Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

This week, I’m speaking to Gwendolyn van Paaschen about the legendary garden designer John Brookes. Gwendolyn is the owner of Denmans Garden and chairman of the John Brookes-Denmans Foundation. Gwendolyn’s new book ‘How to Design a Garden’ brings together a collection of John’s works from across his lengthy career, disseminating the fundamental principles which underpinned his design work, in a way that is useful to both professionals and home gardeners. Gwendolyn is carrying on John’s work at Denmans by opening the garden to the public and as she puts in at the end of the interview, keeping his conversation going.  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: House Spiders Please don’t forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Who was John Brookes and what are some of the highlights he accomplished during his long career? The importance of designing in the vernacular and John expressed this through his designs  How John’s design style and interests evolved during his career  Garden designers today who particularly embody the work of John Brookes His influence on garden design over the past 50 years The long term effect of John's design in the realms of amateur gardening About Gwendolyn van Paasschen Gwendolyn van Paasschen, a garden designer and writer, worked with landscape designer John Brookes MBE and helped write his memoir, A Landscape Legacy (Pimpernel Press, 2018). Chairman of the John Brookes-Denmans Foundation, she owns Denmans Garden. Currently writing a book about Denmans, she also writes about garden design. Links How to Design a Garden By John Brookes MBE. Edited and introduction by Gwendolyn van Paasschen. Preface by Andrew Duff Released 7th October www.denmans.org

This week’s guest, Marlow Renton, is the co-founder of Wild Food UK. Marlow talks about why we should all go out foraging, especially children, about how we can overcome our fear of wild food (particularly mushrooms!), what to look out for, when to do it and where to do it responsibly and how to get help if, like me, you’re a bit of a wild food wuss. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Cabbage Root Flies Please don’t forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover How Marlow learnt to forage How easy is it to forage? Why it’s important to take children foraging What to be careful of when foraging Foraging responsibly How scared should we be of mushrooms? Helpful resources if you’re unsure where to start About Wild Food UK “Wild Food UK was formed a few years ago by Marlow and Eric driven by a desire to expand peoples experience of nature into a practical source of enjoyment. Since then the company has grown in course leaders and course locations, covering most of the UK. Our aim is to educate people about tasty edible wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, roots and flowers that we think everyone should be able to identify, pick and eat with confidence. We’re extremely lucky in Britain to have a climate that provides us plenty of food all year round, all you need to know is how to find it. We teach these “skills for life”; and we believe that with the skills we teach, every life will be enhanced. Not only is foraging fun and interesting; you never know when being able to pick your own food might come in genuinely useful or even life saving!” https://www.wildfooduk.com/about-us/ Links www.wildfooduk.com

This week, I’m speaking with Dr Sandy Primrose about his brilliant book Modern Plant Hunters, which tells the stories of plant hunting in more recent times; who’s doing it, why and what are they looking for. Find out about the challenges plant hunters past and present have faced, whether you can do it in somewhere like the UK and the kind of qualities and personal traits you might need if you want to start - spoiler, it’s not for the faint-hearted! Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Mosquitoes Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more - enter the code ROOTS20 to get 20% off until the end of August. What we cover Why do people go on plant hunting expeditions in this day and age? Some of the difficulties they face The prominent plant hunters today The CITES treaty and the Nagoya protocol The extent to which politics, funding issues, international relations etc have interfered with the work of plant hunters Plant hunting in the UK Advice for anyone interested in plant hunting About Dr Sandy Primrose Dr Sandy Primrose MBE PhD has spent his professional life as a biologist in academia and industry, as well as working with various government agencies on food fraud and related topics. He is a keen gardener and passionate teacher and lectures extensively on plant-related topics. - https://olympiapublishers.com/authors/sandy-primrose/ Links Modern Plant Hunters by Dr Sandy Primrose - Pimpernel Press Ltd. 

This week, I visited Golden Hill Nurseries to interview Roger Butler, Find out about the different species in cultivation, the best way to prune hydrangeas, what and when to feed them and of course, the all important information about whether your flowers will be pink or blue and what, if anything, you can do about it! Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Horse Chestnut moth Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more - enter the code ROOTS20 to get 20% off until the end of August. What we cover Where hydrangeas originate from Their preferred growing conditions The main species in cultivation Why are some hydrangeas blue and some pink? Can blue hydrangeas turn pink and what can we do if we want blue hydrangeas but can only seem to grow pink ones?  The colour range of hydrangea flowers How and when should to prune hydrangeas How many months off the year can we expect hydrangeas to bloom?  Particularly good species Pests and diseases, or lack thereof! About Roger Butler Roger is the owner of Golden Hill Nurseries, a plant centre based in Kent, specialising in hydrangeas, hedging plants, Japanese maples and larger shrubs. Roger has made many appearances in the media sharing his expertise about hydrangeas and regularly gives talks on the subject. The nursery has won multiple medals at RHS shows for their plant displays and you can catch up with them at one of the RHS shows this year, or order from them online. Links www.goldenhillplants.com Signature Hydrangeas Signature Plants Signature Shrubs

This week’s guest is Annika Zetterman, a Swedish garden designer teacher and author of New Nordic Gardens. Annika works internationally designing visually beautiful gardens which encompass sustainability, respect for the local environment and aesthetic and which exemplify all the best aspects of Scandinavian design. In this episode, Annika talks about the ethos behind Scandinavian design as it’s expressed in a landscape setting and decodes why the gardens featured in her book are so downright stunning. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Grasshoppers Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more.  What we cover When talking about Nordic gardens, which countries Annika includes in her book The importance of light in Nordic gardens and what effect this has on the colours and materials designers choose Nordic design can be thought of as pared back, uncluttered, clean - where does this aesthetic come from? Sustainability and how it underlies outdoor design in Nordic countries Attention to detail and the meticulous selection of hard landscaping materials The weather and how this is coped with in gardens Trends emerging in contemporary Nordic gardens About Annika Zetterman “Annika Zetterman is the founder and designer at Zetterman Garden Design, creating gardens with Scandinavian ethos throughout the Nordics and beyond, with projects in Sweden, Spain, France, Switzerland and in the UK. She arrived back to her homeland, Stockholm, Sweden 2010, after living abroad, in Hawaii, USA and 10 years in London, UK.  Annika is the author of the book ‘New Nordic Garden, Scandinavian Landscape Design’ published in 2017 and in 2021 (Thames & Hudson), with a Danish translation 2018. Her projects have been featured in books and publications, nationally as well as internationally. Annika was teaching garden design in Stockholm for seven years and lectures on the subject both in Sweden and abroad.  Annika is driven by creating aesthetically pleasing and sustainable expressions, with respect to surrounding landscapes and architecture, while maintaining a positive contribution to future generations and to the Scandinavian design heritage." http://www.annikazetterman.com/indexENG.html Links New Nordic Gardens by Annika Zetterman  www.annikazetterman.com  Annika on Instagram 

This episode I’m speaking to permaculture designer, teacher, author Anna Locke. Anna is my favourite type of gardener, in that she walks the walk and has a wealth of experience in growing edible plants. Anna has recently published a book called The Forager’s Garden, and in the interview, we talk about how to create an easy to look after yet productive space. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Crab spiders Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more.  What we cover A forest garden is "a project to dip into and out of as time, money and opportunity comes along” (The Forager’s Garden). Can a garden really be that little work?  Guild planting Grafting fruit trees onto wild hawthorns and blackthorn The theory behind Anna’s 'keep it for now' policy Hugelkultur beds Ollas Advice for anyone starting a forager’s garden from scratch How to ID the plants you have About Anna Locke Anna is a permaculture designer and teacher based in Hastings. She is also a community development project manger. With a solid background as a gardener, specialising in forager’s gardens, she offers a bespoke design service or consultancy. She has planted over 50 forager’s gardens of varying sizes, including a large ongoing project in Hornshurt Wood and in her own small-scale permaculture farm, both in East Sussex. She regularly holds workshops to empower people to plant their own, look out for- ‘How to Plant a Forager’s Garden’ on her instant courses website.  Links www.annalockepermaculture.co.uk  The Forager’s Garden by Anna Locke 

This week, I’m talking Head Gardeners with Ambra Edwards; why she chose the ones she did to feature in her book of that name, the diverse range of tasks they undertake and what makes a good one. I ask Ambra what prompted her to write a book about some of the legendary and some of the unsung heroes of the horticultural world and if she could swap places with one, whose boots would she choose to fill.  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Gooseberry sawfly This episode is sponsored by gardencourses.com. gardencourses.com offers online horticultural training for those looking to develop their own, home gardens. The lasted course to be added is Create Your Garden Sanctuary - you can go to gardencourses.com to find out more.  What we cover How Ambra chose the head gardeners included in the book Is there any such thing as a typical head gardener? Some of the unexpected roles the gardeners in the book have to perform How much gardens are expressions of the personality of the head gardener Is it stifling for a head gardener to stick to historical plans/designs and not inject their own creativity into a space?  What makes a great head gardener?  Gardening as a profession  About Ambra Edwards Ambra Edwards is a journalist with a special interest in garden history, and the people, passions and often surprising stories that lie behind our gardens. Three times voted the Garden Media Guild's Garden Journalist of the Year  (2006, 2009 and 2015), she is a regular contributor to the Guardian, the Telegraph, Gardens Illustrated, Hortus and Country Living. Her most recent book is The Story of the English Garden (Pavilion, 2018). She lives in Dorset. https://www.pimpernelpress.com/ambra-edwards Links www.ambra-edwards.com https://www.pimpernelpress.com/head-gardeners-2 www.gardencourses.com

In this episode, I’m talking to Dr Elizabeth Westaway and Matthew Adams, founders of Growing Real Food for Nutrition, or Grffn for short. Grffn’s vision is for a world where all food is grown for its nutritional qualities using regenerative practices, and made accessible to all. We talk about how the way food is grown can affect its nutritional value and how this can support environmentally sound growing practices.  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Conopid flies This episode is sponsored by gardencourses.com. gardencourses.com offers online horticultural training for those looking to develop their own, home gardens. The lasted course to be added is Create Your Garden Sanctuary - you can go to gardencourses.com to find out more.  What we cover How Elizabeth and Matthew came to start Growing Real Food for Nutrition Why not all carrots are made equal How you measure the nutrient content of food Why it can vary How we can make sure we’re growing nutrient dense food How citizen science helps Brix testing Is organically grown food generally higher in nutrients than non-organically grown? About Growing Real Food for Nutrition Grffn’s vision is for a world where all food is grown for its nutritional qualities using regenerative practices, and made accessible to all, creating an abundance of health and harmony, reconnecting humans with Mother Earth. Grffn’s mission is to deepen citizens’ understanding of how we derive nutrition from natural processes and to realise its impact on human development. Links www.grffn.org

This week I’m speaking to Michelle Mason, stylist, designer, author and co-founder of Mason & Painter a shop located next to Columbia Road which specialises in furniture, homewares and plants. Michelle’s latest book Flower Market: Botanical Style at Home, is a mouth-wateringly beautiful and inspirational guide to styling your home using plants and cut flowers. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Noctuid moths This episode is sponsored by gardencourses.com. gardencourses.com offers online horticultural training for those looking to develop their own, home gardens. The lasted course to be added is Create Your Garden Sanctuary - you can go to gardencourses.com to find out more.  What we cover Can you learn an eye for design?  The importance of taking the time to arrange a small corner or table top with a collection of beautiful things  The creative process and the end result  Starting the habit of creating botanical displays How a theme or narrative can underpin a creation  The accessories Michelle wouldn't be without when styling The importance of sourcing sustainably grown and seasonal plants and flowers Arranging plants and flowers on a budget? About Michelle Mason Michelle Mason is a designer, shopkeeper and stylist and has worked for a number of clients including Sir John Soane’s Museum shop, the British Library, the National Gallery and the Southbank Centre. She is also co-founder of east London vintage shop Mason & Painter in Columbia Road, home to the weekly Sunday Flower Market. Her first book was Flower Market (Pimpernel, 2019). https://www.pimpernelpress.com/michelle-mason Links Mason & Painter Flower Market: Botanical Style at Home by Michelle Mason Vintage Shops London by Michelle Mason www.gardencourses.com

This week I’m speaking to Mark Laurence. For decades, Mark has been at the vanguard of sustainable and ecologically sensitive landscape and garden design. He currently specialises in coastal plants and gardens and in this interview we cover what makes a coastal garden, which types of plants fare well on the coast and whether these gardens can be havens for wildlife. Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Flatworms This episode is sponsored by gardencourses.com. gardencourses.com offers online horticultural training for those looking to develop their own, home gardens. The lasted course to be added is Create Your Garden Sanctuary - you can go to gardencourses.com to find out more.  What we cover Mark’s background and work What is a coastal garden? How far can a garden be from the sea and still be classified as coastal? Some of the challenges facing plants in a coastal garden Plants that do well by the coast and plants don't fare well Coastal gardens and wildlife Trees for coastal gardens Further resources (or not!) About Mark Laurence Since 1987 Mark has worked as a designer, specialising in sustainable and adaptive landscapes, natural “drift” planting, coastal, water & rain gardens, living walls and vertical green infrastructure for urban environments.  He is a current committee member (Technical & Sustainability) and has been a keynote speaker at SDG and other conferences. He works locally and internationally, creating water gardens in USA, living walls in London, Trondheim, Chicago and Dubai.  Mark is a chartered horticulturalist and consults on horticulture and arboriculture in the Middle East.  He has a passion for creating nurturing and relaxed gardens and landscapes which connect people to nature and place. https://www.sgd.org.uk/find_a_designer/search_for_a_designer/designers/f4775253-4f5d-4eaf-8fc1-cdb3b3755524/   Links www.marklaurence.com Mark Laurence on Facebook  www.gardencourses.com