Ground Force

Ground Force was one of the 1st DIY shows to appear on TV along with the likes of Changing Rooms. It was a cult programme and had a massive following. In 1999 it was the second most watched BBC show after Eastenders. The idea of this show was to secretly transform a garden in 2 days whilst the owner was away. The team included host Alan Titchmarsh with support from Charlie Dimmock (queen of water features and no bra!) and Tommy Walsh (burly builder extraudanaire!) Tommy Walsh was hired when he was doing work for the executive producer. Apparantly she was really impressed with his garden building knowledge! Ground Force usually ended in happy tears ...  Read the complete review

I love "Ground Force" - so many ideas to store in my mind for future use, when I have my own house with a garden. Maybe I'll want a mock pier, over a seashell base ... or a riverlet meandering through a lush green landscape. Or maybe I'll decide to build a patio along a wall and paint a mural to whisk me away to a Mediterranean paradise. Whatever my dreams, Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and the cheeky hunky one (whose name I can never remember! Oh, Tommy Walsh, that's it) can give me the ideas and show me that it can be done. Who would have thought that down-to-earth Alan would become a household favourite? His cheerful cross between grumbling and ...  Read the complete review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT: A team of gardeners, headed up by Alan Titchmarsh, have two days to remake the garden of an unsuspecting individual who is unaware of the work taking place. The show ran from 1997 to 2005 on the BBC, and is currently repeated on UKTV Gardens. WAS IT ANY GOOD: It's a bizarre concept that holds this show together: with all the distractions of modern life - debt, work stress, family pressures and the like, would you feel a lot better to find someone had come and made your garden look nice? If you're like me, your garden is a pretty much unused patch of grass and bushes that you walk past on your way to the garage. That's not to say it ...  Read the complete review

I have recently taken up a love for gardening and so I have been sitting in front of the tv watching the re-runs of Ground force on UKTV gardens! I have to say they have given me a lot of inspiration, however I just know that my project will not end up looking anything like theirs does! The programme is a reality tv show where a team of professional gardeners travel around the country fixing up peoples gardens as a surprise and making their little bit of outdoor space much more spectacular. It has to be said though, that sometimes, even though the finished result is extremely beautiful and a little bit different it is not always the most practical ...  Read the complete review

I have recently done a few reviews for lawnmowers and it has to be said I have a big garden It does not however have a particularly spectacular look. There is a huge lawn, some nice flowers, an abundance of shrubbery to attract the butterflies, a number of trees, elm, oak, ash, yew and the inevitable sycamore or two. I even have a little orchard with apple, pear and plum trees. There is also a nice pond with koi in it though there is now one less due to the newly arrived cat next door. Cooking fat. The programme though like those for DIY makeovers and cooking does give some useful and interesting tips about garden design and plants. Little time can ...  Read the complete review