Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

This week I'm speaking to gardener, TV presenter, author, government adviser and wildlife and environment advocate, Chris Baines. Chris designed the first ever wildlife garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1985, which was swiftly followed by his bestselling book 'How to Make a Wildlife Garden' so I thought it would be a perfect time to speak to Chris, given the continuing interest in wild gardens that we witnessed again at this year's Chelsea. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Carrot root flies Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover How Chris thinks things have changed since the 1980s with regard to the plight of wildlife Why a wildlife garden which mimics a woodland edge is desirable Planting a wildflower strip next to a mixed native hedge, how could you go about starting this type of strip and what plants you might use How you can identify the wildlife in your garden Is Chris hopeful for the future and are things changing quickly enough? Documenting your garden wildlife, in order to help protect habitats threatened by developments About Chris Baines "Chris Baines is one of the UK's leading environmental campaigners, an award-winning writer and broadcaster and an experienced speaker at national and international conferences. His particular garden-related expertise lies in wildlife gardening, community participation and trees in towns. Specilaist subjects: industry and environment, wildlife gardening, community participation, habitat creation, sustainable water management." https://www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk/guild-members/directory/profile/Chris-Baines/15

My guest this week is Jonathan Sheppard, a political lobbyist who somehow fell into becoming the holder of 2 national plant collections; hollyhocks and cosmos. Jonathan talks about how to grow hollyhocks and cosmos, what you can, or can't do about rust, good varieties to try and what to look out for in the coming year in terms of new varieties and colours. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Dragonflies Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Hollyhocks and rust When to sow hollyhocks Are they biennial or perennial? The best places to grow hollyhocks Some of the best varieties New colours The cultivation of Cosmos Links British Hollyhocks Jonathan Sheppard on Twitter

This week I'm speaking to social media sensation and veg grower Gerald Stratford about growing big veg - do they taste better, how do you avoid pests and diseases, what growing media is best and what you can do with your big veg once you've grown it? Gerald's new book Big Veg has recently been published and his star continues to ascend. Gerald spoke to me from his shed, with his wonderful wife Liz and cat Jet in attendance. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Woodlice This episode is brought to you by Horti:couture, a conference exploring the influence of plants and gardens on the fashion world and featuring some of the industry's leading academics and influencers. For more information visit the LCGD website LCGD.org.uk or their Eventbrite page. The conference will take place on the 9th October and tickets start at just £59 and the day will be streamed online as well as in person at Kew Gardens. Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover How Gerald got started on social media Why would you want to grow big veg and is big always best for taste? What type of soil you need to grow big veg Avoiding blight on tomatoes and potatoes And rust on onions Using the trench system for runner beans What Gerald is doing on his plot right now About Gerald Stratford Gerald's book of tips and tricks, 'BIG VEG', is accessible for beginners and those interested in grow-your-own veg. This gentle guide distils years of knowledge, including the top 10 vegetables to begin with, how to 'supersize' them and a month-by-month breakdown to sowing, planting and harvesting. Aged 72, Gerald rose to fame later in life, gaining over 308k followers after sharing pictures of his potatoes at the height of lockdown in May 2020. He has been hailed the 'Veg King' by the press and is passionate about sharing the benefits of mindful gardening at any age and cultivating your own food. After becoming a social media sensation, he continues to go viral with his wholesome allotment content. Illustrated with photos throughout, Big Veg is encouraging, full of wisdom and dry humour, much like lovely Gerald himself. In the spirit of bringing joy, please enjoy Gerald as the star of GUCCI's latest campaign! Links Gerald Stratford on Twitter 'Big Veg' by Gerald Stratford Get your tickets for Horti:couture from Eventbrite

In this episode, I'm speaking to award-winning writer Catherine Mack about getting a gardening book published. Catherine talks about why you might want to write a book, the process of getting your ideas onto paper and how to get published. Plus, she addresses the most important issue of whether or not you'll make your fortune! If you've ever harboured dreams of writing a book, listen on and be inspired by Catherine's advice and encouragement. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Red Admirals This episode is brought to you by Horti:couture, a conference exploring the influence of plants and gardens on the fashion world and featuring some of the industry's leading academics and influencers. For more information visit the LCGD website LCGD.org.uk or their Eventbrite page. The conference will take place on the 9th October and tickets start at just £59 and the day will be streamed online as well as in person at Kew Gardens. Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Good reasons for writing a book How do you know if it will be of interest to readers? How to check someone hasn't already written something similar and does it matter if they have? Your options if you're looking to get published Getting published in a magazine What you need in order to approach potential publishers or crowdfunders Traditional publisher vs. alternatives Are you likely to make any money?! About Catherine Mack Catherine is an award-winning travel writer specialising in sustainable and ethical tourism. Storytelling and sustainability go hand in hand for Catherine, who engages with people just as much as place on her travels. As Covid clipped her wings she started to focus on journeys that people took closer to home. In other words, to their allotments. She is delighted that The Allotmenteers, Profiles of a Growing Community - has now been commissioned by Unbound, an award-winning crowdfunding publisher. Catherine has always sought to understand why people journey and is keen to capture what people gain from travelling this short distance from urban to rural, from home to allotment, as well as the growing and personal journeys they take while being allotmenteers. Catherine doesn't have an allotment and, as it is considered such a private world by those who maintain them, she is able to offer an objective eye in her interviews and subsequent essays, helping the reader feel as if they too are privileged to enter this private world. Read more about The Allotmenteers, and do please pledge to help have this book hit its crowdfunding target. You can also follow Catherine on Twitter and Instagram. Links The Allotmenteers on Unbound Catherine Mack on Twitter Catherine Mack on Instagram Get your tickets for Horti:couture from Eventbrite

This week, I'm speaking to Gwendolyn van Paaschen about the legendary garden designer John Brookes. Gwendolyn is the owner of Denmans Garden and chairman of the John Brookes-Denmans Foundation. Gwendolyn's new book 'How to Design a Garden' brings together a collection of John's works from across his lengthy career, disseminating the fundamental principles which underpinned his design work, in a way that is useful to both professionals and home gardeners. Gwendolyn is carrying on John's work at Denmans by opening the garden to the public and as she puts in at the end of the interview, keeping his conversation going. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: House Spiders Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover Who was John Brookes and what are some of the highlights he accomplished during his long career? The importance of designing in the vernacular and John expressed this through his designs How John's design style and interests evolved during his career Garden designers today who particularly embody the work of John Brookes His influence on garden design over the past 50 years The long term effect of John's design in the realms of amateur gardening About Gwendolyn van Paasschen Gwendolyn van Paasschen, a garden designer and writer, worked with landscape designer John Brookes MBE and helped write his memoir, A Landscape Legacy (Pimpernel Press, 2018). Chairman of the John Brookes-Denmans Foundation, she owns Denmans Garden. Currently writing a book about Denmans, she also writes about garden design. Links How to Design a Garden By John Brookes MBE. Edited and introduction by Gwendolyn van Paasschen. Preface by Andrew Duff Released 7th October www.denmans.org

This week's guest, Marlow Renton, is the co-founder of Wild Food UK. Marlow talks about why we should all go out foraging, especially children, about how we can overcome our fear of wild food (particularly mushrooms!), what to look out for, when to do it and where to do it responsibly and how to get help if, like me, you're a bit of a wild food wuss. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Cabbage Root Flies Please don't forget to rate, review and share the podcast! What we cover How Marlow learnt to forage How easy is it to forage? Why it's important to take children foraging What to be careful of when foraging Foraging responsibly How scared should we be of mushrooms? Helpful resources if you're unsure where to start About Wild Food UK "Wild Food UK was formed a few years ago by Marlow and Eric driven by a desire to expand peoples experience of nature into a practical source of enjoyment. Since then the company has grown in course leaders and course locations, covering most of the UK. Our aim is to educate people about tasty edible wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, roots and flowers that we think everyone should be able to identify, pick and eat with confidence. We're extremely lucky in Britain to have a climate that provides us plenty of food all year round, all you need to know is how to find it. We teach these "skills for life"; and we believe that with the skills we teach, every life will be enhanced. Not only is foraging fun and interesting; you never know when being able to pick your own food might come in genuinely useful or even life saving!" https://www.wildfooduk.com/about-us/ Links www.wildfooduk.com

This week, I'm speaking with Dr Sandy Primrose about his brilliant book Modern Plant Hunters, which tells the stories of plant hunting in more recent times; who's doing it, why and what are they looking for. Find out about the challenges plant hunters past and present have faced, whether you can do it in somewhere like the UK and the kind of qualities and personal traits you might need if you want to start - spoiler, it's not for the faint-hearted! Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Mosquitoes Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more - enter the code ROOTS20 to get 20% off until the end of August. What we cover Why do people go on plant hunting expeditions in this day and age? Some of the difficulties they face The prominent plant hunters today The CITES treaty and the Nagoya protocol The extent to which politics, funding issues, international relations etc have interfered with the work of plant hunters Plant hunting in the UK Advice for anyone interested in plant hunting About Dr Sandy Primrose Dr Sandy Primrose MBE PhD has spent his professional life as a biologist in academia and industry, as well as working with various government agencies on food fraud and related topics. He is a keen gardener and passionate teacher and lectures extensively on plant-related topics. - https://olympiapublishers.com/authors/sandy-primrose/ Links Modern Plant Hunters by Dr Sandy Primrose - Pimpernel Press Ltd.

This week, I visited Golden Hill Nurseries to interview Roger Butler, Find out about the different species in cultivation, the best way to prune hydrangeas, what and when to feed them and of course, the all important information about whether your flowers will be pink or blue and what, if anything, you can do about it! Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Horse Chestnut moth Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more - enter the code ROOTS20 to get 20% off until the end of August. What we cover Where hydrangeas originate from Their preferred growing conditions The main species in cultivation Why are some hydrangeas blue and some pink? Can blue hydrangeas turn pink and what can we do if we want blue hydrangeas but can only seem to grow pink ones? The colour range of hydrangea flowers How and when should to prune hydrangeas How many months off the year can we expect hydrangeas to bloom? Particularly good species Pests and diseases, or lack thereof! About Roger Butler Roger is the owner of Golden Hill Nurseries, a plant centre based in Kent, specialising in hydrangeas, hedging plants, Japanese maples and larger shrubs. Roger has made many appearances in the media sharing his expertise about hydrangeas and regularly gives talks on the subject. The nursery has won multiple medals at RHS shows for their plant displays and you can catch up with them at one of the RHS shows this year, or order from them online. Links www.goldenhillplants.com Signature Hydrangeas Signature Plants Signature Shrubs

This week's guest is Annika Zetterman, a Swedish garden designer teacher and author of New Nordic Gardens. Annika works internationally designing visually beautiful gardens which encompass sustainability, respect for the local environment and aesthetic and which exemplify all the best aspects of Scandinavian design. In this episode, Annika talks about the ethos behind Scandinavian design as it's expressed in a landscape setting and decodes why the gardens featured in her book are so downright stunning. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Grasshoppers Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more. What we cover When talking about Nordic gardens, which countries Annika includes in her book The importance of light in Nordic gardens and what effect this has on the colours and materials designers choose Nordic design can be thought of as pared back, uncluttered, clean - where does this aesthetic come from? Sustainability and how it underlies outdoor design in Nordic countries Attention to detail and the meticulous selection of hard landscaping materials The weather and how this is coped with in gardens Trends emerging in contemporary Nordic gardens About Annika Zetterman "Annika Zetterman is the founder and designer at Zetterman Garden Design, creating gardens with Scandinavian ethos throughout the Nordics and beyond, with projects in Sweden, Spain, France, Switzerland and in the UK. She arrived back to her homeland, Stockholm, Sweden 2010, after living abroad, in Hawaii, USA and 10 years in London, UK. Annika is the author of the book 'New Nordic Garden, Scandinavian Landscape Design' published in 2017 and in 2021 (Thames & Hudson), with a Danish translation 2018. Her projects have been featured in books and publications, nationally as well as internationally. Annika was teaching garden design in Stockholm for seven years and lectures on the subject both in Sweden and abroad. Annika is driven by creating aesthetically pleasing and sustainable expressions, with respect to surrounding landscapes and architecture, while maintaining a positive contribution to future generations and to the Scandinavian design heritage." http://www.annikazetterman.com/indexENG.html Links New Nordic Gardens by Annika Zetterman www.annikazetterman.com Annika on Instagram

This episode I'm speaking to permaculture designer, teacher, author Anna Locke. Anna is my favourite type of gardener, in that she walks the walk and has a wealth of experience in growing edible plants. Anna has recently published a book called The Forager's Garden, and in the interview, we talk about how to create an easy to look after yet productive space. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Crab spiders Thanks to Betakut for sponsoring this episode - visit https://www.betakut.co.uk/shop to find out more. What we cover A forest garden is "a project to dip into and out of as time, money and opportunity comes along" (The Forager's Garden). Can a garden really be that little work? Guild planting Grafting fruit trees onto wild hawthorns and blackthorn The theory behind Anna's 'keep it for now' policy Hugelkultur beds Ollas Advice for anyone starting a forager's garden from scratch How to ID the plants you have About Anna Locke Anna is a permaculture designer and teacher based in Hastings. She is also a community development project manger. With a solid background as a gardener, specialising in forager's gardens, she offers a bespoke design service or consultancy. She has planted over 50 forager's gardens of varying sizes, including a large ongoing project in Hornshurt Wood and in her own small-scale permaculture farm, both in East Sussex. She regularly holds workshops to empower people to plant their own, look out for- 'How to Plant a Forager's Garden' on her instant courses website. Links www.annalockepermaculture.co.uk The Forager's Garden by Anna Locke