Spring is well and truly here - as clocks change, sunny days lengthen, and the occasional chilly night catches us unaware. But the main thing is plants are really starting to wake up and give us something to cheer about after a very wet and gloomy winter! Saul and Lucy look forward to really getting to grips with there gardens both at home and work - and Plant collections up and down the breathe of the UK start showing themselves at their best for all to behold. Finally the 2026 gardening year begins!

Get your thinking caps on - it's symposium time! Leaving their dibbers and desks behind for a day, Saul and Lucy trot off to London to attend the RHS symposium. Here, under one roof, many horticultural specialist's minds come together to ponder how the shift in climate is affecting our gardening mindset. Of course, there are concerns - but there are also opportunities - and both podcasters are pleasantly surprised by the new attitude towards biodiversity.

Instagram links:
Saul plantsmansaul

Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Spring is well and truly here - as clocks change, sunny days lengthen, and the occasional chilly night catches us unaware. But the main thing is plants are really starting to wake up and give us something to cheer about after a very wet and gloomy winter! Saul and Lucy look forward to really getting to grips with there gardens both at home and work - and Plant collections up and down the breathe of the UK start showing themselves at their best for all to behold. Finally the 2026 gardening year begins!

Brandish those pressure washers, Saul is back in the garden cleaning up after winter and preparing the way for his Exotics, while Lucy squeezing through Berberis bushes to reach nettles - nothing like some jeopardy to fulfil your gardening day. Also Flower shows are starting to gather pace - Daffodils and Orchids, Plant fairs and Village Spring shows fill our weekends as we marvel at the UK's appetite for excellent gardening.

Instagram links:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Saul plantsmansaul

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

With Saul being busy with his Plant Heritage work this week, Lucy takes up the reins by guiding us, day by day, through her working week. She visits Georgina on Monday, speaks to Jon on Tuesday, works with Mick on Wednesday, has a scone with Elizabeth on Thursday, and visits Len on Friday - all in the name of horticulture, of course. The Essex weather this week has been lovely - blue skies, buzzing bees - and even the odd Brimstone butterfly - so no wonder she ends her days by flopping into or onto the nearest soft furnishing she can find, with a satisfying sigh (and biscuit...).

Instagram links:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Saul plantsmansaul

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

Well Winter is really starting to transform into Spring now, and so are our gardens. Lucy returns after her week away with tales of gardening shenanigans from pruning and training red currants, to clearing the final winter debris from emerging herbaceous borders, all while Saul does nothing, though it will soon be show season! The pair also start reflecting back on their life in horticulture, prompted by Frances' words last year, and realise a lot has changed in 25 years of being in the garden - what will the next 25 years hold, well one things for sure - more #HortiWaffle!

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Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

Well who would have thought that we'd reach episode 300 without Lucy and I killing each other (it's been close), but seriously what a journey over the last 6 years - and fear not we're only getting started. Having said that Lucy is obviously not too bothered as unfortunately she had to go off and talk about Vegetables (suprise, suprise) somewhere in Essex, so Saul picked up the phone and bought in the next best thing.. Frances Tophill...now a fellow Devonian and one of the most down to earth Gardeners World presenters your likely to meet!

Instagram link:
Saul plantsmansaul

Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Frances francestophill

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

At last! Spring is on the horizon, we've had a few days without rain and it finally feels as though that winter dankness is coming to an end. So, the podcasting duo celebrate with... a day out in London! It's to visit the Garden Press Event - and as well as catching up with their horticultural chums, Lucy and Saul see innovations in peat-free composts, water conservation and much more. As if that wasn't enough, Saul has also been able to flex his gardening muscles with some fruit tree and wisteria pruning, while Lucy blitzes a huge rash of weeds, pots up cyclamen seedlings and plants some impressive standard elaeagnus.

Instagram link:
Saul plantsmansaul

Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

Well well well - the weather has...…not improved! On what feels like one of the wettest years in recent memory Gardening (and all outdoor pursuits) has been a bit of a long slog. But the Talking Heads pair try to console each other with those gardening tasks they can get on with (or at least Saul is feeling smug about being in an office - little does he know Spring is on the horizon). So Wineberries, Pruning, Houseplants and jobs out of the rain are the order of the moment. Also as this comes out on Valentines Day, love is in the air for our rarer plants as Plant Heritage Launch the Wishlist, a matchmaking service for those who are looking for the lost and unloved.

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Saul plantsmansaul

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Winter is here in the UK, so while Saul and Lucy hunker down, don layers and fire up the kettle more frequently than usual, what do their minds turn to in the garden? This is the perfect season for clearance of 2025 growth, for establishing new designs and for de-cluttering stores and greenhouses. Any hours that you can put into the garden now, will reward you hugely come spring and summer, when the jobs mount up. Quick - more tea and biscuits!

Well - it's still raining! So while Saul feels sure that he's made the right decision and re-located to an office, Lucy throws herself into wet wintry showers by choosing jobs to keep her warm. This week, a day full of composting is on her list, as she discovers the joy of the full composting cycle. A listener also asks the podcasting team for their views on encouraging birds into the garden during winter. Ponds, berries, diverse plantings - and compost heaps - all feature in the reply.

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Saul plantsmansaul

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show