Gardening with the RHS

This week we're gardening on barges, balconies and in bathrooms in a programme dedicated to urban gardening. Writer Alice Vincent dispenses tips on plants, pots and more from her London balcony garden 40ft above the ground. Freddie Blackett of Patch Plants talks about the changing ways we're buying and using houseplants, and permaculture designer Poppy Okotcha shares her experiences gardening on a houseboat in the heart of the city.

Join us on a globetrotting plant extravaganza! Sally Miller from the Barbados Horticultural Society takes us on a totally tropical tour of her paradise island garden. Danny Clarke – aka The Black Gardener – offers trolley-fuls of advice and design tips for making a garden so gorgeous you'll never want to leave it. Dr Chris Thorogood of Oxford Botanic Garden leads us into the steamy jungles of Borneo in search of the world's biggest flower, revealing some of its curious habits along the way. Plus author and columnist Pattie Barron shares her love of Mediterranean gardens and advice on how to give your garden a sun-drenched makeover in just a weekend.

This week we're talking all things edible with a programme entirely devoted to growing your own fruit and vegetables. Award-winning garden designer Juliet Sargeant shares veg garden wisdom in a piece that's a must-listen for anyone starting out on a homegrown journey. Allotment holder and Instagram gardener Kirsty Ward shares her life-long love of gooseberries, along with tips on how to grow them. Plus the RHS Gardening Advice Team answer listeners' questions on crop rotation, Florence fennel and growing veg in the shade.

This week we have an ode to oaks as we celebrate grandfather of British native trees. Wisley Curator Matthew Pottage shares his personal love for Quercus, and wisdom on how to garden with them. Professor Fiona Stafford from the University of Oxford, (author of 'The Long, Long Life of Trees') reveals their history and folklore. Plus Nikki Barker from the RHS Gardening Advice team offers extra advice on ways to use oaks in your garden.

This week we're talking green roofs with designer Ula Maria (past winner of the RHS Young Designer of the Year competition). We have part two of our chat about houseplants with biophilic designers and Virtual Chelsea exhibitors Studio Roco; plus the Gardening Advice team answer members' queries on dealing with lily beetle, groundcover shade planting and growing olives.

Plants might not seem like front-line weapons in our fight to stay healthy, but as our contributors to this week's programme show, green is good for everything from coronavirus to PTSD. My Little Allotment Kirsty Ward tells the story of how she used an allotment to help her rebuild her mental health after being diagnosed with PTSD following a traumatic childbirth experience. Nurse Kate Tantam (who cared for the 84 year old explorer we featured in last week's show as he was recovering from Covid-19) explains how and why hospital gardens are so good for patients. Plus RHS Young Ambassador George Hassall shares his love of the Acer (Japanese maple).

Show Manager Katherine Potsides takes us on a tour of this year's virtual version of the 'Greatest Flower Show on Earth'. Featuring biophilic design from Studio Roco, who give houseplant tips and talk us through their inspiration from artist, film-maker and activist Derek Jarman's renowned seaside garden in Kent. Meanwhile, Fiona Davison, RHS Head of Libraries, explores the show's history and origins, including a look at how the gardens have changed over time. Award-winning designer Tom Massey tells the tale of how unused Chelsea plants have brought joy from tragedy. After the show's cancellation was announced, they were planted in a hospital garden – with transformative results. One patient in particular felt the benefit: seeing this new garden literally gave Robin Hanbury-Tenison (an 84 year-old famous explorer) a new lease of life after his long battle with Covid-19.

This week Chelsea designer Jilayne Rickards and agricultural entrepreneur Beauty Gombana share the stories behind Jilayne's Zimbabwean-themed garden 'Giving Girls a Space to Grow', created for female education charity CAMFED. The advice team answers listeners' questions on subjects including taking cuttings, growing rubber plants and how to improve soil without buying compost. Plus designer Sarah Eberle's ode to the hawthorn tree.

Lots of us are drawing on creative pastimes as a way of getting through the current situation. This week we speak to artist, scientist, author and Deputy Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden, Dr Chris Thorogood. Chris shares his fascination with weird and wonderful plants and offers some expert tips on how to paint and draw them. Fiona Davison explores the history of botanical art at what is generally considered the world's biggest collection of plant paintings, the RHS Lindley Library. Young RHS Ambassador George Hassall is also a fan of plants that bite back, and he tells us about his passion for the gruesomely beautiful pitcher plants, Nepenthes. And finally... our resident allotment guru Guy Barter talks to gardening advisor Leigh Hunt about cunning ways to beat seed shortages and grow your own at home.

As we approach International Dawn Chorus Day this Sunday (3rd May), we've decided to dedicate an entire episode of the podcast to our feathered friends. We meet the RSPB's Adrian Thomas, who orchestrated a top 40-charting single composed entirely of birdsong; RHS wildlife guru Helen Bostock offers advice on how to make your garden bird-friendly, and Dr John Grimshaw of The Yorkshire Arboretum shares his love of peafowl. Plus an unforgettable rook impression from RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter.