Gardeners Unearthed: December 2019

Alan Gardner

Alan Gardner is known as the Autistic Gardener, the title of his highly acclaimed television programme.

Alan is an award winning Garden Designer, lover of tattoos and makeover and has a large Social Media following.

Four facts are known about Alan Gardner

Alan has Asperger's Syndrome

He had a cactus at aged 15

He had a seed catalogue

He is an award winning gardener called A Gardner

The fifth fact could be, there is not a lot known about Alan Gardner personally but if his garden design is a reflection of him.

He holds nothing back when it comes to design ideas with his use of perspective, light, colour, surroundings, sound and planting schemes.

Alan's interest in gardening began during his teenage years. It quickly grew and it took over his parents suburban garden in Birmingham.

At the age of 15 he was already entering his local flower show with his marigolds.

A job at Birmingham parks department followed.

Alan Gardner is a garden designer and has had over 40 award winning gardens since he first dug up his parents garden to fill it with seeds from his catalogue

.Alan was spotted by a Channel 4 Producer on YouTube talking about one of his award winning gardens and The Autistic Gardener was to follow.

The Autistic Gardener Series 1 was first shown in 2015 on Channel 4 and Alan Gardner was in charge of his group of keen Garden Trainees Charles, Thomas, Philip, James and Victoria.

Each week the Team would design and build a garden to a budget for the home owner, but they were not always sure of how it would turn out!

The Team of Neurodivergent Gardeners all having different needs with some of the Trainees getting obsessed with details or their own fixations, can't cope with social situations, can't vocalise their thoughts or stay focused, each week they produced amazing gardens.

Alan throughout the series explains about the difficulties as well as the positives of being on the Autism Spectrum and how to use his unique way of processing patterns and sequences within the gardens on The Autistic Gardener.

The Autistic Gardener Series 2 sees Alan aided only by his trusty sidekick Anthony and his team of landscapers.

In this Series Alan went to America for inspiration and the series was a lot more focused on Alan and his designs.

Alan received his diagnosis of Asperger's late in life, he has obviously always had his unique brain.

Thanks to the way he collects information and processes it we get to share in his inspirational talent for gardening and design.

Alan Gardner is an ambassador for the Autism Society, his non neuro-typical brain, his brightly coloured hair, make-up and nail varnish has given us a glimpse into his unique way of seeing things through his Asperger's.

We will never see the world the way Alan does, neuro-typical or not. Instead Alan opens our eyes and all our senses through his garden designs.

Alan is an inspiration to all to unleash and embrace being different. Its not a negative. but a gift to grow and nurture!

Alan had a heart attack and originally had a misdiagnosis of indigestion initially, which could have be down to a high pain level.

He now has a constant companion he has called Phil his Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) to regulate his heart.

Alan is married to Mandy and they has 3 Children Hayden, Reiss and Deanna.

Alan Gardner Awards

Alan Gardner has shown at Chelsea flower show and has had over 40 award winning Show Gardens in total, I hope to list them all eventually, this is currently a work in progress.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

2007
Perspectum

2012
'Out of the Blue' with leading turf specialist Lindum Bronze

2015
Silver Medal winner with a Scandinavian style garden in conjunction with Viking River Cruises.

Tatton Flower show

2012
Brass Gold

The RHS Malvern Show

2013
The Incredible Food Gallery

Alan Gardner TV Programmes

The Autistic Gardener

2015

The Autistic Gardener Series 1

Episode 1: Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Ben and Rebecca, £3000

Episode 2: Ealing West London. James and Sophie, £1,200

Episode 3: South London. Zak and Eloise, £10,000

Episode 4: North East London. Alex and Alex, £5,000

2017

The Autistic Gardener Series 2

Episode 1: Lancashire - Pinky and Joe, £10,000

Episode 2: Bristol - Ig and Jo, £15,000

Episode 3: South London - Tim and Claire £15,00 and Jess and Carl £10,000

Alan Gardner The Autistic Gardener Instagram Twitter/X

All photographs are copyright of Channel 4

The Autistic Gardener

The Autistic Gardener first appeared on Channel 4 in 2015.

The Autistic Gardener Series 1

Alan Gardner, the Autistic Gardener and his keen Trainees Charles, Thomas, Philip, James and Victoria starred in this highly acclaimed television programme.

The team working alongside Alan and using his designs to create some stunning gardens all with unique touches that evolve throughout the process with the Trainees input.

In The Autistic Gardener Series 2 Episode 1 Alan Gardner visits Lancashire to meet Pinky and Joe who have a £10,000 budget for their garden makeover.

In The Autistic Gardener Series 2 Episode 2 Alan Gardner is off to Bristol to meet Ig and Jo who are spending £15,000 on their garden's makeover.

The Autistic Gardener Series 2 Episode 3

In The Autistic Gardener season 2 episode 3 we visit South London and couples Tim and Claire, looking to spend £15,000 and Jess and Carl, looking to spend £10,000 on revamping their gardens.

Diana Hart Dyke is a Gardener, Advocate for the National Garden Scheme and along with her Daughter Miranda Hart a TV Gardener in All Gardens Great and Small

Diana Margaret Luce was born in 1939, her father was the late Sir William Henry Tucker Luce and her mother was Margaret Napier.

Her Father was a British Colonial Administrator and Diplomat and her Mother was the Daughter of the Commander in Chief America and West Indies.

Diana Hart Dyke has been married to David Hart Dyke since 1967.

During the Falklands War he was Captain of The Coventry which on 25 May 1982 was attacked and sank with the loss of 19 lives.

Dee Hart Dyke has 2 daughters Miranda Hart and Alice Louisa Hart Dyke, who is also an actress.

Gardening runs in David's family too as his Nephew is Plant Hunter, Tom Hart Dyke, heir to Lullingstone Castle who featured in the TV programmes Save Lullingstone Castle (2006) and Return to Lullingstone Castle (2007).

Diana Hart Dyke is a life long gardener after first being given a packet of seeds by her Mother.

She has spent 30 years working up to 8 hours a day in her own 3 acre walled garden at Hambledon House in Hambledon, Hampshire.

She is a plant judge for Royal Horticultural Society and Dee Hart Dyke's garden at Hambledon House has been open to the public for 27 years as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart (Dyke) was born 14 December 1972. She is a very talented comedienne, actress, writer and at a push a Gardener.

That's all I am going to say about Miranda that is relevant to gardening. Here is her website for more information.

All Gardens Great and Small

All Gardens Great and Small was first shown on More4 on 21 August 2017 and the 3 part series proved to be an instant favourite with the Viewers.

The relationship between Mother Dee Hart Dyke who was an experienced Gardener, and her Daughter Miranda Hart, who had not inherited her Mothers green fingers was a hysterical combination.

Dee visited Gardens that were open as part of the National Garden Scheme, to view them and give advice on a successful open day, and to sample the tea and cake.

Dee also visited other unusual gardens, as well as Celebrities Garden, and her own Nephew garden.

Miranda part in the programme was to try and make a success of her own garden, under the strict guidance of Dee and her own challenge was to keep things alive and to discover what is, or is not a weed.

Gardening and Humour, what is there not to love about this unique gardening programme to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the National Garden Scheme, and the programme has been repeated several times, including on Cascade PBS and is still as popular.

Although Miranda Hart has stayed in the Limelight, Dee Hart Dyke made an appearance on This Morning in 2017 and appeared with Alan Titchmarsh in 2024 on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh.

Dee Hart Dyke Television Programmes

2017

All Gardens Great and Small

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

All Gardens Great and Small

All Gardens Great and Small was a TV series that first aired on Channel 4 in 2017 and PBS aired All Gardens Great and Small in 2018.

There were 3 All Gardens Great and Small episodes set to coincide with the 90th Anniversary of the National Garden Scheme. They later released All Gardens Great and Small on DVD.

All Gardens Great & Small Season 1 Episode 1

Miranda Hart introduces the programme All Gardens Great & Small with 'There's nothing more us Brits like than pottering around our gardens so my mother keeps telling me'! She then introduces her mother Dee Hart Dyke 'one of Britain's best amateur gardeners'.