BREAKING: Alan Titchmarsh admits he and his wife face a “big decision” as a troubling issue at their new home keeps getting worse
Alan Titchmarsh Admits He’s Stumped by Garden Problem as He Shares Key Advice for Homeowners
Alan Titchmarsh may be one of Britain’s best-known gardening experts, but even he admits there are moments when he simply does not know what to do.
The veteran broadcaster has been settling into a new garden after moving to Surrey with his wife Alison, and one particular problem has left him facing what he calls a major “bite the bullet” decision.
At the heart of the dilemma is a group of holly “lollipops” that help divide the garden.
Unfortunately, they are now competing with a holly hedge growing beneath them, and one section of the hedge has already died.
“The rest of it now sort of sits there, getting progressively worse,” Alan explained.
“You get these ‘bite the bullet moments’ where you think, ‘we’ve got to do something about that’. We do have to do something about that.”
Then came the admission many amateur gardeners might find reassuring.
“But I’m not quite sure what.”
Even Alan Titchmarsh Faces Garden Dilemmas
For someone who has spent decades offering advice on television and in print, Alan’s uncertainty is a reminder that even experienced gardeners can run into difficult problems.
His wider message is that gardening should not become an endless list of jobs.
“Don’t journey out totally in work mode,” he advised.
“Take time to enjoy what you’ve achieved.”
Alan said it is important to occasionally stop, look around and recognise when a space has improved.
“It’s nice to enjoy things as well and say, you know, that’s so much better than it was before,” he said.
“And that way, you stay positive.”
That positive attitude has been particularly useful following a challenging summer.
Alan acknowledged that gardeners across Britain have faced difficult conditions involving heat, humidity and water shortages.
“Hot and sticky weather, water shortages, challenges everywhere,” he said.
His solution is simple: do not allow the problems to overshadow the reason for having a garden in the first place.
“You’ve got to stop and smell the roses every now and again,” he added.
“They are amazing.”
His Simple Rose Pruning Rule
Alan also shared practical advice for anyone trying to keep roses looking their best.
As flowers begin to fade, he recommends cutting stems back carefully rather than simply trimming everything at the same height.
“Not all roses stay looking beautiful,” he explained.
“They start to go over and that’s when you feel you need to do something about them.”
His preferred method is to cut back to a stronger section of stem.
“Cut back to one that’s about pencil thickness, always just above a leaf,” Alan advised.
Doing so, he said, should encourage the plant to produce a more vigorous new shoot capable of supporting larger blooms.
The trade-off is that flowers growing from those stronger stems may take a little longer to appear.
But Alan says the eventual display should be worth waiting for, with more blooms emerging once the plant regrows.
Why Keeping the Leaves Matters
One of Alan’s most important tips concerns foliage.
When deadheading roses or other flowering plants, he advises gardeners not to remove too many healthy leaves.
“I want to leave as much foliage as possible,” he said.
“If you snip them off with the shears, leaving the foliage, that can then photosynthesise and feed the rootstock below.”
That gives the plant more energy and helps support future growth.
For all his decades of experience, Alan’s current holly problem proves that gardening rarely offers a perfect answer to every situation.
His approach is instead to accept that difficult choices come with the territory, while making sure the enjoyment of the garden does not disappear beneath constant maintenance.
Even when he is facing a hedge that is steadily deteriorating and has no immediate solution, Alan’s broader philosophy remains unchanged: appreciate what is working, deal with problems when necessary and remember to actually enjoy the space you have created.
