Alan Titchmarsh has some sage advice for green-fingered Brits (Image: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Killik & Co)
Gardening icon Alan Titchmarsh has issued a stark warning to British gardeners as one error could cost them thousands of pounds.
The 77-year-old is one of the nation’s iconic gardeners. He was Gardeners’ World’s main presenter from 1996 to 2002, simultaneously fronting popular garden makeover show Ground Force.
He often has important tips for green-fingered followers, and a recent article examines the “easily overlooked factor” that could be the difference between “a beautiful garden and wasting thousands on plants doomed to die”.
Alan warned readers about the perils of planting too deeply, especially with trees measuring 10ft or more. These monster plants can sometimes cost tens of thousands of pounds, according to Alan, but planting mistakes mean they can wither and die a few years after they were put in the ground.
Writing in Country Life, he said: “Touring one such estate a month ago, in the company of Kew’s former head of the arboretum, Tony Kirkham, we sighed over tree after tree that was struggling to survive only a few years after planting.
Alan implored gardeners to watch how deeply they plant trees (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
“Some were already dead, towering specimens devoid of leaf and brittle of wood; swarthy skeletons against a forget-me-not-blue sky. The cause of the problem in each and every case was deep planting.”
Alan says many gardeners make the same simple mistake. According to the expert, trees that have been container-grown or put in a container later in life are sensitive to a change in the level of planting.
He recommends the surface of the rootball should sit level with the surface, “not 7-11in deeper as was the case with so many of the sad specimens we saw”.
Alan added: “One can bemoan the waste of money on a tree that cost several thousand pounds, but, more than that, the loss of a formerly healthy specimen is agonising for a gardener to behold.
Alan said the mistake could be ‘agonising’ (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Kil)
“The base of the trunk or stem on any tree is recognisable, as it is generally swollen immediately above the emerging roots. Let that swollen stem base by your guide and your means of ensuring the survival of both the tree and your sanity.”
It comes after Alan urged gardeners to do one job immediately to keep rats away from your garden this summer. According to the expert, it all comes down to lawn care.
In a video for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, he said: “Of all the garden pests, the one that fills us with most horror and revulsion, generally, is the rat. I mean, you never know where they are, do you?”
Alan Titchmarsh (Image: Spungold/ITV)
He said the “place they love more than anywhere else in the garden” is, of course, the compost heap, “mainly because of the heat generated” by the “rotting vegetation”. To avoid rats treating your compost heap like their very own “central heated house”, the gardening guru advised making sure the “structure is solid”.
Regarding your lawn, the Titchmarsh urged people to keep their grass cut short – but this may be disappointing for some people to hear, as longer grass can help wildlife to thrive.
Of why short grass is key, the pro explained: “Rats are furtive. They like cover, they like shelter – they do not like close mown grass where they can be seen. They much prefer it longer.”
Catch Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh this morning (Sunday, July 5) from 9.30am to 11.35am on ITV. Guests include Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page and presenter Jake Humphrey.
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