Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

Welcome to this pre-Christmas episode of the podcast, the final one of 2021. And what a year this has been! In this episode, I talk about what's been happening at Roots and All and look back over some of the favourite episodes from this year. Thank you for supporting the podcast this year and a Merry Christmas to you! What I cover The redesigned Roots and All website and the bookshop Episode 94 - Wild Gardens with Jo McKerr Episode 99 - Pollinators & Pollination with Prof Jeff Ollerton Episode 108 - Dr Glynn Percival of Bartlett Tree Research Episode 125 - Modern Plant Hunters with Dr Sandy Primrose Episode 136 - The View from Federal Twist with James Golden Patreon Membership

This week's guest is Dr Jude Piesse. Jude's book 'The Ghost in the Garden' is essentially about Charles Darwin's largely forgotten garden in Shrewsbury but the book turned out to be much more than a study of the garden, its history and the man himself. In fact, these aspects are almost incidental to the other characters in the book and this makes it an amazing narrative where many aspects are hung together on the framework of the garden. In the interview, Jude tells us about how the book developed, the characters that animated the garden and how it fed into Charles Darwin's work and life. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Winter Bumblebees Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover How Jude first came across Charles Darwin's garden and what was it about the garden that interested her Jude says the book is more a collective biography and memoir than just the story of Darwin and it incorporates a whole host of characters. She talks about whether this was intentional. When the garden was built and what the contemporary horticultural world was like How might the change from landscape gardens to the collectors' gardens with their array of exotic species have contributed to scientific discoveries at that time? Whilst he was on The Beagle, the correspondence between Darwin and his family seems to have been set against the backdrop of seasonal events in the garden. Was this merely a common topic of conversation or were these updates of a deeper significance? Who were the Darwins' gardeners and what role did they play in shaping the garden and Darwin's work? How much did the garden feed into his work? Did Darwin love the garden or was it a laboratory? What is the condition of the garden now? Whose ghost is it in the garden? About Dr Jude Piesse Jude Piesse is an academic and writer. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and a PhD in English Literature from the University of Exeter. She has published widely on nineteenth-century literature and culture, including her book about emigration literature, British Settler Emigration in Print, 1832–1877 (OUP, 2016). Though she grew up in Shropshire, she did not discover Darwin's childhood garden until she moved to Shrewsbury with her young family to take up her first lectureship. She now works as a lecturer in English Literature at Liverpool John Moores University. https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/the-ghost-in-the-garden-9781913348052 Links The Ghost in the Garden by Jude Piesse - Scribe Publications, 2021

This episode features garden designer, grower, speaker and writer Andrew Sankey. Andrew specialises in English cottage gardens and has meticulously researched the subject for decades, becoming an expert on this style of gardening. He's recently released a book called The English Cottage Garden and in the interview, we talk about what defines a cottage garden, both in the past and now, the plants and features most commonly found in one and tips if you're looking to create your own. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ivy Mining Bees Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover What was a cottage garden historically and what is it now? How big is a cottage garden? What hard landscaping elements characterise a cottage garden? Which planting techniques stand out as most cottage garden-like? Where does the winter interest come from in a cottage garden? Using plants as supports for other plants Cottage gardens and wildlife Andrew's 3 essential plants Edibles in a modern cottage garden About Andrew Sankey Andrew left teaching (Head of Graphics/Design) in 1989 to start a Garden Design & Landscaping business in Lincolnshire. He discovered it was very difficult to obtain plants required for designs so started a specialist nursery stocking plants for dry shade/ dry sun. He went on to organise Plant Fairs in Lincolnshire, Cambs and Norfolk & produced a booklet called the Plant Fair Guide for a number of years. Andrew moved to a cottage near Woodhall Spa, Lincs in 1992 and created a cottage garden which was opened twice a year for the NGS and other groups. He became Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Cottage Garden Society and began lecturing on cottage gardens and related subjects (including lecture tours to Minnesota and Wisconsin in the USA). He's written booklets on Companion Planting, Cottage Favourites and Sayings and Superstitions and he continues to design gardens and lecture widely on a range of gardening topics. Links The English Cottage Garden by Andrew Sankey - The Crowood Press Ltd, 2021 Episode 62 - The Living Jigsaw with Val Bourne The Cottage Garden Society

Hello and thank you for joining me this week, as I talk to Wade Muggleton, permaculturist, tree expert and author of The Orchard Book, a book about incorporating fruit trees into your garden, however big or small your space. Wade is my favourite type of guest in that he's written a book based on 20 years of solid experience and he's busted a few myths along the way, not least the received wisdom around fruit tree pollination. So if you'd like to find out what makes an orchard, when to prune your trees, what types of tree to select, how to underplant your trees, creative tree training, what is a pitcher and what is a chequer, then listen on! Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Ear wigglers Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover What is an orchard? What types of tree might one contain? Underplanting orchard trees Keeping the costs down when establishing an orchard Have you heard of chequers? Grafting and over grafting Pitchers Pollination and the need for multiple trees of the same pollination group Creating step overs and fruit tree arches Pruning in summer instead of winter Top types of tree About Wade Muggleton "Wade Muggleton lives in Shropshire with his partner and two children, where their plot, Station Road Permaculture Garden, is a demonstration site for permaculture and opens under the National Open Gardens Scheme. In 2013, he acquired a field and now has a collection of over 130 fruit trees and was featured on BBC Gardeners' World in 2018." https://www.chelseagreen.com/writer/wade-muggleton/ Links The Orchard Book: Plan, Plant and Maintain Fruit from Garden to Field by Wade Muggleton - 2021, Permanent Publications

Welcome to this week's episode, where I'm talking water-wise gardening with Janet Manning. Janet undertook a three year project with the RHS and Cranfield University where she looked at strategies and techniques currently available to gardeners to help them both conserve and manage water in a way that reduces waste and protects the environment. We talk about why there's a need to be water-wise in wet countries like the UK, what we can do to help and why gardens are an important part of the bigger environmental picture. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harvestmen Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Janet's work with Cranfield University and the RHS How we gardeners can conserve water in our gardens How we can contribute towards rainwater management Drought tolerant plants The fabled moist, well-drained soil! Using swales and hugelkultur beds Long term meteorological predictions About Janet Manning Janet has just completed a three year water management knowledge transfer partnership between Cranfield University and the RHS. As a graduate of Cranfield with an MSc in process engineering, and after a 17 year career as a scientist in the water industry, she followed her passion for the natural environment into horticulture where she worked on a production nursery producing hardy ornamentals. Having worked 'both ends of the hose' she was well placed to take up the role at the RHS as the first garden water scientist. She has contributed to the water neutral targets set within the RHS's new sustainability strategy and has written the first water road map for Wisley as a plan implement the strategy. A gardener since she was big enough to pick up a trowel, the combination of practical gardening experience and scientific knowledge, she has recently left the Environmental Horticulture Team at Wisley but with a legacy that will continue through the sustainability strategy. Links www.mains2rains.co.uk RHS advice for water management RHS Neutral Water Targets

This week's episode features James Golden, talking about the naturalistic garden he's built around his home in New Jersey. James's garden has been created intuitively over time and sits perfectly within the landscape, in fact is a landscape in its own right. Sometimes baffling, sometimes threatening and without utilitarian purpose, the garden is nonetheless life-affirming, vital and dramatically beautiful in different ways from one moment to the next. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harlequins Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover About the garden at Federal Twist Would the garden be as successful from a horticultural and aesthetic standpoint if James had plotted the garden on paper, particularly the planting? Visitors often seem to get lost in the space and can't find a route through it - so who did James design the garden for, himself or was it always meant to be shared with visitors? James's stone circle, which serves no purpose other than an aesthetic one James on being a fearless and philosophical gardener How long is long enough to make a garden? How do you create a garden which varies so dramatically from one season to the next? What inspired the garden About James Golden "James Golden's garden design has been featured in national and international magazines, in The New York Times, and in several books on garden design. He has been the recipient of national awards and is widely known in the gardening world through his garden blog View from Federal Twist (www.federaltwist.com). James' Federal Twist garden regularly appears on tours of the Garden Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Hardy Plant Society, and on numerous private tours. Recently retired, he has started a garden design practice." https://federaltwistdesign.org/about Links The View from Federal Twist: A New Way of Thinking About Gardens, Nature and Ourselves by James Golden - Filbert Press, 2021 The View From Federal Twist Federal Twist on Instagram

This week's guest in Simon Morley, a British artist and art historian. Simon is the author of several books on modern and contemporary art and is a keen rose gardener. Simon's latest book was released a few weeks ago and is called 'By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose'. During the interview I ask Simon about the cultural significance of roses throughout history, their symbolism, their origins and what how we use roses in gardens today says about us as a society. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Cluster flies Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Why the rose is a meme Why the rose has been so enduringly beloved by humans The origins of Valentine's Day and why roses are intrinsically linked to it Why roses in religious symbology fell out of favour during protestantism Of all the concepts or beliefs that the rose signifies, which most resonates with Simon Which nations were the most important players in the development of the rose varieties we know today? Simon writes "aesthetic horticultural considerations were often coupled with a theoretical component, and the selection and arrangement of plants were determined by the botanical theory of the period, which in its turn reflected the way the world was perceived to be ordered". What does Simon think the way we use roses today tell us about how we perceive the world to be ordered? The lack of a role for roses in movements such as rewilding and the new perennial movement About Simon Morley Simon Morley is a British artist and art historian. He is the author of several books on modern and contemporary art, and has contributed reviews and essays to a number of publications. His artworks have been exhibited internationally. He is currently writing a new history of modern painting, to be published in 2023. Simon lives in France and South Korea, where he teaches at Dankook University. He is also a keen rose gardener. Links By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose by Simon Morley - Oneworld Publications, 2021 Simon's website Simon on Instagram

This week's guest is my second ever returning guest, Fiona Edmond of Green Island Gardens a garden and nursery in Essex. Fiona holds National Plant Collection status for her range of camellias, which includes winter/spring flowering varieties, but also the sometimes overlooked autumn flowering varieties, unjustly so as they offer colour in the garden when little else is happening. This episode tells you everything you need to know about successfully growing camellias. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Spanish slugs Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Autumn and spring flowering varieties The need for acidic soil when growing camellias Cultivation Feeding Some of Fiona's favourite varieties for the garden Pests and diseases About Fiona Edmond Links wwwgreenislandgardens.co.uk The Green Island Nursery On Instagram On Twitter On Facebook

This week's guest is Harriet Carty. Harriet is the Charity Director & Beautiful Burial Ground Project Manager at Caring for God's Acre, an organisation which works nationally to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy burial grounds and graveyards. These sites are refuges for wildlife, veteran trees and plants. They're community assets which need protecting and preserving for us and for future generations and I was fascinated to find out more about what's being done to look after these local treasures. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Overwintering butterflies Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover About Caring For God's Acre Why it's so important to protect burial grounds and the wildlife and plants that call then home Burial grounds as important historical sites and as a link to the past Veteran trees and ancient yews in burial grounds Biodiversity in burial sites How you can get involved with recording wildlife How to check if your local church is involved About Caring for God's Acre "Caring for God's Acre works nationally to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy burial grounds and graveyards. There are over 20,000 burial grounds in England and Wales, ranging from small rural medieval churchyards to large Victorian city cemeteries, spanning different cultures, religions and centuries. Appealing to many who are interested in local history and the natural world, burial grounds encapsulate the history of communities whilst offering refuge for our native wildlife." https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk Links www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk On Twitter On Facebook

This week's guest is Philip Oostenbrink, Head Gardener at Walmer Castle and Gardens, Collections Coordinator for Plant Heritage in Kent, Plant Trials committee member for the RHS and self-confessed jungle plant nut. Philip has just published a new book titled 'The Jungle Garden' and in this interview, I talk to him about what a jungle garden is, whether they can work in shady and sunny aspects, easy jungle plants, rarer ones, plant hardiness, seasonal and winter interest and where to get plants. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Black vine weevil Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover What sparked Philip's interest in jungle plants How the jungle influences his design aesthetic The importance of seasonal changes and how do you can highlight these in a jungle garden scheme How much did writing the book make Philip examine what is an instinctual talent for grouping plants? Can jungle plants mix with more traditional cottage style plants? Mixing exotic plants from different continents or eco regions Winter interest in a jungle garden Jungle gardens in full sunshine Good jungle garden climbers Trees for a small space but big impact Easy to look after starter plants Rarer plants to wow your friends About Philip Oostenbrink "My name is Philip Oostenbrink and I am Head Gardener at Walmer Castle and Gardens in East Kent. Apart from my full-time job I am Collections Coordinator for Plant Heritage in Kent and Plant Trials committee member for the RHS. I am also a horticultural speaker for any groups who are interested in gardening and/or history. I have been a plant collector all my life. I have a passion for jungle gardening and I have four National Plant Collections: Aspidistra elatior & sichuanensis, Variegated and Yellow-leaved Convallaria, Hakonechloa macra and Ophiopogon japonicus. I have a love for variegated plants." https://myplants.me Links The Jungle Garden by Philip Oostenbrink - Filbert Press, October 2021 Philip's Blog - 'Thoughts of a plant nut." Philip on Instagram - mr.plantaholic