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Hello and welcome to garden favourites with me, Alan Titchmarsh. This is a brand new series of podcasts about, well, some of my favourite things in the garden.

Simple.

Does what it says on the watering can, if they say.

You see, every gardener gardens differently.

We all have our favourite plants, places to visit,

and tools that we think are vital, indispensable and the key to success in those essential garden jobs. We all have our reasons for our personal choices and we love to share.

Well, maybe not the tools.

In this series, I'm going to share some of my favourite things with you.

Not kittens, whiskers or string, but the plants I love, my horticultural holiday

destinations, and some of the books and objects that have become dear to me through my

gardening years.

A very keen gardener friend once said to me, you know, if your garden's not looking good in

June and July, you've lost the plot.

"'And indeed, there's nothing really difficult "'about getting summer colour into your garden.

"'It's when most plants seem to want to flower.

"'So for me, cutting that list down to a few that I really wouldn't be without

"'is quite a challenge, but it's doable.

And there are certain things I would always want in my summer garden to give me that feeling of brilliance, the lift, the blood coursing through your veins.

This is the height of the year, and these are the plants which will serve me well.

...