Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Alle afleveringen
415 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Episode 209: Soundscapes and Landscapes
10 oktober 2022 · 32 min
This week I'm speaking to Dr Mike Edwards, Chief Listening Officer at Sound Matters, a company focussed on using sound and listening to create more sustainable and resilient futures. Sound Matters provided the soundtrack to the Rewilding Britain garden that one best in show at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Mike recently spoke passionately about climate change, soundscapes and landscapes at the Beth Chatto Symposium and wowed a lecture theatre full of rapt listeners with his prowess on the didgeridoo. Lees meer
End music included with the kind permission of Sound Matters.
Links
The Soundtrack from the Rewilding Britain Garden at the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show
The Sound Matters Soil Composer
Listening project
www.sound-matters.com
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Gardening by Touch, Taste, Sound & Smell
Gardening for Your Senses
Patreon Membership
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Episode 208: Ecological Gardens with Sid Hill
3 oktober 2022 · 30 min
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Episode 207: Alternative Allotments
26 september 2022 · 25 min
This week, I'm speaking to co-founder of Roots Allotments Ed Morrison. Along with Christian, Will & Josh, Ed set up Roots Allotments on a site in Bath as an alternative to traditional allotments with their long waiting lists, large and often difficult to manage plots and set up a low carbon footprint, no dig and wildlife-friendly site where people could lease some space and join the grow your own food movement. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harvestmen
What We Talk About
How Roots Allotments came about
How they are different to conventional allotments
The costs of a plot, waiting lists, term of lease, facilities and support offered
What can be grown on a Roots Allotment?
Why no dig?
Links
Roots Allotments
Other episodes if you liked this one:
No Dig with Charles Dowding
Sharing & Borrowing Gardens with Joyce Veheary of Lend and Tend
Patreon Membership
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Episode 206: Propagating Plants
19 september 2022 · 29 min
This week, my guest is Nikki Barker. Nikki's long career in horticulture has seen her work across many sectors of the industry and she is now the Senior Horticultural Advisor at the RHS. Lees meer
She's just had a book published called 'A Gardener's Guide to Propagation Techniques' and I spoke to Nikki to get some general tips on propagation and to find out what we can be propagating at this time of year.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Allium leaf miners
What We Talk About
With peat being phased out, what are good alternative proprietary growing media for propagation?
Some common seeds that require light to germinate
Seeds that can be particularly tricky to germinate
Good ways of propagating plants at this time of the year
Dahlias - good ways to propagate them
The easiest methods and plants to try propagating if you don't have a lot of space or equipment
Links
Gardener's Guide to Propagation Techniques: The essential guide to producing plants by Nikki Barker - The Crowood Press Ltd, September 2022
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Young Propagators' Society
Growing Under Protection with Guy Deakins
Patreon Membership
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Episode 205: Gardening on a Gradient
12 september 2022 · 22 min
This week's guest is Carol Smith, garden designer, lecturer and author of the book 'Gardening on a Gradient: Designing and Establishing Sloping Gardens'. Interestingly, the book is relevant to home gardeners and professional designers and covers everything from the initial garden site assessment and survey, right through the design process to the final stages of planting, as well as inspiration and ideas from sloping gardens around the UK. If you've ever faced the challenge of a sloping site, you'll know how tricky they can be but fear not, Carol is here to help you tackle them. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Large hairy house spiders
What We Talk About
Main drawbacks to gardening on a gradient and any advantages
Is it more expensive than gardening on the flat?
Gardens that slope back towards the house and drainage issues
Making changes to levels and water run off
Soil moisture and temperature ranges across a slope
Surveying a sloping site
Retaining soil
More naturalistic ways to deal with a sloping site
About Carol Smith
Carol Smith is a professional garden designer and freelance lecturer. She has worked on several award-winning show gardens and teaches on all aspects of garden and planting design.
Links
Gardener's Guide to Gardening on a Gradient: Designing and Establishing Sloping Gardens by Carol Smith
Other episodes if you liked this one:
I Want to Like My Garden with Rachel McCartain
Natural Stone with Giles Heap of CED
Patreon Membership
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Episode 204: No Dig with Charles Dowding
5 september 2022 · 27 min
This week, making his second appearance on the podcast, is my guest Charles Dowding. Charles is the leading proponent worldwide of No Dig gardening. He's authored and co-authored many books and articles on the subject, including his latest book No Dig which is the result of 40 years experience and looks set to become the definitive text on the subject. Lees meer
He produces enough food to sell to local restaurants and inhabitants, to feed all his course attendees and visitors and also his own household from his plot which until recently has only been a quarter of an acre in size, proving categorically that no-dig equals maximum productivity. He is a prolific generator of media content, his YouTube channel has over 55 million views and he's bought the no-dig technique to a worldwide audience.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Spider silk
What We Talk About
How Charles got started out in gardening
Why do we need compost for no-dig and is it essential to create our own?
No dig techniques on different types of soils
Giving the beds a year off (or not) and crop rotation
No-dig and plant pests and diseases
Why every last gardener in the UK hasn't adopted no-dig!
About Charles Dowding
Charles Dowding is the leading proponent of no-dig gardening. Not only does he have a huge following, but his advice is born out of more than 40 years of growing, analysing, comparing, and recommending. He has been growing veg since 1981, having gardened in four different locations and grown hundreds of thousands of crops.
Charles currently gardens his modestly sized plot Homeacres, in Somerset, from which he produces enough food to sell to local restaurants and inhabitants, to feed all his course attendees and visitors and also his own household. He is a prolific generator of media content and has bought the no-dig technique to a worldwide audience.
Links
No Dig: Nurture Your Soil to Grow Better Veg with Less Effort by Charles Dowding - Dorling Kindersley, September 2022
www.charlesdow…
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Episode 203: Gardening for Your Senses
29 augustus 2022 · 25 min
This week I'm chatting with writer Kendra Wilson. Kendra has written a vast amount about gardening but I was particularly interested in speaking to her about her book Garden for the Senses. Engaging all your senses can lead to a deeper connection with the landscape and it can be an unusual and transformative experience. I wanted to find out how we can all learn to better use our senses and firstly, what prompted Kendra to write the book. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: The blue butterflies
What We Talk About
How catering to the senses can lend another dimension to the garden
How many senses should we aim to stimulate in a garden?
One good plant that will engage with each of our five senses
How you can learn to engage your senses more when in the garden
About Kendra Wilson
Kendra has contributed to The Sunday Times, Gardens Illustrated, Guardian Weekend, Garden Design Journal, RHS The Garden, and Vogue. She is a longstanding correspondent for Gardenista online and contributed a chapter 'The Gardenista 100' to the 2016 book, Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces.
Kendra has worked on numerous projects including a limited-edition book for Mulberry and other books including My Garden is a Car Park and The Book of the Flower.
Links
Garden for the Senses by Kendra Wilson - Dorling Kindersley, February 2022
www.kendrapagewilson.com
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Episode 202: The Composting Process
22 augustus 2022 · 28 min
This week's guest is ecologist and author Julian Doberski. If you think about compost heaps, how much do you really think about the living micro and macro organisms that dwell within them, how they contribute to the composting process and how what you do to your heap can increase or decrease their chances of survival? Lees meer
Julian has written about the science of what goes on in a compost heap and about the living organisms who provide the 'hard graft' of transforming waste organic matter in his latest publication The Science of Compost. I spoke to Julian to find out more.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Fuchsia Gall Mite
What We Talk About
What is compost?
Does what go in also come out? Eg if we want a high nitrogen compost product should we use raw materials that are also high in nitrogen?
How do you know what you'll be getting as an end product?
How do you get the right balance of the organisms that break down the heap?
The correct ratio of woody versus green materials in a compost heap
What makes a compost heap break down, apart from the organisms in it?
About Julian Doberski
Julian Doberski has degrees in Zoology (BSc Southampton), Forestry (MSc Oxford) and a PhD in biological control of insects using fungi (Cambridge). He has thirty years of teaching experience at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge (and its predecessor institutions) where he was a Principal Lecturer in Ecology. He has jointly published a resource pack for A level ecology students and a range of scientific research and science in education papers. He is currently retired and lives in Cambridgeshire.
Links
The Science of Compost: Life, Death and Decay in the Garden by Dr. Julian Doberski
Other episodes if you liked this one:
The Regenerative Grower's Guide to Garden Amendments with Nigel Palmer
Mycorrhizal Fungi with Jeff Lowenfels
Patreon Membership
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Episode 201: Your Garden Spa
15 augustus 2022 · 31 min
This week I'm speaking to Juliette Goggin, perfumery consultant to some of the most recognised brands in the world, upcycling and reusing champion, owner of the cosmetics company Hand Made by Juliette and author of the books Handmade Beauty and Handmade Spa. We talk about how you can use plants from your garden to create products that are natural, inexpensive, easy to make and that actually work. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Gooseberry Sawfly
What We Talk About
Juliette's background in perfumes and cosmetics
The impetus behind the books Handmade Beauty & Handmade Spa
Why should we try to make our own products?
How are they better than what you can buy?
Do you need a lot of equipment?
Do you need to source fairly specialist ingredients?
How you can incorporate items from your garden into your products
Prepping ingredients
About Juliette Goggin
Juliette trained in perfumery evaluation, and worked for a Fragrance house in Grasse in the South of France to develop bespoke products for niche brands in the UK. Throughout this time Juliette was always keen to learn how everything was made and to expand her knowledge, combining this with a natural love of crafting which she developed as a child forever making things from cast off bits and pieces.
Juliette teaches classes in Natural Skincare and Candle Making, based around her Handmade Beauty and Handmade Spa illustrated books. The books also acted as a springboard to creating her own Collection of natural skincare and home fragrance products in 2018, appropriately called Handmade by Juliette.
Links
www.handmadebyjuliette.com
Instagram @handmadebyjuliette
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Sensory Herbalism with Karen Lawton
The Rose in Perfume with Mairi MacKenzie
Patreon Membership
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Episode 200: A Rolling Stone Gathering Moss
8 augustus 2022 · 24 min
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Episode 199: Sassy Farming
1 augustus 2022 · 25 min
This week's guest is Hawaii-based writer and grower Ja-Ne de Abreu. When the pandemic began, Ja-ne became an instant 24/7 caregiver for her hanai mother. To keep things positive, she started growing food and discovered it also grew peace and calm to their lives amid the ongoing chaos. Ja-ne had an intuition to write Sassy Food to share the inspiration that everyone can grow food at any time of year, anywhere in the world on any budget and harvest peace in the process. We talk about growing in small spaces, how growing food can foster positive connections in difficult times and what happens when the creative spark catches. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Butterfly decline
What we cover
The idea behind Sassy Food
The climate in Hawaii and what you can grow
Why it's important that we all grow food where we can
Seeds that can be eaten as sprouts
Grow tents to increase indoor growing space
Easy and cheap/free ways to propagate edible plants
Washing produce and some easy, natural products to use
Why is food like music?
About Ja-ne de Abreu
When the pandemic began, Ja-ne de Abreu became an instant 24/7 caregiver for her hanai mother. To keep things positive, she started growing food and discovered it also grew peace and calm to their lives amid the ongoing chaos. Ja-ne had an intuition to write Sassy Food to share the inspiration that everyone can grow food at any time of year, anywhere in the world on any budget and harvest peace in the process. Sassy Food has won two first place book awards and was a finalist in two book contests for the book cover as well as interior design.
De Abreu's other award-winning books are a memoir with her sister and brother-in-law, Chasing the Surge: Life as a Travel Nurse in a Global Pandemic, and her debut novel, The Energy Inside Valsin's Choices. In addition, de Abreu also published five books of the Richard Tregaskis Classics Collection under the JMFdeA Press imprint last year and will publish five more in the near future…
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Episode 198: Creating Meadows with James Hewetson-Brown
25 juli 2022 · 27 min
This week I'm speaking to Founder of Wildflower Turf Limited and author of the book 'How to make a wildflower meadow' James Hewetson-Brown. James has a vast amount of experience creating meadows at domestic and public scales, is passionate about creating species rich habitats which are attractive to people and wildlife and which have the added benefits of pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration. We talk about the nuts and bolts of meadow making but also about why meadows can be the solution to so many of our landscaping needs. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Tardegrades
What we cover
Why meadows can be a quick solution to bring biodiversity to previously relatively barren areas, particularly in urban environments
If you build it, will they come? Or is biodiversity too depleted already?
The best ways of establishing a meadow
Convert an area of lawn to meadow
Annual species, perennials, and mixtures of both
Do you need grass species in a meadow?
Unusual or interesting projects James has worked on
Links
www.wildflowerturf.co.uk
How to make a wildflower meadow: Tried-And-Tested Techniques for New Garden Landscapes by James Hewetson-Brown - Filbert Press, 2016
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Meadows with Keith Datchler
Patreon Membership
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Episode 197: Britain's Birds with Benedict Macdonald
18 juli 2022 · 25 min
My guest this week is naturalist, conservationist and writer Benedict Macdonald. Benedict has recently released a new book 'Cornerstones', which talks about how by restoring cornerstone species we can help turn around the current impoverished state of nature in the UK. His previous book 'Rebirding' was how I first came to know of his work and I've been a great admirer of his work ever since. We talk about the numbers of UK birds, how land management needs to change in order to stop the loss of species in this country and what we can do at a garden level to make changes. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Box tree moth
What we cover
- Do we waste money propping up untenably small populations of threatened species in isolated areas?
- Bird species that are the 'walking dead' in Britain
- Achieving cooperation between individual land owners to create the large scale and connected habitats that are needed to sustain populations
- Adopting a build it and they will come approach
- Are we wasting our time trying to make a difference at the garden scale? If not, what can we do to make a difference?
- Some of the problems mentioned in Rebirding are directly related to the EUs common agricultural policy. How could this change given Brexit?
- Ecotourism
About Benedict Macdonald
Benedict Macdonald is a conservation writer, field director in wildlife television, and a keen naturalist. He is passionate about restoring Britain's wildlife, pelicans included, in his lifetime.
During his extensive global travel experience, Benedict has found inspiring examples of why desecrating our country's ecosystems is both entirely avoidable and against the national interest. This book is his attempt to ensure that this generation, for the first time in thousands of years, leaves Britain's wildlife better off, not worse, than the generation before – for wildlife and people alike.
Benedict is a long-time writer for Birdwatching magazine, as well as a contributor to the RSPB Nature's …
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Episode 196: Hoverflies
11 juli 2022 · 30 min
This week's guest is Martin Harvey, an entomologist and biological recorder based at the UK CEH Biological Records Centre. His main areas of work include the iRecord online recording system, liaison with national recording schemes, and the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. Martin enjoys watching and recording hoverflies and I was delighted he agreed to an interview as although I know next to nothing about them, I do love seeing them in the garden and I'm always keen to find out more. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Beewolf
What we cover
The UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
How hoverflies are distinct from bees or other flies
How many species of hoverfly are in the UK
More common species and the rarest
Mimicry
How to encourage more hoverflies into our gardens
Where to find out more about hoverflies
About Martin Harvey
Martin Harvey is an entomologist and biological recorder based at the UK CEH Biological Records Centre. His main areas of work include the iRecord online recording system, liaison with national recording schemes, and the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. He also teaches for Field Studies Council. Martin enjoys watching and recording hoverflies and other insects, and as a volunteer he runs the national Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme, and is County Moth Recorder for Berkshire.
Links
UKCEH Biological Records Centre
Hoverfly Recording Scheme
UK Hoverflies on Facebook
Buzz Club hoverfly lagoons from Sussex University
Dipterists Forum (the society for the study and conservation of flies)
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Butterflies with Peter Eeles
Patreon Membership
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Episode 195: Historic Roses
4 juli 2022 · 25 min
This week, I'm speaking to Michael Marriott about historic roses. Micheal is an expert rosarian, Chairman of the Historic Roses Group and author of the recently published book RHS 'Roses'. We talk about what historic roses are, some of the myths surrounding them and why they're an excellent choice for your garden, particularly if you're looking for something a little different. I began by asking Michael about his background and how he became interested in historic roses. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harebell Carpenters
What we cover
The Historic Roses Group and Michael's involvement with the group
What is an historic rose?
More common historic roses we might have come across
Disease resistance
Scent
Do they repeat flower?
Gardens in the UK where you can see historic roses
Good old rose varieties if you're dipping your toe in the water of growing them
Links
Historic Roses Group
RHS Roses: An inspirational Guide to Choosing and Growing the Best Roses by Michael Marriott
Other episodes if you liked this one:
Pruning Roses with Richard Stubbs of David Austin
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Episode 194: Gardening for Wildlife
27 juni 2022 · 30 min
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Episode 193: Growing Under Protection
20 juni 2022 · 24 min
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Episode 192: Garden Roots
13 juni 2022 · 27 min
This week I'm speaking to gardener and writer Lulah Ellender about her book Grounding: Finding Home in a Garden. Lulah's book is about tuning into the unceasing rhythms of nature in order to live with uncertainty and how they can help us become more connected to the places in which we live. We talk about how gardens can root us in time and place, even when those roots seem tenuous and liable to break. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Sentient bugs
What we cover
The premise behind the book and the circumstances in which Lulah came to write it
How Lulah gardened differently when she thought she might lose her garden
Why the potential loss of her garden seemed such a wrench
Custodianship of gardens
Advantages to being a temporary, more tenuous occupier of a space
How do gardens help us cope with our emotions? How do they help us make sense of cycles of life, death, birth, aging?
About Lulah Ellender
Lulah lives in Lewes, East Sussex, with her husband, four children and assorted animals. She has written for the Guardian, the Mail on Sunday's YOU magazine, and Sussex Life among others. She was recently writer in residence at Charleston's Festival of the Garden. Her first book Elisabeth's Lists was published in 2018.
Links
Grounding: Finding Home in a Garden by Lulah Ellender - Granta Books, April 2022
Patreon Membership
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Episode 191: Connecting with Plants
6 juni 2022 · 25 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode where I'm speaking to Marion Whitehead from the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in New South Wales, Australia, part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Lees meer
I talk with Marion about one of her areas of speciality; the intersection of plants and human feelings, particularly in the context of 3 books as recommended by Marion; Enid Blyton's 'The Magic Faraway Tree', Frances Hodgson Burnett's 'The Secret Garden' and 'The Overstory' by Richard Powers.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Venom
What we cover
Enid Blyton's 'The Magic Faraway Tree': the tree is the central character, but actually seems pretty inanimate. How does the magic faraway tree provoke emotion?
Is there a suggestion in Blyton's book that wild plants are more emotionally provocative than cultivated plants?
'The Secret Garden': the garden heals but it seems to be healing physically as much as emotionally, is this the case?
Is the garden responding to individuals' needs?
Do people instinctively find or seek out what they need, emotionally, in a garden?
Do we have the language to describe our relationship to plants?
Richard Powers' 'The Overstory': are plants losing their power to connect with us emotionally, or vice versa, given our detachment from nature?
About Marion Whitehead
Marion is Senior Horticulturalist at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. She has an extensive background in cool climate plant species, with a specific interest in ephemeral and heathland plants. Marion has many horticultural topics of interest from Australian plant history, to managing plant nurseries, to the emotional connection between human and fellow flowers.
Links
www.bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Patreon Membership
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Episode 190: Show Gardens
30 mei 2022 · 44 min
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Episode 189: Crevice Gardens
23 mei 2022 · 30 min
This week's guests are Kenton Seth and Paul Spriggs, co-authors of a book that's just been released called 'The Crevice Garden: How to Make the Perfect Home for Plants from Rocky Places.' This book is immensely detailed and if you've ever had an interest in crevice aka rock gardens, or indeed have not but are curious, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the types of plants suited to growing in this style of garden (there are many), the different looks you can create, how to build and maintain them, famous and successful examples and why they are good from an environmental perspective. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Flower Crab Spiders
What we cover
What is a crevice garden?
Advantages to putting plants in crevices
The sort of plants suited to growing in crevices
Installing a crevice garden
Sourcing stone you might need?
Planting into a crevice garden
Are they a purely aesthetic addition to a garden or can they be useable too?
Maintenance
About Kenton & Paul
Kenton J. Seth began his career in public horticulture and the nursery trade and is now a garden designer who specializes in crevice gardens, drought-tolerant natives, and meadows. He writes for a variety of local, national and international magazines and lectures to rock garden clubs at home in Colorado and overseas.
Paul Spriggs has been rock gardening for 23 years and building crevice gardens for the last 16. He is a professional gardener and landscaper, and an avid plant explorer. He has a passion for all wild plants, especially miniatures, collecting and cultivating them at home in Victoria, British Columbia.
Links
The Crevice Garden: How to Make the Perfect Home for Plants from Rocky Places by Kenton Seth & Paul Spriggs - Filbert Press, April 2022
Huw on YouTube
Huw on Facebook
Huw on Instagram
Patreon Membership
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Episode 188: Huw Richards on Veg Growing
16 mei 2022 · 28 min
This week's guest is veg growing expert Huw Richards. Huw grows a vast range of plants in his garden in mid-West Wales and is always trialling and experimenting with new ways of growing. He has an enormously popular YouTube channel and has authored a number of books, the latest of which is 'The Vegetable Grower's Handbook' which draws on his experience as very much a thoughtful and philosophical gardener. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Flower Crab Spiders
What we cover
Gardening with a mission statement
Being organised in the garden; keeping checklists, batching jobs, planning
Some of the most surprising things Huw's discovered on his gardening journey
Poly culture
Intercropping
Having an odds and ends bed
Harvesting water in the garden
The method of multisowing
New veg Huw's trialling in 2022
On being a philosophical gardener
Links
The Veg Grower's Handbook by Huw Richards - Dorling Kindersley Ltd, March 2022
Huw on YouTube
Huw on Facebook
Huw on Instagram
Patreon Membership
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Episode 187: Irises with Clare Keller
5 mei 2022 · 31 min
This week's guest is Clare Keller, a fashion designer and stylist who's previously work at Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Pringle, Chloe and Givenchy. Clare is currently a Trustee and spokesperson for the British Iris Society, a society dedicated to promoting and preserving UK irises and providing resources to iris growers. We talk about these picturesque, perpetually popular flowers. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Organic recyclers
What we cover
How Clare became involved with the British Iris Society and interested in irises
Species of iris
Ideal iris growing conditions
Iris hardiness
Propagation of irises
Easy irises to grow
Links
The British Iris Society
On Facebook
Patreon Membership
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Episode 186: Climate Cuisine with Clarissa Wei
4 mei 2022 · 26 min
Hello and welcome to this episode of the podcast where I'm speaking to journalist and host of the Climate Cuisine podcast, Clarissa Wei. Lees meer
On her podcast, Clarissa shares the stories of the crops grown sustainably around the world. The goal is to highlight climate-centric conversations about crops and the food we eat as they become increasingly important to the resiliency and survival of our food systems.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Bumbling bees
What we cover
Clarissa's background and the idea behind her Climate Cuisine podcast
What's wrong with the way we currently farm and consume our food?
How individuals can join the growing revolution
The importance of growing food that is specific to your climate region
How this can change the way we grow and use food
How regional food independence helps local communities
Government support (or not!)
The future of the Climate Cuisine podcast
About Clarissa Wei
Clarissa Wei is an American Taiwanese freelance journalist and video producer based in Taipei. Bylines include the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, VICE, among others. She is currently working on her first cookbook, Made In Taiwan (Simon Element).
Links
Climate Cuisine Trailer
Patreon Membership
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Episode 185: Bonsai with John Hanby
25 april 2022 · 29 min
This week I'm speaking to Bonsai expert John Hanby. John has decades of experience studying and creating bonsai trees and has just released an incredibly comprehensive guide called the Practical Art of Bonsai. We talk about selecting a plant, how to train it, and artistic methods and we finish with John's thoughts on how bonsai techniques relate to and inform wider gardening practices. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Large bulb flies
What we cover
What is a bonsai tree?
What can you bonsai?
Indoor and outdoor trees
Overall aims of bonsai
Starting a tree from seed or a cutting
Wiring and directional pruning
Dead wood as an artistic addition to a tree
Watering bonsai trees
Specialist bonsai equipment
About John Hanby
John has been teaching bonsai for over thirty years and is owner of one of the biggest bonsai schools in Europe. He's a long-serving member of the Yorkshire Bonsai Association committee and has previously been the secretary of the Federation of British Bonsai Societies, in addition to being a member of the Belgian Kawabe School. He gives talks and demonstrations in the UK and internationally, and has won multiple awards for his fabulous trees. He provides advice, articles and photographs for podcasts, books and magazines, and has produced a successful DVD.
Links
Practical Art of Bonsai by John Hanby - The Crowood Press, 2022
www.johnhanbybonsai.co.uk
Patreon Membership
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Episode 184: Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying
18 april 2022 · 40 min
This week's guest is Frank Hyman, a certified mushroom forager who teaches mushroom identification to chefs, arborists, organic farmers and the general public. Frank's latest book is called 'How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying' and contains guidance on mushroom identification, on your suitability for becoming a mushroom forager on which subject he writes "if you have a reputation among your friends and family for exercising poor judgement…you may not be a very good candidate", about the sniffy attitude of the English to mushrooms versus that of mainland Europeans and a whole host of other myco-related topics that should help you in your quest to survive foraging. Despite dealing with a potentially lethal topic, both book and author are laugh out loud funny and I was delighted that Frank agreed to an interview. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Viruses
What we cover
Can you take a mushroom guide from one country or continent and use it in another?
Frank's three different types of mushrooms
Mycophobia
Should you be careful of the soil mushrooms are growing in?
Nutritional and medicinal values
Cleaning and cooking mushrooms
About Frank Hyman
Frank is a certified mushroom forager who teaches mushroom identification to chefs, arborists, organic farmers and the general public. His writing on foraging has appeared in Forbes, Paleo Magazine and Hobby Farms. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.
Links
How to Forage for Mushrooms Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms by Frank Hyman
Other episodes you might like:
Edible Mushrooms with Geoff Dann
In Search of Mycotopia with Doug Bierend
Patreon Membership
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Episode 183: Food Forest Garden
11 april 2022 · 25 min
Hello and welcome to this week's episode, where I'm speaking to plant expert and forest garden creator Alan Carter. Alan's latest book, 'A Food Forest in your Garden' teaches you how to grow your own seasonal food in a low maintenance, nature friendly garden that feels like a woodland glade. We talk about starting a forest garden, how to manage it, key plants and some unusual plants and growing techniques. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Common fruit flies
What we cover
What is a forest garden?
Is our UK climate suited to hosting forest gardens?
Turkish rocket
Can it be difficult and or expensive to start a forest garden given the unusual plants involved?
Sourcing plants
Acclimating your taste buds to the flavours of some of the plants in the forest garden
What plants are essential in a forest garden?
How Alan treats kale and radish plants
Links
A Food Forest in your Garden: Plan It, Grow It, Cook It by Alan Carter
www.foodforest.garden
Patreon Membership
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Episode 182: Lichen
4 april 2022 · 30 min
This week I'm speaking to April Windle. April is a naturalist with a particular interest in lichens, especially those occupying our rainforest habitats along the western seaboard of the British Isles. Lees meer
April works on a variety of lichen education and conservation projects and co-chairs the Education & Promotions Committee of the British Lichen Society. April talks to me about what lichen actually is, where you can find it and why it's interesting and worth studying.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Brimstone butterflies
What we cover
What is a lichen? Might they be confused with algae, moss or fungi?
The provenance of lichens
UK species
Where you can find them
Lichen propagation
Lichens as species or material specific
What is life like for lichen given things like development, air pollution and climate change?
Edible and medicinal uses
Where you can find out more about lichens
About April Windle
April Windle is a naturalist with a particular interest in lichens, especially those occupying our rainforest habitats along the western seaboard of the British Isles.
She is currently self-employed and involved in a variety of lichen education and conservation projects, whilst co-chairing the Education & Promotions Committee of the British Lichen Society. Her employment history includes Plantlife International, the Natural History Museum, Exmoor National Park Authority and the RSPB.
Links
www.britishlichensociety.org.uk
April on Twitter: @aprilwindle
Patreon Membership
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Episode 181: A Therapist's Garden
28 maart 2022 · 27 min
This week I'm chatting with New England-based horticultural therapist and master gardener, Erik Keller, who is also the author of the book A Therapist's Garden: Using Plants to Revitalise Your Spirit. Lees meer
Over 20 years, Erik has worked with thousands of people of all ages and types, using horticulture and therapeutic techniques to help them deal with physical, emotional and mental challenges. Erik talks about using an outdoor space as a place for therapy and learning and about the downs and ups of bringing horticulture into peoples' lives as a way to heal.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Home grown bugs
What we cover
Erik's background in therapeutic gardening
The most therapeutic and stimulating plant scents for people to work with
How plants spark memories
Establishing a connection between growing and eating plants
Techniques to stop attention wandering whilst completing a task
Techniques you use if people are exhibiting undesirable behaviour
Lesson planning and being flexible during gardening sessions
Using your garden year round
How seasonal changes can help garden users deal with their personal issues and relate to the garden
About A Therapist's Garden: Using Plants to Revitalise Your Spirit
The Zen of mixing mud with seniors; crafting surprising salads out of weeds; and a hidden rabbit bringing joy to girls in a juvenile detention center. These are a few of the nearly 100 stories that Erik Keller takes readers on through a journey of how interacting with plants and nature can help heal mental, emotional, and physical trauma. Through the lens of January to December in a New England landscape, discover how horticultural therapy improves the lives of those in pain including special-needs children, cancer patients, and disabled seniors.
A Therapist's Garden is unique in portraying how gardening, nature-based arts, plants and horticulture can revitalize the spirit of people. It encompasses over 20 years of experiences seeing the healing power of hortic…
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Episode 180: Violas
21 maart 2022 · 27 min
This week I'm talking with Jack Willgoss, who along with wife Laura, runs Wildegoose Nursery in Shropshire where they hold the Bouts collection of violas. Lees meer
The collection comprises over 160 varieties and includes some favourite varieties which date back to the 1800s. Jack talks about his collection, the different types of violas you might come across and how you can best grow them in your garden either in the ground or in containers.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Biodiversity Decline
What we cover
Jack's collection of violas
How many species of viola there are
The history of violas in cultivation
Violettas
Pruning violas
Viola growing conditions and feeding
Hardiness
Violas and scent
Viola colours
Propagation
Edible flowers
Links
www.wildegoosenursery.co.uk
Patreon Membership
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Episode 179: Welcome to Mintopia
14 maart 2022 · 44 min
This week's guest is Dr Si Poole, founder of Mintopia, a website dedicated to mint featuring its own online reference library for the different types, the mintopaedia. Si holds one of the National Collections of mint and holds getting on for 200 different cultivars. From his plastic-free, organic nursery, he sells themed collections of mints and he's passionate and knowledgable about every aspect of the Mentha genera, impressive given that there's much more to this plant than mint sauce and mojitos. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Locusts
What we cover
How Si became interested in mint
The different species and cultivars of mint
The Mintopia Mint Collections
How is mint propagated?
The cultivation of mint in the garden
Is it true that you shouldn't allow mints of different varieties grow in the same container otherwise they all end up tasting the same?
Mint pests and diseases
Links
Mintopia
Patreon Membership
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Episode 178: Feeding Your Soil with Humanure
7 maart 2022 · 32 min
I stumbled across a book called The Humanure Handbook: Shit in a Nutshell and of course, I had to buy a copy. I've long thought that if we're aiming towards a closed system within our gardens then our own waste needs to be factored into the equation so I was intrigued to find out what the book's author Joseph C Jenkins had to say on the matter. What I didn't expect was the book to be one of those that slaps you in the face with facts and makes you question the whole way you've lived your life, in this case in relation to loos and their contents. Not only does Joe comprehensively explain how you can take the contents of your loo and compost it along with your garden waste so that you have a clean and useful product that can be used on everything from vegetables to houseplants, he will make you wonder why you ever thought the alternative of flushing it away was a sensible, viable option. There is so much I wanted to cover with Joe and we only scratched the surface of the subject in this interview. I urge you to get the book and think about the issue of how we deal with waste, it's a vitally important environmental issue. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Eating insects
What we cover
The background to Joe's work on composting toilet waste and his book, The Humanure Handbook
In order to put back what we take out of the soil, we need to be reusing our waste as well as all household and garden waste - how can this work in practice?
Is a flushing toilet the holy grail of comfort and civilised living for all?
Composting and pathogens
Composting and drug residues
Compost toilets vs dry composting systems
Links
Humanure Handbook can be downloaded here
Humanure videos
Humanure videos on Youtube
Humanure research papers:
2018
2015
2013
2011
2009
Patreon Membership
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Episode 177: The Plants of Armenia
28 februari 2022 · 27 min
The flora of Armenia is one of the most diverse and interesting in the world and includes many favourite garden plants and their relatives. This week's guest, Tamar Galstyan, has travelled the length and breadth of the country botanising and leading guided plant tours. She's recently published 'A Field Guide to the Plants of Armenia' which includes more than 1000 of the diverse range of plants found in the country and in the interview, we cover the range of habitats and climates found in Armenia, what it's like to travel there to find plants and how the native flora is threatened by things such as climate change and grazing animals. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: UV light
What we cover
How Tamar become interested in plants
What makes Armenia so significant in terms of plants
The sorts of climates experienced in Armenia
The rarest plants you could find
Armenian wild plants that are also garden cultivars
The protection given to the native flora
How to see the plants in Armenia and the best time to visit
About Tamar Galstyan
Tamar Galstyan graduated from the University of Art and Theatre in Yerevan, Armenia. After some years she studied ecology and worked with children as an ecology teacher. Tamar began travelling regularly in Armenia, taking numerous pictures of plants and identifying them. She created a website to help her students learn about the Armenian flora and this led to her popular Facebook page 'Plants of Armenia'. In 2012 Tamar was invited to guide a botany trip in Armenia. Gradually the geographical range of her trips expanded and some are managed through her own travel company, SkyGreen. Travels in Georgia, Iran and Central Asia deepened Tamar's love of nature as well as her plant knowledge. She learns by travelling and is passionate about sharing what she has learnt during the past nine years guiding botany trips.
Links
A Field Guide to The Plants of Armenia by Tamar Galstyan
Patreon Membership
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Episode 176: Beans, beans good for…the planet!
21 februari 2022 · 33 min
This week, I'm talking to Susan Young, author of the book 'Growing Beans'. As I've looked further into having a sustainable diet, into growing and storing crops and into sources of plant protein, beans just seemed to tick every box, but I needed to know more. So Susan's book 'Growing Beans' is exactly what I've been looking for, because it covers growing, harvesting and storing beans and it argues a very convincing case for a fact that many people the world over have known for centuries; that beans are good not only for you but for the planet, because they're such a resilient, easy to grow, low carbon footprint crop. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Tobacco whitefly
What we cover
What makes beans such a good crop to grow, in terms of their eco credentials?
The beans we commonly grow here in the UK
Beans to grow for their green pods, as fresh green beans, half dried and drying
Bean nutritional needs
Overwintering tubers of runner bean plants
Drying beans in a UK climate
Bean toxicity
Storing different types of beans
Easy beans to grow
Beans for taste and aesthetics
Preparing and cooking beans
About 'Growing Beans: a diet for healthy people and planet' by Susan Young
Susan's new book brings together 10 years of experimentation with multiple varieties of beans. She clearly explains how to sow, grow, harvest, dry, store and cook them, and shares her six 'must grow' varieties.
Beans are easy to grow and cook, help build healthy soil in the garden, and also provide a nutrient-rich diet, helping to reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer – they are good sources of protein, fibre, folate, iron and potassium. Plus, they can reduce your carbon footprint and food miles as well!
Links
'Growing Beans: a diet for healthy people and planet' by Susan Young
Beans and Herbs
Publishers of the book, Permaculture Magazine, on Facebook
Patreon Membership
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Episode 175: Seeking Rare Plants
14 februari 2022 · 35 min
This week's guest is Nick Macer, plant hunter, self-taught botanist, rare species expert and owner of Pan Global Plants, a nursery based in the Severn Valley, which, to quote the website, offers "a selection of the finest, most desirable and often rarest plants capable of growing on these isles". And that's key - Nick hand selects plants, in the past, directly from where they were growing in the wild and brings them into cultivation. He's renowned for choosing sublime varieties and for openly sharing his knowledge and experience. I did intend to talk to Nick a bit about his plant hunting trips, but as a stop has been put to these recently due to rules around the transportation of plant materials, the conversation went in other directions. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Mealybugs
What we cover
How Nick got into plant hunting
How plants make the grade for inclusion into your nursery catalogue
Rare plants - hardy or non hardy?
Propagating rare plants
Using rare plants in the garden
About Nick Macer
Coincidentally connected to last week's episode on Georgian gardens, Nick Macer rented land at Painswick Rococo Garden before moving to Frampton-on-Severn to set up Pan-Global Plants, which specialises in rare and unusual plants, many of which are well-suited to growing in a UK climate.
Nick trained at Merrist Wood and went on to have placements at Westonbirt Arboretum and the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens. He's travelled the globe to find the most beautiful specimens to bring into cultivation and continues to work at the nursery and to share his knowledge in person and in the media.
Links
www.panglobalplants.com
Patreon Membership
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Episode 174: Painting the Georgian Garden
7 februari 2022 · 31 min
I'm speaking to Dr Cathryn Spence this week, about Thomas Robins, a painter who documented the country estates of the Georgian gentry in all their Rococo splendour. Robins captured images of this flamboyant age of outdoor design where gardens were laden with symbolism and crammed full of Chinoiserie, follies ruins and the latest imports of exotic animals and plants. Follow the story of Robins as he moves from jobbing fan painter to star of his own paintings, the development of the floral borders around his canvases, for which he's famed, and the evolution of the Georgian garden and what remains of this style today. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Fig wasps
What we cover
The artist Thomas Robins and when and where he worked
What gardens looked like at the time Robins was painting
What is a Rococo garden?
Why Robins painted floral borders around his paintings
How exotic species came to be included in these frames
In the book, Cathryn references "the Rococo's requirement of asymmetry". How did this manifest in Robins' artworks and in gardens?
Political themes in Georgian gardens
Robins' botanical art
How contemporary painters painted entire estates on one canvas
Remaining examples of rococo gardens
About 'Nature's Favourite Child – Thomas Robins and the Art of the Georgian Garden'
Thomas Robins the Elder (1716–1770) recorded the country estates of the Georgian gentry—their orchards, Rococo gardens, and potagers—like no other, with both topographical accuracy and delightful artistry, often bordering his gouaches with entrancing tendrils, shells, leaves, and birds. Robins's skill was honed by the delicacy required for his early career as a fan painter and is shown too in his exquisite paintings of butterflies, flowers, and birds. This ravishing and scholarly study emerges from many years' research by Dr Cathryn Spence, the curator and archivist at Bowood House who has also worked for the V&A, the Bath Preservation Trust, and the National Trust. This is t…
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Episode 173: Sharing and Borrowing Gardens
31 januari 2022 · 27 min
This week, I'm talking to Joyce Veheary about her fantastic Lend and Tend project, which aims to match garden owners who perhaps don't have the time, experience, desire or means to tend their garden with gardenless gardeners keen to employ their green fingers, Lees meer
pairing up people who are local to each other, then sending them on their merry way in the hopes they will have a long and happy garden sharing relationship. Joyce talks about why she felt the need to begin the project, how it works, what happens when it succeeds and why the idea is of benefit to whole communities, as well as the individuals involved.
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Indoor houseplant bugs
What we cover
Lend and Tend and how it came about
How likely are you to find someone on Lend and Tend who shares the same view of what a garden can and should be?
Some of the keys to having a mutually beneficial relationship between lender and tender
What about tools?
Practical considerations such as insurance and references
The social element of Lend and Tend and how it benefits the community
Where to find out more and get involved
About Joyce Veheary
Joyce is the founder of Lend and Tend and is a self-taught gardener with a passion for sharing skills and experiences. She is particularly interested in growing her own produce to cook with and she's a keen forager too.
Joyce is always looking for ways to look after the environment and to promote social justice. Her aim with Lend and Tend is to democratise access to growing space, which she rightly views as an act of horticultural rebellion.
She's also a film and TV actor and her latest role is in Zack Snyder's Justice League where she plays a Gotham cop. Talk about multi-talented!
Links
www.lendandtend.com
Lend and Tend on Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Patreon Membership
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Episode 172: Saving Our Seeds
24 januari 2022 · 29 min
Hello and welcome to this episode of the podcast, where I'm speaking to Madeline McKeever, owner of Brown Envelope Seeds. Madeline's company produces organic, open-pollinated seeds, which are harvested from crops grown on site at the Brown Envelope Seeds' HQ, a farm in Skibbereen in County Cork. Madeline talks about why open-pollinated seeds are essential in the fight to feed people and for greater food biodiversity, the benefits of seed saving and sourcing seeds locally and how you can harvest your own seeds. Lees meer
P.s. for those expecting exotic plants and sunny climes as promised last week, apologies! The course of podcasting never did run smooth - hopefully next week!
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Overwintering moths
What we cover
Brown Envelope Seeds and how Madeline started the company
Why organic seeds? Why open-pollinated?
On the Brown Envelope Seeds website, Madeline writes that open pollinated seeds "are naturally pollinated - by insects or wind; not enforced pollination or in-breeding". She expands on what she means by this.
Food plant biodiversity
Why you should try to buy seeds from a seed producer in your region or from one who has similar growing conditions
Saving our own seeds
If we save seeds each year, are the resulting plants are getting better and better?
What to look for when saving seed
Potential problems with seed crops that can affect the quality of the seed
The situation globally with seed production and seed sellers?
About Madeline McKeever
Madeline began Brown Envelope Seeds in 2004 with 25 varieties. Since then, the company has grown, along with the amount of varieties offered (especially tomatoes!) to a family business supplying organic and open-pollinated vegetable seeds to Irish growers.
Madeline's mission statement is to enable people to grow their own food and she believes producing and saving seeds is a vital part of that. She is doing her part to preserve and safeguard the future of food diversity in Ireland and by s…
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Episode 171: Grow Easy with Anna Greenland
17 januari 2022 · 28 min
This year's first guest is organic vegetable grower Anna Greenland. Anna has supplied produce to some of the UK's top chefs, including Raymond Blanc and Jamie Oliver, has created gardens at Soho Farmhouse, Kew Gardens and the Huntington Botanical Gardens in LA. She is currently establishing a market garden and gardening school in Suffolk and has just released a book called 'Grow Easy'. Anna talks about working with the best chefs in the best kitchens and catering to their clientele, about producing pristine veg organically, about growing food in different climates and the fundamentals of veg garden success. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Overwintering fruit & vegetable bugs
What we cover
Anna's background
How Anna begins to plan a veg garden from scratch
What makes a good site
The chefs Anna has worked with
Growing food for a professional kitchen
Keeping a veg garden in a public space looking good all year round
The biggest challenges for new veg gardeners and how they can be overcome
About Anna Greenland
Anna was working as a model when she moved to Cornwall and began working at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall. Bitten by the veg growing bug, she took on a job at The Lost Gardens of Heligan and began supplying produce to Jamie's restaurant. From there, she moved to LA to study Ecological Horticulture and set up a food growing garden at Huntington Botanical Gardens.
After moving back to the UK, she worked at Soho Farmhouse, Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons for Raymond Blanc and has set up a productive area at Kew Gardens. She won gold and Best in Show for her 'Herbs and Preserves' garden at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show in 2018 and has just released a book, 'Grow Easy'. She now lives in Suffolk where she is setting up a market garden and gardening school.
Links
www.annagreenland.co.uk
Anna on Instagram
Grow Easy: Organic crops for pots and small plots - October 2021, Octopus Publishing
Patreon Membership
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Episode 170: Christmas Round Up
20 december 2021 · 13 min
Welcome to this pre-Christmas episode of the podcast, the final one of 2021. And what a year this has been! In this episode, I talk about what's been happening at Roots and All and look back over some of the favourite episodes from this year. Lees meer
Thank you for supporting the podcast this year and a Merry Christmas to you!
What I cover
The redesigned Roots and All website and the bookshop
Episode 94 - Wild Gardens with Jo McKerr
Episode 99 - Pollinators & Pollination with Prof Jeff Ollerton
Episode 108 - Dr Glynn Percival of Bartlett Tree Research
Episode 125 - Modern Plant Hunters with Dr Sandy Primrose
Episode 136 - The View from Federal Twist with James Golden
Patreon Membership
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Episode 169: Darwin's Garden with Dr Jude Piesse
13 december 2021 · 31 min
This week's guest is Dr Jude Piesse. Jude's book 'The Ghost in the Garden' is essentially about Charles Darwin's largely forgotten garden in Shrewsbury but the book turned out to be much more than a study of the garden, its history and the man himself. In fact, these aspects are almost incidental to the other characters in the book and this makes it an amazing narrative where many aspects are hung together on the framework of the garden. In the interview, Jude tells us about how the book developed, the characters that animated the garden and how it fed into Charles Darwin's work and life. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Winter Bumblebees
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What we cover
How Jude first came across Charles Darwin's garden and what was it about the garden that interested her
Jude says the book is more a collective biography and memoir than just the story of Darwin and it incorporates a whole host of characters. She talks about whether this was intentional.
When the garden was built and what the contemporary horticultural world was like
How might the change from landscape gardens to the collectors' gardens with their array of exotic species have contributed to scientific discoveries at that time?
Whilst he was on The Beagle, the correspondence between Darwin and his family seems to have been set against the backdrop of seasonal events in the garden. Was this merely a common topic of conversation or were these updates of a deeper significance?
Who were the Darwins' gardeners and what role did they play in shaping the garden and Darwin's work?
How much did the garden feed into his work?
Did Darwin love the garden or was it a laboratory?
What is the condition of the garden now?
Whose ghost is it in the garden?
About Dr Jude Piesse
Jude Piesse is an academic and writer. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and a PhD in English Literature from the University of Exeter. She has publish…
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Episode 168: Cottage Gardens with Andrew Sankey
6 december 2021 · 35 min
This episode features garden designer, grower, speaker and writer Andrew Sankey. Andrew specialises in English cottage gardens and has meticulously researched the subject for decades, becoming an expert on this style of gardening. He's recently released a book called The English Cottage Garden and in the interview, we talk about what defines a cottage garden, both in the past and now, the plants and features most commonly found in one and tips if you're looking to create your own. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ivy Mining Bees
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What we cover
What was a cottage garden historically and what is it now?
How big is a cottage garden?
What hard landscaping elements characterise a cottage garden?
Which planting techniques stand out as most cottage garden-like?
Where does the winter interest come from in a cottage garden?
Using plants as supports for other plants
Cottage gardens and wildlife
Andrew's 3 essential plants
Edibles in a modern cottage garden
About Andrew Sankey
Andrew left teaching (Head of Graphics/Design) in 1989 to start a Garden Design & Landscaping business in Lincolnshire. He discovered it was very difficult to obtain plants required for designs so started a specialist nursery stocking plants for dry shade/ dry sun.
He went on to organise Plant Fairs in Lincolnshire, Cambs and Norfolk & produced a booklet called the Plant Fair Guide for a number of years.
Andrew moved to a cottage near Woodhall Spa, Lincs in 1992 and created a cottage garden which was opened twice a year for the NGS and other groups.
He became Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Cottage Garden Society and began lecturing on cottage gardens and related subjects (including lecture tours to Minnesota and Wisconsin in the USA).
He's written booklets on Companion Planting, Cottage Favourites and Sayings and Superstitions and he continues to design gardens and lecture widely on a range of gardening topics.
Lin…
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Episode 167: Plan, Plant & Maintain Fruit Trees with Wade Muggleton
29 november 2021 · 28 min
Hello and thank you for joining me this week, as I talk to Wade Muggleton, permaculturist, tree expert and author of The Orchard Book, a book about incorporating fruit trees into your garden, however big or small your space. Wade is my favourite type of guest in that he's written a book based on 20 years of solid experience and he's busted a few myths along the way, not least the received wisdom around fruit tree pollination. So if you'd like to find out what makes an orchard, when to prune your trees, what types of tree to select, how to underplant your trees, creative tree training, what is a pitcher and what is a chequer, then listen on! Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ear wigglers
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What we cover
What is an orchard?
What types of tree might one contain?
Underplanting orchard trees
Keeping the costs down when establishing an orchard
Have you heard of chequers?
Grafting and over grafting
Pitchers
Pollination and the need for multiple trees of the same pollination group
Creating step overs and fruit tree arches
Pruning in summer instead of winter
Top types of tree
About Wade Muggleton
"Wade Muggleton lives in Shropshire with his partner and two children, where their plot, Station Road Permaculture Garden, is a demonstration site for permaculture and opens under the National Open Gardens Scheme. In 2013, he acquired a field and now has a collection of over 130 fruit trees and was featured on BBC Gardeners' World in 2018." https://www.chelseagreen.com/writer/wade-muggleton/
Links
The Orchard Book: Plan, Plant and Maintain Fruit from Garden to Field by Wade Muggleton - 2021, Permanent Publications
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Episode 166: Water-wise Gardening with Janet Manning
22 november 2021 · 34 min
Welcome to this week's episode, where I'm talking water-wise gardening with Janet Manning. Janet undertook a three year project with the RHS and Cranfield University where she looked at strategies and techniques currently available to gardeners to help them both conserve and manage water in a way that reduces waste and protects the environment. We talk about why there's a need to be water-wise in wet countries like the UK, what we can do to help and why gardens are an important part of the bigger environmental picture. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harvestmen
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What we cover
Janet's work with Cranfield University and the RHS
How we gardeners can conserve water in our gardens
How we can contribute towards rainwater management
Drought tolerant plants
The fabled moist, well-drained soil!
Using swales and hugelkultur beds
Long term meteorological predictions
About Janet Manning
Janet has just completed a three year water management knowledge transfer partnership between Cranfield University and the RHS. As a graduate of Cranfield with an MSc in process engineering, and after a 17 year career as a scientist in the water industry, she followed her passion for the natural environment into horticulture where she worked on a production nursery producing hardy ornamentals. Having worked 'both ends of the hose' she was well placed to take up the role at the RHS as the first garden water scientist. She has contributed to the water neutral targets set within the RHS's new sustainability strategy and has written the first water road map for Wisley as a plan implement the strategy. A gardener since she was big enough to pick up a trowel, the combination of practical gardening experience and scientific knowledge, she has recently left the Environmental Horticulture Team at Wisley but with a legacy that will continue through the sustainability strategy.
Links
www.mains2rains.co.uk
RHS advice for water manag…
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Episode 165: The View From Federal Twist with James Golden
15 november 2021 · 29 min
This week's episode features James Golden, talking about the naturalistic garden he's built around his home in New Jersey. James's garden has been created intuitively over time and sits perfectly within the landscape, in fact is a landscape in its own right. Sometimes baffling, sometimes threatening and without utilitarian purpose, the garden is nonetheless life-affirming, vital and dramatically beautiful in different ways from one moment to the next. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harlequins
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What we cover
About the garden at Federal Twist
Would the garden be as successful from a horticultural and aesthetic standpoint if James had plotted the garden on paper, particularly the planting?
Visitors often seem to get lost in the space and can't find a route through it - so who did James design the garden for, himself or was it always meant to be shared with visitors?
James's stone circle, which serves no purpose other than an aesthetic one
James on being a fearless and philosophical gardener
How long is long enough to make a garden?
How do you create a garden which varies so dramatically from one season to the next?
What inspired the garden
About James Golden
"James Golden's garden design has been featured in national and international magazines, in The New York Times, and in several books on garden design. He has been the recipient of national awards and is widely known in the gardening world through his garden blog View from Federal Twist (www.federaltwist.com). James' Federal Twist garden regularly appears on tours of the Garden Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Hardy Plant Society, and on numerous private tours. Recently retired, he has started a garden design practice." https://federaltwistdesign.org/about
Links
The View from Federal Twist: A New Way of Thinking About Gardens, Nature and Ourselves by James Golden - Filbert Press, 2021
The View From Federal Twist
Fe…
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Episode 164: By Any Other Name with Simon Morley
8 november 2021 · 30 min
This week's guest in Simon Morley, a British artist and art historian. Simon is the author of several books on modern and contemporary art and is a keen rose gardener. Simon's latest book was released a few weeks ago and is called 'By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose'. During the interview I ask Simon about the cultural significance of roses throughout history, their symbolism, their origins and what how we use roses in gardens today says about us as a society. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Cluster flies
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What we cover
Why the rose is a meme
Why the rose has been so enduringly beloved by humans
The origins of Valentine's Day and why roses are intrinsically linked to it
Why roses in religious symbology fell out of favour during protestantism
Of all the concepts or beliefs that the rose signifies, which most resonates with Simon
Which nations were the most important players in the development of the rose varieties we know today?
Simon writes "aesthetic horticultural considerations were often coupled with a theoretical component, and the selection and arrangement of plants were determined by the botanical theory of the period, which in its turn reflected the way the world was perceived to be ordered". What does Simon think the way we use roses today tell us about how we perceive the world to be ordered?
The lack of a role for roses in movements such as rewilding and the new perennial movement
About Simon Morley
Simon Morley is a British artist and art historian. He is the author of several books on modern and contemporary art, and has contributed reviews and essays to a number of publications. His artworks have been exhibited internationally. He is currently writing a new history of modern painting, to be published in 2023. Simon lives in France and South Korea, where he teaches at Dankook University. He is also a keen rose gardener.
Links
By Any Other Name: A Cultural History o…
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Episode 163: Camellias with Fiona Edmond
1 november 2021 · 26 min
This week's guest is my second ever returning guest, Fiona Edmond of Green Island Gardens a garden and nursery in Essex. Fiona holds National Plant Collection status for her range of camellias, which includes winter/spring flowering varieties, but also the sometimes overlooked autumn flowering varieties, unjustly so as they offer colour in the garden when little else is happening. This episode tells you everything you need to know about successfully growing camellias. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Spanish slugs
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What we cover
Autumn and spring flowering varieties
The need for acidic soil when growing camellias
Cultivation
Feeding
Some of Fiona's favourite varieties for the garden
Pests and diseases
About Fiona Edmond
Links
wwwgreenislandgardens.co.uk
The Green Island Nursery
On Instagram
On Twitter
On Facebook
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Episode 162: Caring For God's Acre with Harriet Carty
25 oktober 2021 · 30 min
This week's guest is Harriet Carty. Harriet is the Charity Director & Beautiful Burial Ground Project Manager at Caring for God's Acre, an organisation which works nationally to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy burial grounds and graveyards. These sites are refuges for wildlife, veteran trees and plants. They're community assets which need protecting and preserving for us and for future generations and I was fascinated to find out more about what's being done to look after these local treasures. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Overwintering butterflies
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What we cover
About Caring For God's Acre
Why it's so important to protect burial grounds and the wildlife and plants that call then home
Burial grounds as important historical sites and as a link to the past
Veteran trees and ancient yews in burial grounds
Biodiversity in burial sites
How you can get involved with recording wildlife
How to check if your local church is involved
About Caring for God's Acre
"Caring for God's Acre works nationally to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy burial grounds and graveyards. There are over 20,000 burial grounds in England and Wales, ranging from small rural medieval churchyards to large Victorian city cemeteries, spanning different cultures, religions and centuries. Appealing to many who are interested in local history and the natural world, burial grounds encapsulate the history of communities whilst offering refuge for our native wildlife." https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk
Links
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk
On Twitter
On Facebook
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Episode 161: The Jungle Garden with Philip Oostenbrink
18 oktober 2021 · 29 min
This week's guest is Philip Oostenbrink, Head Gardener at Walmer Castle and Gardens, Collections Coordinator for Plant Heritage in Kent, Plant Trials committee member for the RHS and self-confessed jungle plant nut. Philip has just published a new book titled 'The Jungle Garden' and in this interview, I talk to him about what a jungle garden is, whether they can work in shady and sunny aspects, easy jungle plants, rarer ones, plant hardiness, seasonal and winter interest and where to get plants. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Black vine weevil
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What we cover
What sparked Philip's interest in jungle plants
How the jungle influences his design aesthetic
The importance of seasonal changes and how do you can highlight these in a jungle garden scheme
How much did writing the book make Philip examine what is an instinctual talent for grouping plants?
Can jungle plants mix with more traditional cottage style plants?
Mixing exotic plants from different continents or eco regions
Winter interest in a jungle garden
Jungle gardens in full sunshine
Good jungle garden climbers
Trees for a small space but big impact
Easy to look after starter plants
Rarer plants to wow your friends
About Philip Oostenbrink
"My name is Philip Oostenbrink and I am Head Gardener at Walmer Castle and Gardens in East Kent. Apart from my full-time job I am Collections Coordinator for Plant Heritage in Kent and Plant Trials committee member for the RHS. I am also a horticultural speaker for any groups who are interested in gardening and/or history.
I have been a plant collector all my life. I have a passion for jungle gardening and I have four National Plant Collections: Aspidistra elatior & sichuanensis, Variegated and Yellow-leaved Convallaria, Hakonechloa macra and Ophiopogon japonicus. I have a love for variegated plants." https://myplants.me
Links
The Jungle Garden by Philip Oostenbrink - Filbert Press, October 2021
P…
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Episode 160: Making a Wildlife Garden with Chris Baines
11 oktober 2021 · 31 min
This week I'm speaking to gardener, TV presenter, author, government adviser and wildlife and environment advocate, Chris Baines. Chris designed the first ever wildlife garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1985, which was swiftly followed by his bestselling book 'How to Make a Wildlife Garden' so I thought it would be a perfect time to speak to Chris, given the continuing interest in wild gardens that we witnessed again at this year's Chelsea. Lees meer
Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Carrot root flies
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What we cover
How Chris thinks things have changed since the 1980s with regard to the plight of wildlife
Why a wildlife garden which mimics a woodland edge is desirable
Planting a wildflower strip next to a mixed native hedge, how could you go about starting this type of strip and what plants you might use
How you can identify the wildlife in your garden
Is Chris hopeful for the future and are things changing quickly enough?
Documenting your garden wildlife, in order to help protect habitats threatened by developments
About Chris Baines
"Chris Baines is one of the UK's leading environmental campaigners, an award-winning writer and broadcaster and an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. His particular garden-related expertise lies in wildlife gardening, community participation and trees in towns. Specilaist subjects: industry and environment, wildlife gardening, community participation, habitat creation, sustainable water management." https://www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk/guild-members/directory/profile/Chris-Baines/15