Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Titchmarsh: Spring's hoary old clichés might be trite — but they're all true

The phrase 'Spring is a new beginning’ may be a touch trite for today’s tastes, says Alan Titchmarsh, but it is 'a phrase that invades my mind each and every March'.

Alan Titchmarsh: The hardest thing in life is keeping a sense of perspective. In that respect, a garden has no equal

Alan Titchmarsh: I won't hear a bad word about privet hedges, but they're not a patch on my one-off 'country hedge'

Alan Titchmarsh: My favourite books for winter garden dreaming

As the gardening takes a back seat and the sofa and the fire beckon, Alan recommends some of his favourite books to while away the long winter nights.

Alan Titchmarsh: 'It came as a disappointment to Dad when I wanted to be a gardener, but he hid it well'

Alan Titchmarsh's father wasn't much of a gardener — but further back in his family tree were many green-fingered forbears, and he still uses many of their tools despite them being over a century old.

Alan Titchmarsh: Everyone loves tulips — but make sure you plant the good ones

It's the time of year to plant tulips if you want an explosion of colour next Spring. Alan Titchmarsh picks out some of his favourite tulip varieties which go well beyond the usual suspects.

Birkhall: The home of The Prince of Wales on the Balmoral estate, Aberdeenshire

Alan Titchmarsh explores the garden of Birkhall, The Prince of Wales's Scottish home on the Balmoral estate.

Alan Titchmarsh: The immutable truth of gardening? You only get out what you put in

In gardening, there are no shortcuts says Alan Titchmarsh: you only get out what you put in.

Alan Titchmarsh: The best plants to grow in a boggy garden

Alan Titchmarsh doesn't like soggy socks, but there are plants that love standing around in the damp all day.

Alan Titchmarsh: I'm not a garden obsessive — but if I were, these are the plants that would take over my thoughts

I'm not an obsessive, pleads Alan Titchmarsh, but just an enthusiast — and he tells us which plants he's most 'enthusiastic' about over the course of a year.

Alan Titchmarsh: Of all the fragrant plants in my garden, this is the one I most look forward to enjoying

The gardener, writer and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh shares his favourite flowers for early in the season — including one with a simply unbeatable fragrance.

Alan Titchmarsh: The old wives' tales of gardening that are total rubbish — and the ones with a grain of truth

There is often more than a grain of truth in gardening wisdom that comes from folklore.

Alan Titchmarsh: The best gardening books in my library of 5,000 volumes

The best of Alan Titchmarsh's gardening books have helped shape his career — he takes a look at some very special items in his library.

Alan Titchmarsh: 'Only God’s earth — in the garden and the countryside — is capable of coming up with the goods with reliability equal to that of St Nicholas'

Alan Titchmarsh's Christmas column looks at all the plants of the festive season.

Alan Titchmarsh: How to force Christmas bulbs to ensure fresh, beautiful seasonal flowers

Writer and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh generally enjoys the patience and anticipation of gardening, but is happy to make an exception when it comes to forcing bulbs for Christmas. Here's how he does it.

Alan Titchmarsh: How to grow exotic flowers in English country gardens

Alan Titchmarsh shares his tips on bringing exotic blooms to life in the gardens of Britain.

Alan Titchmarsh: 2021 was the slowest-starting Spring of my life — but my garden has given me more pleasure than ever before

Frost, deluges, heatwaves... the weather this year has been nothing short of madness, but Alan Titchmarsh has come through the other side and is enjoying his garden like never before.

Alan Titchmarsh: 'I share my patch with all manner of animals, birds, bees and butterflies, and creepy-crawlies — they have every right to be there, but so do I'

We should stop beating ourselves up and cultivate responsibly for wildlife and the environment, but also enjoy the pleasure of a well-mown lawn.

Alan Titchmarsh: The garden blunder that caught me out — and how it's going to cost me than I can admit to my wife

Alan Titchmarsh thought his 'old friends' growing peacefully in their pots would be safe. He was wrong.

Alan Titchmarsh: 'Their goal is quantity rather than quality; of boastfulness rather than the innate delight in seeing a plant that is loved'

Our columnist takes aim at the plant collectors whose desire to hit bigger numbers overtakes their love of gardening — but he pours praise on the honourable exceptions who manage to balance both impulses.