Gardening with the RHS

Latest Episodes:

513 – Autumn gets real, root cuttings, and what do spiders ever do for us? Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Head to the bottom of the garden this month and you might end up with a face full of spiders’ webs. Before you run screaming into the house, RHS spider expert Ben Brough offers an insight into why an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare is a fantastic garden ally. Want more plants for next spring without the cost of buying? RHS Garden Wisley’s Sam Gallivan teaches us how to take root cuttings and instantly multiply your plants for free. Last week we ended our series looking at bulbs to plant now for spring interest, and today we begin a new series of serious jobs for serious gardeners throughout a busy autumn, beginning with autumn veg planting with Liz Mooney.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Ben Brough, Sam Gallivan, Liz Mooney, Melissa Mabbitt

Links:

Wildlife gardening advice

Plants for bugs

Taking root cuttings

Grow your own fruit and veg: September

Liz Mooney’s allotment life

Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk

512: Turf wars, houseplant MOT, and a final bulb of the week Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Many listeners’ turf will have taken a bashing over summer, and now is the time to glow-up the green. RHS Garden Wisley’s Jim Millward shares his tips on how to get your grass ready for autumn. The holiday is officially over for our houseplants, time to bring them back inside after enjoying a hot summer. RHS indoor plant specialist Freddy Fuller offers do’s and don’ts for seasonal houseplant success. And to round-off a month of spring bulb suggestions, RHS Wisley’s Jess Jansdotter offers her choice in the final 'Bulb of the Week' of September. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Jim Millward, Freddy Fuller, Jess Jansdotter, Melissa Mabbitt

Links:

Lawncare advice

Autumn houseplant advice:

Snowdrops

Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk

511: Saving drought-hit plants, the wildlife wonder of apples, more bulb inspiration Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Is it dead? Or is it just sulking? That’s what many listeners will be wondering after returning from their summer holidays to find many plants exhausted by hot and dry weather. Horticultural advisor Nick Turrell provides a dose of reality – and some much-needed hope – when it comes to saving, or binning, the hardest-hit perennials. Presenter Gareth Richards speaks to RHS science editor Olivia Drake about this month’s Wildlife Wonder plant - apples! There’s more to this popular fruit than meets the eye. September is the month for bulbs, and RHS Wisley’s James McDonnell offers his pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - Ipheion. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Nick Turrell, Olivia Drake, James McDonnell, Melissa Mabbitt

Links:

RHS Climate Change Survey

RHS Ipheion trials

Wildlife Wonder plant: Apple

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

510: Magnificent mini-beasts, figs, and another bulb of the week Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

There’s a myriad of weird and wonderful beasties out there who feast on flowers, but all is not rosy inside the garden gate. Pollinators are in trouble, and Josie Stuart, RHS Senior Entomologist at RHS Garden Wisley shares some unexpected ways home gardeners can help pollinators thrive, no matter the size of your plot. Horticultural specialist Jim Arbury offers expert advice on a hot topic many RHS website visitors want to know more about: figs. Which variety should you choose? How do you get started? And how do you grow them successfully? As September brings cooler temperatures and an increasingly autumnal feel, RHS Wisley’s Claudia Connal offers her pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - the mysterious and beautiful Turk’s cap or martagon lily. Plus, we answer your gardening questions on dealing with tomato gluts, growing echinaceas, and pruning hydrangeas and evergreens.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Josie Stuart, Jim Arbury, Claudia Connal

Plants mentioned: Turk’s cap lily (Lilium martagon); lilies 'Claude Shride’, ‘Golden Morning’, ‘Pink Morning’ and ‘Albi Morning’. Hoop petticoat daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium), Crocus ‘Vanguard’. Figs ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Little Miss Figgy’ and ‘Brunswick'

Links:

Find information on all the topics covered at rhs.org.uk

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

509: Lovely lantanas, deadheading guide and our autumn bulb of the week Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

While many garden plants have struggled for survival this summer, one which has truly thrived is the lantana. Horticulturist David Hurrion was one of the judges of last year's lantana trial at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, and he joins us to share his takeaways of growing these eye-poppingly colourful bedding plants, and some of the standout cultivars.

Deadheading is a practice key to ensuring repeat blooms throughout the summer, and RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell shows us how to do it properly. And finally, as we enter autumn, we’re kickstarting our bulb of the week series with horticulturist Gemma Burr who shares some favourite coronet tulips from another recent RHS Plant Trial. Plus answers to listener questions on bay trees, lawns from seed and Salvia 'Hot Lips'.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Contributors: David Hurrion, Nick Turrell, Gemma Burr

Links:

Lantana trial results

Deadheading

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

508: Seed collecting, apple pruning, and wildflowers Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Even though it's still August, the signs of autumn are starting to show. False autumn is a survival-driven stress response where trees shed leaves and change colour prematurely due to extreme heat and drought, and you may find yourself doing the autumn jobs a little early this year.

We dive headlong into seed collecting with RHS horticulturist Lucie Rudnicka, plus find out how best to prune your trained apple and pear trees with RHS Garden Wisley’s fruit tree expert Jim Arbury. And finally, we relish in the joy of wildflowers with our very own Gareth Richards, as today sees the publication of RHS Wildflowers: A Pocket Guide. Plus we answer questions from the listener inbox on late sowings of salads, raspberry pruning and hornets.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Contributors: Lucie Rudnicka, Jim Arbury, Jenny Laville

Links:

Seed: collecting and storing

Apples and pears: pruning

RHS Wildflowers: A pocket guide

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

507: Heatwave survival guide for pots and powdery mildew mayhem Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

In a summer of rolling heatwaves, we look at what we can do to help out one of the garden areas most vulnerable to parching - plants in pots. RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell explains what you can do to keep them alive and thriving as temperatures soar. The heat and high humidity this summer have provided the perfect conditions for fungal plant diseases to spread like wildfire. RHS Plant Pathologist Dr Jassy Drakulic tells us about powdery mildew, and shares what you can do if your plants have succumbed. And finally, our Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter sheds some light on how we can make the most of this summer's most precious resource, when rainfall finally arrives where you are. Plus some listener questions answered.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Contributors: Nick Turrell, Jassy Drakulic, Guy Barter

Links:

Drought resistant plants for pots

Powdery mildew

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

506: Garden wildlife care for heatwaves: dahlias, cinnabar moths, and more Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

As we experience one of the most extreme summers on record, how can we help our garden wildlife cope with the heat? RHS Science and Horticulture Editor Olivia Drake explains why ornamental dahlias can be an excellent late summer food source for pollinators, while RHS entomologist Josie Stuart introduces us to the striking cinnabar moth and its close relationship with drought-resistant ragwort. We also visit Where Magic Grows, a new family-friendly immersive exhibition at Leeds’ Thackeray Museum of Medicine, exploring the connections between plants, folklore and medicine, in collaboration with the RHS. Plus, we answer some of your top gardening questions of the week.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Contributors: Olivia Drake, Josie Stuart, Jack Gann, Holly Tomlinson

Links:

Dahlias for pollinators

Exhibition: Where Magic Grows

Lavendars

Plums

Grey Water

Plants mentioned:

Dahlia merckii https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/5296/dahlia-merckii-b/details

Dahlia 'Tangerine Gem' https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/510690/dahlia-tangerine-gem-sin/details

Dahlia australis https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/181404/dahlia-australis/details

Dahlia Pretty Woman https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/282403/dahlia-pretty-woman-vdtg43-pbr-dark-angel-series-sin/details

Veronicastrum virginicum 'Lavendelturm' https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/111539/veronicastrum-virginicum-lavendelturm/details
Achillea millefolium 'Cerise Queen'https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/97048/achillea-millefolium-cerise-queen/details

Email your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk

505: Summer SOS: holiday-proof your garden, midsummer planting guide, a giant bug hunt Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

If you’re going away this summer and are worried about your garden RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter shares some top hacks for ensuring your plants survive the heatwaves while you’re away. But if you’re staying at home and feel inspired to give your garden a revamp for all those summer BBQs, RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell explains what you can still plant in high summer for maximum impact. If you’re entertaining children this summer – or you’re still full of wonder for the natural world – David Wembridge from The People's Trust for Endangered Species’ talks about a nationwide search for the gentle giants - stag beetles. And finally, the jobs – we’ll share key things you can do in the next week in the garden.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Guy Barter, Nick Turrell, David Wembridge

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Links:

PTES the Great Stag Beetle Hunt

Info on powdery mildew

Drought resistant gardening

504: RHS Sandringham Flower Show: climate resilient trees, rainwater capture, frogs Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

The team head to North Norfolk to fill their boots with inspiration from the show gardens, floral exhibits, specialist growers, and innovative designs on display at RHS Sandringham Flower Show. Gareth Richards speaks with Catherine MacDonald, who designed The RHS Royal Legacy Garden in collaboration with King Charles III, with a special focus on climate resilient trees. Jenny Laville catches up with designers Joe and Laura Carey in their playful Pollywiggle Garden, designed for amphibians. And producers Poppy and Dan glean some top tips from the growers and nurseries in the Floral Marquee.

Hosts: Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville

Contributors: Catherine MacDonald, Laura Carey, Joe Carey, John Cullen, Louise Batchelor, David Reynolds, Paul Dibley, Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Links:

RHS Sandringham Flower Show

Plants:

Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Rubylace' Gleditsia triacanthos 'Rubylace' | thorny locust 'Rubylace'

Aeonium ‘Pink Witch’ Aeonium 'Pink Witch' (v)

Rosemary-leaf willow - Salix rosmarinifolia Salix rosmarinifolia L. | rosemary-leaved willow

Achillea ptarmica ‘Peter Cottontail’ Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail'PBR | sneezewort 'Peter Cottontail'