Titchmarsh urges gardeners not to mow lawns on Sundays – and listen to 'sounds of the earth' instead

Alan Titchmarsh has said the rarest thing in a garden is silence, thanks to noisy power tools
Alan Titchmarsh has said the rarest thing in a garden is silence, thanks to noisy power tools - Moment RF/Catherine Falls Commercial

Alan Titchmarsh has said gardeners should not mow their lawns on Sundays as power tools are too noisy.

The gardener and presenter said that instead, they should listen to the “natural sounds of the earth”.

He added that he never uses power tools or mows his lawn on a Sunday because he “profoundly believes” at least one day should be reserved for quietness.

He added that the “jet-powered age” meant that the “natural sounds of the earth” had been forgotten.

Titchmarsh, 74, writing in BBC Gardeners World magazine, made a plea for other gardeners not to use noisy power tools on Sundays.

He wrote: “It’s clear to me the rarest thing in any garden is silence, it appears to be the one commodity money can’t buy.”

Titchmarsh added that he was recently asked what time power tools are acceptable on a Sunday, writing: “I was worried I would sound holier-than-thou when I explained that I never use power tools on a Sunday.

”[I believe] profoundly there should be at least one day in the week when we could go out into our gardens and experience a bit of peace and quiet – or at least as near to peace and quiet as it’s possible to experience in this jet-powered age.

Alan Titchmarsh has said he wants to 'listen to the birds singing' rather than lawn mowers roaring
Alan Titchmarsh has said he wants to 'listen to the birds singing' rather than lawn mowers roaring - Jay Williams

“I want to listen to the birds singing, and hear the wind rustling the leaves of the horse chestnut across the garden, the splash of a duck landing on our wildlife pond, the cluck of a moorhen darting across the lily pads and the laughter of grandchildren.

“Perhaps in this age of mobile phones, when it’s rare to come across anyone perambulating the streets of town and city without a pair of earphones bunged into their aural orifices, the natural sounds of the earth have been superseded by a man-made cacophony.”

He continued: “It appears that not many folk are tuning into the sounds of the earth nowadays.

“Now, I know that for most working folk the gardening jobs have to be caught up with at the weekend and that power tools make the going easier – and quicker – but why do even the electric ones have to be so noisy?

“We have mowers and strimmers and chainsaws and hedge trimmers and leaf blowers.”

He added that if people felt they must use mowers or strimmers then they should aim to use them between 9am and 6pm.

Alan Titchmarsh's garden etiquette
Alan Titchmarsh's garden etiquette