Tales from Titchmarsh
Technology, and the occasional quiz, have helped Alan get through lockdown isolation. But how would you fare in his gardening quiz?
When I had reached my teenage years, back in 1963, Zoom was a brand of ice lolly modelled on one of the rockets we knew from a children’s television programme called Fireball XL5. It was a precursor to the even more popular Thunderbirds, which followed in 1965. This year, Zoom has come to mean something quite different, and while the original might have caused your mum to raise her eyes heavenward when trying to get its multicoloured stains out of your favourite white T-shirt, her eyes are now raised to heaven in thanks for a means of staying in visual contact with her grandchildren.
It’s irritating, at times, to try and get a word in edgeways and make that green border appear around your own picture, but Zoom has at least kept the channels of family communication open and when the conversation has dried up, many have taken to putting together a quiz to jolly things along. At least one person of my acquaintance has decided he has had enough of such things, but most of us relish the chance to show off or, if we don’t know the answer, to claim that we had forgotten to press the ‘unmute’ button.
Alison’s and my interests – and those of our group of close friends – have resulted in us being involved in quizzes that relate to theatre, music and dance. So far, I have resisted wading in with a quiz based on gardening, but it strikes me that on this page I am in with a chance of my readers being more au fait with the subject and not at all intimidated by questions of a horticultural nature.
But such questions need to have rather more charm than a simple ‘What are ‘Tom Putt’, ‘Peasgood’s Nonsuch’ and ‘Devonshire Quarrenden’ varieties of?’ Answer: ‘Apples’. No, we need to tax the old brainpower with the likes of, ‘What plant name contains all the vowels in the alphabet?’ Any clue? Well, there may be others, but I especially like Aeonium, even though the vowels don’t appear in exactly the right order.
Bearing in mind the title of this magazine, if you are of ‘a certain age’ you should really know the names of the main presenters of the BBC’s Gardeners’ World programme since its inception, and the order in which they came. Tricky that one? It is actually: Ken Burras (1968-69), Percy Thrower (1969-76), Arthur Billitt (196982), Peter Seabrook (1976-79), Clay Jones (1980-85), Geoffrey Smith (1980-82), Geoff Hamilton (1979-96), Alan Titchmarsh (1996-2002), Monty Don (2003-2008), Toby Buckland (2008-10), Monty Don (2011-present).
There were many others during the programme’s 52-year history – including a healthy number of women such as Liz Rigby, Mary Spiller, Pippa Greenwood, Anne Swithinbank, Carol Klein and Rachel de Thame – but these are the men who took the helm, introducing the programme, in the main, from their own gardens. You could ask when the RHS Chelsea Flower Show began (1913) and in which years it was not held (1917-18, 1940-46, and now 2020 – we won’t forget that one in a hurry). But, please, try to make your questions light of heart and amusing, as well as earnest. And think of older people, too, who will be able to answer swiftly when you enquire what was the name of the programme before it was called Gardeners’ World. Answer: Gardening Club with… you guessed… Percy Thrower. Easy?
Alright then, here’s a real stinker: ‘What was the title of the signature tune of Gardening Club and why was it appropriate, bearing in mind that the presenter was Percy Thrower?’ Answer: ‘It was an English country dance called The Shrewsbury Lasses and it was appropriate since Percy Thrower was Shrewsbury’s Parks Superintendent 1946-74.’ All right, call me a nerd…
I wonder if many of your ‘Zoomers’ will be aware of the fact that, strictly speaking, rhubarb is a vegetable (it contains no seeds) and the vegetable marrow is a fruit. Would they know what to do with Gishurst Compound, if they could still get it? Mercifully, this concoction, which was popular in the early years of the 20th century for controlling everything from greenfly, whitefly, red spider mite and scale insects to bed bugs, is no longer available or legal. The manufacturers did admit that if the solution was made too weak it would be ineffective and that if it was too strong it would kill the plant. Perhaps a few users found the happy medium – and survived.
Yes, there’s something comforting about organic gardening and Zoom (but give me a Magnum any day).
So far, I have resisted wading in with a quiz based on gardening, but it strikes me that I am in with a chance of my readers being more with the subject
If this has whetted your appetite, then take our quiz on page 120