SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

In the culinary world, chefs and food writers sometimes closely guard their recipes, says Nigel Slater. Among gardeners, however, there is a refreshing spirit of generosity

- PAUL WEARING

Iam waiting in the appropriately named green room before recording a short piece for a gardening programme. A much-loved icon, hero to many, walks in and says an immediate and cheery hello. I am being greeted like an old friend, despite the fact we have .never met before. Asked how my garden is doing, I twitter on, tongue-tied and star-struck, about the problems of finding something that will survive under the canopy of my Robinia tree.

I half expect this to be the end of the conversation, like discussing your latest ailment with a random doctor you have just bumped into at a party, but instead, I am given a wheelbarrow full of ideas, from Vinca major, the pale-purple periwinkle, to the more imaginative suggestions of twinkling hepaticas and reliable Cyclamen coum.

The presenter's thoughts come with an enthusiasm that strikes me as genuine, thoughtful and exceedingly generous, considering how busy they must be.