Gardening with the RHS

A look back over the past year to some of the best bits of our gardening podcasts. In March we met the staff and inmates at HMP Hull to find out how an award-winning prison garden has helped transform lives behind bars. Plus garden writer Sally Nex charts her quest for a plastic-free plot, and we discover what curators, editors and other RHS staff members are most looking forward to horticulturally in 2020.

This week we head to Reading to discover how gardening can bring positive life changes to people living with disabilities or ill health, thanks to the work of the charity Thrive. Plus RHS staff share their tips for homegrown Christmas decorations and Wisley's Curator Matthew Pottage shares some seasonal highlights to look out for and tips on houseplants.

Free yourself from everyday mundanities and dive into other worlds from the comfort of your own home... yes it's our annual books special! This year our literary committee share a huge range of favourites, including unusual and delightful books for gifts this Christmas, books to excite children and stimulate the minds of adults too. This year's panel comprises Fiona Davison (Head of Libraries and Exhibitions), Chris Young (Head of RHS Editorial), James Armitage, (Editor of The Plant Review) and Guy Barter (Chief Horticulturist).

With flooding, climate change and wellbeing becoming ever more important topics, planting trees has become a call to arms to anyone interested in making the future a brighter place. We talk to Carol Honeybun-Kelly from the Woodland Trust about a nationwide tree-planting campaign, The Big Climate Fightback. Dr Andrew Hirons, Senior Lecturer in Arboriculture at University Centre Myerscough offers advice on the best trees for challenging urban situations, making some personal selections that should prove resilient in the face of climate change and increasing pest and disease threats. Meanwhile, back at RHS Garden Wisley, our Gardening Advice teams offers tips on how to propagate bear's breeches (Acanthus) and shares advice on how to garden alongside cats and dogs.

What type of hedge is best for trapping pollution? Which hedging plants help mitigate flooding risks? Can you grow roses and clematis together to make a flowering hedge? We went to a recent 'Hedging Your Bets' event at RHS Garden Wisley to find out more. Plus the Gardening Advice team gathers to answer queries on houseplants for a shady bathroom, growing houseleeks and aeoniums, the secrets of making great compost – and whether you can grow your own wasabi peas?!

This week the Wisley teams share their wisdom on growing great veg and dealing with the sweet-sounding but deadly bane of many gardens: honey fungus. Pathologist Matthew Cromey shares the results of recent RHS research which shines new light on which plants are most resistant. Plus the heartwarming story of an unused church plot that was transformed with help from the RHS's Greening Grey Britain campaign into a garden to soothe and feed the mind, body and soul.

Discover the secrets to growing delicious apples and resilient grapevines with expert insights from horticulturists. Learn about the public's favorite clematis as a recent trial reveals the top cultivar. Get tips on germinating native British tree seeds and creating a hedgehog-friendly garden. Find out how to prune lavender and rosemary for vibrant regrowth. This vibrant discussion combines practical gardening advice and the joys of nurturing your green space, while celebrating sustainable gardening practices.

As autumn hits its stride we're at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex to sample the exotic yet seasonal delights of the Global Growth Vegetable Garden with Matthew Oliver and Head Chef James Curtis. Meanwhile back at Wisley, Team Leader Verity Bradbury shares her favourite autumnal plants from the Equinox Borders and entomologist Imogen Cavadino has a call for gardeners to help research into a new(ish) slug on the block which seems to be elbowing out its relatives. (If a slug could elbow!)

This week we return to Wisley for a very special event as HRH The Duchess of Cambridge opens the new Back to Nature Garden, which was inspired by show gardens co-designed by HRH alongside landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White at the Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace flower shows. It's a place for families and friends to have fun in nature, while hopefully igniting a love for gardening and growing plants. Plus seasonal gardening advice from entomologist Hayley Jones who offers timely tips on dealing with bugs, Mark Tuson who's busy planting bulbs at Wisley and we meet master daffodil grower Ron Scamp.

As autumn approaches and a new generation of gardeners re-discovers the late-season charms of chrysanthemums, we get expert advice on how to grow them from RHS Master Grower Martyn Fish of Chrysanthemums Direct. We talk to James Armitage, editor of The Plantsman, who shares some exciting news about this magazine for plant lovers ahead of its September re-launch. Plus seasonal lawn-care advice from David Hedges-Gower and joyful garden memories from Chelsea gold medal-winning designers Jilayne Rickards and Miki Sato.