Gardening with the RHS

In the week leading to World Topiary Day, RHS Horticultural Advisor Jenny Bowden gives us an update on growing alternatives to box (Buxus sempervirens), with insights into the ongoing threat of box blight and box tree moth from Dr Stephanie Bird. Nurseryman Ed Canon from Langthorns Plantery shares his love for lilacs, flowering plants that haven’t always been considered fashionable, but are experiencing new interest due to exciting cultivar development and increased availability through micropropagation. Plus, Jenny Laville asks “what makes an award-winning garden?” as she meets Eleanor Hollingworth from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show judging team, two weeks ahead of the world’s most prestigious garden event. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Dr. Stephanie Bird, Jenny Bowden, Jenny Laville, Eleanor Hollingworth, Ed CannonContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: Box alternatives trial at RHS Garden WisleyLangthorns PlanteryChelsea Flower Show Tickets

Peter Adams from RHS Garden Rosemoor gives a masterclass in growing indoor and outdoor cucumbers with suggested varieties for growing in different situations. Esteemed plantswoman Claire Austin shares her expertise in selecting and caring for peonies – covering herbaceous, tree and intersectional types. And American plant stylist and author Hilton Carter spreads joy through the gift of houseplants – with tips for multiplying your collection through techniques including leaf and stem cuttings.Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Peter Adams, Claire Austin, Hilton CarterContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: RHS Garden Rosemoor: Fruit and Vegetable GardensHow to grow cucumbersClaire Austin: Celebration of FlowersHow to grow herbaceous and intersectional peoniesHilton Carter: The Propagation HandbookRHS plant propagation guides

Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville and Guy Barter bring a jam packed show of highlights from the inaugural RHS Urban Show in Manchester - a festival of ideas focussed on greening up small spaces, looking after houseplants, and opening discussion about better urban planning. Amanda Grimes talks us through her easy-to-replicate designs for small (often concrete) spaces, including a Punk Rockery! Jason Williams aka The Cloud Gardener showcases seven innovative gardens designed with local communities that take on the challenges of urban gardening and development. Jacob James from Grow Tropicals talks us through his amazing display of rare and intriguing houseplants, with tips for different growing environments. And award-winning young designer Nathan Webster gives us a tour of his Urban Forest design, created to provoke conversation around the importance of woodland management in built up areas. Presenter: Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville, Guy BarterContributors: Amanda Grimes, Tom Massey, Tinie, Jason Williams, Nathan Webster, Jacob JamesContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: The RHS Urban Show 2024Pop Culture Planting: Punk RockeryRHS City Spaces: CloudspacesHappy Houseplants with Grow TropicalsRHS Urban ForestChase presents: Inspired by the wild with Tom Massey and Tinie 

In the stunning Colour Gardens at The Newt In Somerset, Joe Dransfield explains how a monochrome approach to flowers can deliver dazzling impact. Liz Mooney shares grow your own tips from the World Food Garden at RHS Garden Wisley, including peas, radishes and cardoons. And we hear the inspirational and unconventional story of Roka Brings Flowers – a grower and florist who started a wonderful cut flower business from a narrowboat with a floating greenhouse in tow. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Liz Mooney, Joe Dransfield, Roka Brings FlowersContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: How to grow peasHow to grow radishesCynara cardunculus CardoonThe Newt in Somerset – an RHS Partner GardenRoka Brings FlowersRHS Urban Show

Desert roadcuts, abandoned pasture, heathland and marshy thickets inspire naturalistic planting ideas from Kevin Philip Williams and Michel Guidi, whose new book Shrouded in Light draws from wild shrubscapes. We also visit RHS Garden Rosemoor in North Devon, where Peter Adams gives us a tour of the extensive fruit and vegetable gardens with top tips for growing parsnips, shallots, cloching potatoes and protecting peas. Jenny Laville and James Armitage return to the podcast to debunk more plant terminology – this time talking about “hybrids” – what they are, how they occur and how they can be used to your advantage. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Peter Adams, Jenny Laville, James Armitage, Michael Guidi and Kevin Philip Williams Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: RHS Garden RosemoorHow to grow parsnipsHow to grow shallots How to grow potatoesF1 HybridsShrouded in Light

Do you ever fall in love with a plant, buy it, but then not know what to pair it with? Principal Horticultural Advisor James Lawrence introduces his guide to creating planting combinations that don’t just look good, but have a sustainability impact too. Guy Barter shares seasonal tips for establishing tomatoes, beetroot, and winter pumpkins and squash – helping you to set up for the Grow Your Own season. And Jack Aldridge, a horticulturist who looks after Oakwood at RHS Garden Wisley, will be singing an ode to his favourite flowering shrub, the Stachyurus.  Presenter: Guy Barter Contributors: James Lawrence, Jack Aldridge  Links: Oakwood at RHS Garden WisleyHow to grow tomatoesHow to grow beetrootHow to grow pumpkinsStachyurus praecoxStachyurus chinensisRHS Gardening advice / ChatBotanist

Often referred to as “the greatest living landscape designer” and a leading figure of the New Perennial movement – Piet Oudolf joins curator Matthew Pottage to talk about his new landscape at RHS Garden Wisley. Helen Bostock also introduces the new Bumbles on Blooms project, and the plants you should choose to help support over 250 species of bees in the UK - some with rather particular tastes. Plus, Sam Gallivan, Leader of the Nursery and Propagation team at Wisley talks about propagating plants at scale. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Matthew Pottage, Piet Oudolf, Helen Bostock, Sam GallivanContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links: Bumbles on Blooms iNaturalistOudolf LandscapeDividing perennials 

Garden designer and writer Ann Treneman shares ideas from her new book RHS Greener Gardening: Containers, explaining how you can create sustainable ecosystems whatever size your space. Jenny Laville speaks with RHS botanist James Armitage to untangle taxonomy, and discuss why plant names keep changing. And Gareth Richards meets David Ford, the holder of the National Plant Collection of Chaenomeles in Surrey, to talk about his love affair with the plant and why they’re due a mainstream revival. Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Ann Treneman, Jenny Laville, James Armitage, Gareth Richards, David FordContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links:Greener Gardening ContainersRHS Plant FinderPlant Heritage: National Plant Collections 

This week Guy Barter and RHS Sustainability Fellow Chloe Sutcliffe react to a recent study published in the journal Nature Cities that claims that urban agriculture has a carbon footprint up to 6 times bigger than conventional agriculture – discussing what this means for allotmenteers and community gardeners, and how we should be thinking about our environmental impact. Entomologist and wasp defender Serian Sumner explains why spring is the perfect time to make peace with yellowjackets, as the queens emerge from hibernation. And the RHS’s Adrian Thorne gives us a practical guide to pruning shrubby hydrangeas. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Guy Barter, Chloe Sutcliffe, Serian Sumner, Adrian ThorneContact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk Links:Nature Cities: Comparing the carbon footprints of urban and conventional agricultureEndless Forms by Serian SumnerShrubby Hydrangeas The Garden Magazine

This week, we’re trying to honour March in all its glory. We’re delving into tasty and blight-resistant tomato varieties. We’re exploring how to build and renovate harmonious and colourful borders. And finally, to celebrate International Women’s Day and the 220th anniversary of the RHS, we’re turning back the clock to honour a few of the women who’ve shaped the organisation.Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Simon Crawford, Susie Pasley-Tyler, Fiona DavisonContact: podcasts@rhs.org.ukLinks:How to grow tomatoesTomato blightGardening with Colour at Coton ManorAn Almost Impossible Thing