Gardening with the RHS

Latest Episodes:

Diving into ponds! And why you should get one Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Let’s take a break from soil and jump into the world of water. With expert advice from award winning garden designer Nicola Oakey on how to introduce a pond to your space and top tips from author Martyn Cox on managing the practicalities of pond life. Plus we get the lowdown on water butts with RHS Chief Horticultural Advisor Guy Barter.

RHS advice on ponds

https://www.rhs.org.uk/ponds

RHS advice on managing water in your garden

https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardening-for-the-environment/water

The Gardener's Yearbook by Martyn Cox

https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/martyn-cox/the-gardeners-yearbook/9781784728151/

Nicola Oakey Design

https://nicolaoakey.com/

How to make your front garden stand out this winter Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

In this week's episode we'll be hearing from a panel of experts across the country regarding the humble and often overlooked front garden. Frances Tophill will explain how to keep your small space green during even the darkest winter months. Matthew Oliver from RHS Hyde Hall, shares how to add seasonal variety with a lasagna planter of bulbs. Plus, Ben Dark will inspire us with the history and whimsy of the front garden, along with a few tips on making yours stand out.

It is also with deep sadness and respect that we mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the Royal Horticultural Society. Director General of the RHS, Clare Matterson CBE, shares a few words on the Queen's incredible impact on the RHS and the wider horticultural community.

To read more from Frances Tophill: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-modern-gardener/frances-tophill/9780857839435

To read more from Ben Dark: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/ben-dark/the-grove/9781784727420/

For more info see www.rhs.org.uk/podcast

Legless lizards, lemon verbena and hugelkultur Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Resident gardening guru Guy Barter gives the lowdown on slow worms, a fascinating and under-appreciated part of our garden wildlife. Organic gardener Anna Greenland sings the praises of lemon verbena, sharing some delicious and unusual recipes. Urban food grower Alessandro Vitale ('Spicy Moustache' of Instagram fame) explains hügelkultur - a low-cost and eco-friendly way to boost soil health.

Future crops and houseplants for wellbeing Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Which fruit and veg thrive in heatwaves? RHS veg growing experts Guy Barter and Matthew Oliver discuss what our record-breaking summer has taught us about the fruit and veg we can grow in the UK climate. BBC Gardeners' World presenter Frances Tophill shares her advice on getting the best from your houseplants. Jenny Berger, a researcher at the University of Reading, offers insight into how houseplants can improve our wellbeing - busting a few myths along the way.

Grow your own fruit and veg (RHS website)

Houseplant hub (RHS website)

Money-saving gardening and seasonal veg tips Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

This week's programme is stuffed with barrowloads of seasonal kitchen gardening advice from organic grower for top chefs Anna Greenland. RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter offers a guide to harvesting sweetcorn and author Alys Fowler shares some hard-won thrifty gardening wisdom.

Useful links

Grow your own (RHS website)

Grow Easy by Anna Greenland

The Thrifty Gardener by Alys Fowler (eBook)

Going wild – inside and out! Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Fermenting - enlisting the help of friendly microbes - is a brilliant way to preserve your homegrown harvests. Fermented foods can be great for our gut health and are easy to make, explains food writer and gourmet gardener Mark Diacono. Did you know that many herbs are great for bees too? Andrew Perry of Urban Herbs sings the praises of some of his favourites which are a real hit with pollinating insects and cooks alike. Plus Bella Lack, author of The Children of the Anthropocene offers her take on why rewilding offers hope for the future.

Useful links

RHS Grow Your Own
Mark Diacono (Instagram)
How to grow herbs (RHS website)
Urban Herbs
See the 'Rewilding Britain Landscape' garden at Chelsea 2022
Bella Lack (Instagram)

A fruity feast Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Food writer and gourmet gardener Mark Diacono sings the praises of home-grown apricots - a crop that's thriving in this warm, dry summer. Forager Alys Fowler braves the prickles of garden (and car-park) favourite mahonia*, harvesting its blue berries to make jams and jellies with stunning colour and unique flavour. And if you're not the only one enjoying your home-grown fruit, Guy Barter has advice on the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly that causes tiny white maggots in many kinds of fruit, especially cherries and raspberries.

Useful links:

How to grow apricots (RHS website)
Mark Diacono (Instagram)
Alys Fowler (Instagram)
Buy mahonia plants (RHS website)
Spotted wing drosophila (RHS website)

*Note: the species name for Oregon grape is Mahonia aquifolium. This is the principal edible mahonia species, although the berries of some hybrid mahonias are also sometimes eaten. Never eat a wild food unless you're 100% sure of its edibility and identity. If you have underlying health conditions, are pregnant or nursing, consult a doctor before adding new foods to your diet.

Gardening for the senses Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Now's the perfect time to pep up your summer cocktails and add perk to your pasta with an array of unusual plant-based ingredients. Andrew Perry of Urban Herbs is a man on a mission to spice up herb gardens across the country with unusual varieties that you may never have heard of – from lime mint to a smoky rosemary that's a sure-fire summer barbecue hit.

Hear our resident gardening guru Guy Barter give seasonal tips on growing green manures and successionally sowing veg crops for bountiful harvests into the autumn months. Plus, author Kendra Wilson takes us on a journey into sound with her new book, Garden for the Senses.

Useful links

Urban Herbs website and Instagram
Herb-growing advice from the RHS
Successional sowing (RHS website)
Green manures (RHS website)
Kendra Wilson - Garden for the Senses

Totally Tatton Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

A retrospective look at last week's RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. Meet some of the Young Designer of the Year finalists, discover how science has informed a beautiful travelling garden dedicated to wellbeing, explore the new 'Greener Front Gardens' category and much more.

Useful links

Become a Bee Walker, forest bathing and a native garden plant Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

To celebrate Bees Needs Week we're taking a walk with RHS wildlife experts Helen Bostock and Nick Tew, to help count Britain's bumblebees. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust are asking for volunteers to join Bee Walks across the country to help save these cute, furry and very important pollinators. Then we visit a forest bathing garden to discover how a trend that started in Japan in the 1980s is making waves here too. And finally, Ellie Mitchell from The Wildlife Garden Podcast shares her love of a rare native plant that's very much at home in gardens.

Useful links:

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