Regular visitors to Linda’s Book Bag will know that as well as loving books, I’m a keen (if rather hopeless) gardener. Indeed, the flower on my avatar is of personal significance as it’s the lily Forever Susan which I bought for my sister Sue’s 60th birthday, but she didn’t receive it as her birthday is in October and I didn’t think a dormant bulb was much of a gift – typically I hadn’t thought of that! Today, therefore, it gives me enormous pleasure to welcome Nick Hamilton, son of the television presenter Geoff Hamilton who formed the backdrop of all my Friday nights on Gardener’s World, to chat with me about The Right Jeans – a book all about his wonderful Dad.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Nick Hamilton

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Nick, and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought The Right Jeans. This is the second in the trilogy about Geoff Hamilton and Barnsdale. It takes the reader from the end of the last book where my dad had appeared for the first time, as a guest, on BBC2’s Gardeners’ World.

And The Right Jeans is out today. Happy publication day Nick. I’m really looking forward to attending the online launch later today. So what can we expect from an evening in with The Right Jeans?

This is the second in the trilogy about Geoff Hamilton and Barnsdale. It takes the reader from the end of the last book where my dad had appeared for the first time, as a guest, on BBC2’s Gardeners’ World.

As with the first book, The Right Genes, this is written in a light and humorous fashion with lots of stories even the most avid Gardeners’ World viewer would never know and very much shows the man behind the camera.

I can’t wait to read The Right Jeans Nick. Your Dad reminded me very much of my own and with Barnsdale just up the road from me I have a feeling I’ll love it. When my husband was a professional photographer we once did the wedding photos for a pagan wedding at Barnsdale so it has a special place in our lives!

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I have bought an aluminium takeaway food tray.

Ha! I can imagine Geoff using that for all kinds of things around Barnsdale. Thank you so much for chatting with me about The Right Jeans Nick. Have a brilliant publication day and I’ll ‘see’ you later!

The Right Jeans

There is no question that what you saw was what you got with my dad: the late, great Geoff Hamilton was as enthusiastic and likable in real life as he appeared every Friday night on the television programme Gardeners’ World. This book picks up where The Right Genes finished and continues his story through to his untimely death in 1996.

With the help of some extraordinarily talented BBC producers, Dad developed and presented gardening programmes of exceptional quality for seventeen years. His ideas were always original but practical enough for any gardener to adopt, and his warmth on screen gained him millions of fans.

Many of the stories in this book show how the programmes were made whilst others describe his life off screen; all of these anecdotes illustrate his dedication both to horticulture and to his followers.

Published today, 25th November 2024, The Right Jeans is available for purchase in all the usual places including directly from Barnsdale here.

About Nick Hamilton

(With thanks to Steve Hamilton for all images)

Nick Hamilton is a well-known horticultural expert, having trained at Writtle College before gaining experience at several wholesale nurseries before going into business with his dad at Barnsdale. They worked together for several years before Geoff’s death, after which Nick took on Barnsdale Gardens and opened them to the public in 1997. They continue to inspire, educate and enthral the thousands of gardeners and non-gardeners who visit every year. Nick is the author of The Right Genes and two organic gardening books, as well as writing for magazines and other publications. He has appeared on BBC2’s Gardeners’ World and several other television programmes and has regular gardening slots on BBC Radio Leicester and Rutland and Stamford Sound.

For further information, find Nick and Barnsdale on Facebook and Instagram and visit the Barnsdale website. You’ll find Barnsdale on Twitter/X too @barnsdalegarden.