Behind the scenes at BBC Gardeners’ World ‘secret garden’ near Birmingham

BBC2’s Gardeners World weekly gave us a look at Monty Don’s Herefordshire garden. But before arriving at Longmeadow, filming took place in a converted playing field in Birmingham and before that at a secret location in Stratford-upon-Avon.

After Alan Titchmarsh left the show in the early 2000s, Monty Don stepped in to host – but instead of their own garden, they chose a secret garden. This turned out to be a small property near Anne Hathaway’s cottage in Shottery, Stratford-upon-Avon. Here we had long borders of perennials, large ponds and impressive greenhouses. It was a huge site where Monty was joined by fellow stars Joe Swift, Carol Klein and nurse Alys Fowler.

But in 2008-10 the show had a bit of a ‘modern makeover’ and was moved again to a secret location near Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Here the presenter was Toby Buckland from 2008-2010 and the garden was a redeveloped and renamed playing field, Greenacre.

But the change didn’t go down too well with traditional viewers – it was all a bit too Gardeners’ World meets Top Gear and eventually the show returned to its roots and Monty Don became the main presenter again in 2011, but this time. broadcasting from his own Longmeadow in Herefordshire.

Of course the show had been to other venues in the Midlands before this time – the legendary Percy Thrower presented from 1969 to 1976 at the Magnolias in Shrewsbury.

Next up is Arthur Billitt with the show coming from Clack’s Farm in Ombersley in Worcestershire. Then Geoff Hamilton broadcast from Rutland, followed by Geoffrey Smith and then Alan Titchmarsh in Alton, Hampshire.

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