The Sodshow, Garden Podcast - Sod Show

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299: Annie Dellbridge, Part 1, Head Gardener at Fullers Mill Garden Jan 12, 2017

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with Annie Dellbridge, Head Gardener at Fullers Mill Garden.

Released in two parts, this is the very amazing and very beautiful story of Head Gardener Annie Dellbridge, how she got to Fullers Mill Garden her journey there and also a little of who she is both in and outside of work.

More than that it is also the story of Fullers Mill, how it became a garden to visit, it's ownership now under that of Perennial Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society, the volunteers that work there, how that operates and why and how it is on par with some of the best gardens the UK has that you may visit.

More than that again ? It is a story about people, their kindness and generosity and the more often very wonderful world we know as horticultural and the very many smiles that it can bring.

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

298: Garden Podcast: Ben Brace, London National Park City Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

Peter Donegan meets with Ben Brace of London National Park City.

Of London National Park City, they say:

Let’s make London the world’s first National Park City. A city where people and nature are better connected. A city that is rich with wildlife and every child benefits from exploring, playing and learning outdoors. A city where we all enjoy high-quality green spaces, the air is clean to breathe, it’s a pleasure to swim in its rivers and green homes are affordable. Together we can make London a greener, healthier and fairer place to live.

For those who may not know Ben, he is a Chartered Landscape Architect and fully qualified Horticulturist. He has worked literally worked from the ground up; as a landscape contractor, in landscape maintenance private and commercial, selling plants as a market stall trader and also for a small independant nursery and large commercial organisations. From these beginnings he worked his socks off to get himself qualified in the things he loves most - plants and design.

Aside from the day job, he is a Volunteer Tree Warden and a balcony gardener, a soon to be RHS mentor and an Ambassador for Landscape (for the Landscape Institute). He is a volunteer project leader for the Chelsea Fringe and for the Open Squares Weekend, a picking coordinator for Abundance London a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and an Associate Member of the Arboricultural Association.

Of the Greater London National Park City initiative he describes himself as a general foot soldier.

London National Park City: web: www.nationalparkcity.london twitter: @LondonNPC twitter: Dan Raven Ellison Ben Brace: twitter: @Ben_Brace

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

297: Lee Connolly, Skinny Jean Gardeners Dec 22, 2016

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with Lee Connolly of The Skinny Jean Gardeners.

Currently working with Blue Peter (bbc tv) and Jimmy Doherty (channel 4), they have also worked as part of the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution, designed a garden for the Gardening World Cup, Japan ; and from music festivals to BBC Gardeners World Live (alongside such names as Alan Titschmarsh) - Lee Connolly alongside his brother Dale, have litterally been there and done it all - all, in the space of just 4 years.

Not trained in horticulture and an electrician by trade, Dale works in marketing; and this journey started solely so they could spend more time with each other.

It was an absolute honour to chat with Lee to gain an insight into one half of the duo that only ever has made me smile - that in itself, is something alone that is more than deserved of standing applause - Infectiously, happy, wonderfully beautiful and one very fine gentleman. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Lee Connolly of The Skinny Jean Gardeners.

Show Links:

web: www.SkinnyJeanGardeners.com YouTube: SkinnyJeanGardeners Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

296: Sara Venn, Incredible Edible Bristol Dec 15, 2016

Show notes

Peter Donegan chats with Sara Venn of Incredible Edible Bristol.

A horticulturist by trade Sara studied first studied fine art and somehow or other fell into catering. Having realised she wasn’t working where she wanted to be she took a job in a local nursery and then completed a masters in garden history and conservation.

On todays show we chat the next generation of horticulturists and garden lovers, Sara’s work with the younger folk on that journey, the garden media and it’s role in that, what and how one should support the new generation of garden media and just what the future holds for the horticultural industry and those involved in it.

Show Links:

web: saravenn.com Twitter @Saralimback Facebook: Sara Venn and also

Twitter @EdibleBristol Facebook: Incredible Edible Bristol web: ediblebristol.org.uk

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

295: Noel Kingsbury Dec 08, 2016

Show notes

Peter Donegan chats with Noel Kingsbury, author of Garden Flora, published by Timber Press.

Noel Kingsbury has been described as “the voice of authority with renegade undertones”. A gardener since childhood, he has run a nursery, designed gardens and public spaces and done doctoral research at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Landscape on competition amongst ornamental perennials.

He is best known for his promotion of naturalistic planting design, but is passionate about any kind of innovation in the garden or the wider landscape. He is particularly interested in improving teaching in horticulture.

Noel has also written more than 20 books on garden matters, including four with leading designer Piet Oudolf, as well as the only history of plant breeding. He lives and gardens in the Welsh Borders near Hay-on-Wye.

Together we chat landscaping trends, what Noel actually does outside of writing 24 books, sitting still or not and just why write a book that (as I desscribe it) is a reference book but not with a very beautiful difference.

A note of very special thanks to Besse and Rebecca and the team at Timber Press US and UK.

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

294: Kazuyuki Ishihara RHS Chelsea, Sean Conville Two Spots Coffee, Avril Hogan Dingle Gin Dec 01, 2016

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with Kazuyuki Ishihara at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016, Sean Conville of Two Spots Coffee and the wonderful Avril Hogan of Dingle Gin and Distillery.

That, alone should win award for being the most pretty jam packed and most varied garden podcast in world history ! But wait..... there's more. Because the very varied, varies a lot more than you might think.

Peter chats with Gold medal Chelsea Flower show winner Kazuyuki Ishihara about how he was formerly a moto cross bike rider with Yamaha, the team of 30 people invvolved in his garden build, just why he half self funded this project himself, designing and building 3- -40 gardens per month and his team of around 100 employees.

Peter talks to Sean from Two Spots, not about coffee as you might expect but about the excess waste that comes off the bean when it is roasted - known as the chaff - and how that is now being used as dressing in 'flower beds' and as bedding for hens, before ending up on the compost heap.

And finally Peter also talks to the wonderful Avril Hogan of Dingle Distillery a little about making gin, but also about how beautiful Dingle is, the collecting of the botanicals for the gin making and working with the seasons to produce one of Ireland's finest refreshments ever.

The Sodshow garden podcast.

293: Annabel Langrish, Heron Gallery and Garden Nov 23, 2016

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with Annabel Langrish, Heron Gallery (and Garden), Cork.

This episode is released the day before The Sodshow goes into the mix for The Garden Media Guild Awards (UK) at The Savoy Hotel in London. And so we chat a little about that, life, you and I guess what matters a little more.

The Sodshow Garden Podcast airs every Friday and is available in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com

Back to todays guest; Located in Ahakista on the Sheepshead peninsula in West Cork, the now 4 acre garden is a now 11 year creation that has evolved over the seasons. Sculptures, fairy paths, bare foot path, butterflies and what I can only describe as a very "magic place".

It is as Annabel describes it a part of her life and lifestyle. It is different; and almost everything is grown from seed and though not designed in the way in which one might expect, it also serves to put edible flowers, veg, fruit,salad and herbs on the kitchen table - which I would also very highly recommend as a by the way.

From her life in Barbados to moving to Leitrim and how that actually happened and from a life where there were servants and one never had to do anything to a smallholding and growing your own. This again not intentionally, is just another garden podcast and radio show, that is just that little bit special and I hope you like it.

My thanks to Bev and Miriam at West Cork Garden Trail for making this possible and for taking me there.

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

292: Marta McDowell, All The Presidents Gardens Nov 17, 2016

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with Martha McDowell, author of All The Presidents Gardens, publshed by Timber Press.

A teacher of landscape history and horticulture at New York Botanical Gardens, Martha also writes and gardens at her home in Chatham, New Jersey.

The book, originally an idea of one of her garden history students Seamus Maclenan is as I have described it before, unputdownanble. Starting right at the very start from before the site for The White House was chosen on an area that was of agriculture and swamp.

From Washington Adams Jefferson to Queen Elizabeth II and from John Adams and James Hoban and how the design was based upon that of Leinster House in Dublin. And from the exclusion of vegetables to the growing of mint for ice tea and to the inclusion and the removal of all of the glasshouses to modern day and what a Trump garden maybe as versus that of a Clinton garden.

All that and so very much more of what is an amazing insight into one of the worlds most famous gardens, as only The Sodshow can do.

A note of very special thanks to Besse and the team at Timber Press. www.sodshow.com

291: Peter Donegan Interview, Moze Jacobs Clonline Radio Nov 16, 2016

Show notes

Some time ago Peter Donegan was interviewed by Moze Jacobs of Clonline Radio where The Sodshow airs every week. It was to be an intro to those who may not be so aware of Peter and the garden podcast / radio show and the upcoming stories that were to air.

For those who don't know, Moze asks Peter about starting Donegan Landscaping, his journey into the horticultural industry, how The Sodshow started and the garden media guild awards. Also discussed is the contrast between Ireland and the UK horticulturally speaking, Peters style of garden design and why he does what it is he loves so very much. And of course, Peter goes entirely off the point.......

290: Caitlin McLaughlin, RHS, Young Garden Designer of The Year 2016 Nov 10, 2016

Show notes

On this weeks garden podcast Peter Donegan chats with garden designer Caitlin Mc Laughlin.

Caitlin was awarded 2016 Royal Horticultural Society Young Garden Designer of The Year 2016, formerly worked at Kew Gardens, built designed and won Gold medal at RHS Tatton and won Silver medal Malvern Flower Show.

As of now Caitlin has alongside her sister set up on her own as Thrift Landscapes of (just a few months old as a by the way) designing and building private gardens and this November will be working alongside CityScapes and The RHS on their autumn festival.

The Sodshow Garden Podcast airs every Friday and is available in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com and is brought to you by CurrencyFair

Podcast listen/ subscribe: The SodShow in iTunes My thanks to great friend of The Sodshow, Tim Howell for nodding me in the direction of Caitlin. Although I was more than aware of Caitlin, Tim I guess sped up the process of my having her on for a chat - and - as noted in audio, I am quite looking forward to watching this space and having Caitlin back on The Sodshow.

Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow

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