 22 April C4 8pm).
Here's my conversation with Daily Telegraph's Kylie O'Brien: KO: 'There’s not enough space for you. We’re replacing you with Bunny Guinness from the Sunday Telegraph. [Bunny’s piece-‘How to stake plants beautifully’]
MA: "What's the real reason? Because I was the most viewed columnist. I understand you have some issues with my writing elsewhere?"
KO: "That's all I have to say. My mouth's full because its lunchtime." She put the phone down.
You can email her on kylie.o'brien@telegraph.co.uk to demand my reinstatement or call her on 020 7931 2785. Go on. She can't have her mouth full all day.
On the bright side, I’m Haymarket’s third most popular blogger I’m told. So I’m gonna do more so I go top. I do sell my soul. And try too hard. Latest who told me they read it (unprompted)-Hilary Benn, Joe Swift, Fergus Garrett. Didn’t say they liked it unfortunately. While I'm at it I'm also Daily Telegraph gardening website's most popular writer. But not for much longer!
Lookalikes-Danny Adamson (Sinclair Horticulture) and Matt Dawson (rugby/Question of Sport)

1. In the last few weeks the Government has launched three campaigns-against pond weed fronted by Charlie Dimmock at National Trust property Morden Hall, for allotments with Joe Swift in attendance, and to announce a no peat in garden centres campaign fronted by Diarmuid Gavin.
I was at all three, being nice to TV gardeners and politicians, being nice to Defra bods and getting in the way of BBC broadcaster Sarah Mukherjee’s broadcast satellite dish, as well as getting an earful from a TV gardener ("put that in your blog!").
Those who were there with number of people/appearances in brackets: Sarah Mukherjee (one), Hilary Benn (two), Huw Irranca Davies (one), Defra PRs and wonks (about 100), Dimmock (one), Diarmuid Gavin (none), Joe Swift (one), newspaper environment correspondents (none), trade gardening writers other than me (none), any other garden media types (none) other than me (three). Yet the stories ran everywhere with the same quotes-wonder how they got them? Then you get your opinion pieces where the PR is filtered through the tired prejudices of bloggers interviewing themselves. I wonder why they can’t be bothered asking influential people what they are doing face to face at the time?
2. Odd quote: “In respect of the professional horticultural use of peat, Defra plans to publish a formal consultation document in the summer that is likely to include proposals to further reduce peat use within the professional market. The NFU, as the only trade association solely representing commercial growers’ interests on this issue, will be closely involved in this consultation process.” See last sentence.
3. From Dominic Elsom-Quality Garden Tools-As ever I enjoy your comments on DT and Hort Week blogs. Particularly interesting are your posts on allotment gardening - our blogger 'The Fat Gardener' posted this on his blog for us at the weekend: he (like you) thinks many questions need to be answered with regards to allotment provision.
4. Gardeners’ World. Mentioned buying from garden centres several times. Inspirational according to my mum-a typical watcher. Has a new producer, Liz Rumbold from the Gadget Show, but no sign of Rosemary Edwards on the credits. Toby Buckland has new more fashionable shoes and jacket. Pieces on sweet peas went down well. Pleasant and inoffensive-just what the audience-eg my mum, want. Meant to be intervening Toby Buckland this week-but he postponed last week, ominously.
5. The Christopher Lloyd/Stephen Anderton book His Life at Great Dixter has caused some comment. Expect to see Lady Mary Keen's impassioned attack in Daily Telegraph soon. Fergus Garrett just wants to see Christo portrayed as he saw him. I've got the book and its more entertaining than the average garden tome. There are 18 pages on close male friendships and nine on 'passion for youth', which has upset MK though.
6. Diarmuid Gavin was in a new BBC series called Famous, Rich and Jobless this week. He said: “I’d never do it again-I found it too intrusive in terms of me.”
7. Politics news: Alan Titchmarsh interviewed David Cameron on TV this week. Cameron said he finds growing veg " a great way to relax". And that he’s a “young guy tryin’ to make a difference”. Gordon Brown didn’t do himself too many favours with his friend Piers Morgan. That's an AT iv, not Evan Davis, Jeremy Paxman, Matthew Parris, Nick Robinson, or John Humphrys.
John Walker is standing for Parliament with his own party, the Gardening Party (Kitchen Garden April).
8. Duty mental: Garden News: I agree with Alan Titchmarsh’s comments about ‘social network sites’ and I do not participate in them. But I feel angry and frustrated because of the various ‘light entertainment’ programmes he has become involved in since leaving gardeners’ world. Watching his chatshow I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There he was surrounded by dogs of all sizes displaying ‘prams and carriers’ for their pets and their owners. Alan seems to appear on our TV screens on a variety of programmes but never gardening ones anymore. I feel the programmes are sold to the nation because of his reputation,
Mrs C Burgess, West Bromwich.
9. From my new favourite allotment person, Margaret Campbell of Transition Towns West Kirkby: Last year, in association with the NSALG, we published a study of allotment waiting lists in England.
It showed that on average, for every 100 established plots there were 49 people on waiting lists. In the last major study in 1997 there were only 4 people waiting for every 100 plots in England.
This study is currently being repeated to assess what has happened in the last 12 months. The data collection is almost complete, and shows a very significant increase in waiting lists. We expect to be in a position to publish the results soon.
10. Otter research
PTES is co-funding the National Otter Survey in collaboration with the Environment Agency as the survey organiser. Publication date: January 2011 with early research findings available in September.
PTES is also supporting other otter research through Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), which will investigate whether camera trapping of otters is a technique that can be used for identification purposes and revealing if otters have distinct individual visual characteristics such as seals. Current research techniques rely on investigation of visual signs such as otter spraints and/or DNA analysis to determine individuals. Publication date: Research will be completed by the end of May 2010 with story to be released to media midsummer
11. John Terry has put in planning permission for an indoor swimming pool but that his place and his mum's next door in Oxshott are still on the market.
12. You might want to take a look at this: RHS online editor salary: £22k
Horticultural qualifications: "Knowledge of plants, gardening & horticulture to at least RHS General level."
Also director general-applications by 29 March. I've applied under Gavin McEwan's name.
The RHS is seeking a candidate with a “consultative, transparent and consensual management style”. The candidate also needs “a collaborative and low ego need approach to leadership”.
Another of the 21 personal qualities required is “knowledge of, sympathy for and active participation in horticulture, if only as an amateur gardener”.
The RHS also wants someone to “create a one team approach providing a consistent management style and set of values”. No salary is specified.
13. Hackwatch-Louise Gray Daily Telegraph
Background: In February 2009, The National Trust got Monty Don to announce it was building 1,000 allotments at a press conference.
DT 8 Feb 2010 “The National Trust [allotment] scheme was so successful with 350 plots already set up.”
DT 19 February 2010 “The National Trust said yesterday that it has created more than 300 allotments in the last year.”
DT 4 March 2010 “The National Trust has already provided more than 300 allotments on its land around stately homes and country parks and is on course to establish 1,000 by 2012.”
The NT has 3.6m members and has created 300 allotments in a year. That’s one per 12,000 members.
(9 March Garden News-NT has created 300 allotments etc etc etc)
14. This Friday, London Transport Museum throws an adults only garden party as its exploration of Suburbia continues. The evening includes guerrilla gardening, free design surgeries with a qualified interior designer from Heal's, a crafty chance to make your own mosaic plant pot (hmm - mother's day gift idea alert) Wii games, music, curatorial tours and giant garden games. 18.45 until 22.00. Tickets £7 Adults, £5 Concessions and £5 per ticket for each group of 4 or more. Acton Depot's also open this weekend, along Suburban themes
15. Emma Townshend has had a baby boy. Cottesbrooke Plant Fair will feature talks from Alys Fowler, James Alexander-Sinclair and Dan Pearson. Ken Cox is a big Alys fan. The RHS has suggested I help Andy Sturgeon with his Chelsea garden. The English Gardening School is abandoning Chelsea Physic Garden for Chelsea Wharf leaving a big hole at CPG. Rosemary Alexander is overseeing a book on Christopher Lloyd. Needless to say, calling a few people about the indiscreet nature of Stephen Anderton’s book on Lloyd has caused me some grief. There is no reference to Ursula Buchan this week.