The Geoff Hamilton BBC Collection (40th Anniversary Gardeners World DVD Box Set)

It is easy to feel like gardening while you listen to Geoff. I guess my next travel to England I will visit his garden that now is open to the public as his legacy. Great work Geoff!!!!

Wonderful DVD set. In line with other people's comments, Mr Hamiltons easy going, informative, engaging style has never been equalled. This DVD set is actually good value, too, with many hours of play for its price. With Geoffs thoughtful, hands-on approach, this advice is as valid today as it was when made. New materials and tools may be available, but the basic concepts of gardening don't really change. It was good to get this set because (astonishingly to me) in spite of Geoffs popularity (which seems to continue) so little of his 17 years with GW is available anywhere else. We see certain programs going 'round and round' on the TV channels, but I've never seen any of Geoffs old GW programs repeated anywhere. In fact there is little more available than two or three clips on YouTube, so this is a gem.On a personal note, my late wife was the real gardener, and quite a plants woman, me often being relegated to the 'gofer'. She never missed an episode of Geoffs GW. Such was Geoff's friendly style that I'm sure people actually felt they knew him, which made his passing so sad for so many people. I'd have to say, after Geoff was no longer on GW, even my wife lost interest in it. She always said that it went from watching a gardener gardening, to a presenter presenting (no disrespect intended to subsequent hosts).I mention this because as well as the easy, competent style and sound advice, you also get a large dollop of nostalgia for your money. If I close my eyes when Geoff is speaking, I can be transported back several decades to a time when we were young and the expectations of life were still in front of us. It was worth it's price for that alone!I should mention I suppose, that this is of course in old 4:3 format, is a bit 'wishy-washy' in the colours ( which you soon adapt to again) and is in mono sound. Exactly as nostalgia should be!

This collection is a real must have for anyone who has been inspired by Geoff Hamilton and his honest and down to earth approach to gardening. Geoff was my inspiration and being old enough to remember him on Gardeners world in the 80's it has been so good to revisit these series and really appreciate just how far ahead of his time he was. All the information is still very current and relevent and his tips pratical and economical.His advice and encouragement for organic and mixed vegetable and flower borders has enabled me to recreate a little peice of Barnsdale in my own garden. Of the three series included here The Ornamental Kitchen Garden is by far my favourite as Geoff literally designs and builds the garden through the series. Most people will remember Cottage Gardens as it created a lot of interest at the time and is probably regarded as Geoff's best work. I love the pleasure garden series but always have a touch of sadness when watching it as tragically Geoff died before completing the series. His twin brother Tony narrates the uncompleted sections. This dosn't detract from the message and enjoyment of each episode however.As I said, Geoff was a man far in advance of his time. Although he was much loved and appreciated whilst he was with us, I doubt even Geoff could have realised just how relevent what he was doing 20 odd years ago would be to us all today. Geoff was an inspiration and I believe like all the masters he will continue to be so for a long time into the future. If everyone followed Geoff's clear and simple advice we could all have beautiful and productive gardens that provide as much pleasure as they do pure organic food. He rightly deserves the the title of "Britains most popular gardener" and no one has yet come close to emulating him. If you have even a slight interest in gardening or growing your own and don't know Geoff Hamilton get this collection and then visit his amazing gardens at Barnsdale - You will be inspired

This collection of DVDs is many things... it's nostalgic, bringing back happy memories of winter nights in the early '90s watching BBC2 when "Gardeners' World" was off air. It's also so very poignant knowing the great Geoff Hamilton would pass away so soon after these programmes were made. But it's also superbly useful, as Geoff builds 5 beautiful gardens from scratch and visits lots of others, passing on masses of useful information. What a wonderful time the early 90s was for gardening TV. As well as the golden age of "Gardeners' World", there were delights such as these."The Ornamental Kitchen Garden" is the most dated, with the resulting garden looking very 80s. It still looks beautiful however, and the organic approach of mixing edibles and ornamentals to reduce the impact of pests is very current. Geoff was always ahead of his time."Cottage Gardens" is, for me, the masterpiece of the set. Creating two beautiful gardens, both so romantic and beautiful, Geoff passes on a lot of information and guidelines. There are also many other wonderful gardens featured."Paradise Gardens" seems to me a slightly untidy serial. Maybe the director was trying to be artistic, or maybe there wasn't quite enough material in the can. Geoff died the summer this series was made and his twin brother Tony does some of the narration. It's also heartbreaking at times knowing what we know. But it's also another superb gardening programme.Highly recommended, a superb selection. I hope the BBC deign to release others in the future.

Watching this is something of a bittersweet experience. It serves as a reminder of what a wonderful presenter Geoff Hamilton was: inspiring, knowledgeable, creative and encouraging yet always with a dash of humility. The plants were bigger than him, so to speak. As a young amateur gardener with no money, Geoff Hamilton kept up my spirits with his "can do" approach. He never lost sight of the fact that most of us didn't earn a fortune and certainly didn't own ten acres of land. I always felt he was talking to me, somehow, such was his gift of communication. Like many, I felt I had lost a friend when he died. This dvd set, rather like that old photo, takes you back to a rather nicer time.

Everything you need to know about in your garden