It's not often I take the possibly risky step of criticising a piece that's appeared in our own paper, but I was bemused to find whist checking out the "Green List", a list of Britain's 100 top environmentalists that appeared in yesterday's paper, that only three horticultural greens made the grade.
Gardeners ought to be all over the list, though. For a start, we all know the stuff about growing your own and how it can help to reduce carbon emissions associated with food transport. Eating more home-grown veg also means that we're doing as the UN told us recently, moving over from a more animal-based diet to a more-vegetable laden one. Not only that: in the last twelve months fruit and veg sales have rocketed as the great British public experienced a kind of epiphany, falling in love with everything to do with grow bags, allotments and pinching out.
You wouldn't know this looking at the list though. Okay, in the top ten you'll find Monty Don, coming in at a not-to-be-sniffed-at number 4. But although Monty is about to take over the helm of the Soil Association, I would have said that he is the kind of gardener who cultivates, hmmm, how shall I put it, strong feelings either way. And whilst watching him digging his potatoes is lovely Friday night viewing, I don't think he has been particularly successful in convincing people to switch over to growing their own. In fact I can think of several people I think have been much more important: If I was in charge, Carol Klein would have been top of the list for her inspirational series Grow Your Own, as would Joe Swift whose allotment antics on Gardeners' World have, ahem, made people think even they could manage to grow something.
Further down the list we've got Tim Smit, at number 56. I concede that the Eden Project is a wonderful thing which owes its very existence to Smit's (actually slightly scary) energy, but again if you're looking for the person who's made the most difference to garden-based conservation I reckon the name on the list should be Tony Kirkham from Kew, presenter of The Trees that Made Britain. This programme has been a hymn to native species and their interest and importance: while hothouse gardening is great for schools to learn about the wider world, preserving our own natural heritage goes undervalued and Kirkham has gone a long way towards addressing that.
Finally at number 67 there's Guy Barter, a face some will know from RHS presentations on climate change. However, if I was going to pick an RHS figure who epitomised that organisation's serious approach to the subject it would have to be Matthew Wilson, author of New Gardening: How to Garden in a Changing Climate. Guy Barter is a nice enough chap but Matthew Wilson is the Mr Darcy of Climate Change, sexing carbon neutrality up to a remarkable extent. There's just no competition.
Out of all of these omissions it's Carol and Joe's that offends me the most, though. Monty Don is an easy choice and yet his kingdom of corduroy puts loads of people off growing their own, imagining that they would need to sashay about all day long in leather jerkins to achieve anything in a veg bed. We need gardeners like Joe and Carol on TV to make viewers feel it's possible to have a go. They've been criticised for the gentle pop music soundtrack and the incompetent rotovating, but the truth is they make you feel it's something you yourself could attempt. Watching in awe is one thing, but achieves nothing. Watching with a smile on your face is what's required to get you out there the next day, having a go of your own.
Monty "Globetrotter" Don at number 4?
And I thought I was the one who specialised in taking the piss.
Posted by: The Garden Monkey | Monday, 13 October 2008 at 10:14 PM
Ha ha. Don't really imagine you'll have approved of my suggestion that Joe Swift should be in there instead, though.
Posted by: emma townshend | Tuesday, 14 October 2008 at 12:20 PM
ha ha. Joe Swift is green alright, but in an entirely different sense.
Posted by: The Garden Monkey | Tuesday, 14 October 2008 at 02:21 PM
Found her - on Breakfast News this morning promoting her new book.
She managed to make both presenters speechless simply by giving them some lettuce to eat on air and you could hear her giggling in the background at the result.
Posted by: VP | Wednesday, 15 October 2008 at 04:32 PM
I so agree with you about Matthew and particularly about Tony - very inspirational man, and so committed. I was treated to a half-hour chat with him a little while back and he was so passionate - yet modest. Going off to meet him again on Monday at Kew (in the company of a lot more journos this time though) - can't wait!
For all his globe-trotting I do agree about Monty (remember it was the producers who decided on the globetrotting - MD quite clearly wasn't so taken with the idea). Not so sure about Carol though - she's a lovely, lovely lady who IMHO should be where Toby B is today, but environmental issues aren't her thing except in the way it's all our "thing" if we garden. And as for Joe Swift... hah!
I shall say no more for fear of offending Those In Tellyland.
Posted by: The Constant Gardener | Sunday, 19 October 2008 at 03:29 AM
I suspect the reason our faves arent on the list is because the list is rather elitist. I supposes that the increase in British people eating vegies, being more environmentally aware is down to these luminaries. I suspect it has more to do with the current economic situation - we will turn lights off and PCs off not to reduce our carbon immissions but to reduce the electricity bill, the same goes for growing your own!!
Posted by: Helen | Monday, 20 October 2008 at 12:37 PM