BBC - Tuesday, 1 May, 2001, 15:30 GMT 16:30 UK

Dig at TV garden shows

Makeover shows could spell the 'death' of gardening The likes of Alan Titchmarsh and his Ground Force team could spell the death of traditional gardening, says a leading environmentalist.

The founder of the Eden Centre Project in Cornwall believes the media is destroying Britain's horticultural heritage.

Tim Smit will tell the National Trust conference on Wednesday that gardening faces a "catastrophic decline".

He puts the blame squarely at the door of gardening programmes saying the hobby has become a "lifestyle choice led by media pundits".

Mr Smit opened the £86m Eden Project in March in a former clay pit near St Austell, Cornwall.

Its giant futuristic domes called biomes have been built to recreate the earth's different climates, housing thousands of different plant species

It aims to show how sustainable development depends on plants.

Demeaning

But chief executive Mr Smit believes makeover programmes like the BBC's Ground Force demeans the hard work involved in sustaining a garden.

He told The Independent: "The cities will become ever bleaker and increasingly the environment will be seen by the urban population as something that takes place outside the city walls.

"Our urban parks are decaying and horticulture is not seen as an important profession."

"Ground Force shows people doing something useful, but in a false way - it is all speed with no regard for the seasons."

But the BBC has defended one of its flagship programmes, saying it actually promotes gardening as a pastime.

A spokeswoman said: "Ground Force appeals to a wide cross section of the public from armchair enthusiasts through to garden experts and designers.

"Viewing figures testify to its popularity and research reveals that more people have taken up an active role in their own gardens as a result of the programme."

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001