Alan Titchmarsh, the beloved gardener and presenter of ITV’s Love Your Weekend, has always cherished the wildlife that visits his Hampshire garden. Yet, his experience also highlights the challenges nature can bring to a gardener’s sanctuary.
Around 15 years ago, Alan created a wildlife pond hoping to attract gentle visitors like newts, dragonflies, damselflies, and maybe even the occasional kingfisher. Initially, the pond thrived with miniature life fluttering above its surface, fulfilling his vision perfectly.
Then, unexpectedly, something remarkable happened. Alan discovered roach fish had made the pond their home, likely transported on the feet of visiting ducks. Roach are known for their resilience, capable of surviving in polluted waters where most other species cannot. But their appetite is equally impressive.
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“At first, I thought they’d be a welcome addition,” Alan said, recounting how he purchased fish food to feed them. “But whenever I scatter the food, the pond turns into a frenzy - all the food disappears within seconds, and the water surfaces churning wildly.”
This voracious feeding had unanticipated consequences. The roach began to decimate the insect population that had once brought charm and life to the pond. To counter this, Alan encouraged the growth of an alder tree nearby, hoping a visiting kingfisher might keep the roach population in check by preying on them.
Despite these trials, Alan’s most distressing encounter with wildlife was a devastation much closer to home. His beloved 20-year-old ‘Shirotae’ cherry blossom trees, known for their stunning pure-white flowers that spark awe every early April, suffered heavy damage from hungry wood pigeons.
“We went away just before the blossoms were due to open,” Alan said. “Returning, we eagerly approached the trees, but the sight was heartbreaking. The wood pigeons had decimated the buds, leaving only a few small blossoms at the very tips of the thinnest branches—branches too fragile to support those birds’ weight.”
This painful loss was a stark reminder of the fragile balance between delight and devastation when inviting wildlife into garden spaces, even for a seasoned gardener like Alan Titchmarsh.