Gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh has shared his top tips for creating a garden, including what he believes is the ‘biggest mistake’ people make
Matt Jackson Trendswatch Content Editor
13:10, 09 Mar 2026
Alan Titchmarsh has urged gardeners not to make one mistake
Alan Titchmarsh has cautioned gardening enthusiasts against making a significant error when designing their outdoor spaces. The 76-year-old has accumulated extensive horticultural knowledge since his childhood days purchasing seeds from Woolworths.
After leaving education at 15, he embarked on an apprenticeship as a gardener with Ilkley Council in Yorkshire, before progressing to a position at Kew Gardens. His professional path later shifted towards journalism, where he took on editorial roles and subsequently authored numerous gardening publications.
Alan’s broadcasting journey commenced in 1979, and he has since fronted well-loved programmes including Groundforce and Gardeners’ World. Currently, he dispenses his expert guidance and techniques through his YouTube platform, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh.
During a recent video, Alan revealed what he considers the “biggest mistake” those tending gardens make. He suggests that far too many individuals attempt to “do it all at once” rather than tackling tasks systematically.
He explained: “Start with the bit you look at when you’re inside the house. Generally speaking, one of the places you are at the most of all is the kitchen sink, and if the kitchen sink has a window in front of it, and that’s what you’re always looking out at when you’re doing the washing up etc, do that bit first.”
Alan Titchmarsh has revealed how to ‘banish’ weeds(Image: Youtube)
“When I first made this garden, looking from the kitchen sink, you looked out of the window and, coincidentally, there was an apple tree right in the centre of the view, perfect. I designed a path that went up to the apple tree, round it, and then to a greenhouse, and the greenhouse became the focal point from the kitchen window.”
Alan explains that this choice inspired him to develop a circular garden featuring a glass sphere encircled by sculpted yew hedges. He also encourages gardeners to establish “what you want” prior to beginning.
He notes it’s simple to cram a garden with “stuff” but emphasises understanding your garden’s purpose before designing it. He maintains there “has to be a sitting area” alongside storage space, whilst recommending a blend of “dream” and “realistic” concepts.
The broadcaster acknowledges it’s “very tempting” to strip back an established and “overgrown” garden upon moving house, but advises gardeners to “take time and look” before making any hasty decisions.
He elaborated: “If you move into a garden in the dead of winter, you can’t see what’s underground. You can’t see how much beauty is lurking there, waiting to erupt in spring and summer.”
Alan Titchmarh’s Love Your Weekend returned for a Valentine’s weekend special(Image: ITV)
Alan suggests gardeners should also prepare a strategy beforehand and “work with nature”. He advocates selecting plants that “grow well” within your locality.
The television personality has previously discussed his enthusiasm for returning to gardening duties following his relocation to a new property in Surrey. Writing in Gardeners’ World magazine, he revealed: “New gardens possess so many challenges. I am monitoring the path of the sun – at its lowest at this time of year – so that plants which require sun or shade can be catered for.
“I have found the best place for a greenhouse and acquired the planning permission I need in this conservation area. (Living in terrain that is designated a National Landscape has to be a plus, but it brings with it a number of planning restrictions, which I know are in everybody’s interests).”
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