The Gardener's Almanac: A Treasury of Wisdom and Inspiration through the Year

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With Alan’s own delightful illustrations, there is also a month by month cornucopia of floral facts, along with wildlife to spot, projects to do, gardens to visit, poems to inspire, and much more besides. Sign up to our newsletter for style and decor inspiration, house makeovers, project advice and more. I want to listen to the birds singing, and hear the wind rustling the leaves of the horse chestnut across the garden, the splash of a duck landing on our wildlife pond, the cluck of a moorhen darting across the lily pads and the laughter of grandchildren. Although a sunny Sunday may seem like a great time to start some gardening and mowing the lawn, it is also important to consider those who just want one day in a week with a well-earned lie-in. Years later, I was doing an autobiography signing in Yorkshire, looked up, and someone said: “Hello”.

Alan Titchmarsh is known to millions through his career as a television presenter for over 40 years, including hosting Love Your Weekend, Love Your Garden, Ground Force, Gardeners’ World, The Alan Titchmarsh Show and ITV’s Spring Into Summer. In his recent piece for BBC’s Gardeners’ World magazine, The Love Your Garden host pointed out the lack of peace and quiet one gets to enjoy in their garden and the importance of it. Alan Titchmarsh has said gardeners should not mow their lawns on Sundays as power tools are too noisy. He added that if people felt they must use mowers or strimmers then they should aim to use them between 9am and 6pm.Has Alan Titchmarsh got himself caught in the middle of another gardening controversy, this time about lawn mowing on a Sunday? Titchmarsh added that he was recently asked what time power tools are acceptable on a Sunday, writing: “I was worried I would sound holier-than-thou when I explained that I never use power tools on a Sunday. I believe] profoundly there should be at least one day in the week when we could go out into our gardens and experience a bit of peace and quiet – or at least as near to peace and quiet as it’s possible to experience in this jet-powered age.

Jack Sutcliffe, co-founder of shed manufacturer Power Sheds, believes in respecting your neighbours since even the best lawn mowers aren’t completely silent. I was worried I would sound holier-than-thou when I explained that I never use power tools on a Sunday. As the director of LeisureBench, an industry-leading garden furniture company, Steve has developed strong expertise for all things nature and plants.

The gardener and presenter said that instead, they should listen to the “natural sounds of the earth”. Now, I know that for most working folk the gardening jobs have to be caught up with at the weekend and that power tools make the going easier – and quicker – but why do even the electric ones have to be so noisy? He was made an MBE in the millennium New Year Honours list and holds the Victoria Medal of Honour, the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest award. The nation’s favourite gardener brings us a treasure trove of gardening knowledge, seasonal advice and inspiration. I believe profoundly there should be at least one day in the week when we could go out into our gardens and experience a bit of peace and quiet.

When the grandchildren were young – and I don’t thank you for making me think of this because it’ll be an earworm for the rest of the day – it was the theme tune for the TV series they liked, In the Night Garden. Alan Titchmarsh said: ‘This is the sort of book I’d have on my bedside table if it had been written by anyone else! Following the garden expert’s rewilding comment controversy, now Alan urges Brits to avoid mowing their lawn on Sundays. The month by month gardening almanac written by Alan Titchmarsh includes seasonal advice on what to grow and sow, projects to inspire your next gardening adventure, plus wildlife spotting tips, a round up of gardens to visit, weather notes, and more.Publisher Rowena Webb said: ‘This is a feast of a book for every gardener, drawing on Alan’s extraordinary knowledge and contagious passion for gardens and nature. Titchmarsh, 74, writing in BBC Gardeners World magazine, made a plea for other gardeners not to use noisy power tools on Sundays. He added that he never uses power tools or mows his lawn on a Sunday because he “profoundly believes” at least one day should be reserved for quietness.