Greenhouse success involves staying power, says Titchmarsh

"Staying power" is one of the keys to becoming a successful gardener, TV personality and author Alan Titchmarsh believes.

Speaking on BBC1’s Breakfast programme, the former presenter of Gardeners’ World said people often dabble in the garden and greenhouse but soon give up after being overwhelmed by the size of the task ahead of them.

However, he believes they would be more likely to stick with it – and become more successful gardeners in the process – if they followed the maxim of little and often.

Mr Titchmarsh was appearing on the show to promote a new book and a TV programme on gardening, Alan’s Garden Secrets.

However, he also took time to talk about what he calls a "distancing" between Britons and their gardens as people are no longer as hands-on as they once were.

"I think a lot of people have lost contact with soil, contact with earth, contact with nature and we’ve got this distancing where everything’s on a screen," he told the news provider.

"Get out there, be in it and muck in. It doesn’t matter if it fails. You’re there and you’re watching."

Titchmarsh’s new show will see him visit four historic gardens and discuss the inspiration behind their design.