Episodes

  • Climate resilient gardens, lettuces, and gladioli

    Climate resilient gardens, lettuces, and gladioli
    Apr 2 2026
    This week we head to RHS Wisley's Hilltop where the science and advisory teams are working tirelessly to come up with solutions to some of the biggest pressures facing horticulture and gardeners today, and few are bigger or more pressing than climate change. RHS advisor Jenny Bowden talks us through an experiment she's working on to find out which plants are best suited to the extremes in summer drought and winter flooding UK gardens are increasingly experiencing. Horticulturist Liz Mooney runs us through the Lettuce extravaganza she is sowing at Wisley's world food garden. And bulb expert Muhammad Hafiz Ullah, gives us a masterclass in growing gladioli Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Jenny Bowden, Liz Mooney, Muhammad Hafiz Ullah Links: Choosing plants for seasonally wet and dry soils How to grow lettuces Gladioli Gladiolus trial
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    31 mins
  • Resilient gardens, blossoming trees & growing cucumbers

    Resilient gardens, blossoming trees & growing cucumbers
    Mar 26 2026
    This week we’re embracing the arrival of spring in the garden. RHS horticultural advisor Jenny Bowden applies a right plant, right place approach in her sandy, drought-prone garden in southeast England. Embracing experimentation, she’s creating a resilient, low-maintenance space that shows even challenging conditions can thrive. We’ll also be celebrating the breathtaking displays of blossom unfolding across the UK right now, as RHS expert Jonathan Newell joins us to explore the rich variety of flowering trees and shrubs in bloom, and what makes this time of year so special for gardeners and nature lovers alike.And to round things off, our resident veg growing affionado Liz Mooney returns with another allotment favourite: this time turning her attention to cucumbers. Host: Jenny Laville Contributors: Jenny Bowden, Jonathan Newell, Liz Mooney Links: Drought-resistant plants Drought-resistant gardening Guide to growing cucumbers Liz Mooney’s top tomato cultivars Liz Mooney’s guide to aubergines, sweet peppers, and chillis Liz Mooney’s guide to peas Liz Mooney’s guide to potatoes
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    30 mins
  • An ode to home grown

    An ode to home grown
    Mar 19 2026
    This week, we’re focusing on the edible garden, and the simple yet radical act of growing your own food in an age of convenience. Food writer Nancy Matsumoto explores how our globalised food system is impacting both people and planet, and why women-led initiatives could help shape a more sustainable future. RHS Garden Wisley’s Liz Mooney joins us from the World Food Garden to answer everything you ever wanted to know about growing potatoes. And finally, Nick Turrell and Jenny Laville sit down to look at how you can get started growing your own – without ending up with a mountain of plastic along the way. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Nancy Matsumoto, Liz Mooney, Jenny Laville Links: Reaping What She Sows book Nancy Matsumoto’s substack ‘Reaping’ Liz Mooney’s top tomato cultivars Liz Mooney’s guide to aubergines, sweet peppers, and chillis Liz Mooney’s guide to peas How to go plastic-free in your garden
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    34 mins
  • Spring into wellbeing: primroses, pollinators, and peas

    Spring into wellbeing: primroses, pollinators, and peas
    Mar 12 2026
    With the first glimmers of spring starting to show through, this week we’re diving into the theme of wellbeing – both for us and our garden wildlife. RHS Science & Horticulture Editor Olivia Drake joins us to explain why the common primrose is an essential early source of nectar for pollinators. We’ll also be exploring the powerful role gardens can play in our own health and wellbeing. The RHS has just launched a new science-backed Wellbeing Blueprint, designed to help anyone create a garden that actively supports wellbeing. Ashby Sachs and Vicky Shearing, who worked on the project, join us to talk about what the research reveals, and how we can all put those insights into practice. And finally we’ll also be dropping by the World Food Garden at RHS Garden Wisley, where edibles expert Liz Mooney will be showing us how, where and when to sow peas for a great harvest later in the year. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Olivia Drake, Liz Mooney, Ross Cameron, Ashby Sachs, Victoria Links: RHS Daffodil Diaries Primroses RHS Wellbeing Garden Blueprint What to plant in a wellbeing garden The science behind the RHS Wellbeing Garden Blueprint How to grow peas
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    35 mins
  • Learning From The Wild

    Learning From The Wild
    Mar 5 2026
    This week, we’re leafing through the pages of The Plant Review to explore a simple question: what can we learn from the wild? American plantsman Daniel J. Hinkley reflects on a lifetime of exploration that has taken him to some of the wildest places on Earth in search of plants. Yet in his article he turns his attention to a small, unassuming genus growing close to home in Washington State: Coptis. Next, David Pearce, curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, transports us to the cloud-shrouded mountains of Madeira to meet a striking architectural plant found nowhere else in the wild, and one that he’s been successfully cultivating on the Dorset coast. And finally, Sacchi Parasrampuria and James Miller take us to Poon Hill in Nepal, reflecting on a recent plant observation trip and the lessons they brought back from the Himalayas. Hosts: James Armitage and Gareth Richards Contributors: Daniel J Hinkley, David Pearce, Saachi Parasrampuria, James Miller Links: The Plant Review Heronswood Gardens Abbotsbury subtropical gardens Musschia wollastonii
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    37 mins
  • Rethinking rose pruning, self-sufficiency, and ornamental grasses

    Rethinking rose pruning, self-sufficiency, and ornamental grasses
    Feb 26 2026
    This week we join gardener and biologist Benny Hawksbee in his rose beds to find out how one small adjustment to the traditional rose pruning method can create vital habitat for a key aphid predator. RHS Garden Wisley’s Liz Mooney tells us about her journey to self-sufficiency, and horticulturist Rose Holman guides us through how to cut back your ornamental grasses before the new growth comes through. Host: Josie Harris Contributors: Benny Hawksbee, Liz Mooney, Rose Holman Links: Benny’s video on pruning roses RHS guidance on pruning roses Become a member of the RHS Ornamental grasses
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    32 mins
  • Wet winter gardening, woodland walks and pruning wisteria

    Wet winter gardening, woodland walks and pruning wisteria
    Feb 19 2026
    This week, we’re heading to RHS Garden Wisley to discover how its horticulturists are turning one of the wettest starts to the year on record into a garden that’s primed for spring. Team leader Helen Bensted-Smith shares some top tips for gardening in persistently soggy conditions, and explains why increasingly wet winters and dry summers are challenges we need to adapt to rather than battle against. Guy Barter takes us on a seasonal stroll through Oakwood, which is coming into its own at this time of year, and has plenty of take-home ideas for gardening in damp shade. And finally, we popped in to see Liam Anderson, who’s hard at work pruning the 75m Wisteria Walk. In just a few months, it will be transformed into a spectacular tunnel of cascading purple and white blooms. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Helen Bensted-Smith, Guy Barter, Liam Anderson Links: How to choose plants for seasonally wet and dry soils RHS daffodil diaries Sarcococca Wisteria pruning video Wisteria at Wisley
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    31 mins
  • The wildlife wonders of hazel, the science of winter wellbeing and hot crops from Wisley

    The wildlife wonders of hazel, the science of winter wellbeing and hot crops from Wisley
    Feb 12 2026
    This week, as its delicate catkins unfurl on bare branches, Digital Science Editor Olivia Drake introduces this month’s RHS Wildlife Wonder plant — the hazel – which not only supplies queen bumblebees with much needed early pollen, but also provides tasty nuts and abundant leaves to support a huge range of wildlife throughout the year. And while it may still be a little early to sow most crops directly outdoors, if you’ve got a greenhouse or warm windowsill you can get a head start on the growing season. Down at RHS Garden Wisley, Liz Mooney is busy sowing aubergines, sweet peppers and chillies, and she’ll be sharing her top tips for getting the best from these heat-loving crops. Finally, Professor Ross Cameron from the University of Sheffield – author of Plants Can Save Your Life – joins us to explore the science of plants and wellbeing, and how indoor gardening can play a powerful role in boosting our health. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Olivia Drake, Liz Mooney, Ross Cameron, Gareth Richards Links: RHS Plants Can Save Your Life: How to live healthier and happier with plants Wildlife wonder - hazel RHS Grow Your Own
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    35 mins