People don't like change and when it comes to gardening, change can either take a long period of time as a garden evolves or it can be radical and severe in terms of remedial pruning or drastic garden makeovers.
When Monty Don decided to leave Gardeners' World because of his medical problems, there was a fear that the programme had lost its place as the nations favourite - no, only - pure gardening program.
Monty Don had a silky smooth voice that was ideal for television and problem the son that every mother yearned for; he was right for television.
However, there are factions of British gardeners that felt Don went to far down his organic route and was starting to become detached from the daily challenges that every gardener faced. Chemicals were out and peat based compost became taboo as Don experimented with his own compost.
Gardeners' World had turned into Monty Don's world instead and it seemed to be making people uncomfortable. Rumour had it that when Don fell ill he had already been told that he was being axed.
Viewers were shocked when Toby Buckland was appointed as Berryfields head gardener and blogs and bulletin boards across the UK were a buzz with arguments about his Bucklands experience and suitability for the show.
After all, Monty Don apart, Buckland had some tough acts to follow; namely Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh.
Bucklands first show went well and in a way was a bit of a non event. I think that viewers were looking for reasons to form agreement that the appointment was wrong.
I thought Buckland was self assured, confident and very capable. I did criticise the lawn advice he gave but since then, it seems Buckland has made the show his own.
Now it seems that TB is going to get a whole new lot of fans by taking Gardeners' World to the masses of ordinary gardeners by abandoning Berryfields in favour of an urban inner city patch in Birmingham.
In my view this is a stroke of genius and definitely a way of laying the ghost (metaphorically speaking of course) of Monty Don for good.
Berryfields to the majority of gardeners was gardening in fairyland and you can bet your bottom dollar that the kind of gardeners who were lucky enough (perhaps not) to live in an environment like Berryfields didn't do much of the gardening themselves.
The allotment patch and urban garden that the majority of gardeners and home owners will be cultivating is what Gardeners' World are creating in an attempt to bring this wonderful pastime to the masses.
The Telegraph have labelled Toby Buckland as the 'nations new head gardener' - you know, I think they might be right.
I also think the timing of his appointment, that has coincided with the 'grow your own revolution' was perfect and possibly saved Gardeners' World.

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