Gardening with the RHS

As we approach the most festive time of year, we’ve decided to share a recipe for a plant-filled Christmas. In this episode, we’ll be returning to Bristol with Naomi Slade to hear how she decks her halls with things from the garden. We’ll then be making our way to the Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm to get a feel for life at the busiest point in their calendar. And finally, we’re exploring the curious world of parasitic plants, including a festive favourite: mistletoe.Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Naomi Slade, Simon Maughan, Alex SummersLinks:RHS The Winter GardenFrenchay Christmas Tree FarmHow to grow your own mistletoeChristmas with the RHS

This week, we’re wrapping up warm and heading out into our gardens to take a moment to really appreciate our garden birds. Wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore gives us a masterclass on recognising the calls of common birds at this time of year. Writer and wildlife gardening guru Kate Bradbury shares her top tips for making a bird-friendly garden. And finally, we delve into the story behind the remarkable number of American songbirds that made it across the Atlantic this autumn. Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Gary Moore, Kate Bradbury, and Rob JaquesLinks:Birds in your gardenPlants for birdsRHS Wildlife Gardening for everyone and everything, RHS How to Create a Wildlife PondGarden BirdWatchBTO’s BirdTrack Migration Blog

Weeds have many faces. They feed birds, butterflies, bees, and the like. They spread like wildfire, but are resilient. They compete with crops, yet can add colour and beauty at times when our gardens feel lacklustre. They’re complicated – and the way we regard them, even more so. So, in today's show, we’re taking a holistic look at the weeds in our gardens – discussing what constitutes a weed, how to deal with them safely, and how we can see them as more than the enemy. Chief horticulturist Guy Barter chats about this upcoming book What’s That Weed?, the students who brought together Wisley’s ‘What is a Weed?’ exhibition share their perspectives on these rapid spreaders, and finally, author Ann Treneman gives her advice on creating weed containers. Presenter: Gareth RichardsContributors: Guy Barter, Ann Treneman, Students from St John the Baptist SchoolLinks:RHS Weeds: The beauty and uses of 50 vagabond plantsIdentify common weedsControlling WeedsExhibition: What is a weed?

With the first cold snap hitting the UK this past week, it’s really starting to feel like winter. It’s a time of structural beauty, of evergreen supremacy, of frosty seedheads, and of low but magical light. So this week, we’re focusing in on all the mystery and enchantment of a winter garden. We’re chatting with author Naomi Slade about designing and revamping gardens in the colder months, leaning into year-round grow-your-own with garden manager Sheila Das, and exploring how to bring a bit of the winter charm inside with what’s available now to pick. Presenter: Guy BarterContributors: Naomi Slade, Sheila Das, Gareth Richards, Hazel Gardiner, and Shane ConnollyLinks:RHS The Winter GardenVegetables: growing for winterWinter Flowers Week

It’s that time of year again… Our annual book special is here! Today, Helen Griffin, RHS Book Publishing Manager, chats with Fiona Davidson, Guy Barter, and Arthur Parkinson about their top gardening book picks of 2023. Tune in for a discussion on the future of GYO and resilient planting, the relevance of gardening history, and wildcard topics like cut flowers, winter gardening, and yes, even murder. Presenter: Helen GriffinContributors: Fiona Davidson, Guy Barter, Arthur Parkinson, and Matt PottageBooks Discussed: Botany of the Kitchen Garden by Helena Dove Rekha’s Kitchen Garden: Seasonal Produce and Home-Grown Wisdom from One Gardener’s Allotment Year by Rekha Mistry RHS The Winter Garden by Naomi Slade England’s Gardens: A Modern History by Stephen Parker Gardening can be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers by Marta McDowell Not Another Jungle: Comprehensive Care for Extraordinary Houseplants by Tony Le Britton Chatsworth: The gardens and the people who made them by Alan Titchmarsh A Year Full of Veg: A Harvest for All Seasons by Sarah Raven The Cut Flower Sourcebook by Rachel Siegfried

As the surrounding world starts looking a little bleaker, we’ve decided to explore how to best turn our homes into verdant oases. RHS Digital Editor Jenny Laville chats with Gareth Richards about the best low-maintenance houseplants, fun climbers for indoors, and underrated care tips and tricks. Social historian Catherine Horwood regales us with the history of ever-changing houseplant trends. And finally, author and podcaster Alice Vincent reveals the role houseplants played in her own gardening journey. Presenters: Gareth Richards and Jenny LavilleContributors: Catherine Horwood and Alice Vincent Links: Picking the right houseplant Houseplants for different locations Houseplants for students Potted History: How Houseplants Took Over Our Homes Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival Rootbound: Rewilding a Life

This week, we’re journeying back through time, taking stock of a few significant moments in botanical history. We’re unravelling their mysteries, considering their reverberations, and imagining what this all might mean for the future. We're starting with a tale on the first flowering of the giant waterlily in cultivation, then discovering how ‘Midwinter Fire’ gave Cornus sanguinea a whole new reputation, and finally, we're taking a look at the life and legacy of Arthur Bulley, founder of Ness Botanic Gardens. Each of these stories draws inspiration from articles in the December issue of The Plant Review.The Plant ReviewRHS A Plant for Every Day of the YearFoggy Bottom: A Garden to ShareNess Botanic Gardens

This week, we journey through RHS Garden Wisley, capturing some of its autumnal beauty while also looking ahead as winter edges ever closer. Garden Manager Sheila Das chats with us about her no-dig journey, entomologist Dr. Seirian Sumner fills us in on wasps’ winter preparation, and finally, Wisley advisors provide a seasonal Q&A.  Links:How to grow a No-Dig Garden How to improve your soil with the ‘No Dig’ technique Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps Leafmould Mulches and mulching Preventing winter damage Autumn-interest shrubs

This month – October – is UK Black History Month – and the theme for 2023 is “Saluting our Sisters,” highlighting the influence Black women have had in shaping history and inspiring change. So for today’s show, we’re exploring a few of the extraordinary stories of Black women gardeners who’ve made and continue to make a difference in the world of horticulture — all while looking ahead to what we can do to create a more equitable future. Award-winning garden designer Juliet Sargeant is sharing the stories behind her designs. We’re getting a look at the life and work of Mrs Annie Vann Reid – an American nurserywoman who built a plant empire almost 100 years ago. And, finally, we’re chatting with floral artist Hazel Gardiner about making an impact through plants. Links:The history of Black British gardeners is one of resistanceThe Garden History PodcastA Short History of FlowersJuliet Sargeant: Gardens & LandscapesHazel Gardiner Design

This week, with all the glorious leaf colour on display, we’re exploring the entangled wonder of the arboreal world, getting a behind the scenes look at what trees are up to now and chatting about how best to incorporate them within our gardens. Renowned nurseryman Nick Dunn is back on the podcast to talk crab apples. Silvologist and author Dr Gabriel Hemery is lifting the veil on what exactly is happening with trees at this time of year. And finally, garden designer Arit Anderson and scientist Dr Henrik Sjoman discuss what to keep in mind when choosing what to plant.Links:RHS guide to treesRHS The Garden MagazineThe Tree Almanac 2024The Essential Tree Selection Guide