Duncan has been spending time over the past eighteen months working with the BBC, and writer, broadcaster, and gardener Sarah Raven, on a three-part documentary set to get the nation buzzing called BBC Bees Butterflies and Bloom.
To be aired on BBC 2 at 8 pm next Wednesday; Sarah travels the length of the country visiting Birmingham, Harrogate, Leicester and Northamptonshire on a mission to halt the rapid decline in our native bumblebees and wild pollinating insects by bringing flower power to our towns, cities and countryside.
In the part one Sarah spends time at Bottom Farm; which is LEAF Marque accredited with Duncan; discovering how in recent years, he has replaced much of the lost hedging and is constantly looking for innovative ideas to encourage wildlife back onto the farm. Duncan investigates sowing modern perennial wildflower ‘margins’ around crops on his farm to support pollinators, but also to benefit his crop productivity.Sarah wants to inspire and inform everyone, no matter where they live – village, town, city or countryside – to plant insect friendly plants.
The last two parts look at cities and towns and how pollinating-friendly urban planting is making a difference and how Britain’s backyard gardeners, with the help of the RHS and HTA can play their part.