Alan Titchmarsh and his wife Alison downsized from their £3.5m Hampshire home to a new property in Surrey, and the former Gardeners’ World presenter is now facing the ‘daunting’ task of tackling an overgrown woodland garden
Matt Jackson Trendswatch Content Editor
08:30, 19 Apr 2026
Alan Titchmarsh is adjusting to a big change at home with wife Alison(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Gardening authority Alan Titchmarsh is confronting a “daunting” challenge following a significant change alongside his wife Alison. The pair, who wed in 1975, have recently chosen to downsize their living arrangements.
This involved parting with their £3.5m property situated on the fringes of Hampshire’s New Forest. The couple have relocated to a more contemporary residence in Surrey, where their adult daughters had already settled.
Alan has previously characterised the decision to relocate as a “wrench” for any keen gardener. He notes that people frequently “pour so much of their heart and soul” into their outdoor spaces.
He describes his new plot as resembling a “classic English cottage garden” featuring numerous “nooks and crannies and beds and borders”. However, he characterises the woodland encircling the garden as being “like a jungle”.
In BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, Alan penned: “Having just taken on an acre of woodland on acid soil, I have the daunting task of rejuvenating a plantation that was established some 50 years ago and which, for perhaps the last 10 years, has ‘got away’.”
Alan and wife Alison moved to Surrey(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“Lovely express that: the implication that the plants have yielded to no one in their ability to romp ever upwards to the light, elbowing weaker specimens out of the way. The result? An impenetrable thicket.”
Alan notes the woodland contains various flowers that have endured beneath the trees, including rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris, camellias, and leucothoe. He also mentions the woodland has “lauren and more laurel” thriving beneath the mature trees.
The former Gardeners’ World host confesses he feels “excited” about tackling the “once-attractive woodland garden”. Alongside the trees, the space features a man-made stream bed and a pond “half-filled with water, leaves and that rampant coloniser of damp earth”.
While Alan acknowledges he could simply fill in the pond, recognising they seldom flourish in heavily wooded settings, something “impels” him to attempt to “resurrect” it. In footage shared on his Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh YouTube Channel, the horticultural expert observed there were virtually “mini gardens” dotted across the property.
Alan and Alison are apparently “smitten” with their new home(Image: Getty Images)
Alan is hesitant to “spoil” what already exists at his new home but has started clearing the flowerbeds and considering modifications he’d like to implement. He explained: “What I love about this garden is how it compliments the house, the way in which it has been softly sculptured.
“There are no hard edges. There’s lots of fraying into trees and shrubs and then lower perennials and the pond with the ducks dabbling. You feel, when you walk into this garden, that it’s a sanctuary.”
Strolling through his grounds, Alan discovered a weathered tree with two chairs placed underneath it. He shared with viewers: “Who wouldn’t want to park underneath a gnarled old tree, I think we can do something with it really, it’s just a little bit sad and tired now.”
The broadcaster is set to make his comeback with Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, airing at 9.30am on ITV One. This week’s episode will feature actor Martin Clunes, actress Anne Reid and author Anthony Horowitz as guests.
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