Gardens, weeds and words

Latest Episodes:

S01 Episode 12: Midsummer rain. A weedling Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

S01 Episode 12: Midsummer rain. A weedling A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack What is a "weedling"? Rain in June Petrichor https://gardensweedsandwords.com/gwwblog/gardeninspo365-day124-petrichor Flooding Oberon's speech, A Midsummer Night's Dream, ACT II SCENE I... Enter Puck. Oberon: Hast though the flower there? Welcome, wanderer. Puck: Ay, there it is. Oberon: I pray thee, give it me. I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlip and the nodding violet grows, Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine. There sleeps Titania sometime of the night, Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight; And there the snake throws her enamelled skin, Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in... *** Midsummer, so soon. But plenty of long, lazy summer evenings to go. Next episode: Jo Thompson Book recommendation: Weeds: the story of outlaw plants by Richard Mabey. https://amzn.to/2Ncavly website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 11: Gardens and food. With Victoria Wade May 30, 2019

Show notes

S01 Episode 11: Gardens and food. With Victoria Wade A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack Bees on the fishbone cotoneaster Gardens and food Micro book review Tender, Vol 1. A cook and his vegetable patch by Nigel Slater, published by Fourth Estate 2009 https://amzn.to/30RYt3T Extract read by Richard Chivers In discussion with Richard about Nigel Slater's books, and why you should bother growing your own food. Interview with Victoria Wade 14:10 14:40 The importance of food in Vic and Joe's garden designs 15:12 Cooking over fire 16:33 Design making outdoor cooking easy 17:56 Primal nature of fire, role of fire in the home 18:49 Relax and soften 19:10 Incorporating edibles into planting designs 20:59 Planting style 23:33 Underlying structure and stone 25:12 Foraging – bringing outdoor eating and gardening in the landscape together. A huge thank you to Vic for joining me on this episode. You can find her here: instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoria__wade/ website: https://www.victoriawade.co.uk Thank you to Richard Chivers, both for the reading and for chatting to me about his Nigel Slater habit, and the effect vegetables are having on his marriage. You can find Richard's blog here http://sharpenyourspades.co.uk/, or seek him out on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharpenyourspades/ or Twitter https://twitter.com/spadesharp. website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 10: Someone else's garden. With Marian Boswall May 10, 2019

Show notes

S01 Episode 10: Somone else's garden. With Marian Boswall A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack The cuckoo. Someone else's garden Micro book review Sweet Peas for Summer by Laetitia Maklouf, published by Bloomsbury 2012 https://amzn.to/2JdtFom Extract read by Laetitia Turning someone else's garden into your own – the client-designer relationship. Who really is the client? Interview with Marian Boswall. 08:34 08:35 The client is the planet 10:19 Using Instagram to engage people about their gardens 12:00 The difference between landscape architect and garden designer 14:14 A spiritual side of gardening 17:00 The Blackthorn Trust https://www.blackthorn.org.uk/?page_id=6 17:46 Biodynamic gardening 19:30 Domestic gardens and the landscape 22:10 The garden city movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_city_movement 22:52 Planning nature back in to our towns 23:50 Gardening across society 25:00 Gardening in the city 26:00 Wakehurst Place and the Millennium Seed Bank https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/whats-at-wakehurst/millennium-seed-bank?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgZut7LGQ4gIVz7ftCh1eFgYSEAAYASAAEgLCNvD_BwE 26:32 INTENTION and PURPOSE in the garden 28:00 The 'Bossy Garden' 29:40 Big ticket garden design – how does it trickle down? A huge thank you to Marian for joining me on this episode. You can find her here: instagram: instagram.com/marianboswalllandscapes/ twitter: twitter.com/MarianBoswall website: https://www.marianboswall.com/ Thanks also to Laetitia Maklouf for reading from her book, Sweet Peas for Summer. You can find Laetitia online on her website here https://laetitiamaklouf.com/, where you can sign up for her regular newsletter. website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 09: Who is gardening for? With Sara Venn Apr 11, 2019

Show notes

S01 Episode 09: Who is gardening for? With Sara Venn A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack April in the garden Bees on the goat willow. Micro book review Letters to a Beekeeper by Alys Fowler and Steve Benbow, published by Unbound 2017 https://amzn.to/2Ud183o Extract read by Rose White How accessible is gardening to everyone? Or…Who is gardening for? Interview with Sara Venn 07:45 Why should people care about gardening? 11:37 Gardening helping people to reclaim agency 16:30 Access to gardening – can the industry and the media get in the way? 20:46 Entry points to gardening – the problem with garden centres... 22:35 The Independent Plant Nursery Guide http://independentplantnurseriesguide.uk/ The Hardy Plant Society http://www.hardy-plant.org.uk/ The Herb Society https://herbsociety.org.uk/ The Alpine Garden Society https://www.alpinegardensociety.net/ 26:41 How is gardening doing as regards representation? 29:30 How about gardening jargon as a barrier? 34:08 Who is gardening for? 36:50 Three reasons to get involved with gardening A huge thank you to Sara for joining me on this episode. You can find Sara here: instagram: instagram.com/saralimback twitter: twitter.com/saralimback blog: thecommunitygarden.co.uk website: ediblebristol.org.uk Thank you to Rose White and Richard Chivers for contributing their warm and wonderful tones to this episodes with the readings. Rose is an intuitive eating coach, and you can find her on instagram at instagram.com/liveawelllife, or on her website at liveawelllife.co.uk. Richard is the man behind the highly acclaimed Grow Your Own blog at sharpenyourspades.com, also hanging out in the tiny squares at instagram.com/sharpenyourspades. website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 08: Words and gardens. With Sean Swallow Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

S01 Episode 08: Words and gardens. With Sean Swallow A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack Is there anything left to write about gardens? The garden as a place of ideas The garden as a place of activity – where ideas can flow. Words as containers for thoughts and ideas Interview with Sean Swallow 07:38 intro 07:56 from garden designer to poet 16:38 the garden at Scatterford 20:17 are gardens ineffable? Why do we bother trying to capture then in words 22:46 strong gardens 22:30 disruptive poets 23:40 thieving bumblebees. Carpenter bees stealing nectar by drilling through flowers https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=14120 24:56 Death in the garden, Poussin's Et in arcadia ego https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_in_Arcadia_ego 29:40 Poems 'strong enough to help'. Seamus Heaney, The Redress of Poetry https://www.seamusheaney.com/the-redress-of-poetry 30:42 gardens reflecting the shape of thoughts A short film of Sean, his work, and his garden https://seanswallow.net/film/ Sean's garden at Scatterford on the NGS website https://www.ngs.org.uk/find-a-garden/garden/30858/ You can find Sean on the web at http://www.seanswallow.net and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sean_swallow/ Further reading on writers and gardens: The Writer's Garden: how Gardens inspired our best-loved authors Jackie Bennett https://amzn.to/2Tl6Y7a website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 07: On the threshold. With Lia Leendertz Feb 21, 2019

Show notes

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack Birdsong, growing by the day One more week of winter Meteorological and astronomical calendars Somewhere on the threshold between two seasons #thatwinterspringthing hashtag https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/thatwinterspringthing/ Great Comp Garden Comp Lane Platt, Nr Sevenoaks Kent TN15 8QS https://greatcompgarden.co.uk/ Micro book review 'Galanthus' from Bulb, by Anna Pavord https://amzn.to/2GBvElb Published by Mitchell Beazley 2009 Interview with Lia Leendertz 07:06 Plant memories 11:04 What Lia's garden says about her 16:43 Lia's cookbook Petal, Leaf, Seed – taking flavours from the garden 17:44 How the Almanac came about 22:15 The benefits of living in tune with the seasons 27:16 What if the stories run out? 30:42 Hope for the future Stephen Blackmore https://twitter.com/SteveBlackm0re, British botanist, former Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and chair of Botanic Gardens Conservation International http://www.bgci.org/ 33:48 Lia's favourite season 36:53 The Instagram hashtag #myalmanacmoment: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/myalmanacmoment/ Seasonal signs – are the seasons merging? Help The Woodland Trust track the effects of weather and climate change with Nature's Calendar https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ You can find Lia on on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lialeendertz and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lia_leendertz/ The Almanac, a seasonal guide to 2019 is available at your local indy book stores, or you can buy it from Amazon here https://amzn.to/2VcP82D With thanks to Lia for being my guest this episode, and to Charles Budd for his wonderful reading. You can find Charlie here: Twitter https://twitter.com/charliebudd Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thetallphotographer/ website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 06: To stand and stare. With Laura Ellen Bacon Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack January, and standing about in the cold. Winter readings. Lines from Alexander Pope's Epistle IV, to Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_loci Leisure, by William Henry Davies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_(poem) Interview with Laura Ellen Bacon 05:39 Plant memories 10:00 Laura's materials 12:05 Describing Laura's work 14:08 Creative process 15:10 Finding a sense of place 18:10 Characteristics of a space 18:46 Laura's own garden 22:38 Working with a softer, more organic backdrop of the garden 31:05 Movement in Laura's work 33:16 How being a mother has changed things 38:52 Creating intimate garden spaces Laura's website is http://lauraellenbacon.com You can find her on on Twitter at http://twiter.com/lauraellenbacon and Instagram http://instagram.com/lauraellenbacon You can read details about the Woman's Hour Craft Prize here https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/about-the-womens-hour-craft-prize?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwKnAxLqE4AIVyOFRCh2_fwraEAAYASAAEgKmCfD_BwE With thanks to Laura for being my guest this episode, and again to Beth Pinkerton for providing her smooth tones for the reading, once more at absurdly short notice. You can find Beth here: Twitter https://twitter.com/MissPinks Instagram instagram.com/misspinks website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 05: Gardening for wildlife. With Kate Bradbury Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack Winter reading, micro reviews. The Well-Tempered Garden, by Christopher Lloyd, paperback edition published 2014 by Weidenfeld and Nicolson https://amzn.to/2UVFJNX Home Ground, by Dan Pearson, published 2011 by Conran Octopus https://amzn.to/2V0L8mB Using #betwixtmas to plan the garden for the coming year – a chance to think about making provision for wildlife. Interview with Kate Bradbury 08:42 Plant memories 11:16 What are gardens for? 16:05 The buddleia incident BARRATT HOMES/RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/projects/kingsbrook-housing/ BBC WILDLIFE MAGAZINE https://www.discoverwildlife.com 22:21 Planning wildlife into built environments 24:15 The Bumblebee Flies Anyway – what's in a name? 26:09 Lawns, are they really so bad? NHS Insect bites and stings advice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insect-bites-and-stings/ 33:08 Placing an economic cost on "environment services" 34:06 What hope going forward? Review of Kate's latest book, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway: a year of gardening and (wild)life https://amzn.to/2K9wF2U, on the Gardens, Weeds & Words blog, here: http://www.gardensweedsandwords.com/gwwblog/the-bumblebee-flies-anyway Kate's previous book, The Wildlife Gardener, available here: https://amzn.to/2zY1cvH Hydrangeas with better wildlife value It's true, the ubiquitous mophead Hydrangea macrophylla has a flower head packed with sterile florets, which offer no food for pollinating insects. But those with the flower structure known as "lacecap", where small, tightly furled fertile florets are surrounded by a thing ring of their sterile counterparts, are much richer in nectar. These include varieties of paniculate hydrangea, such as Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanille Fraise' or 'Limelight', the climbing hydrangea Hydrangea anomoloa subsp. petiolaris, and the impressive oakleaved hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, with its wonderful autumn colouration. Varieties of Hydrangea arborescens, including the popular 'Annabelle', are also worth including in your pollinator-friendly plantings. With thanks to Richard Chivers for providing his Welsh tones for the reading. You can find Richard's acclaimed blog at sharpenyourspades.com, and the gent himself lurks on social media here: Twitter https://twitter.com/spadesharp Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharpenyourspades/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC06vTxaTwjpmrjIfMODoTAA That's it for 2018! Thank you for all your support and lovely messages. Looking forward to bringing you more slow gardening radio and conversations with creatives and plant-inspired makers next year. website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 04: Call yourself a gardener? Gardening without a garden, with Alice Vincent Nov 22, 2018

Show notes

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Call yourself a gardener? Gardening without a garden, with Alice Vincent. Garden soundtrack Autumn ending. A micro review of The Thrifty Gardner, by Alys Fowler https://amzn.to/2zlYlgG, with an extract read by Beth Pinkerton. Do you need a garden to consider yourself a gardener? Interview with Alice Vincent, journalist and author of How to Grow Stuff https://amzn.to/2PM28OP, host of the Noughticutlurep talks at the Garden Museum https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/event_location/the-garden-museum/, and tap dancer extraordinaire. Alice Vincent in the Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/alice-vincent/ Alice on Instagram instagram.com/noughticulture LED growlights from Modern Sprout https://www.modsprout.com/ Jack Wallington, garden blogger, designer, and Telegraph Gardening columnist https://www.jackwallington.com/ With thanks to Beth Pinkerton for providing her smooth tones for the reading, at criminally short notice. You can find Beth here: Twitter https://twitter.com/MissPinks Instagram instagram.com/misspinks website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

S01 Episode 03: "More light", with Ros Atkinson of @her_dark_materials Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links. Garden soundtrack The end of British Summertime, and what the sun has been getting up to. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/ Overcoming the Winter Blues https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/dealing-with-winter-blues-sad/ A micro review of American Primitive by Mary Oliver https://amzn.to/2P3lAGf, including 'Fall Song', read by Ben Dark of the Garden Log podcast https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-garden-log/id1291778248?mt=2 Replacing the light we've lost… Interview with Ros Atkinson, food and lifestyle photographer https://www.instagram.com/her_dark_materials http://rjaphotography.net The pea that caused the problems – 'Kelvedon Wonder' https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/pea-kelvedon-wonder/107TM Tutu, Ros's own. Ros's veg shopping shopping: Daylesford Organic Farm https://www.daylesford.com/ Oxford covered market http://oxford-coveredmarket.co.uk/ "More light" – a little bit about Goethe https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/01/design-for-living-books-adam-kirsch website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

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