Is TV gardening too sexy?

First there was Charlie Dimmock, gardening without her bra.

Then there was former model Rachel de Thame crumbling soil though her long fingers and declaring horticulture 'a very sexy, very sensuous thing to do'.

And now there's Bob Flowerdew ... complaining that TV gardening programmes offer little more than presenters with nice breasts and pretty smiles.

Mr Flowerdew, an expert on Gardeners' Question Time on Radio 4, says it is about time TV producers catered for serious amateurs.

His remarks were echoed by historian Sir Roy Strong, who said the shows are 'sexed up' and 'all about cleavage and hunks'.

Mr Flowerdew, an authority on organic horticulture, said viewers want more than to be shown 'a nice pair of breasts or a big smile'.

He did not name names, but the presenters in his sights must include Miss Dimmock, who appears on the BBC's Ground Force, Miss de Thame, who regularly fronts Gardeners' World, and Kim Wilde, the former pop princess, who presents the ITV show Better Gardens and the BBC's Garden Invaders.

Mr Flowerdew also condemned the trend for instant makeovers, claiming it is obvious that few of the designers had ever maintained a garden.

He told Amateur Gardening magazine: 'TV programmes featuring instant makeovers have threatened to turn gardening from a relaxing pastime into a physical assault course.

'Expert presenters who know their stuff deserve their position more than the current "pretty faces" variety. Real gardeners know that instant gardening has always led to sore backs, rash decisions and bodged jobs.'

He added: 'I am not saying that makeovers should be ditched. There are good bits. But what is apparent is that plantsmanship and methods of tending a garden have been reduced to a minimum.'

He listed weeding, grass-cutting, watering, pruning and the growing of fruit and vegetables as important topics considered too 'boring' by ratings-obsessed TV producers.