For the second time in under a year, Winterbourne was in the TV spotlight as Head Gardener Dan Cartwright was joined by presenter Camilla Bassett-Smith to give a tour of the garden for viewers of ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club.
Last summer, we made our debut on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, with Dan showcasing our seven-and-a-half-acre botanical garden. TV stardom clearly had an impact, with a surge of visitors coming through the doors in the following weeks excitedly telling us that they saw the garden featured on the show and just had to come and experience it for themselves.
So, when we had the call earlier this year asking if we’d be interested in taking part in Alan Titchmarsh’s latest show, we couldn’t have been more excited. When chatting to the show’s producers, it turned out that it was our display of 125 hanging snowdrop kokedamas that had particularly caught their attention. They’d been inspired by the creativity of the idea and loved seeing horticulture supervisor Fumiko Miyachi’s handy guide on how to make your own kokedamas at home.
At the end of March, just as spring was beginning to bloom around the garden, TV Horticulturalist Camilla Bassett-Smith, one Titchmarsh’s co-presenters, came to Winterbourne for a day of filming in the garden. Camilla and the film crew were struck by the garden’s beauty, and – of course! – by Head Gardener Dan’s dazzling personality. The full day of filming included a tour of the garden’s must-see highlights, with Dan and Camilla chatting about Winterbourne’s arts and crafts roots, and the ongoing care, passion and creativity that staff and volunteers put into maintaining the historic garden.
Of course, they also wanted to know more about the inspired display of snowdrop kokedamas, a project that was conjured up by Dan and Fumiko to celebrate 125 years of University of Birmingham. Dan and Camilla filmed a simple how-to guide for the show’s viewers, so we hope to see hanging kokedamas become the new craze in home gardens around the country!
Our second TV appearance in under a year is a remarkable achievement for Winterbourne. It is testament to the hard work that so many people put into caring for this special site every single day. Opportunities like this continue to allow us to share Winterbourne’s unique horticultural heritage and allow people from across the country to explore Birmingham’s hidden gem.
If you didn’t catch the episode when it aired on Monday 12 May, you can still watch it on ITVX.
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