Alan Titchmarsh: Slugs are never going to be my friends

The gardener who turns 75 next week says that "nobody gardens more responsibly than I do"

Titchmarsh has been in the biz a long time (RHS Malvern Spring Festival/PA)

As he celebrates 60 years in horticulture, TV gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh realises he has often voiced what might be seen as controversial views on gardening trends.

The broadcaster and author has been critical about rewilding domestic gardens, considers slugs to be pests who shouldn’t be allowed to ruin your hostas, and believes people should feel quite happy about growing foreign plants in their own gardens to conserve a larger gene pool for the future of our botanical life.