Gardening with the RHS

This week we visit the World Food Garden at RHS Wisley to see how new eco-friendly ways of growing are taking shape. Guy Barter gives his expert guide to brassica growing for bumper crops of Brussels sprouts, kale and kalettes next winter. Plus a fond farewell to Sue Biggs CBE, who's been Director General of the RHS for the last 12 years – hear her reminisce about some personal highlights and a close encounter of the royal kind...Useful links Discover the World Food Garden at RHS Garden Wisley See our RHS Grow Your Own for advice on growing all kinds of fruit and veg Join the RHS for fabulous days out, free gardening advice and more

Are plants passive green things, just waiting for the next passing mouth to munch on them? Or do they sometimes fight back? This week's programme is devoted to the botanical poisoners, the tricksters and the carnivores that turn the tables and seek revenge on the animal kingdom. Featuring Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants – The A-Z of Plants That Kill, Maim, Intoxicate and Otherwise Offend; RHS Editor and flytrap fan Gareth Richards; and Dr Chris Thorogood, Deputy Director of Oxford Botanic Garden.Useful links: ►Wicked Plants [book] ►RHS advice on potentially harmful plants ►Learn more about carnivorous plants ►Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum 

The greatest flower show on earth is back in its traditional time and place at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, in spring. And what a show! Join us as we meet the designers of the Gold medal-winning 'A Rewilding Britain Landscape' garden to explore their portrayal of how the return of a long-lost species, the beaver, can transform landscapes and ecology. BBC Gardeners' World presenter Joe Swift gives a tour of his bee-friendly garden and we meet 'Cloud Gardener' Jason Williams and fellow balcony gardener Bea Tann.Useful links: RHS Chelsea Flower Show Meet the designers: A Rewilding Britain Landscape RHS Plant of the Year 2022 The Cloud Gardener, Jason Williams The Enchanted Rain Garden by Bea Tann

Did you know that bumblebees have a 75% higher metabolic rate than hummingbirds? These furry insects need a lot of energy! And your neighbourhood could help fuel our native bumblebees to fly 1 million miles. The secret is plants. We speak to RHS wildlife expert Helen Bostock and the pollinator team at RHS Science who have designed three planters that will give bees, and people, a real boost. Podcast hosts Guy Barter and Gareth Richards discuss companion planting, and Lucy Bellamy shares some simple yet fabulous planting combinations from her latest book, Grow 5.Useful linksFind out more about the RHS bumblebee plantersRHS wildlife gardening hubGrow your own fruit and vegGrow 5 by Lucy Bellamy

This week we're heading out into the darkness to meet some surprising garden friends – bats. These furry night fliers are surprising garden helpers, hoovering up all kinds of mosquitos and midges that might otherwise be biting us instead. Shirley Thompson MBE has been at the forefront of UK bat conservation for almost 40 years and she offers advice to gardeners on how we can all play our part in helping keep bat numbers strong.Did you know that some cacti grow on trees and bloom at night? Meet the spectacular moonflower, Selenicereus wittii, an epiphytic cactus from the Amazonian rainforest. Sally Petitt of Cambridge University Botanic Garden tells the tale of how it bloomed in Britain last year, for the first time ever. Plus expert veg grower Matthew Oliver from RHS Garden Hyde Hall gives some brilliant tomato-growing tips, particularly for the tricky-but-tasty beefsteak varieties.Useful linksRHS advice on bats in your gardenStars of the Night (Wild About Gardens pdf all about UK bats)Secrets of the Moonflower (Cambridge University Botanic Garden)RHS advice on how to grow tomatoesVisit RHS Garden Hyde Hall

This week we meet Michael Marriott, one of the UK’s foremost rosarians. Michael shares his expertise from a lifetime of rose growing, which is distilled into his new book, RHS Roses: An Inspirational Guide to Choosing and Growing the Best Roses. Plus troubleshooting tips on rose growing from the RHS Gardening Advice team.Matthew Oliver, horticulturist and veg grower extraordinaire continues our greenhouse growing mini-series with a piece from the beautiful glasshouse at the heart of RHS Garden Hyde Hall. Hear seasonal GYO advice and first-hand hints on how to grow melons with exceptional flavour.Useful links: ►RHS Roses: An Inspirational Guide to Choosing and Growing the Best Roses ►RHS advice on how to grow roses ►Global Growth Vegetable Garden ►How to grow melons

Join us as we celebrate 200 years of spreading gardening knowledge with RHS educational programmes. Whether you want to travel the world on botanical adventures for a Master of Horticulture qualification, or for your children to learn how to plant seeds, we are there for you. An RHS course can open the door to a fantastic career in gardening, and we hear from students past and present who share their stories.Study & learn with the RHS

Out of more than 200 gardens nationwide, only one can take the coveted crown of RHS Partner Garden of the Year. The 2021 winner has just been announced as Larch Cottage Nurseries in Cumbria's Eden Valley – we meet owner Peter Stott to find out the story behind his piece of horticultural heaven. Back at RHS Garden Wisley, horticultural advisors James Lawrence, Nikki Barker and Julie Henderson get together to answer queries on compost-making, wildflower growing and how to get year-round fragrance in your garden. Plus we talk to Sui Searle, curator of the alternative gardening newsletter Radicle, to hear about her journey into gardening and the changes she hopes to inspire within the horticultural world.Useful links RHS Partner Garden of the Year Larch Cottage Nurseries How to make compost Radicle newsletter Join the RHS for free access to RHS Partner Gardens at selected times Scented shrubs mentioned Winter honeysuckles (Lonicera fragrantissima and Lonicera x purpusii) Osmanthus x burkwoodii and Osmanthus heterophyllus Elaeagnus x ebbingei Daphnes

Today we're taking a trip back in time with Dr Chris Thorogood, Head of Science at Oxford Botanic Garden. Enter long-forgotten worlds of the weird and wonderful plants which flourished before, during and after the age of dinosaurs, and discover their descendants that still flourish today. Ferns are among these 'living fossils', and RHS Gardening Advisor James Lawrence shares some favourite varieties to grow in the garden* in discussion with colleagues Nikki Barker and Julie Henderson.Plus, an alternative look at ancient plants with Sarah Gerrard-Jones, aka The Plant Rescuer. She's built a huge online following charting her journey into rescuing abandoned plants and championing houseplant heirlooms passed down through generations.Useful links:  ►RHS info on ferns  ►RHS info on houseplants ►When Plants Took Over the Planet: The Amazing Story of Plant Evolution by Chris Thorogood ►The Plant Rescuer – The Book Your Houseplants Want You To Read by Sarah Gerrard-JonesContributors: Chris Thorogood, Sarah Gerrard-Jones

In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster Tayshan Hayden-Smith brought a traumatised community together through gardening. In almost exactly 5 years his gardening journey has taken him from neglected London street-side spaces to a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It's a tale of resilience, resourcefulness and horticultural heroism – and homage to the bravery of 1970s activists whose legacy lives on today. There's bravery in admitting your mistakes too, as BBC Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost shows as he shares one of his gardening fails. Plus, RHS advisors gather to answer queries on daffodils that won't flower, growing lawns in shady spots and veg growing in raised beds.Useful links: ►'Hands Off Mangrove' garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ►Grow2Know CIC ►Search RHS advice online ►Join the RHS for free, personalised gardening advice ►Houseplant care ►Lawns in shade ►Grow your own fruit and veg