Alan Titchmarsh recalls 'heartbreaking' discovery after returning home with wife Alison

Alan Titchmarsh, a gardening aficionado, revels in the array of wildlife that frequents his quaint Hampshire garden. However, he acknowledges that inviting wildlife into your garden comes with its share of drawbacks.

The beloved gardener, who will grace our screens this Sunday on ITV's Love Your Weekend, had modest expectations for his wildlife pond, dug about 15 years ago: "Newts and dragonflies, damselflies and perhaps the odd kingfisher."

In a chat with BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, Alan shared that for a time, his pond was a bustling hub for various mini-beasts - until an unexpected guest made an appearance.

"But then, from somewhere," Alan mused, "probably on the webbed feet of a visiting duck, roach arrived."

Roach, resilient freshwater fish that can grow up to 14 inches and survive under challenging conditions, are often the last to vanish from polluted waterways, according to scientists, reports Gloucestershire Live.

Despite their hardiness, these fish have voracious appetites, which Alan initially welcomed: "Thinking it was just another form of wildlife to gleefully add to my list, I bought some fish food," he recounted.

"Whenever I sprinkle it on the water, " Alan continued, "the surface turns into something reminiscent of that scene in the James Bond movie where the baddie is eaten by piranhas. The once limpid pool becomes a foaming cauldron for fully 30 seconds before all the food disappears."

Regrettably, not satisfied with Alan's periodic offerings of fish food, the roach have also wiped out the insect population that had brought him such joy during his pond's early years.

In an attempt to restore nature's equilibrium, Alan has even fostered the growth of an alder above the pond, making it simpler for any passing kingfisher to detect the roach lurking below.

Yet Alan's most devastating wildlife encounter, he reveals, was the destruction of his cherished cherry blossom.

"My small but now 20-year old plantation of the pure-white 'Shirotae' cherry generally gives rise to gasps in early April," he explains.

"This year we went away for the weekend just before it was due to open. We returned and excitedly walked around the back of our barn to take in the anticipated view.."

However, the scene that confronted Alan and his wife Alison was "pathetic," he reveals. "The welter of buds had been decimated by wood pigeons."

He described how the only blooms that survived were the tiny ones at the very ends of slender branches that couldn't support the weight of a ravenous wood pigeon: "Heartbreaking," he concluded.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh airs on Sundays on ITV1 at 9.30am