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The Plantsman

Have you ever thought of a plant as having a personality? Chris Collins does. In The Plantsman, Chris introduces us to some of his favourite plants and helps us get to know their quirky personalities!

Chris Collins is a passionate plantsman whose enthusiasm for plants has taken him as far afield as Japan and Africa, as well as world-renowned Kew Gardens, and more recently, as Head Gardener at Westminster Abbey. This experience has given him a passion for personalising and humanising his relationship with plants

Each episode of The Plantsman features a particular type of plant 'personality' and gets to know them in detail. From the tough plants that can survive hostile, arid conditions to 'best mate' plants that look after each other, it'll help you to get the most from different types of flowers and fauna and see them from a unique new perspective!

The Showgirls

Chris gives this name to the big blooms of late summer - the chrysanthemums, asters and dahlias. In the Showgirls episode, we join Chis on a job in south London planting these late summer bloomers and a supporting cast of gladioli and fuchsia.

The Best Mates

Chris gives this name to plants that look after one another. In this episode, Chris plants an organic vegetable garden and finds out what a key role "best mates" or companion gardening has in its success. He also meets a herbalist who shows how plants really are the "best mates" of people.

The Thugs

Unlike a lot of people, Chris has a soft spot for thugs - tough, often aggressive plants like phorium and bamboo which, given half a chance, will take over a garden. He meets a man who specialises in enormous plants like the dinosaur palm and visits Kew Gardens to meet some of the most frightening plants in the world.