Bunny in the Garden with someone special, someone who is well known for something other than their green fingers but who is also a mustard keen gardener. Bunny Guinness discover a range of guests through their garden, why, how and when they garden, the best tips they’ve learnt and their gardening style and approach.
41: Dame Zandra Rhodes
Oct 03, 2024
Show notesBunny is with the world famous fashion and textile designer Dame Zandra Rhodes in her zany 9th Floor flat in London, which has tiny outdoor spaces that face south, north and west. Despite Zandra having designed clothes for numerous super stars such as Freddie Mercury, Princess Diana and Princess Anne, Zandra has a very down to earth side being passionate about making her own bread, listening to the Archers and Gardeners’ Question Time and of course creating her spectacular garden. Her home is filled with mementoes that she has collected throughout her action packed, extraordinarily successful career that spans well over 60 years. Zandra entertains her eclectic and wide circle of friends regularly, cooking her famous salmon with mango salsa for them - though has been known to fall asleep at the table due to her punishing work schedule. Her pink hair is always a talking point but she explains the unexpected affect it has had on her illustrious career. To see Zandra’s fabulous flat and gardens see Bunny’s YouTube video ‘Zandra Rhodes, in her plot with its fantastic plants, patterns and paints’. #zandrarhodes #fashionandtextilemuseum
40: Rachel Johnson
Sep 27, 2024
Show notes
I must come clean, Rachel is not green fingered, but she has had an eventful life and talks about visiting her high achieving brothers garden at Chequers while he was PM. We are later joined by her husband Ivo Dawney, who is a keen gardener, and was a director and consultant to the National Trust. He tells us about visiting Chevening House, which was the home of Boris while he was foreign secretary, and about how he persuaded the National Trust to open up the Big Brother House and garden to get more National Trust members visiting London properties. #bigbrother #nationaltrust
39: Isabella Tree
Sep 20, 2024
Show notes
Today Bunny is in Isabella Tree’s ground breaking Walled Garden at the Knepp Estate. They start off in the more private garden by the stunning Knepp Castle before going into the Walled Garden that has been totally reworked creating hills and hollows to replace a flat croquet lawn and Traditional Kitchen garden. Lots of sand and crushed concrete have been added and the various aspects of the newly created slopes have been exploited to create a greater range of plant habitats to produce a greater biodiversity. The new garden around the restaurant is a most used area and even a dog wash has been added for those that have visited the rewilded estate. The present Bunny bought Isabella was an attractive dark green hose with brass fittings from Claverton Cloches – something you don’t have to hide! To see Bunny chatting to Isabella in the gardens see Bunny’s YouTube ‘Bunny Chats to Isabella Tree in her ground breaking gardens at Knepp Castle. #knepp #rewilding
38: Sophie Allport
Sep 13, 2024
Show notesIn this episode Bunny chats to the renown homeware designer Sophie Allport in her beautiful east midlands garden. Sophie’s range of homewares are inspired by nature, the British countryside, dogs and her busy family life. Listen to how Sophie started the business, got her first break at the country living faire, and went from designing mugs to textiles. Despite many heartbreaks along the way, learn how Sophie and her brother Jem make it work as a family business. Bunny had designed the garden for the previous occupants of the house. Hear how Sophie, and her family transformed the garden to suit them, their growing family, and sporty lifestyles. To see a glimpse of Sophie’s garden with Bunny’s YouTube video “Sophie’s stunning space!” #home #sophieallport
37: Henry Winter (part 2 of 2)
Sep 06, 2024
Show notes
In the second of these two episodes top football correspondent, Henry Winter talks to Bunny in his Rutland garden about the importance of football to the economics of the country (somewhat larger than horticulture) and how footballers can have a huge influence on excellent causes such as school dinners, autism and planting trees. His brother Tim (aka Abdal Hakim Murad), says of Henry "I was always the clever, successful one. Henry just wanted to play football with his mates. I used to tell him, ‘I'm going to make loads of money, and you'll still be playing football with your mates.' Now he’s living in a house with 10 bedrooms and married to a Bond girl." Henry proudly shows off his topiary yew avenue, modelled on Alice in Wonderland, his Lord’s bench and his garden lock down project. His father, John Winter, was a famous Architect and his mother was a garden designer, who worked with Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and John Brookes amongst others. Hear how these influences have rubbed off on Henry! Henry read English at Edinburgh and in his small class of around ten were two now eminent gardeners - Sarah Raven and Isobel Bannerman. As a present, Bunny took Henry a French tarragon plant, great for soothing stomachs – when Henry is (very occasionally) scooped, a tea from this plant is brilliant for turbulent stomachs. To see Henry in his garden watch Bunny YouTube video ‘HENRY WINTER in his garden talking about gardening and football. The nations greatest passions!’ #henrywinter
36: Henry Winter (part 1 of 2)
Aug 30, 2024
Show notes
In the first of these two episodes top football correspondent, Henry Winter talks to Bunny in his Rutland garden about the importance of football to the economics of the country (somewhat larger than horticulture) and how footballers can have a huge influence on excellent causes such as school dinners, autism and planting trees. His brother Tim (aka Abdal Hakim Murad), says of Henry "I was always the clever, successful one. Henry just wanted to play football with his mates. I used to tell him, ‘I'm going to make loads of money, and you'll still be playing football with your mates.' Now he’s living in a house with 10 bedrooms and married to a Bond girl." Henry proudly shows off his topiary yew avenue, modelled on Alice in Wonderland, his Lord’s bench and his garden lock down project. His father, John Winter, was a famous Architect and his mother was a garden designer, who worked with Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and John Brookes amongst others. Hear how these influences have rubbed off on Henry! Henry read English at Edinburgh and in his small class of around ten were two now eminent gardeners - Sarah Raven and Isobel Bannerman. As a present, Bunny took Henry a French tarragon plant, great for soothing stomachs – when Henry is (very occasionally) scooped, a tea from this plant is brilliant for turbulent stomachs. To see Henry in his garden watch Bunny's YouTube video ‘HENRY WINTER in his garden talking about gardening and football. The nations greatest passions!’
35: Bob Flowerdew
Aug 23, 2024
Show notes
In this episode Bunny talks to Bob Flowerdew in his Norfolk garden. They talk about his previous work before he started gardening professionally which include chicken giblet washer (advancing to chicken box counter), council care-home cleaner, dog impersonator, glass fibre laminator, houseboy & cook in house of ill repute, festival security lighting engineer, marine engineer, museum attendant, nude model, Parisian guide, theatrical gofer, vitreous enamel applicator, arcade mechanic & pinball wizard. Bob though, is most at home performing. He approached the producer of BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time some 28 years ago, where he had been in the audience and said he could do a better job, and was subsequently taken on by the producer. On the program, with its 2 million listeners a week, Bob has consistently promoted organic gardening and had a big influence on the way people garden. Hear why he was booed off stage at Glastonbury , why he is not a big fan of hedgehogs in his garden and why he disagrees with George Monbiot about growing pineapples in the UK. He also has boycotted Tesco’s over their ‘Bags for Life’. For his present Bunny took him a fig, ‘Desert King’ which is extremely cold tolerant with beautiful, large, melt in the mouth fruit. Not widely grown, but in Bunny’s opinion superior to ‘Brown Turkey’. To see Bob in his garden watch Bunny’s YouTube video ‘Bunny and Bob Flowerdew bicker in Bob’s Norfolk Garden’.
34: Tony Kirkham MBE
Aug 16, 2024
Show notes
In this episode Bunny chats to Tony Kirkham MBE in his South London garden. Tony Kirkham talks about his life growing with trees. He was voted one of the most influential Londoners in 2016 but in fact he has a huge influence world-wide. He is extremely pleased The BBC Radio 4 program ‘The Archers’ is now highlighting tree surgeons, but is concerned that vast quantities of trees are being planted in a way that ends up with poor specimens or dead trees and points out that in 50 years time the UK may well have the climate of Barcelona, and so we need to consider carefully what to plant. When Tony was asked out to dinner at Chateau Lafite, by the Rothschilds, surprisingly he took them trees not wine! Bunny took Tony a great ground cover plant perfect for growing in dry shade Mellitis melissiphyllum, or Bastard Balm, which grows to 60cm high and has pink flowers, perfect, hopefully for under his trees. To see Tony Kirkham in his garden talking about his passion see Bunny’s YouTube video ‘Trees: Tony Kirkham with Top Advice’. #bunnyguinnesspodcast #tonykirkham
33: Desmond MacCarthy
Aug 09, 2024
Show notes
Today Bunny is in the garden with the star of BBC’s hit series ‘Normal for Norfolk’ Desmond MacCarthy. Desmond talks about his beloved home, the Dutch gabled Jacobean, flint faced Wiveton Hall and how he has spent his life putting his energies into his family home with just a 250 acre farm to support it. The series was the precursor to Clarkson’s Farm, showing just how difficult it is today to raise enough income from farming. Desmond boosted the profile of the house through the tv series and has a café, shop, cottages to let, garden and house tours plus other ventures. Desmond was an engaging star of the tv series, an aristocratic gentleman with certain idiosyncratic tendencies, and hugely characterful eyebrows, and he has the audience on side throughout. To see Desmond’s house and garden see Bunny’s YouTube ‘WIVETON HALL - NORMAL FOR NORFOLKS GARDEN.’ #bunnyguinnesspodcast #normalfornorfolk
32: Caitlin Moran
Aug 02, 2024
Show notes
This week Bunny is in best selling author Caitlin Moran’s garden. Caitlin is a best selling author, was the youngest broadsheet columnist for years and wrote her first book at 13. Bunny regards her as the nation’s psychotherapist as she takes problems we all have, makes them hilarious but gives us the tools to sort them. You always feel better informed having read her advice but will also have split your sides and will be empowered to embrace your conundrums with a lighter heart. Caitlin uses her garden to help set her body clock, calm her frenetic mind and sort out her brain jams. Her garden design is like her writing, uplifting, full of chutzpah and cohesive. Her husband tells her to write a gardening book, her passion and skill is obvious. Her quick wit and knowledge would help make the nations gardeners more relaxed, upbeat and foreword looking. Bunny ‘auditions’ Caitlin for Gardeners’ Question Time Her answers, are witty, not predictable but at the same time give knowledgeable, sage advice. To see Caitlin’s garden see Bunny’s YouTube ‘Caitlin’s Calming Garden’. #caitlinmoran #bunnyguinnesspodcast
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