Alex Jones faces an unexpected gardening dilemma while planning her dream kitchen – experts say acting now could do more harm than good
To make room for her new kitchen extension, the TV presenter needs to remove trees – but at what cost?
The One Show's Alex Jones has invited fans behind the scenes of her countryside home to explore the garden – and might I say what an impressive garden it is.
After moving out of London two years ago, Alex and her husband Charlie, along with their three young children, have settled into a stunning Georgian home in Berkshire, from where the star regularly updates her fans on her latest renovation projects. This summer, however, all her efforts are turning to the garden.
While wandering around the sprawling grounds, taking in the current garden design, the much-loved TV presenter appeals to her Instagram followers for landscaping advice on transplanting trees. "Garden renovation plans… gardeners, I need your help!! Can we move and replant these trees? What’s our best plan of action here?"
"Come, I've got questions...gardening questions," Alex begins in her behind-the-scenes video. "This bit of the garden is where we will hopefully, if planning comes through, build our kitchen."
But of course, with a new layout, there are landscaping considerations to take into account, as Alex goes on to say, "The lady who owned the house has done a fantastic job of the garden, so we don't want to ruin all that she did. I was wondering, do you think these trees here would survive if we replanted them?" She asks.
"This magnolia looks so beautiful for about three weeks, and we've asked people, and they said it will cost a bomb to remove it, and it probably won't survive. The Acer is staying, but we don't really want to just pull the rose bushes up, and that's that." Showing her consideration of their chances of surviving the transition.
Counting them, she gestures to five small, presumably newly established rose trees. "It would be lovely to think we can put them somewhere else in the garden. "So what can we do, gardeners? Let us know – can we transplant them successfully?"
Good news. Yes, you can, but timing is everything, according to our expert.
Replanting trees is all about timing, to ensure the greatest success of survival
Alex Jones garden renovation plans: advice on replanting trees
"Yes, the roses will transplant," says our resident gardener, Orpheus Alexander. "But it's best done in late autumn when the plant is dormant." It's worth noting also that roses have very deep tap roots, and they may well be entwined with the roots of the box, so that could pose a problem. As long as enough of the root ball is removed intact, the move should be a successful one.
As mentioned above, the plant Alex asks to be identified is Nepeta, which is in the mint family, so it is otherwise known as cat mint. "Nepeta will transplant well at the same sort of time, even early spring," says Orpheus.
Talking us through the exciting plans for her kitchen renovation that extends out into the existing patio space to create "a kitchen garden, listen to her who can't cook," she jokes. It's clearly her husband who will be making the most of the new space, as Alex explains, "We'll have a BBQ and pizza oven, that Charlie says he's going to build."
While we were all ears for her garden renovation, we also had an eye on her barrel-leg jeans and nautical-striped top, which felt effortlessly stylish for an off-duty day at home.
Orpheus is a gardener, designer and lifelong plant enthusiast who regularly works with w&h as our 'resident gardener' to help solve problems. He shares practical tips and behind-the-scenes glimpses of his projects on social media, where you’ll often find him talking plants, design ideas, and the joys (and challenges) of real-life gardening.
