Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Alle afleveringen
415 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Episode 259 - Unusual Edible Plants
16 oktober 2023 · 31 min
This episode I'm speaking with Kevin Hobbs & Artur Cesar-Erlach, authors of EDIBLE: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat which is a beautifully illustrated book looking at edible plants from around the world that are revolutionising how we grow, eat and appreciate food. It tackles important questions like what do we eat when our usual diets are no longer sustainable, how do we future proof food and how can we be more mindful about what we eat and considers what the future of global food production might look like. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harvestmen
What We Talk About
The idea behind the book
Traditional staple crops
Hopniss
Great Burdock
Cornelian cherry
Ebbing's Silverberry
Sea buckthorn
Kevin & Artur's vote for the most under-utilised crop
About the authors
Kevin Hobbs is a UK-based professional grower and plantsman with over thirty years' experience in the horticulture industry. He is the author of The Story of Trees and Herbaceous Perennials, Hillier's Gardener's Guide.
Artur Cisar-Erlach is an ecologist and food expert based in Vienna, whose work spans the fields of food and ecotourism. He is the author of The Flavor of Wood.
Katie Kulla is an illustrator, writer and farmer based in Oregon in the United States.
Links
Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eathttps://www.summerfieldbooks.com/product/edible-70-sustainable-plants-that-are-changing-how-we-eat/
Lucinda Weldon Coaching
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Wild Food Tasting Session
Edimentals with Stephen Barstow
Patreon
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Episode 258 - Grow Fruit Trees Well
9 oktober 2023 · 31 min
This episode, my guest is Susan Poizner. Susan is the author of the award-winning fruit tree care book Growing Urban Orchards and her new book, which is now an Amazon Number One Bestseller, Grow Fruit Trees Fast. Susan trains thousands of new growers worldwide through her award-winning fruit tree care training program and is the host of The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast and an ISA Certified Arborist. She founded the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto in 2009, helps others establish and maintain community orchards and food forests in Toronto and beyond and has won multiple awards for her work. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ivy Mining Bees
What We Talk About
Selecting trees for disease resistance and planning for a staggered harvest if you grow multiple trees
Choosing a spot for your tree
Tree roots as the tree matures
Feeding your fruit trees
Mulching
Success in a community orchard
Summer and winter pruning
About Susan Poizner
Susan is the author of the award-winning fruit tree care book Growing Urban Orchards and her second book Grow Fruit Trees Fast. Susan trains thousands of new growers worldwide through her award-winning fruit tree care training program and is the host of The Urban Forestry Radio Show and Podcast and an ISA Certified Arborist. She founded the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto in 2009, helps others establish and maintain community orchards and food forests in Toronto and beyond and has won multiple awards for her work.
Links
Growing Urban Orchards
Grow Fruit Trees Fast
The Urban Forestry Radio Show
Great Dixter Charitable Trust
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Plan, Plant & Maintain Fruit Trees
Apples
Patreon
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Episode 257 -Taste Your Garden
2 oktober 2023 · 35 min
This episode, my guest is qualified herbalist Meghan Rhodes. Meghan discusses how we can tap into our gardens for better health, why herbs are good for dealing with conditions that are manifestations of multiple problems, such as stomach issues, the 7 keys tastes you find in herbs and how you can get started on your own journey using herbs for wellbeing. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Spanish Slug Story
What We Talk About
How herbalism adds another layer of wellbeing to gardening
Why taste is baked into our biologies, even if you're brand new to working with plants and herbs
How to recalibrate your palette to be able to detect the 7 key tastes of herbs
How understanding tastes helps you make the most of foraged and homegrown herbs
About Meghan Rhodes
Meghan Rhodes is a qualified herbalist who has helped over 80 people start living herbalism, making healthier, safer solutions for themselves and their families a reality. As the founder of Rhodes Roots & Remedies, she has written 10 course books, authored the books Easy Herbal Remedies for Infants and Slow-Infused Self-Care, as well as developed a unique four season sense-based herbalism course and journey, Awaken Herbal Wisdom.
Meghan's practice of herbalism is rooted in the belief that we must remember, reclaim and relearn our knowledge of our bodies, our autonomy and how to work with plant medicine in order to bring control of our own health back into our families and homes for a sustainable future for ourselves and the planet.
Meghan is a member of both the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy and the Ayurvedic Professionals Association.
Links
Get on the waiting list for Meghan's intensive herbalism course - Awaken Herbal Wisdom - enrolling annually - or DM Meghan the word ACCESS for the link.
Exclusive access to exploring one of the seven tastes
Instagram - @rhodesrootsandremedies
GreenBlue Urban
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Sensory Herbalism
The Herb Society
Patreon
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Episode 256 - Urban Bees
23 september 2023 · 31 min
Hello and welcome to Roots and All, where my guest this week is urban apiculturist Mark Patterson. Mark founded and runs Apicultural where he work with businesses and communities to invest in natural capital, improving the environment for pollinators and delivering pollinator monitoring surveys for clients. He provides honey bee hive management solutions, beekeeping training and education and also supplies quality urban honey to a select group of establishments. So you'd think Mark would be all for the idea of urban honeybees, right? Listen on… Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ear Wigglers
What We Talk About
How many hives are there in London, does anybody have an estimate? Is it a sustainable number? Where are they foraging for floral resources? Are there enough of these?
Are urban conditions more taxing for bees? Do environmental stressors lead to higher incidences of disease, for example?
Do managed bees outcompete wild bees when it comes to consuming pollen and nectar?
Are managed bees necessary? Useful? Desirable? Filling a niche left by potentially dwindling numbers of wild bees? A useful pollination and food source for humans?
Why are commercial beekeeping companies trying to muscle in on the beekeeping tradition in London?
Do honeybees count as an 'environmental credit' in terms of planning and building?
About Mark Patterson
After completing a National Diploma in Agriculture, Land use and recreation which included a practical Horticultural course Mark went on to study for an Honours Degree in Countryside Management and Ornithology at Kingston Upon Hull University - an ecology based course of study. It was during this time at University that Mark was introduced to bee keeping by a fellow student.
As senior Consultant Mark has amassed over 26 years of experience in the fields of nature conservation and ecology. His past professional positions include marine biologist/ranger on the Farne islands national nature reserve, Countryside Ranger for a loc…
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Episode 255: Lawns
18 september 2023 · 33 min
My guest this week is David Hedges-Gower. David is a prominent figure in the UK's lawn care industry, known for his expertise and dedication to promoting sustainable lawn care practices. He wrote the book 'Modern Lawn Care', is the Chairman of The Lawn Association, founded the world's first lawn care qualification and works tirelessly to promote responsible, sustainable lawn care practices that benefit the environment and homeowners. What David has to say on lawns certainly challenged my notions on what lawn care involves, whether they're a sensible option to those concerned about wildlife and the environment and what they can and should be like from a horticultural perspective, so listen on with an open mind… Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Horse Chestnut Moth
What We Talk About
Lawns and their uses
Do lawns have to be high maintenance?
Ideal grass species for sustainable lawns
Do you have to feed a lawn?
Can lawns be of use to wildlife?
Artificial lawns
About David Hedges-Gower
David Hedges-Gower is a prominent figure in the UK's lawn care industry, known for his expertise and dedication to promoting sustainable lawn care practices. His background in greenkeeping, including his role as Superintendent at the prestigious Oxfordshire Golf Club, provided him with a strong foundation in turf management.
After recognizing the need for better information and knowledge in the lawn care field, David transitioned into lawn care and authored a book titled "Modern Lawn Care" in 2014. This publication served as a valuable resource for those seeking to improve their lawn maintenance practices.
In addition to his book, David has been actively involved in educating people about proper lawn care through training days, seminars, and advisory services. He is a trusted source of information, having accumulated 43 years of experience in the field. He often serves as an expert for publications, radio channels, and other advisory bodies, helping to disseminate his knowled…
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Episode 254 - Buddlejas and Lavenders
11 september 2023 · 32 min
This week, my guest is Andrew Bullock, who runs The Lavender Garden Nursery. Andrew holds the National Collection of Buddlejas and grows a huge range of lavenders and buddlejas from his nursery in The Cotswolds. We talk about how to attract pollinators to your garden, when and how to prune your buddlejas and lavenders, whether buddlejas are invasive, why lavenders are sometimes short-lived and anything else you ever wanted to know about these two plants for pollinators. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Mosquitoes
What We Talk About
Which is better for bees - buddleja or lavender?
The best varieties for bees/butterflies/pollinators in general
Night time pollinators
How to grow lavender and buddleja
When to prune and how much to take off
Buddleja - invasive?
Causes of short-lived lavender
Links
The Lavender Garden
Contact Andrew on the phone: 01453 860356 or 07837 582943
www.premierpolytunnels.co.uk
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Pollinators & Pollination
Bugs in Your Garden
Patreon
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Episode 253: The Lost Gardens of Loughrigg
4 september 2023 · 22 min
Several years ago, Penn Allen inherited a collection of diaries that had been meticulously maintained by her great grandmother. Penn discovered the diaries documented the building of her great grandmother and grandfather's Arts and Crafts house and the development of the garden that followed. She uncovered an untold story of her family, of plant hunting and of rock gardens - one that has significance to the wider world of horticultural history and in fact, goes some way to rewriting it. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Buddleias and Butterfly Tongues
What We Talk About
What the book is about and why Penn felt it was important to write it
How the garden helped heal; through providing a space to contemplate, a space to communicate, a distraction…
Alpines and rock gardening
Plant hunters
Reginald Farrer
Will Purdom
What became of house and garden
About Penn Allen
Having spent most of my life in the UK, I moved permanently to the beautiful Lot region in SW France with my husband around fifteen years ago. I have a passion for my garden and the outdoors and can generally be found either striding over a windswept hillside or upside down in my flower beds, always with a Labrador or two by my side. The Lost Garden of Loughrigg is my first story, though hopefully not my last!
Links
The Lost Gardens of Loughrigg by Penn Allen
Tickets to see Penn Allen at the Kendal Mountain Book Festival
Twitter @PennAllenwrites
Instagram penn.allen
www.modicagardens.com
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Episode 251: Green Roofs & City Wildlife
21 augustus 2023 · 33 min
This episode, my guest is green roof guru, urban designer, photographer, birdwatcher, punk ideologist and all-round straight talker Dusty Gedge. We talk about green infrastructure, encouraging species back into landscapes, how to maintain landscapes for habitat value and what's being and can be done to up the green value of public spaces. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Woodlice
What We Talk About
Brownfield gardening
Biodiversity in decline
The problems faced by birds in urban environments
What initiatives Dusty is most excited by
What happens if biodiversity starts causing a problem?
Maintaining green roofs as habitats
About Dusty Gedge
Links
www.dustygedge.co.uk
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
Collecting the Love 1
Collecting the Love 2
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Botanical Mind
Public Green Spaces
Patreon
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Episode 252: Aromatic Gardening
21 augustus 2023 · 28 min
My guest this week is Amy Anthony, a certified clinical Aromatherapist and Aromatic Gardener. In addition to that, Amy is an aromatherapy educator, podcaster, herbalist, certified master composter, and artisanal distiller and is one of New York's top aromatherapy practitioners. We talk about the importance of connecting with nature through scent, how aromatherapy can support wellness and vitality and how you can become an aromatic gardening practitioner yourself. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Rosemary Leaf Beetles
What We Talk About
What is aromatherapy?
What is aromatic gardening?
What's the difference between plant aromatics and synthetics?
What are best essential oils for supporting wellness and vitality?
Do you need to be careful with any aromatic oils? What are safe and practical approaches to aromatherapy?
How are you connected to plants from your culture?
"Aromatherapy is not a consumptive exercise." Why? What can we do about this in our own gardens?
How is aromatherapy linked to the moon?
Where to find out more
About Amy Anthony
Amy is a certified clinical Aromatherapist and Aromatic Gardner who left her career in marketing research to pursue what is closest to her heart: working with plants. As a certified aromatherapist, aromatherapy educator, herbalist, gardener, certified master composter, and artisanal distiller, Amy is one of NYC's top aromatherapy practitioners.
Host of the Essential Aromatica podcast, Amy also tends her own aromatic garden on the North Fork of Long Island where she distills her unique products.
Listed as one of America's most influential aromatherapists, Amy Anthony is currently the New York State representative for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists and has her private practice called NYC Aromatica which includes one-on-one customized aromatherapy sessions, online class offerings, corporate consulting and article writing.
Links
Essential Aromatica Podcast
NYC Aromatica
Other episodes if you liked t…
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Episode 250: The Human Garden
14 augustus 2023 · 35 min
This episode is an interview with environmental landscape artist, TED Speaker and art21 Educator Tobacco Brown. Tobacco connects art and environmental justice and is a visual artist, digital storyteller, master gardener, social practitioner, cultural historian and intuitive environmental advocate. We talk about community green spaces, how humans connect with the land and why it's so important that we do. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Beewolf
What We Talk About
What can gardens teach us about ourselves?
Lessons we can learn from a garden that help us live our lives well
Are there lessons we can take from life that will help us be better gardeners?
Wisdom residing in the soil
Land justice
Communication blight remediation
How gardens grow with you as you go through life
About Tobacco Brown
Links
Email tobaccobrownartist@gmail.com
Tobacco Brown
What Gardening Taught Me About Life - Tobacco Brown's TED Talk
On Instagram
art21
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Botanical Mind
Public Green Spaces
Patreon
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Episode 249: Designing Responsibly Built Environments
7 augustus 2023 · 32 min
My guest this week is Blanche Cameron, who leads UCL Bartlett School of Architecture's Environmental Design and Greening Cities modules, and is an urban green infrastructure advocate who works closely with industry and the government on urban greening issues. To say our towns and cities are not always good examples of environmentally sound design and biodiversity would be quite the understatement, but Blanche is one of a group of outspoken advocates for nature inclusive design who are are working towards better outcomes in this regard. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Dagger flies
What We Talk About
The built environment and biodiversity collapse
Landscaping in towns and cities
How good design can help mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change
Vertical planting and green roofs
Do we need a coherent plan or is it up to individuals to start changing their landscapes?
"Productising" and the construction industry's need for homogeneity
Where does technologically fit in?
About Blanche Cameron
Blanche leads UCL Bartlett School of Architecture's Environmental Design and Greening Cities modules and contributes to other modules and programmes, including the Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Heritage MSc.She coordinated the Living Landscape Strategy for UCL's £1Bn UCL East development, and sits on UCL's campus greening 'Wild Bloomsbury' steering group. Blanche is an urban green infrastructure advocate, working closely with industry and government, bringing practitioners into the heart of teaching, including John Little, biodiverse landscapes innovator, and Dusty Gedge, living roofs expert and founder in 2004 of the independent advisory organisation, Livingroofs.org. Blanche edited the GLA's 2019 10-year update report on the impact of a decade of urban greening since the London Plan's Green Roofs and Walls 2008 policy, co-written by Dusty Gedge and Gary Grant.
Links
Blanche on LinkedIn
www.naturalgrower.co.uk
www.veteransgrowth.org
Other episodes if …
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Episode 248: The Container Victory Garden
31 juli 2023 · 28 min
This episode I'm speaking with author and expert gardener Maggie Stuckey about growing food in containers. We talk about growing a container garden of vegetabhttps://rootsandall.co.uk/podcast/episode-52-grow-fruit-vegetables-in-pots-with-aaron-bertelsen/les, herbs, and edible flowers and the inspirational history of wartime Victory Gardens and their legacy for today's gardeners. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Painted Lady Butterflies
What We Talk About
Victory gardens
Growing food in containers
With container space at a premium, how can you choose what to grow?
Essential equipment
Cool season and warm season plants
Maggie's neat trick for planting garlic cloves
Root vegetables in containers
Should you try to focus on one type of plant or can you grow a mixture of things?
Succession planting
About Maggie Stuckey
Bestselling author Maggie Stuckey is an expert in the art of growing good things to eat in containers. For more than twenty years, Maggie has been enjoying vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers grown in her own container garden — and inspiring others to transform even the tiniest spaces into vibrant personal foodways.
In her book The Container Victory Garden, Maggie shares practical and comprehensive tips and techniques for container gardening alongside the rich history of the original wartime Victory Gardens, which date back to 1917.
Links
The Container Victory Garden: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Your Own Groceries by Maggie Stuckey - HarperCollins Focus, April 2023
Move with Adele
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Fruits and Vegetables in Pots
Container Planting with Harriet Rycroft
Patreon
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Episode 247: Botanical Education
24 juli 2023 · 29 min
This episode I'm speaking with Seb Stroud. Seb is based at Leeds University and is part of the Ecology & Evolution Group, where his research looks at many different topics including botany, freshwater ecology, ecosystem structures and urban landscapes. He recently co-authored a research paper which looks at the state of botanical education and that's what I was particularly interested in chatting about today. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Woolly Aphids
What We Talk About
What is the extinction of botanical education? Why is it happening?
The effects of losing our tradition of botanical education
Plant blindness
The UN's sustainable development goals and future funding
The impact of botanical education extinction on climate change, food security and our economy
What is actually being done about it?
Natural history GCSE
Equity and accessibility in environmental education
The UK as a nation of gardeners and nature lovers…?
About Sebastian Stroud
Links
Botanical education paper
Seb Stroud on Twitter
Botanical University Challenge
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
RBGE's PropaGate Learning - Online Courses
BSBI
Kew's Grow Wild
Botanists are Disappearing with Seb Stroud - The Conversation, July 2022
CW Studio
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Modern Plant Hunters
The State of Horticulture
Patreon
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Episode 246: Urban Smallholding
17 juli 2023 · 28 min
My guest this episode is urban smallholder Sara Ward. Sara runs Hen Corner, a backyard smallholding in London. Her website Hen Corner has a wealth of information on growing and making food, she runs courses, sells products from her bakery and has just published a book 'Living the Good Life in the City'. I began by asking Sara what prompted her to follow in the wellieprints of Barbara Good. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Gardening for Nature
What We Talk About
What prompted Sara to set up Hen Corner
How much can you grow in your average urban garden?
Keeping animals
Getting rid of waste from the garden
Preserving food
Looking after things when you're away
About Living the Good Life in the City
Sara Ward has transformed her Victorian terraced house in London into an urban smallholding, 'Hen Corner', and in Living the Good Life in the City she shares some of the ways she and her family have brought city and country together, and shows that you, too, can make a difference to how you live and the food you eat.
Divided into sections covering Make, Grow, Preserve, Keep and Celebrate, Living the Good Life in the City is packed full of recipes, stories, tips and tricks including baking
bread, making your own jam, pasta, sausages and cheese, keeping bees and livestock, preserving, foraging, harvesting and celebrating with food.
Links
Living the Good Life in the City by Sara Ward - Pimpernel Press, July 2023
www.hencorner.com
Digital Fuse
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Huw Richards on Veg Growing
Food Forest in Your Garden with Alan Carter
Patreon
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Episode 245: The Language of Trees
10 juli 2023 · 29 min
My guest this episode is artist and activist Katie Holten. Katie has just released a book called The Language of Trees, a collection of literary and scientific works by people like Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ursula le Guin, and Ross Gay. Using her Alphabet of Trees, the book is underpinned by the Katie's art and asks us to examine our relationship with trees by pulling together wide-reaching strands and demonstrating in one place, just how connected we are to them. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Asian Hornets
What We Talk About
The idea behind the Language of Trees
The Tree Alphabet
Themes behind the essays
Inspiring Tree People
About The Language of Trees
In this beautifully illustrated collection, artist Katie Holten gifts readers her visual Tree Alphabet and uses it to masterfully translate and illuminate pieces from some of the world's most exciting writers and artists, activists and ecologists.
Holten guides us on a journey from prehistoric cave paintings and creation myths to the death of a 3,500 year-old cypress tree, from Tree Clocks in Mongolia and forest fragments in the Amazon to the language of fossil poetry. In doing so, she unearths a new way of seeing the natural beauty that surrounds us and creates an urgent reminder of what could happen if we allow it to slip away.
Links
The Language of Trees by Katie Holten - Elliott & Thompson, June 2023
www.katieholten.com
Starcroft Farm Cabins
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Plants and People
The Botanical Mind
Patreon
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Episode 244: The Biodiversity Gardener
3 juli 2023 · 31 min
My guest this week is wildlife author and photographer Paul Sterry. Paul has written many books on wildlife but his latest, The Biodiversity Gardener, pulls together his decades of knowledge and the result is a wildlife gardening manual with real-life examples taken from Paul's Hampshire wildlife friendly space. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Dark Edged Bee Flies
What We Talk About
Can small gardens really make a difference to our declining biodiversity? Won't they become unsupportable islands of life?
How to start wildlife gardening
Butterfly caterpillars and when to safely cut the grass/meadow/hedges
Weeding and cutting back and species that use certain plants as larval hosts
Is scrub good and how can you incorporate it in your garden? Do you need to manage it to avoid it becoming woodland?
Advice for anyone looking to transition away from a conventional to a wildlife garden
The Nature Conservancy Council!
About Paul Sterry
Links
The Biodiversity Gardener by Paul Sterry - Princeton University Press, June 2023
Paul Sterry on Twitter
www.naturephotographers.co.uk
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Garden Jungle with Dave Goulson
Making a Wildlife Garden
Patreon
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Episode 243: Magical Plants and Flowers
26 juni 2023 · 23 min
This week's episode, my guests are Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano. Chris and Susan are better known as the 2 Green Witches. Chris Young is a lifelong gardener whose acclaimed garden, Tiny Sur is a certified wildlife habitat and Susan is an artist, performer, songwriter, and food stylist. Their new book is The Green Witch's Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers: Love Spells from Apples to Zinnias and together we take a light-hearted look at the power of plants to help you manifest your deepest desires. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Invasive Species
What We Talk About
What is a grimoire?
What is green witchcraft?
The forward to the book is written by the iconic Debbie Harry. Is she a green witch?
Love spells
Do spells work?
How the practices in the book help you to connect more deeply with your garden
The Indian paintbrush plant.
Queen Anne's lace jelly
About Susan Ottaviano
Artist, performer, songwriter, and cooking maven Susan Ottaviano welcomes you into the lush and whimsical world of green witchcraft with her new book, The Green Witch's Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers: Love Spells from Apples to Zinnias ( 6/6/23 Skyhorse Publishing).
With her rich illustrations and inspiring vegan recipes, Susan and co-author Chris Young shine light on brilliant ways to use products from the farmers market, supermarket, or even your backyard garden to bring light, love, good food, and good humor into your life.
Susan has been a groundbreaking food stylist and recipe developer for over twenty years. Her work has been featured in magazines, cookbooks, and advertisements from Bon Appétit to Grey Goose to Uber Eats.
Best known as the lead singer for pop band Book of Love, Susan and her bandmates recorded five albums for Warner Brothers Records/Sire Records. Book of Love was a fixture on the Billboard Dance Club charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with multiple hits in the top ten. The group reunited in 2016 for a sold-out world tour to mark their 30th Anniversary…
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Episode 242: Soil - The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
19 juni 2023 · 27 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode where my guest is poet and scholar Camille Dungy. Camille has documented how she diversified her garden to reflect her heritage in her book 'Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden'. We talk about the politics of gardening, planting a nature garden and how nature writing has influenced our gardens in the past and how it can shape the way we do so in the future. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Bloodsuckers
What We Talk About
Why Camille believes "Every politically engaged person should have a garden"
The idea behind Camille's pollinator garden in Colorado
Gardens that offer something more than beauty
Is there something we can do to make ourselves take more thinking, creating time?
The state of modern nature writing
The lessons learnt from gardening
"If I cultivate a flourishing I want its reach to be wide". What Camille means by this.
About Camille Dungy
Camille T. Dungy is the author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden (Simon & Schuster: May 2, 2023). She has also written Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and four collections of poetry, including Trophic Cascade, winner of the Colorado Book Award. Dungy edited Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, the first anthology to bring African American environmental poetry to national attention. She also co-edited the From the Fishouse poetry anthology and served as assistant editor for Gathering Ground: Celebrating Cave Canem's First Decade.
Dungy is the poetry editor for Orion magazine. Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, 100 Best African American Poems, Best American Essays, The 1619 Project, All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, over 40 other anthologies, plus dozens of venues including The New Yorker, Poetry, Literary Hub, The Paris Review, and Poets.org. You may know her as the host of …
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Episode 241: Wild Mothers
12 juni 2023 · 26 min
This week's episode, my guest is writer Victoria Bennett, author of'All My Wild Mothers – motherhood, loss and an apothecary garden'. The book weaves memoir and herbal folklore and is a story of re-wilding our wastelands, and the transformation that can happen when we do. Daisy, for resilience. Dandelion, for strength against adversity. Borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times… Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Box tree moth
What We Talk About
What is an apothecary garden?
How Victoria learnt about gardening and herbalism
The garden Victoria and her son built in their new house
Dealing with the challenges thrown up by neighbours and housing associations
Some of the most powerfully useful plants Victoria has grown
How Victoria's mother influenced her gardening aesthetic
Victoria and her son's next joint gardening adventures
About 'All My Wild Mothers – motherhood, loss and an apothecary garden'
The book was published earlier this year with Two Roads Books. An intimate weaving of memoir and herbal folklore, it is a story of re-wilding our wastelands, and the transformation that can happen when we do. Daisy, for resilience. Dandelion, for strength against adversity. Borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times.
Victoria says, "faced with a life very different to what I thought it would be; deep in grief following the tragic death of my eldest sister, facing financial difficulties, and caring for my young son who was diagnosed at age 2 with Type One diabetes, I decided to see what could grow on the barren land of the former industrial site over which our new social housing home was built. With my son, I began to grow, relying on the weeds that were under our feet and the things that other people threw out or eradicated from their pristine gardens.
Stone by stone, seed by seed, my son and I turned the rubble into a wild, healing garden. As we did, we discovered that sometimes what grows does so, not in spite of what is broken, but because of i…
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Episode 240: Guerrilla Gardening
5 juni 2023 · 29 min
My guest this episode is author and activist Ellen Miles. Ellen is the founder of Nature is a Human Right, she runs Dream Green, a social enterprise that helps people get guerrilla gardening with guides, grants, and workshops and has a book that will be released this Thursday the 8th of June, Get Guerrilla Gardening: A handbook for planting in public places. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Spider silk
What We Talk About
What is guerrilla gardening?
Does it matter who owns the land you guerrilla garden?
Is it illegal? Are you liable if someone trips over your planter, for example?
Should we be growing more food in communities?
If you're growing food in an urban location, how can you know the soil isn't contaminated with anything that will be taken up by your plants?
Who decides why a space should be used for? Where is the input from the people that live with and use guerrilla gardened spaces?
What are some potentially good sites?
What are parklets?
Are there spaces (such as wild spaces) that should be left alone?
In order for a plant to establish either from seed or as a plant, it needs to have a degree of tenacity. Is it easy to strike a balance between finding plants that are tough enough to survive and persist and avoiding plants which can be invasive?
How do you cope with practical hurdles such as no water, nowhere to store your tools, nowhere to sit down…?
How do you cope with vandalism?
Should you try and communicate with the local authority? If so, who and how can you best get hold of them?
How do ensure a garden continues to thrive after it's established?
Other resources and people doing good work in this area
About Ellen Miles
Ellen Miles is an author and activist rooting for nature in urban neighbourhoods. She founded Nature is a Human Right and edited the acclaimed anthology of essays inspired by the campaign (Nature is a Human Right: Why we're fighting for green in a grey world, DK, 2022). Ellen also runs Dream Green, a social enterp…
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Episode 239: Growing Biodiversity
29 mei 2023 · 29 min
My guest this week is gardener Benny Hawksbee. Benny has a background in biology and gardens with one eye on biodiversity. His projects include the Eden Nature Garden, a community garden designed to be a haven for people and wildlife, and John Little's garden in Essex. Lees meer
We talk about how Benny brings biology and ecology into his work, what we can all do to garden for wildlife whilst reducing our input in terms of resources and how we can involve the community in building and using gardens that work for everyone.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Broad bean pests
What We Talk About
Benny's professional background and how he got into horticulture
The Eden Nature Garden
How Benny brings biology & ecology into his work
Gardening on a low budget and with low resource availability, such as the absence of running water and electricity
Going against the horticultural rule book
Bees - native species and honeybees
The importance of community involvement in public gardens
The future of gardening in the UK
Links
www.edennaturegarden.org
www.hawksbeegardening.com
Benny on Instagram
London Natural History Society
UK Bees, wasps, ants recording society
Other episodes if you liked this one:
John Little
Nature from the Rubble
Patreon
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Episode 238: Toss the Salad!
22 mei 2023 · 29 min
This episode goes out in celebration of The Chelsea Fringe. The Fringe is an annual event which runs concurrently to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and celebrates everything alternative in horticulture. And this episode is certainly alternative! It was intended to be an AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode but quickly evolved into a general chat with my host this week, Jake Rayson. We then moved on to talk about a new initiative I'm launching. The idea is in its embryonic stage and I have no idea how it's going to develop, but listen on for some more info. Lees meer
Thank you very much Jake for being a friend, stand-in host and long-term supporter of Roots and All. Please check out the links to Jake's work below.
Links
Jake made a handy list of free resources, NBN Atlas and GBIF his latest faves, quite amazing.
And he's available for wildlife forest garden design work, remote sites a speciality. Here's his portfolio
Here's Jake's Garden Wild Spreadsheet
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Chelsea Fringe with Tim Richardson
Introduction to Forest Gardening with Jake Rayson
Patreon
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Episode 237: The Apothecary
15 mei 2023 · 27 min
This episode features writer, garden historian and returning guest Caroline Ball. In eighteenth-century Bavaria a prosperous apothecary, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann began an extraordinary project, the compilation of an A to Z of plants, meticulously documented, and lavishly illustrated by botanical artists using the latest colour-printing methods of the time. He aimed to include thousands of plants from all over the world, describing their individual characteristics and commissioning magnificent colour illustrations of each specimen. Lees meer
The first complete volume of the Phytanthoza Iconographia, as he called it, was published in 1737 and the work grew to four immense tomes. The Iconographia gives an unparalleled view of the ornamental and useful plants that were known to botanists and gardeners in the early eighteenth-century. Caroline has written two books, A Splendour of Succulents & Cacti and A Cornucopia of Fruit & Vegetables, which document how this piece of work came to be collated and which reproduce many of the amazing images featured within.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Butterfly Tongues & Buddleia
What We Talk About
Johann Wilhelmina Weinmann and his Phytanthoza Iconographia
Where Weinmann sourced the plants that were included
The painters who documented the specimens
Historical plant pots
How the work was reproduced
Matching the plants depicted to contemporary specimens
Are historical botanical texts merely a curiosity, or can they inform our knowledge of horticulture in the present day?
Some of the more surprising medicinal uses for plants that are documented in the book
About Caroline Ball & the Phytanthoza Iconagraphia
In eighteenth-century Bavaria a prosperous apothecary, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, grew an 'American aloe' that astounded all who saw it. He was also the mastermind behind an extraordinary project - a comprehensive A to Z of plants, meticulously documented, and lavishly illustrated by botanical artists using the latest colour-pri…
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Episode 236: Mosses
6 mei 2023 · 30 min
This week, my guest is Dr Neil Bell, bryologist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and author of The Hidden World of Mosses, which takes a look into the minute and fascinating world of bryophytes. Lees meer
If you've ever wanted to know how these plants live and reproduce, whether you can cultivate moss indoors or outdoors, what that green stuff is you find on the surface of potted plant's compost and whether you should take it off, the environmental and habitat value of mosses and how they are affected by the moon, listen on…
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Tardegrades
What We Talk About
What is moss? How is it different to other plants?
Liverworts and hornworts
How mosses reproduce
Moss species in the UK
Cultivating mosses in a garden or as a houseplant
Liverworts growing on the surface of potted plants
Is there a place for mosses on brownfield sites?
Do all mosses need shade and moisture?
How mosses take in nutrients and attach to structures
The role mosses play in the environment in terms of water attenuation and conservation, and as habitats for other creatures
Sphagnum bogs as a 'potential positive feedback loop' for climate change and what can be done about this
The connection between sphagnum moss and the moon
How you can better see mosses, to explore what they look like in detail and appreciate them
About The Hidden World of Mosses
Did you know that there are nearly 20,000 different species of mosses and their relatives worldwide with over 1000 in the UK? And did you know that Sphagnum moss is almost wholly responsible for the creation and maintenance of peat bogs, preventing harmful carbon from being released into the atmosphere?
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has published The Hidden World of Mosses, providing an accessible guide to these not-so-humble botanical gems. Written by bryologist Dr Neil Bell, the book presents information about these incredible plants, exploring their tiny, intriguing and diverse environments in detail. This …
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Episode 235: Woodchip
30 april 2023 · 28 min
My guest this week is Ben Raskin, the Soil Association's Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry. Ben is the author of several books on gardening, including Zero-Waste Garden and The Community Gardening Handbook. His latest book is 'The Woodchip Handbook', which I was very excited to read and even more excited to speak with Ben about, because I've long been a fan of using wood chip in the garden. Lees meer
In the interview, we cover the many uses for woodchip in the garden, how it can help with plant and soil health, what sort of wood makes good chip and the do's and don'ts of using it.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: The Syrphids
What We Talk About
Sourcing woodchip
Making your own
Different species of tree woodchip
Runoff when storing woodchip
Do we need to store or compost woodchip before we use it?
The uses for woodchip in the garden
What is ramial chipped wood and what can it be used for?
The benefits of using woodchip as a mulch
Avoiding suppressing self-seeders
Woodchip and carbon retention
What happens to woodchip if treated as 'waste'?
About Ben Raskin
Ben Raskin has worked in horticulture for more than 25 years, developing a wide range of experience both in practical commercial growing and wider policy and advocacy work.
As the Soil Association's Head of Horticulture and Agroforestry, he provides growers at all levels of production with technical, marketing, policy, supply chain and networking support. He is currently implementing a 200-acre silvopastural agroforestry planting in Wiltshire.
Ben is the author of several previous books on gardening, including Zero-Waste Gardening (2021), The Community Gardening Handbook (2017) and three volumes of the Grow Together Guides aimed at families with young children: Compost, Grow, and Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies.
Additionally, Ben co-chairs the Defra Edibles Horticulture Roundtable and sits on the boards of the Organic Growers Alliance and Community Supported Agriculture Network UK.
Links
The Woodchip …
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Episode 234: The End of the Life Cycle
24 april 2023 · 26 min
This week's episode, I'm speaking to holistic funeral director, Holly Lyon-Hawk. It's not easy for most of us to talk about end of life, death and funeral arrangements and yet it's such an important thing to prepare for, it's unavoidable, it needn't be frightening or taboo, and it is something we can make easier for ourselves and our loved ones if we start a conversation around it whilst we still can. In the interview, Holly talks about her approach and about what options are open to those of us who love nature and gardens and I expect you'll find what we talk about sometimes surprising and also reassuring to know that there are alternative options. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Choices for pest control
What We Talk About
Holly's background and how she became a holistic funeral director
How Holly approaches funerals differently
Some common misconceptions around funerals
Can I be composted? Can I be buried in my garden?
Eco-friendly ways to be buried
How a garden or love of gardening can be incorporated into a funeral
Talking about your funeral wishes and how we can prepare for dying
How to make sure your last wishes are followed
About Holly Lyon-Hawk
I originally trained as a veterinary nurse before working as a sculptor for many years.
I set up my own business working as a holistic funeral director many years ago understanding that people needed not only more choice, but also more support than they had been, on the whole, from mainstream traditional funeral directors. I now work across the S/E England supporting many families as both as End of Life Practitioner and a Holistic Funeral Director.
I am an author as well as a multi-award winning Holistic Funeral Director, Specialist in Ceremonial Care of the Body and End of Life Practitioner for People and Pets.
Links
www.hollylyonhawk.com
Holly's Podcast - No One Gets Out of Here Alivehttps://noonegetsoutofherealive.buzzsprout.com
Holly's Book - A Gentle Goodbye
Other episodes if you liked this …
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Episode 233: Houseplant Legends
17 april 2023 · 29 min
This week's episode I'm speaking to horticulturist, journalist, host of the On the Ledge podcast and author of a new book 'Legends of the Leaf', Jane Perrone. Have you ever wondered why the leaves of the Swiss cheese plant have holes? How aloe vera came to be harnessed as a medicinal powerhouse? Or why – despite your best efforts – you can't keep your Venus flytrap alive? If you're familiar with the On the Ledge podcast, you'll know Jane takes deep dives into the background of houseplants; where they come from, how they behave and how we can best grow them. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: The Lepidoptera
About Legends of the Leaf
Have you ever wondered why the leaves of the Swiss cheese plant have holes? How aloe vera came to be harnessed as a medicinal powerhouse? Or why – despite your best efforts – you can't keep your Venus flytrap alive?
You are not alone: houseplant expert Jane Perrone has asked herself those very questions, and in Legends of the Leaf she digs deep beneath the surface to reveal the answers. By exploring how they grow in the wild, and the ways they are understood and used by the people who live among them, we can learn almost everything we need to know about our cherished houseplants.
Along the way, she unearths their hidden histories and the journeys they've taken to become prized possessions in our homes: from the Kentia palms which stood either side of Queen Victoria's coffin as she lay in state; to the dark history of the leopard lily, once exploited for its toxic properties; to English ivy, which provided fishermen with a source of bait.
Each houseplant history in this beautifully illustrated collection is accompanied by a detailed care guide and hard-won practical advice, but it is only by understanding their roots that we can truly unlock the secrets to helping plants thrive.
About Jane Perrone
Jane Perrone is a horticultural expert, journalist and the host of On The Ledge, a podcast dedicated to houseplants and indoor gardenin…
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Episode 232: Ecologically Integrated Gardens
10 april 2023 · 31 min
My guest this week is Shawn Maestretti of Studio Petrichor, a design studio working out of California. Shawn's personal mission is to reconnect with the natural world, tread lightly on the land, nurture biodiversity, protect water, and bring people together. We speak about how Studio Petrichor designs with these values in mind and the systems and techniques that are used to achieve these goals. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Orange Tip Butterflies
About Studio Petrichor & Shawn Maestretti
Studio Petrichor is a group of compassionate individuals on a journey to manifest meaningful change in the world through transformational and environmentally-aligned landscaping practices.
Our goal is to help individuals and communities cultivate stronger, richer relationships with their environment. Along the way, we educate and empower one another to support and protect Mother Nature's living systems.
When we see and believe our actions and lives matter, it places us in a role of responsibility. It is this belief that will bring about a more beautiful, abundant, connected world.
Shawn Maestretti is an Oracle and Alchemist, (aka plant daddy, licensed landscape architect, certified arborist, certified permaculture designer, biospheric caretaker, speaker, and educator). Shawn is a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corp, a Kiss the Ground Soil Advocate, and has co-founded the non-profit Poly/Ana to empower communities to honor and protect natural, living systems. He is also a Landscape Design Teacher at the Theodore Payne Foundation.
Shawn has been presenting on Nature's intelligence and humanity's impact on climate change in his presentation series Regenerative Landscapes and the Climate Crisis, Reimagining Landscape and Lifestyle, and Landscape Architecture and The Death of the Ego. His personal mission is to reconnect with the natural world, tread lightly on the land, nurture biodiversity, protect water, and bring people together. Shawn always considers impacts o…
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Episode 231: Poison Prescriptions
3 april 2023 · 29 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Roots and All where I'm speaking to both of the Seeds Sistas, Fiona Heckels and Kazzla Goodweather about their latest book 'Poison Prescriptions'. The book takes a look at three key plants; datura, henbane and belladonna aka the power plants. Steeped in political history, the mysterious past of our native power plants calls to us somewhere deep within. The book urges the resurrection of the ancient tradition of using of these plants in medicine, as well as being a practical guide to plant magic, medicine and ritual. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ectoparasites
What We Talk About
Witching herbs
How long have they been used by humans and what have they been used for?
The chemicals they contain and how they can affect the body
Developing a deeper connection with plants
Henbane
Datura
Belladonna
Links
www.seedsistas.co.uk
Poison Prescriptions by The Seed Sistas - Watkins Media Limited, November 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Sensory Herbalism
Nicole Rose of Solidarity Apothecary
Patreon Membership
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Episode 230: Sensory Gardens & Autism
27 maart 2023 · 25 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode, where in recognition of World Autism Acceptance Week, I'm speaking about Sensory Gardens, with a focus on design for people with autism. I have three guests; Camellia Taylor who's designed The Natural Affinity Garden, which will be at the Chelsea Flower Show in May, after which time it will be relocated to Kent, to the charity Aspens where it will be used by residents of and visitors to the site. Next, I speak with Meraud Davis who's overseeing the project at Aspens and finally, to Alexis Selby a foraging obsessed, nature-loving, all-round amazing person who's giving us her take on using outdoor spaces with her son, Jared. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Narcissus Root Fly
What We Talk About
Why do we need to distinguish between men and women when it comes to environmentalism?
Isn't it fair to say some women are interested in improving and caring for their environment and some aren't, and this is the case too with men?
The feminisation of responsibility as it relates to climate change
Why women are more affected by climate change than men
Women and the control of the means of polluting production
Why women lack the opportunity to generate a larger climate footprint
Women who are making a difference
About The Natural Affinity Garden
Aspens will partner with garden designer Camellia Taylor to create a show garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (23 – 27 May 2023), supported by Project Giving Back. Aspens is a social care charity that provides high quality care and support topeople on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities, and their families in the South-East.
The Natural Affinity Garden for Aspens, is one of six All About Plants gardens being supported by Project Giving Back in 2023. It will encourage a connection with nature and maximise the benefits to a visitor's wellbeing by engaging with the seven senses (touch, taste, scent, sight, sound, movement and temperature).
Each planting zone of the d…
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Episode 229: Can Women Save the Planet?
20 maart 2023 · 30 min
This week I'm speaking to Dr Anne Karpf. Anne is Professor of Life Writing and Culture at London Metropolitan University and is a writer, sociologist and award-winning journalist. In 2021 she released the book 'How Women Can Save the Planet', where she looks at how there is gender inequality across the board from how we experience the climate crisis to our ability to effect change. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Queen Bumblebees
What We Talk About
Why do we need to distinguish between men and women when it comes to environmentalism?
Isn't it fair to say some women are interested in improving and caring for their environment and some aren't, and this is the case too with men?
The feminisation of responsibility as it relates to climate change
Why women are more affected by climate change than men
Women and the control of the means of polluting production
Why women lack the opportunity to generate a larger climate footprint
Women who are making a difference
Links
How Women Can Save the Planet by Anne Karpf - C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, May 2021
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Gardening in a Changing World
Wildfires with Saul Elbein
Patreon Membership
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Episode 228: The Chelsea Fringe
13 maart 2023 · 35 min
This week my guest is Tim Richardson, who, amongst many other things, is a garden writer, historian and founder of the Chelsea Fringe. The Fringe is an annual event which is a collection of all things horticultural, the quirkier the better, and it runs concurrent to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show each May. Events are held around the world and are an opportunity to celebrate horticulture in an alternative way. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Cabbage Bomb Aphids
About the Chelsea Fringe
The Chelsea Fringe – the alternative garden festival and established highlight of the horticultural calendar – will take place for a 12th year with nine days of festivities confirmed from 20 - 28 May 2023.
After two years in which participants responded creatively to the restrictions of the pandemic, the festival returned to the real world with a bang in 2022. A programme brimming with stimulating and diverse events took place with contributions from Cranbrook to Perth, and from Naples to Seattle. Fringe organisers are now encouraging everyone to start thinking about the imaginative, quirky, and unusual ideas they might bring to the 2023 Fringe to help create another bumper celebration of horticulture and grassroots gardening.
Fringe founder and director Tim Richardson said:
"We are a 'true Fringe' in that we don't commission or curate. We accept everything that our participants suggest – if an event is on-topic, legal and interesting, it's in! That means everything from community-garden events, art projects and performances to walks and talks, craft demos, and workshops – just a few of the categories we end up with. We are always surprised – and delighted – by what pops up each year, fresh from the imagination of our horticultural comrades in the UK and around the world."
Thousands of events have taken place in more than 20 different countries since the first Fringe was held in 2012. What started as a back-of-a-postcard idea has grown over a decade into an international event w…
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Episode 227: Seed Balls
6 maart 2023 · 27 min
My guest this week is Dr Ana Attlee, co-founder of the company Seedball. The idea for Seedball started to germinate in 2010 when Ana and her fellow PhD student Emily Lambert were looking into ways to successful start wildflowers from seed in order to encourage pollinators. 13 years later, Seedballs are stocked in respectable horticultural establishments all over the country and their range continues to grow with new and exciting seed packages being added all the time. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Preparing for Spring
What We Talk About
What is a Seedball?
What different types can you get?
How many seeds are in a ball and what's the germination rate like?
How many seedballs do you need?
Can you throw them anywhere?
Do you need to water them?
How long are they viable?
How might you reuse the tins?
Links
www.seedball.co.uk
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Creating Wildlife Habitats
The Garden Jungle with Dave Goulson
Patreon Membership
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Episode 226: Soil Bacteria & Rhizophagy
27 februari 2023 · 36 min
This week, I am delighted to welcome back champion of the soil food web, Jeff Lowenfels. Jeff is the author of the Teaming With series of books which look at what goes on at a micro level in the soil beneath our feet. His new title 'Teaming with Bacteria' lifts the lid on new findings about how plants use and interact with bacteria and he's here to give us the lowdown on this amazing relationship. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Solitary Bees
What We Talk About
Rhizophagy
Bacteria and endophytic bacteria
How bacteria helps make healthy soil
What bacteria does for plants and vice versa
How plants attract bacteria
How plants know when to stop letting in bacteria
Can bacteria still exist happily in the soil without a plant?
Bacteria and monocrops
Bacteria carried in seeds
Bacteria and hydroponics
Simple and practical things we can do to help the plant/bacteria relationship
Bacteria research and the future of gardening and plant growing
About Jeff Lowefels
Jeff Lowenfels is the author several of award-winning books on plants and soil, and he is the longest running garden columnist in North America. Lowenfels is a national lecturer as well as a fellow, hall of fame member, and former president of the Garden Writers of America.
Links
The Teaming with series, written by Jeff Lowenfels
Teaming with Bacteria
Teaming with Nutrients
Teaming with Fungi
Teaming with Microbes
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Mycorrhizal Fungi with Jeff Lowenfels
Mycorrhizal Fungi with Dr Petra Guy
Patreon Membership
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Episode 225: Hardy Eucalyptus
20 februari 2023 · 30 min
My guest this week is Hilary Collins who runs Hardy Eucalyptus at Grafton Nursery. Hilary researches the best way to grow Eucalyptus trees in the UK and also Europe. At the nursery, they run all manner of trials and Hilary writes papers and articles on Eucalyptus plus she has a book called Cut Foliage Eucalyptus – Fantastic Foliage and How to Farm it. She consults all over the world, and also works in the Garden Design and Construction Company advising on planting design. Hilary is here today talking all things eucalyptus and my first question was how she came to specialise in this group of plants. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Signals
What We Talk About
Different garden-worth eucalyptus varieties
Eucalyptus selection
Eucalyptus pruning
Eucalyptus seed provenance
How to plant them to ensure success
The benefits of air-pot containers
What is March 18th all about in the Horticultural Calendar and the life of any Eucalyptus tree owner?
About Hilary Collins
First and foremost in my career: I am a horticulturist…and also parent to 2 daughters Charlie and Victoria. Charlie is our landscape Architect for our garden design and build company Envisage Gardens. Victoria has escaped from professional horticulture and works in education.
I started growing plants when I was about 3 or 4 with my father who was a very keen gardener and amateur tree-grower, but we grew all manner of bedding plants, fruit and vegetables, tomatoes, perennials. He was very into Bonsai too. And my mother was very keen that I should learn all about our native flora, from a very early age.
I went to University of Bath to read Horticulture because I loved the subject, loved the city and the location and also partly in rebellion because it really appalled my headmistress who thought it was a really unsuitable career for a 'young lady'! The course is no longer on offer sadly.
Whilst at Bath, I worked for Long Ashton Research Station running the Specific Apple Replant Disease Trials, follow…
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Episode 224: Making Gardening Accessible
13 februari 2023 · 30 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Roots and All, where my guest is garden designer, TV personality and Trustee of the Gardening with Disabilities Trust Mark Lane. Mark talks about the various types of challenges people can face that might impede their activity in the garden, and how gardens and gardening can be adapted to enable people to carry on with these activities. He gives some excellent, practical advice for anyone who may need to adapt horticulture to suit their own needs or those of others. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Stridulation
What We Talk About
Is gardening one of the more tricky hobbies to modify if you find yourself less able?
Why is it a good thing to keep on gardening?
How many people in the UK are gardening with disabilities? What are some of the most common types of disabilities facing gardeners?
Some of the biggest challenges you see come up time and again
Helpful solutions
Where can people go to get help to garden/grants?
Where can designers and pro gardeners go to get guidance?
About Mark Lane
Roger Hirons has been a horticultural speaker for over thirty years, presenting to garden clubs and societies as well as the University of the Third Age and the Women's Institute. Since studying horticulture at Pershore College, he has also run and co-run plant centres and worked in the landscaping industry for nearly twenty years.
Links
Mark Lane Designs
Gardening with Disabilities Trust
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Gardening by Touch, Smell, Sound and Taste with Andrew Hesser
Stephen Hackett of Horatio's Garden
Patreon Membership
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Episode 223: Hedges and Living Boundaries
7 februari 2023 · 24 min
This week's guest is Roger Hirons, a horticultural expert and speaker, who's been in the industry for over 35 years. Roger has just released a really excellent book called the Gardener's Guide to Hedges and Living Boundaries, which covers preparation and design advice for establishing a new living boundary; advice on dealing with existing boundaries in need of restoration or extension; planting for both your human and wildlife neighbours and also a directory of some really interesting hedging plants, climbers and trees. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: The Swallowtail
What We Talk About
Why plant a hedge or living boundary instead of installing a fence?
What is a living boundary?
Which plants are well suited to creating a fedge?
What plants are good for wildlife?
Boundaries that are low maintenance
Boundaries that are good for security
Mounds aka bunds
Wall shrubs
Tips for staking newly planted plants
Hedges that are good for wildlife
When to cut a hedge if being considerate of bird nesting and feeding behaviours
About Roger Hirons
Roger Hirons has been a horticultural speaker for over thirty years, presenting to garden clubs and societies as well as the University of the Third Age and the Women's Institute. Since studying horticulture at Pershore College, he has also run and co-run plant centres and worked in the landscaping industry for nearly twenty years.
Links
Gardener's Guide to Hedges and Living Boundaries by Roger Hirons - The Crowood Press Ltd, October 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Low Allergen Planting with Olivia Kirk
Ivy with Fibrex Nurseries
Patreon Membership
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Episode 222: Nature from the Rubble
30 januari 2023 · 22 min
Hello and welcome to this episode of Roots and All. This week, I'm speaking to landscape architect Sally Bower. Sally has just been awarded the main RHS prize for her Bursary Report titled 'Nature Rising from the Rubble' which looks at gravel and recycled aggregate gardens in Essex and London. Specifically, Sally looked at John Little's Hilldrop garden, RHS Hyde Hall, Beth Chatto's gravel garden, the Langdon Nature Discovery Car Park and the Horniman Museum Grasslands garden and her findings were invaluable if you're interested in designing with or growing in these types of media, and Sally had some surprising findings of note too. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harlequins
What We Talk About
The purposes of the study and the distinctions between the different growing media used by people creating gravel/rubble gardens
Is this style of gardening be appropriate across the whole of the UK?
Big Sky Meadow - is this style of planting is as labour intensive as a traditional flower border might be?
In Beth Chatto's garden, when beds are newly installed or are refreshed, they are subject to double digging during which process mushroom compost is incorporated to improve soil fertility. How does this gel with the idea that plants grow really well in low fertility, well-drained gravel substrates?
John Little's private garden and how it is built to encourage biodiversity
How important is a site specific approach?
One of the gardens is a success because once the plants grow through the aggregate and reach the clay below, they grow happily and healthily. Isn't this just a gravel mulched garden rather than a proper gravel garden?
How gravel gardens make a positive environmental contribution
Why does soil which contain demolition waste high in lime capture carbon more quickly?
Sally's favourite example of this type of garden from the ones she wrote about
About Sally Bower
Based in Liverpool, I've been a landscape architect and garden design for over 20 years. My d…
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Episode 221: Sky Gardening
23 januari 2023 · 30 min
My guest this episode is the super-talented and creative gardener and designer Brent Purtell and we're talking about the Capitaspring Rooftop Garden in Singapore, which shares the '2nd highest' building ranking along with 3 other buildings, all the same height. There are 3 gardens on the building, covering an area of 10,000 square feet and containing a mixture of ornamentals and edibles, all growing at dizzying heights. Brent was involved on the build and design side before he became the Head Gardener, overseeing the maintenance of Capitaspring Rooftop Garden. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Stinky pigs
What We Talk About
What is the Capitaspring Rooftop Garden and where is it located? How much growing space is there in total?
The kind of things which grow in the garden
How productive a rooftop edible can forest be
How the produce is used
The challenges of growing edibles on a rooftop
Who visits the garden?
About the Capitaspring Building & Gardens
The Capitaspring building was completed in early 2022. At 280m high, it shares the '2nd highest' building ranking along with 3 other buildings, all the same height. This is due to Singapore having a cap of 280m on any new building. It's owned by Capitaland, a major property developer in Singapore and the region. Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, and Carlo Ratti, it is very much a flagship building for the company and Singapore in general, with the relatively unique use of planting throughout the building. Current tenants are the big investment house JPMorgan, for example.
An article about the building
Within the tower are three restaurants. These are:
'Sol and Luna' on level 17 - a casual latin inspired theme
'Kaarla' on level 51 - Fine dining coastal Australian
'Oumi' on level 51 - Fine dining Japanese
Originally there was no concept of a 'food forest' or similar from the architects, and indeed, the chef's garden only takes up 50% of the overall rooftop space, with the other 50% planted in typical o…
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Episode 220: The Gardener's Almanac
16 januari 2023 · 24 min
To book-end the winter break, I'm sort of picking up where we left off by talking about a way to mark the passing of the year and the seasons and to ground yourself and your gardening endeavours in the natural patterns that govern them. My guest is Lia Leendertz, author of the annual The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide and she starts by talking about the origins of her almanac. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Winter in the veg garden
What We Talk About
The history of Lia's Almanac
How Lia intends for people to use the Almanac throughout the year
The importance connecting with traditions, celebrations and rituals
The monthly list of gardening jobs
Gardening by the phases of the moon
Underlying themes of the Almanac; the pond and the zodiac
A discussion of Lia's line about the month of August, "Your ancestors would be proud to see how far you have come, sipping a glass of cold wine and laughing in the sun."
About Lia Leendertz
Lia is an award-winning garden and food writer based in Bristol. Her reinvention of the traditional rural almanac has become an annual must-have for readers eager to connect with the seasons, appreciate the outdoors and discover ways to mark and celebrate each month.
Links
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 by Lia Leendertz - Octopus Publishing Group, September 2022
Lia's Website
Lia on Instagram
Lia on Twitter
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Wheel of the Year with Dr Rebecca Beattie
Garden Roots with Lulah Ellender
Patreon Membership
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Episode 219: The Wheel of the Year
19 december 2022 · 32 min
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Episode 218: Creating Natural Habitats in the Garden
12 december 2022 · 24 min
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Episode 217: Composting & Bokashi
5 december 2022 · 32 min
This week's guest is Martyn Richards who is the Home & Garden Manager for Agriton UK, part of a large European group of companies who manufacture products to help commercial and domestic users deal with the 'soil, crop, animal waste cycle'. Martyn contacted me to see if I would be interested in speaking to him about their bokashi composting system and I thought, yes, I would, because I didn't really understand the process. So my first question to Martyn was, just what is bokashi? Listen now and all will be revealed… Lees meer
What We Talk About
What is bokashi compost?
How bokashi systems are different to traditional composting methods
What can you compost? Is there anything you can't?
Do you need to add anything for the process to work?
What are Bokashi organisms? Where do they originate from?
Is it expensive to set up?
Does it work at any scale?
Does what you put in affect what comes out in terms of nutrient value?
What is Bokashi bran?
Links
Agriton's Bokashi Brochure
www.agriton.co.uk
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Composting Process
Feeding Your Soil with Humanure
Patreon Membership
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Episode 216: Korean Natural Farming
28 november 2022 · 29 min
This week, my guest is David O'Carroll. David runs an 11 acre agroforestry learning centre in Totnes, Devon where he teaches natural farming methods, based on the techniques around Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) and Korean Natural Farming (KNF). He focuses on building healthy soil to produce healthy plants and is both generous with his time and knowledge as he aims to share the details of his techniques to help other growers. Lees meer
What We Talk About
What is Korean Natural Farming?
What is IMO? How do you make it? Why do you need it?
What is LAB? How does it help plants?
Is KNF as useful for ornamental plants as it is for edibles?
Do you need a lot of space to make the KNF preparations?
Preparations for home gardeners to try
Links
www.ballaghbotanicals.co.uk
www.zerosoap.info
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Mycorrhizal Fungi with Jeff Lowenfels
Garden Amendments with Nigel Palmer
Patreon Membership
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Episode 215: Deer Resilient Gardens
21 november 2022 · 32 min
This week, my guest is renowned horticulturist Andrew Bunting. Andrew is the Vice President of Horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he leads the utilization of planting and design to promote environmentally sound gardening practices across the organization. Andrew's extensive experience informs the work of PHS' Public Gardens and Landscapes team which maintains a network of public gardens and landscapes across the Pennsylvania region, contributes to creating vital greenspace and encourages all to see the impact of horticulture in their own lives and I must say, it sounds a really wonderful organisation. Lees meer
Andrew's expertise extends to many subjects but given his experience of gardening large landscapes in an area where deer are prevalent, and given that at this time of the year in the UK, our gardens are becoming tasty prospects when the wider landscape is offering slim pickings, I thought it would be very useful to get Andrew's take on managing deer.
What We Talk About
The species of deer Andrew deals with in the US
Can you exclude deer from a garden? How can you do this?
Deer deterrents
Plants that can cope with predation
Is it just eating plants that's the problem? Do deer trample on plants too?
The times of the year are they most active
Deer welfare
About Andrew Bunting
Andrew Bunting, Vice President of Horticulture at PHS, leads the utilization of planting and design to promote environmentally sound gardening practices across the organization.
As a renowned horticultural expert, Andrew's extensive experience informs the work of PHS' Public Gardens and Landscapes team which maintains a network of public gardens and landscapes across the Philadelphia region, contributes to creating vital greenspace and encourages all to see the impact of horticulture in their own lives.
Links
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Foxes in Your Garden with Terry Woods
Cats and Gardens
Patreon Membership
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Episode 214: Food Forests for Plant Lovers
14 november 2022 · 25 min
This week's guest is permaculture designer and author of 'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden', Pippa Chapman. Growing our own food is becoming more and more important, and Pippa has tips on creating a year-round food forest that is low-maintenance and good for wildlife, that can work in a variety of aspects and that is an enjoyable and beautiful space for people too. Lees meer
What We Talk About
What is a forest garden?
Can forest gardens can be a bit limited in their plant palettes?
Does a forest garden have to be a decent size in order to work?
Food forest design techniques such as keyhole beds and lasagne beds
The random assembly design technique
Pippa's essential perennial food plants
Good examples of forest gardens
About Pippa Chapman
RHS-trained and garden designer, Pippa Chapman, is the author of 'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden', where she shares how she turned her grassy and paved back garden into an abundant, biodiverse, edible and beautiful forest garden that provides for her family and the local wildlife.
Pippa also includes flowers into her garden design, so the garden is both beautiful and productive, and gives advice on using perennials for structure and food, as well as info on guilds, polycultures and growing in containers.
Pippa's real-life examples and years of experience will help anyone create their own multilayered, edible paradise that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Growing our own food is only going to become more important, and a food forest of any size can offer: year-round food that is low-maintenance; wildlife habitat; beautiful gardens for people to enjoy; carbon sequestration; shady microclimates; and more.
Links
'The Plant Lover's Backyard Forest Garden' by Pippa Chapman - Permanent Publications
www.thoseplantpeople.com
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Introduction to Forest Gardening with Jake Rayson
Food Forest in Your Garden
Patreon Membership
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Episode 213: Weird & Wonderful Plants
7 november 2022 · 24 min
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Episode 212: Biological Controls
31 oktober 2022 · 25 min
This week, my guest is Julian Ives, founder of Dragonfli Limited, a company specialising in taking biological controls which have been more commonly used in professional growing environments and bringing them to home gardeners. We talk about why these controls might be suitable for helping you manage your own garden, how and when you can apply them and why they might provide a useful long-term solution for those looking to avoid chemical deterrents. Lees meer
About Julian Ives
Julian Ives is a Director of Dragonfli Ltd, a company he founded in 2010 with the aim of bringing biological pest control to the gardener.
Julian spent his early career advising professional growers on how to use biological pest control whilst working for Koppert Biological Systems, and now advises a number of leading botanical gardens in how to manage insects using biological controls.
Links
Gardener's Guide to Biological Pest Control: Using natural predators in the garden by Julian Ives - The Crowood Press Ltd, August 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Probiotics for your Garden
Patreon Membership
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Episode 211: How to Grow the Flowers
24 oktober 2022 · 32 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode where I'm speaking with Marianne and Camilla, joint founders of Wolves Lane Flower Company. Marianne and Camilla are on a mission to inspire everyone to have a go at growing flowers and are part of a new wave of "farmer florists" putting the environment first. Lees meer
Their new book 'How to Grow the Flowers' charts a year at Wolves Lane Flower Company and in easy to understand and digest fashion, shows you what to do and when to do it in order to create your own flower farm at any scale.
About Wolves Lane Flower Company
Camila Romain and Marianne Mogendorff are the founders of Wolves Lane Flower Company, a micro flower farm in north London. The duo is on a mission to inspire everyone to have a go at growing flowers and were earmarked as one of British Vogue's "most talented female gardeners" in 2020. They are part of a new wave of "farmer florists" putting the environment first.
Flowers are something we are irresistibly drawn to and turn to at the milestone moments of our lives, at births, marriages and deaths, to connect with an estranged friend, to send love or say we're sorry. They colour our most formative experiences and are our gateway to finding our own personal relationship with the planet we inhabit. No matter the size of your garden, 'How to Grow the Flowers' is a practical, but approachable guide that will instill the confidence in you to grow flowers to bring into your home and enjoy all year round.
Links
'How to Grow the Flowers' by Camila Romain and Marianne Mogendorff - HarperCollins, Sep 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Growing Cut Flowers with Georgie Newbery of Common Farm Flowers
Alstroemerias with Ben Cross
Patreon Membership
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Episode 210: Gardening in a Changing World
17 oktober 2022 · 27 min
This week my guest is garden and landscape designer and writer, Darryl Moore. Darryl is one of the most, if not in my opinion, the most informed voice on gardens and design in the UK and his new book Gardening in A Changing World: People, Plants and the Climate Crisis presents an overarching perspective of the complexity of plant life, and the ways that we can begin to appreciate and work together with plants, rather than against them, in addressing the rapidly changing conditions affecting the planet. Lees meer
About Darryl Moore
Darryl Moore is an award-winning garden and landscape designer and writer. He is Director and co-founder of the innovative urban landscape organisation Cityscapes, realising creative approaches to greening city spaces through novel design ideas that ensure ecological, economic and social sustainability. He is co-curator of thehub.earth. He sits on the Society of Garden Designers Council, and is a fellow of the RSA. His most recent award was for the St Mungo's Putting Down Roots Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022, showcasing sustainability and ecology in public places.
Links
Gardening in A Changing World: People, Plants and the Climate Crisis by Darryl Moore - Pimpernel Press Ltd, Oct 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Wild Gardens with Jo McKerr
James Basson of Scape Design
Patreon Membership