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546 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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A Christmas Wonderland
22 december 2022 · 24 min
Tis the season of fruiting hollies, mysterious mistletoe, and of course, the ubiquitous Christmas tree. In this episode, we’re bringing you stories on how to make our gardens and homes as festive as the season demands. We’ll hear from RHS advisor Rob Stirling on how to keep your finicky poinsettias alive, get a hands-on tutorial from wildlife expert Helen Bostock on cut-stem crafts, and discover the final tasks you can do in your garden before the start of 2023. Lees meer
Useful links:
Poinsettia Care
Garden Craft Instructions
RHS Garden Wisley
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Weird Winter Plants
15 december 2022 · 25 min
Trying to impress your neighbours with a rich, diverse, and perhaps even wacky winter garden? Well, look no further. On this week’s episode, we’ll hear about author Phil Clayton’s favourite winter plants, get an inside look at the weird and wonderful seed varieties sold at the RHS, and dive into the world of bird-friendly wreaths with our Senior Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock. Lees meer
Useful links:
A Plant for Every Day of the Year by Phil Clayton
RHS Members Seed Scheme Information
DIY Christmas Wreaths
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Our best gardening books of 2022
8 december 2022 · 29 min
The handy guide you’ll want for your Christmas shopping! Join Guy Barter, Fiona Davison and Tom Howard as they discuss their favourite horticultural reads of 2022.
Books mentioned: Lees meerOld Herbaceous by Reginald Arkell
The Grove : A Nature Odyssey in 19 and a half front gardens by Ben Dark
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening New Edition by Guy Barter and Christopher Brickell
Grow 5 by Lucy Bellamy
Your Garden Week by Week by Arthur Hellyer
The Science of Compost: Life Death and Decay by Dr. Julian Doberski
Useful links:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xp2cs
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How can I keep my garden green over winter?
1 december 2022 · 23 min
Putting the garden to bed over winter is a thing of the past. Today we’ll be speaking to an expert horticulturist on how he created a 400m walk of winter interest planting and we’ll be chatting with Big Plant Nursery about spicing up your evergreen reserves with lush exotics. Plus we catch up with our RHS experts to learn the essential gardening jobs you ought to be doing now.
Useful links Lees meerhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/garden-highlights/seven-acres/winter-walk
https://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/pruning
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Trees! What are they good for?
24 november 2022 · 31 min
Absolutely everything. Today’s episode is in honour of National Tree Week, the largest annual tree celebration in the UK. We’re chatting with a whole host of experts including wildlife gardening presenter and author Kate Bradbury, science educator Jonathan Newell, and RHS Edibles team leader Paul Kettell. From managing apple orchards to the science and history of trees, you won't want to miss this special!
Useful links: Lees meerhttps://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/articles/glow-illuminations
https://www.waterstones.com/book/rhs-the-tree-in-my-garden/kate-bradbury/lucille-clerc/9780241459751
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXykC-7kmZkydawYL7yVJoA
https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-inspiration/grow-your-own/choosing-apple-trees-and-planting
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How to cure the winter blues
17 november 2022 · 26 min
It’s time to stock up on some Vitamin G to get through these colder, darker days. Join us as we chat with RHS Wellbeing Fellow, Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui about how scent impacts our emotions, completely subconsciously! Plus we head to RHS Wisley’s Wellbeing Garden to learn how to design with wellness in mind, and visit a community gardening project in London’s Gladstone Park to hear what keeps the volunteers going in even the wettest winters. Lees meer
Useful links:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/articles/scent-and-emotion
https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/garden-highlights/the-wellbeing-garden
http://gladstoneparkfriends.org/
https://gladstonepark.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=245e1c80cc92a26222a012488&id=7136bd8bcc
https://www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved/community-gardening
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Forest gardening
10 november 2022 · 30 min
Today we’re plunging into the depths of the woods! We’re chatting with permaculturist and garden designer Pippa Chapman on how to make your own backyard forest garden. And wildlife expert James Lowen transports us to some stunning British woodlands to learn about the rare creatures lurking within. Plus we meet the RHS gardening advisors to get some crucial tree-related FAQs answered.
Useful links: Lees meerhttps://www.permanentpublications.co.uk/pippa-chapman/
https://www.waterstones.com/book/much-ado-about-mothing/james-lowen/9781472966971
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/cotoneaster
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Treat your garden like a heritage estate
3 november 2022 · 28 min
From medieval ruins to country estates, the UK is filled with old and significant spaces that continue to inspire. So today we’re talking to the head gardener at Arundel Castle about how to plant 80,000 tulip bulbs. Plus we hear the epic historic tale of the Bicycle Boys who toured the length of the country visiting all manner of estates and gardens. Finally, we get expert advice from organic gardener Ellie Mitchell on how to plant wildflowers right now, to please the bees and get a touch of that traditional cottage whimsy. Lees meer
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/tulip
https://www.arundelcastle.org/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/digital-collections/the-bicycle-boys
https://ellieswellies.com/podcast/ -
Winter is coming
27 oktober 2022 · 26 min
It’s the last week of October and though the deciduous leaves have yet to all fall, we need to start preparing for the upcoming season. So today we’re talking you through the essential jobs to do in your green space with RHS horticultural advisor Jenny Bowden. We’ll also be hearing from wildlife author James Lowen on the humble moth and how to encourage its numbers in your garden. Plus we visit Gladstone Park in North London, to celebrate Black History Month as we explore a gardening initiative which encourages new ways of looking at British history. Lees meer
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/NOVEMBER
https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/moths-in-your-garden
https://www.waterstones.com/book/much-ado-about-mothing/james-lowen/9781472966971
http://harunmorrison.net/
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Turf Wars
20 oktober 2022 · 26 min
A new frontier of debate has arrived in the garden… artificial grass. Does this plastic green sward have any place in our homes? That’s the question we’ll be answering today.
Featuring interviews with Dr Mark Gush, Head of Environmental Horticulture at the RHS, Organic Gardener, Ellie Mitchell and the owner of Dunsborough Park, Caroline Sweerts. Lees meerAutumn care for lawns: https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/autumn-care
Wildflower meadow establishment: https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/wildflower-meadow-establishment
Bulbs: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/bulbs
Ellie’s Wellies Organic Gardening: https://ellieswellies.com/
The Wildlife Garden Podcast: https://thewildlifegardenpodcast.podbean.com/
Dunsborough Park: https://dunsboroughpark.com/ -
What is soil? (and how to improve it)
13 oktober 2022 · 28 min
It’s time for a love-in and a few lessons about the stuff we shove our precious plants into… soil! This episode we’re speaking to not one, but two expert scientists on what’s going on in the ground. Dr Magdalena Boshoff clues us into the world of nematodes and Dr Jassy Drakulic fills us in on fungi. Plus we chat with horticulturist Joe Lofthouse about how to choose the best compost bin to improve the soil in your garden.
Send soil samples to the RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/membership/rhs-gardening-advice/sending-in-samples
Honey fungus: https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/honey-fungus
Stem and bulb nematode: https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/stem-and-bulb-nematode Lees meer -
Growing sky high
6 oktober 2022 · 29 min
Dust off your gardening gloves and don your sunglasses, as we look to the skies on today’s show. We’ll be exploring the dizzying heights of a famously tall plant, the gunnera, with expert botanist James Armitage. We’ll also be taking on a high flying adventure with garden author Ben Dark into the world of trees. Plus, if you need a reminder on what to do in your garden or allotment this week, fan favourite Matthew Oliver is here to jog your memory. Lees meer
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How to grow (and eat) your own through the colder months
29 september 2022 · 30 min
If you're curious about extending the growing season and continuing to enjoy home-grown food through the colder months, this episode is for you. Matthew Oliver joins us with tips from RHS Hyde Hall's famous glasshouse – with a focus on overwintering chillies for an abundance of spice next year. Emmy nominated TV chef, Ching He Huang, shares the flavours she’s been playing with at Wisley’s World Food Garden – ahead of her involvement in the RHS’s Festival Of Flavours. And The Garden magazine's Gareth Richards helps us get to grips with winter salads. Presented by Guy Barter. Lees meer
Useful links:
Global Growth Vegetable Garden at RHS Garden Hyde Hall
RHS Festival of Flavours
Ching He Huang
The Garden magazine
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Diving into ponds! And why you should get one
22 september 2022 · 29 min
Let’s take a break from soil and jump into the world of water. With expert advice from award winning garden designer Nicola Oakey on how to introduce a pond to your space and top tips from author Martyn Cox on managing the practicalities of pond life. Plus we get the lowdown on water butts with RHS Chief Horticultural Advisor Guy Barter. Lees meer
RHS advice on ponds
https://www.rhs.org.uk/pondsRHS advice on managing water in your garden
https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardening-for-the-environment/waterThe Gardener's Yearbook by Martyn Cox
https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/martyn-cox/the-gardeners-yearbook/9781784728151/Nicola Oakey Design
https://nicolaoakey.com/ -
How to make your front garden stand out this winter
15 september 2022 · 30 min
In this week's episode we'll be hearing from a panel of experts across the country regarding the humble and often overlooked front garden. Frances Tophill will explain how to keep your small space green during even the darkest winter months. Matthew Oliver from RHS Hyde Hall, shares how to add seasonal variety with a lasagna planter of bulbs. Plus, Ben Dark will inspire us with the history and whimsy of the front garden, along with a few tips on making yours stand out. Lees meer
It is also with deep sadness and respect that we mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society. Director General of the RHS, Clare Matterson CBE, shares a few words on the Queen's incredible impact on the RHS and the wider horticultural community.
To read more from Frances Tophill: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-modern-gardener/frances-tophill/9780857839435
To read more from Ben Dark: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/ben-dark/the-grove/9781784727420/
For more info see www.rhs.org.uk/podcast -
Legless lizards, lemon verbena and hugelkultur
8 september 2022 · 22 min
Resident gardening guru Guy Barter gives the lowdown on slow worms, a fascinating and under-appreciated part of our garden wildlife. Organic gardener Anna Greenland sings the praises of lemon verbena, sharing some delicious and unusual recipes. Urban food grower Alessandro Vitale ('Spicy Moustache' of Instagram fame) explains hügelkultur - a low-cost and eco-friendly way to boost soil health. Lees meer
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Future crops and houseplants for wellbeing
1 september 2022 · 26 min
Which fruit and veg thrive in heatwaves? RHS veg growing experts Guy Barter and Matthew Oliver discuss what our record-breaking summer has taught us about the fruit and veg we can grow in the UK climate. BBC Gardeners' World presenter Frances Tophill shares her advice on getting the best from your houseplants. Jenny Berger, a researcher at the University of Reading, offers insight into how houseplants can improve our wellbeing - busting a few myths along the way.
Grow your own fruit and veg (RHS website)
Houseplant hub (RHS website) Lees meer -
Money-saving gardening and seasonal veg tips
25 augustus 2022 · 22 min
This week's programme is stuffed with barrowloads of seasonal kitchen gardening advice from organic grower for top chefs Anna Greenland. RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter offers a guide to harvesting sweetcorn and author Alys Fowler shares some hard-won thrifty gardening wisdom.
Useful links
Grow your own (RHS website)
Grow Easy by Anna Greenland
The Thrifty Gardener by Alys Fowler (eBook) Lees meer -
Going wild – inside and out!
18 augustus 2022 · 24 min
Fermenting - enlisting the help of friendly microbes - is a brilliant way to preserve your homegrown harvests. Fermented foods can be great for our gut health and are easy to make, explains food writer and gourmet gardener Mark Diacono. Did you know that many herbs are great for bees too? Andrew Perry of Urban Herbs sings the praises of some of his favourites which are a real hit with pollinating insects and cooks alike. Plus Bella Lack, author of The Children of the Anthropocene offers her take on why rewilding offers hope for the future.
Useful links Lees meerRHS Grow Your Own
Mark Diacono (Instagram)
How to grow herbs (RHS website)
Urban Herbs
See the 'Rewilding Britain Landscape' garden at Chelsea 2022
Bella Lack (Instagram)
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A fruity feast
11 augustus 2022 · 21 min
Food writer and gourmet gardener Mark Diacono sings the praises of home-grown apricots - a crop that's thriving in this warm, dry summer. Forager Alys Fowler braves the prickles of garden (and car-park) favourite mahonia*, harvesting its blue berries to make jams and jellies with stunning colour and unique flavour. And if you're not the only one enjoying your home-grown fruit, Guy Barter has advice on the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly that causes tiny white maggots in many kinds of fruit, especially cherries and raspberries.
Useful links: Lees meerHow to grow apricots (RHS website)
Mark Diacono (Instagram)
Alys Fowler (Instagram)
Buy mahonia plants (RHS website)
Spotted wing drosophila (RHS website)
*Note: the species name for Oregon grape is Mahonia aquifolium. This is the principal edible mahonia species, although the berries of some hybrid mahonias are also sometimes eaten. Never eat a wild food unless you're 100% sure of its edibility and identity. If you have underlying health conditions, are pregnant or nursing, consult a doctor before adding new foods to your diet.
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Gardening for the senses
4 augustus 2022 · 25 min
Now's the perfect time to pep up your summer cocktails and add perk to your pasta with an array of unusual plant-based ingredients. Andrew Perry of Urban Herbs is a man on a mission to spice up herb gardens across the country with unusual varieties that you may never have heard of – from lime mint to a smoky rosemary that's a sure-fire summer barbecue hit.
Hear our resident gardening guru Guy Barter give seasonal tips on growing green manures and successionally sowing veg crops for bountiful harvests into the autumn months. Plus, author Kendra Wilson takes us on a journey into sound with her new book, Garden for the Senses. Lees meerUseful links
Urban Herbs website and Instagram
Herb-growing advice from the RHS
Successional sowing (RHS website)
Green manures (RHS website)
Kendra Wilson - Garden for the Senses
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Totally Tatton
28 juli 2022 · 33 min
A retrospective look at last week's RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. Meet some of the Young Designer of the Year finalists, discover how science has informed a beautiful travelling garden dedicated to wellbeing, explore the new 'Greener Front Gardens' category and much more. Lees meer
Useful links
RHS Young Designer of the Year
See all gardens at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park
Tatton show highlights 2022
Vitamin G garden
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Become a Bee Walker, forest bathing and a native garden plant
21 juli 2022 · 27 min
To celebrate Bees Needs Week we're taking a walk with RHS wildlife experts Helen Bostock and Nick Tew, to help count Britain's bumblebees. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust are asking for volunteers to join Bee Walks across the country to help save these cute, furry and very important pollinators. Then we visit a forest bathing garden to discover how a trend that started in Japan in the 1980s is making waves here too. And finally, Ellie Mitchell from The Wildlife Garden Podcast shares her love of a rare native plant that's very much at home in gardens.
Useful links: Lees meerBumblebee Conservation Trust BeeWalks
Top tips to create a forest bathing garden
Buy shrubby cinquefoil
Visit RHS Flower Show Tatton Park
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Expert guides to growing lavender, prizewinning veg and seasonal sowings
14 juli 2022 · 25 min
This week we meet renowned lavender expert Simon Charlesworth of Downderry Nurseries, who grows hundreds of varieties of this fragrant favourite. Discover which is the most scented type of all and hear his choice of the easiest ones to grow. Matthew Biggs, author of The Great British Village Show, offers tips on how to grow prizewinning veg; and Guy Barter prepares for a bean feast on his allotment as he shares a cunning tip for abundant autumn harvests.
Useful links Lees meerThe Great British Village Show, by Thane Price & Matthew Biggs
Grow Your Own - RHS veg growing advice
Lavenders - RHS advice on choosing and cultivating
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RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2022
7 juli 2022 · 25 min
A gardening wonderland returns to southwest London with the world's biggest annual flower show. Join us on a tour of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival – bursting with glorious gardens, petite yet productive allotments, fragrant roses and thought-provoking design ideas. Lees meer
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
Buy your tickets
Discover the show gardens
Fundraising appeal for rebuilding Ukraine's green spaces
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What should I do about ants in my garden?
30 juni 2022 · 27 min
It's a creature that has been crawling around the earth's surface since the time of the dinosaurs. There are estimated to be more than a million of them for every human on earth. But what do they actually do? Dr Andy Salisbury, Principal RHS Entomologist delves into the fascinating world of ants and their effect on our gardens. Meanwhile in Hackney, Clair Battaglino welcomes us to Rainbow Grow, an LGBTQ+ community gardening project that brings multiple generations together. Plus professional wildlife gardener and fellow podcaster Ellie Mitchell from The Wildlife Garden Podcast offers tips on how to welcome invertebrates great and small to your plot.
Useful links Lees meerHilltop Live - scroll to find wildlife talks at RHS Garden Wisley
Rainbow Grow
The Wildlife Garden Podcast
RHS wildlife gardening hub
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Meeting a wasp whisperer and growing your own spices
23 juni 2022 · 30 min
What have wasps ever done for us? The answer might surprise you, as we meet entomologist Dr Seirian Sumner, author of Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps. Food and garden writer Rekha Mistry offers advice on growing turmeric and ginger at home, while RHS Garden Hyde Hall's very own veg growing guru Matthew Oliver gives tips on growing chilli peppers.
Useful links Lees meerEndless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Seirian Sumner
Rekha's Garden & Kitchen
RHS Garden Hyde Hall
Fruit and veg growing advice from the RHS
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British summertime in the garden
16 juni 2022 · 36 min
As summer hits its stride we head into the orchards at RHS Garden Wisley to meet Sheila Das and Liz Mooney. They explain how the garden is greening up its act, bringing wildlife and wildflowers into the heart of the productive growing spaces. Then we head to Alresford in Hampshire, to meet watercress grower Tom Amery who shares the secrets of growing this uniquely healthy British favourite. Plus author Sandra Lawrence tells the tale of an unsung hero of horticulture, the mysterious Miss Willmott – a gun-carrying Edwardian plant collector with a complex personal life. Lees meer
Useful links
Visit RHS Garden Wisley
Grow your own fruit and veg
The Watercress Company
Miss Willmott's Ghosts: The extraordinary life and gardens of a forgotten genius by Sandra Lawrence
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New ways of growing and a fond farewell
9 juni 2022 · 27 min
This week we visit the World Food Garden at RHS Wisley to see how new eco-friendly ways of growing are taking shape. Guy Barter gives his expert guide to brassica growing for bumper crops of Brussels sprouts, kale and kalettes next winter. Plus a fond farewell to Sue Biggs CBE, who's been Director General of the RHS for the last 12 years – hear her reminisce about some personal highlights and a close encounter of the royal kind... Lees meer
Useful links
Discover the World Food Garden at RHS Garden Wisley
See our RHS Grow Your Own for advice on growing all kinds of fruit and veg
Join the RHS for fabulous days out, free gardening advice and more
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Wicked plants
1 juni 2022 · 25 min
Are plants passive green things, just waiting for the next passing mouth to munch on them? Or do they sometimes fight back? This week's programme is devoted to the botanical poisoners, the tricksters and the carnivores that turn the tables and seek revenge on the animal kingdom. Featuring Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants – The A-Z of Plants That Kill, Maim, Intoxicate and Otherwise Offend; RHS Editor and flytrap fan Gareth Richards; and Dr Chris Thorogood, Deputy Director of Oxford Botanic Garden. Lees meer
Useful links: ►Wicked Plants [book] ►RHS advice on potentially harmful plants ►Learn more about carnivorous plants ►Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum
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The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is back!
26 mei 2022 · 37 min
The greatest flower show on earth is back in its traditional time and place at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, in spring. And what a show! Join us as we meet the designers of the Gold medal-winning 'A Rewilding Britain Landscape' garden to explore their portrayal of how the return of a long-lost species, the beaver, can transform landscapes and ecology. BBC Gardeners' World presenter Joe Swift gives a tour of his bee-friendly garden and we meet 'Cloud Gardener' Jason Williams and fellow balcony gardener Bea Tann.
Useful links: Lees meerRHS Chelsea Flower Show
Meet the designers: A Rewilding Britain Landscape
RHS Plant of the Year 2022
The Cloud Gardener, Jason Williams
The Enchanted Rain Garden by Bea Tann
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Grow a million bumblebee miles
19 mei 2022 · 33 min
Did you know that bumblebees have a 75% higher metabolic rate than hummingbirds? These furry insects need a lot of energy! And your neighbourhood could help fuel our native bumblebees to fly 1 million miles. The secret is plants. We speak to RHS wildlife expert Helen Bostock and the pollinator team at RHS Science who have designed three planters that will give bees, and people, a real boost. Podcast hosts Guy Barter and Gareth Richards discuss companion planting, and Lucy Bellamy shares some simple yet fabulous planting combinations from her latest book, Grow 5.
Useful links
Find out more about the RHS bumblebee planters
RHS wildlife gardening hub
Grow your own fruit and veg
Grow 5 by Lucy Bellamy Lees meer -
In the night garden
12 mei 2022 · 31 min
This week we're heading out into the darkness to meet some surprising garden friends – bats. These furry night fliers are surprising garden helpers, hoovering up all kinds of mosquitos and midges that might otherwise be biting us instead. Shirley Thompson MBE has been at the forefront of UK bat conservation for almost 40 years and she offers advice to gardeners on how we can all play our part in helping keep bat numbers strong.
Did you know that some cacti grow on trees and bloom at night? Meet the spectacular moonflower, Selenicereus wittii, an epiphytic cactus from the Amazonian rainforest. Sally Petitt of Cambridge University Botanic Garden tells the tale of how it bloomed in Britain last year, for the first time ever. Plus expert veg grower Matthew Oliver from RHS Garden Hyde Hall gives some brilliant tomato-growing tips, particularly for the tricky-but-tasty beefsteak varieties.
Useful links
RHS advice on bats in your garden
Stars of the Night (Wild About Gardens pdf all about UK bats)
Secrets of the Moonflower (Cambridge University Botanic Garden)
RHS advice on how to grow tomatoes
Visit RHS Garden Hyde Hall Lees meer -
Picking the perfect rose
5 mei 2022 · 33 min
This week we meet Michael Marriott, one of the UK’s foremost rosarians. Michael shares his expertise from a lifetime of rose growing, which is distilled into his new book, RHS Roses: An Inspirational Guide to Choosing and Growing the Best Roses. Plus troubleshooting tips on rose growing from the RHS Gardening Advice team. Lees meer
Matthew Oliver, horticulturist and veg grower extraordinaire continues our greenhouse growing mini-series with a piece from the beautiful glasshouse at the heart of RHS Garden Hyde Hall. Hear seasonal GYO advice and first-hand hints on how to grow melons with exceptional flavour.
Useful links: ►RHS Roses: An Inspirational Guide to Choosing and Growing the Best Roses ►RHS advice on how to grow roses ►Global Growth Vegetable Garden ►How to grow melons
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200 years of knowing your onions!
28 april 2022 · 32 min
Join us as we celebrate 200 years of spreading gardening knowledge with RHS educational programmes. Whether you want to travel the world on botanical adventures for a Master of Horticulture qualification, or for your children to learn how to plant seeds, we are there for you. An RHS course can open the door to a fantastic career in gardening, and we hear from students past and present who share their stories. Lees meer
Study & learn with the RHS
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A Cumbrian garden gem, seasonal Q&A
21 april 2022 · 27 min
Out of more than 200 gardens nationwide, only one can take the coveted crown of RHS Partner Garden of the Year. The 2021 winner has just been announced as Larch Cottage Nurseries in Cumbria's Eden Valley – we meet owner Peter Stott to find out the story behind his piece of horticultural heaven. Back at RHS Garden Wisley, horticultural advisors James Lawrence, Nikki Barker and Julie Henderson get together to answer queries on compost-making, wildflower growing and how to get year-round fragrance in your garden. Plus we talk to Sui Searle, curator of the alternative gardening newsletter Radicle, to hear about her journey into gardening and the changes she hopes to inspire within the horticultural world.
Useful links Lees meerRHS Partner Garden of the Year
Larch Cottage Nurseries
How to make compost
Radicle newsletter
Join the RHS for free access to RHS Partner Gardens at selected times
Scented shrubs mentioned
Winter honeysuckles (Lonicera fragrantissima and Lonicera x purpusii)
Osmanthus x burkwoodii and Osmanthus heterophyllus
Elaeagnus x ebbingei
Daphnes
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Time-travelling plants
14 april 2022 · 29 min
Today we're taking a trip back in time with Dr Chris Thorogood, Head of Science at Oxford Botanic Garden. Enter long-forgotten worlds of the weird and wonderful plants which flourished before, during and after the age of dinosaurs, and discover their descendants that still flourish today. Ferns are among these 'living fossils', and RHS Gardening Advisor James Lawrence shares some favourite varieties to grow in the garden* in discussion with colleagues Nikki Barker and Julie Henderson.
Plus, an alternative look at ancient plants with Sarah Gerrard-Jones, aka The Plant Rescuer. She's built a huge online following charting her journey into rescuing abandoned plants and championing houseplant heirlooms passed down through generations. Lees meerUseful links: ►RHS info on ferns ►RHS info on houseplants ►When Plants Took Over the Planet: The Amazing Story of Plant Evolution by Chris Thorogood ►The Plant Rescuer – The Book Your Houseplants Want You To Read by Sarah Gerrard-Jones
Contributors: Chris Thorogood, Sarah Gerrard-Jones
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A Chelsea garden with a difference
7 april 2022 · 24 min
In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster Tayshan Hayden-Smith brought a traumatised community together through gardening. In almost exactly 5 years his gardening journey has taken him from neglected London street-side spaces to a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It's a tale of resilience, resourcefulness and horticultural heroism – and homage to the bravery of 1970s activists whose legacy lives on today.
There's bravery in admitting your mistakes too, as BBC Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost shows as he shares one of his gardening fails. Plus, RHS advisors gather to answer queries on daffodils that won't flower, growing lawns in shady spots and veg growing in raised beds. Lees meerUseful links: ►'Hands Off Mangrove' garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ►Grow2Know CIC ►Search RHS advice online ►Join the RHS for free, personalised gardening advice ►Houseplant care ►Lawns in shade ►Grow your own fruit and veg
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Adam Frost's garden projects, bog gardens and seasonal veg growing advice
31 maart 2022 · 30 min
To celebrate the publication of his new book, The Creative Gardener, Adam Frost joins us this week to share some of his favourite creative outdoor projects. From simple yet stylish benches to a planted coffee table, there's a host of wonderful features you can make with very little cash.
Meanwhile at RHS Garden Harlow Carr, horticulturist Aimee-Beth Browning explains how having wet or boggy ground can open up a whole world of planting possibilities. Plus a look at how to up your gardening game with a greenhouse and Guy Barter shares his timely tips for vegetable growing. Lees meerUseful links: ►The Creative Gardener by Adam Frost ►Explore RHS gardening design inspiration ►Streamside, RHS Garden Harlow Carr ►Plants for bog gardens ►Further information about bog and aquatic plants ►Choosing a greenhouse ►RHS Grow Your Own
Selected plants mentioned: ►Harlow Car primulas [note spelling] ►Rodgersia ►hostas ►astilbes ►Iris ensata ►RHS Find a plant -
Orchid special
24 maart 2022 · 31 min
Welcome to the contrary and fascinating world of one of the biggest plant families on Earth. 'Orchids are plants of great contradiction but always astonishing beauty' - says James Armitage, botanist and Editor of The Orchid Review magazine, who shares insight into what draws people to these strange and wonderful plants.
Historian Abra Lee tells the tale of a young enslaved man in Reunion who solved the riddle of how to pollinate vanilla - the only orchid out of 25,000-plus species that's commercially grown as a food crop. Did you know you can grow orchids as garden plants? Jeff Hutchings of Laneside Hardy Orchids gives tips on how to grow them outdoors - why not make an orchid meadow in your garden this year?
Colin Newlands tells the tortuous tale of our rarest native orchid, the lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus). Thought extinct in the early 20th century: a chance encounter in the 1930s on an isolated hillside led to decades of botanical intrigue - and even personal protection for the plant. We discover how this exquisite wildflower is faring almost a century after its assumed disappearance.
Useful links Lees meerThe Orchid Review
Tips for growing orchids indoors
RHS Orchids (book)
Laneside Hardy Orchids
Orchid Show at RHS Garden Wisley
The Wildlife Trusts
BSBI maps (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland) (for discovering your local native orchid species)
Selected plants mentioned
Hardy orchids: Bletilla, Calanthe, Dactylorhiza, Cypripedium, Pleione
Indoor orchids: Phalaenopsis (moth orchids), Cattleya -
The A-mazing guide to hedges
17 maart 2022 · 25 min
Our Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter wanders into Hampton Court Palace's historic yew maze to meet Gardens Manager Graham Dillamore. Once haunt of kings and queens, this 300 year old spread of tortuous topiary now welcomes thousands of visitors and contains valuable lessons for modern-day gardeners too. Guy offers hedge planting and maintenance advice before handing over to Dr Stephanie Bird who shares the latest thinking on box tree moth, a recent arrival to Britain that can devastate plantings of box (Buxus sempervirens).
Did you know that hedges have some powerful environmental benefits? Recent RHS research shows they can reduce pollution levels, help prevent flooding and even provide habitat for wildlife and food for pollinators. RHS scientist Dr Mark Gush explains more, and shares details of the best plants to use.
Useful links Lees meerHampton Court Palace maze
Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
RHS advice on growing and maintaining hedges
Box tree moth (includes info on planting alternatives to box)
Hedges with environmental benefits
Plants mentioned
(to find suppliers please visit RHS Find a Plant or the RHS online plant shop)
Yew (Taxus baccata), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), hawthorn (Crataegus) and cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii and others), beech (Fagus sylvatica), pyracantha, Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), holly (Ilex aquifolium), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) -
Keep your garden buzzing
10 maart 2022 · 26 min
This week’s programme is all about being kinder to the earth and the creatures we share it with. Guy Barter meets the founder of Riverford Organic Farmers, Guy Singh-Watson, to discover how he turned a family dairy farm into a byword for sustainable food. Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth – Averting the Insect Apocalypse shares his thoughts on how gardeners can be more active in the fight to save our bees, butterflies and all manner of threatened insects. Plus RHS Gardening Advisor Nikki Barker offers advice to gardeners who grow on sandy soil. Lees meer
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What's in a name?
3 maart 2022 · 21 min
Plant names and their pronunciation can be a vexed business. If you’re overwhelmed by long Latin plant names, take heart: botanist and author James Wong comes to the rescue and explains why the botanical names matter and how a little knowledge of them can give us clues as to how plants look and perform. He explains that since Latin is a dead language, there’s no-one around to correct your pronunciation – so just go ahead and have a go!
When familiar plant names are changed, it can be a source of annoyance for us gardeners. But James Armitage, Editor of The Plant Review, explains there is method behind the apparent madness of this; plus, after the storms, what you need to check in your garden this weekend. Lees meerUseful links
The Plant Review
Promoting garden plant diversity (RHS website)
Meet the RHS horticultural taxonomy team -
Saving swifts, pollinator news and gardening on clay
24 februari 2022 · 22 min
Swifts... their screaming calls are the sound of summer, yet these aerial acrobats are in trouble. Their UK population has declined by almost 60% over the last two decades. This week we meet John Stimpson, the man on a mission to reverse the decline of this much-loved bird. Does garden size matter when it comes to providing food for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies? New research from the RHS along with the Universities of Bristol, Cardiff and Northumbria shows that even tiny gardens have a valuable role to play – but it all depends on the planting. The paper also produced interesting findings on how certain types of plants and flower shapes were particularly useful to pollinators, as scientist Nick Tew explains. Plus RHS gardening advisor Nikki Barker shares tips on how to garden successfully on clay soil. Lees meer
Useful links
RHS wildlife gardening hub
The man who built homes for 60,000 swifts (Guardian article)
University of Bristol press release (pollinator research)
RHS advice on gardening on clay soil -
Veg plotting, gardening on chalky soil and growing blackcurrants
17 februari 2022 · 22 min
This week we visit Yorkshire to talk to allotmenteer and YouTuber Mothin Ali (MyFamilyGarden), to find out how he's preparing for the growing season ahead. Including tips on chillies, tomatoes and green manures (also known as cover crops). RHS Gardening Advisor Nikki Barker shares expert tips on how to garden on chalky soil. Gareth Richards has an ode to an 'allotment workhorse' – a fragrant shrub with abundant crops of healthy berries – the blackcurrant.
Useful links
RHS Grow Your Own pages
Mothin Ali - My Family Garden (YouTube)
Advice on green manures / cover crops
How to grow chillies and tomatoes
Gardening on chalk
How to grow blackcurrants Lees meer -
Plant pioneers
10 februari 2022 · 22 min
Wild gardening might be all the rage right now but it's not as new as you might think. In this programme we examine the legacy of pioneering Irish gardener and writer William Robinson. He shook up the horticultural world in the late 1800s, bringing in new approaches to planting that still resonate today. Plus, Guy Barter has a 'love letter' to snowdrops and we speak to Peter Moore, the British plant breeder behind some of the most successful plant introductions of the past few decades. Lees meer
Useful links
How to grow snowdrops
William Robinson - The Wild Garden
RHS Libraries
Peter Moore
How to grow buddleia
How to grow choisyas
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How to garden when you rent
3 februari 2022 · 27 min
The number of people renting houses has doubled in the past 10 years. But how do you make a garden when you're faced with blank concrete paving or the prospect of having to move home in just a few months?
Luckily we have barrowloads of fantastic advice from Matthew Pottage, Curator of RHS Garden Wisley and long-term renter of a house in southwest London. His new book, 'How to Garden When You Rent' is published today.
Hear him discuss some of the tips and tricks he's learned from a decade turning a grey concrete yard into a lush urban jungle, all without lifting a single slab. Including advice on design, planting ...and dealing with landlords.
Plus we talk to garden designer Sara Edwards, who created an innovative container garden at last year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Using IBCs (intermediate bulk containers, widely used in industry and farming) she created miniature forests, ponds and naturalistic planting, to stunning effect. All without breaking into the ground below. Lees meerUseful links
RHS How to Garden When You Rent by Matthew Pottage
See Sarah Edwards' 2021 Chelsea garden, The IBC Pocket Forest
Get RHS advice and inspiration on container growing -
Rewilding and the weed that ate the South
27 januari 2022 · 33 min
From Sussex to South Carolina, this week we're exploring what happens when plants take over. What do you get if you mix poor quality farmland, a passion for wildlife and a biodiversity crisis? The answer is a pioneering rewilding project that has stunned ecologists and revolutionised ideas about nature conservation in Britain. We head to Knepp Estate in Sussex to meet Isabella Tree and find out more. Lees meer
Bill Finch is a naturalist who grew up in the Deep South of the USA. Here he witnessed a very different form of rewilding from an invasive plant, kudzu (Pueraria montana). It became infamous during the 20th century for swamping roadsides and blanketing everything in its path - becoming known as a scourge and 'the vine that ate the South'. But is it as much of a problem as people think?
And finally, podcast regulars Fiona Davison and Gareth Richards discuss the history of two very wild plants, ivy (Hedera helix) and Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria or Fallopia japonica).
More information
Knepp Wildland
Rewild your garden with tips from Springwatch
RHS wildlife gardening hub
Learn more about ivy
Ivy on houses
RHS ivy monograph
Japanese knotweed advice from the RHS -
The Edible Edition Part 4
20 januari 2022 · 20 min
This week's programme is dedicated to vegetable growing. You can grow veg almost anywhere - as New Yorker Kofi Thomas proves with his inspirational story of how he created The Good Life Garden from a former dumping ground in the heart of Brooklyn. It's a project that has improved the lives of thousands of Long Island residents and has distributed literally tons of fresh homegrown fruit and veg to people in need. Regular presenters Guy Barter and Verity Battyll of RHS Garden Wisley offer seasonal veg growing tips and share their successes and failures growing unusual crops in the UK climate. Plus Kamal Bell, CEO of Sankofa Farms in North Carolina tells us all about a crop that's close to his heart - okra. For more info please see rhs.org.uk/podcast or check out our show notes. Lees meer
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Hoxton to hedgerows and hoodoo
13 januari 2022 · 22 min
This week we're working with plants through time and across the world. Author and previous guest on the show Jonathan Drori explores more incredible plants from across the globe, including Tillandsia (Spanish moss) from the American Deep South. It's a mysterious relative of the pineapple plant that has almost no roots yet is woven into the history and culture of the southern states. Historian Fiona Davison tells the story of Thomas Fairchild, a London man who made the first ever intentional plant hybrid. Plus Anna Greenland presents the last of our grow-your-own beverages series with a look at elderflower. Lees meer
Useful links: ► Find out more about tillandsias (also known as Spanish moss or airplant) ► Find suppliers of elder plants
Contributors: ► Fiona Davison, Head of RHS Libraries and Exhibitions ► Jonathan Drori, author of Around the World in 80 Plants ► Anna Greenland, author of Grow Easy