Gardeners need to loosen up , expert says

Gardeners need to loosen up , expert says

» 5th March 2010 «

Rather than a thorough knowledge of the Latin names of plants or of the latest growing techniques, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of most amateur gardeners is a lack of confidence.

That is according to horticultural expert Alan Titchmarsh, who said he believes that even professional gardeners are sometimes paralysed by the 'fear of the unknown'.

Writing for the Daily Telegraph, the Trowel and Error author said it is vital that green-fingered people just get stuck in and learn from their mistakes to get the best out of their garden.

"People can get quite intense about planting. They need to loosen up a bit," the celebrity gardener said.

"You can grow whatever you want to grow, within reason, if you make the conditions right."

He added that amateur gardeners need to be more flexible and willing to adopt a method of trial and error, for example by digging plants up and moving them around the garden to see where they grow best.

As well as Trowel and Error, his autobiography, Titchmarsh has published a number of gardening manuals, including Garden Design and Gardening in the Shade.