Alan Titchmarsh names two plants he would ban from gardens forever

Alan Titchmarsh is known for his love of plant life, but there are two garden staples that he’d happily never set eyes on again.

Asked by Talking Gardens podcast host Stephanie Mahon which plant he would happily banish to the compost heap forever, Alan replied without hesitation: “Pampas grass.”

According to Alan, the plant notorious for its connection with suburban wife-swappers “looks like a collection of feathered dusters sticking out of a mountain of grass”. And, he added, if you do decide to plant some, it can be very hard to eradicate if you ever change your mind. He explained: “If you ever want to get rid of it, you've got a real task ahead of you.”

Alan’s second pet hate is with large flowered gladioli, conceding they can be “very good in church.”

Alan explained that it’s only the larger, gaudier type of gladiolus that he doesn’t like. “I like little gladiolus Byzantine,” he told Stephanie. “That's the one that grows in the hedgerows and in Cornwall.”

Alan’s old friend Beth Chatto was apparently quite fond of pampas grass but Alan told her: “You keep it in your garden, Beth, and I'll be happy.” She also gave birth to the regular "Unusual Plants" exhibition at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Alan claimed that some of the exhibits at Chelsea have got a little out of hand in recent years. He went on: “I begin to worry when gardens start to cost six figure sums, a quarter of a million and more to make a garden for a week.”

He’s now more interested in seeing smaller, more intimate shows, such as the Royal Windsor Flower Show where the skill of the grower is really brought to the forefront. He continued: “When I went there first, the weather was lovely, which is always a plus.

“Windsor Great Park is the most beautiful landscape and it was a classic village fête atmosphere for all the right reasons."

He added that the Windsor show is on a smaller scale than Chelsea, but it's got a great atmosphere, saying: "Beautifully done but friendly. Lots of different growers,there, with little stands … it's a bit like portrait miniatures. You don't always need enormous great, massive paintings to impress.

"It's so intrinsically British and it's what we all remember from flower shows as a child. The skills are there, but so too is the friendliness.

"I think often on a small scale, you get the charm, the magic that is lost on the grander scale."