Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

Alyson Mowat runs her studio out of Shoreditch in London and has been creating botanical masterpieces for the past 5 years. She works with indoor and outdoor plants to make visually stunning green displays and specialises in terrariums, jarrariums, aquascapes and kokedama to stage plants in unique ways. We talk about using plants to create visual statements, finding sources of inspiration and how you can try some of these techniques for yourself. For more information about Alyson, please check out her website www.alysonmowat.com and her book Terrariums and Kokedama Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I'm speaking to Dr Wilson Wall of Bewdley Orchids. Dr Wall is also the co-author of How to Grow Native Orchids in Gardens Large and Small and is a foremost expert on UK native orchids. In this episode, he talks about growing orchids in lawns, borders, containers…they're much more versatile than you might expect! Not only are they beautiful and versatile, if you grow them, you'll be doing your bit to conserve these plants as their numbers in the wild diminish. About Dr Wilson Wall Wilson Wall is the Director of Bewdley Orchids, provider of native British orchids for individuals and groups to grow in their garden or meadow. Elected Fellow of the Institute of Biology (now the Royal Society of Biology) and Chartered Biologist, Wilson has a PhD in genetics and a long interest in growing orchids from seed. He has written several books before, of both single and joint authorship and was editor of The Clematis, journal of the British Clematis Society. What We Cover: The relationship between orchids and fungi Which orchids are suitable for growing in gardens Orchids that work in containers Soil requirements The sourcing of plants Common pests and diseases Links Bewdley Orchids www.bewdleyorchids.com How to Grow Native Orchids in Gardens Large and Small - by Wilson Wall and Dave Morgan. Published by Green Books. https://www.greenbooks.co.uk/how-to-grow-native-orchids-in-gardens-large-and-small Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I'm speaking to John Little. John founded the Grass Roof Company in 1998 and for the past 20 years, he's been designing and implementing gardens in public spaces that work for people, for plants and for wildlife. Often working in urban locations, he installs wildlife habitats and planting in some unusual places including on roofs and structures such as cycle shelters. He also includes many edible plants in his schemes in order to create beautiful and useful spaces that engage the community. Maintenance and management is a key focus, and is vital to the success and longevity of his projects. We also talk about the need to revise traditional maintenance practices in order to reduce costs, save time and preserve wildlife. About John Little "John's life with green roofs started when he self built his own home in Essex. The green roof on John's new house consisted of the standard green roof structure, onto which he literally dumped soil from the foundations. That was 17 years ago and the roof is still growing strong. A few years ago a colony of Bee Orchids appeared from nowhere!! He has since designed and built small green roofs buildings throughout South Essex and London over the last 20 years. often combining the living roofs with habitat walls made designed to support solitary bees. John's company the Grass Roof Company does landscape contracting and green roof construction in Essex and London. John also part owns Green Roof Shelters, a company that produces modular design bike, bin and freight container green roofs.." What We Cover: How John creates gardens that mimic brownfield sites Green roofs The Clapton Park Estate project Including edible plants in a community garden John's favourite trees and herbaceous plants for wildlife Links John's Design Practice - The Grass Roof Company https://www.grassroofcompany.co.uk Green Roof Shelters - the sister company to The Grass Roof Company, specialising in buildings and structures incorporating green roofs of all types https://greenroofshelters.co.uk Online Guide to building Green Roofs - co-authored by John Little & Dusty Gedge https://greenrooftraining.com John on Twitter @grassroofco https://twitter.com/grassroofco?lang=en Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I'm speaking to Alex Mitchell, aka the Edible Gardener. Alex is the gardening columnist for the Evening Standard and author of five books on gardening, including her latest 'Crops in Tight Spots'. I speak to Alex about growing edibles when space in tight and she has some brilliant tips and tricks about how to grow, what to grow and what not to bother with. Alex's book is based on years of experience and I respect her approach of trialling, experimenting (including catching pupae in jars and observing them as they hatch!) and just giving things a go. As a result of this hands-on experimentation, she's developed some nifty time, money and space-saving methods and she shares some of those with us in the episode. For the rest, you'll just have to buy the book! About Alex Mitchell "Alex Mitchell is a gardening writer who has been obsessed with growing things she can eat for about 20 years. Before this, she was obsessed with television. On balance, gardening is healthier. Alex is the weekly gardening columnist for The Evening Standard and has written five books about gardening and growing food. Previously she wrote a column for The Sunday Telegraph about growing fruit and vegetables, first in a polytunnel in a muddy field, which often made her cry, then in a little south London garden, which made her happy. She now gardens in a large space in Kent which makes her ecstatic though often overwhelmed. She has written five books, The Girl's Guide to Growing Your Own – Or How to Grow Fruit and Vegetables Without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty, The Edible Balcony, The Rurbanite: Living in the Country Without Leaving the City, Gardening on a Shoestring and Crops in Tight Spots." What We Cover: Crops to grow indoors Crops for pots Recycling compost Essential crops for ease and high yield Creative training of tomatoes Links www.alex-mitchell.co.uk http://alex-mitchell.co.uk Crops in Tight Spots - Alex Mitchell, 2019 https://www.waterstones.com/book/crops-in-tight-spots/alex-mitchell/9780857835925 Alex's Previously Published Books http://alex-mitchell.co.uk/alex-mitchell-the-edible-gardener/books/ Alex on Instagram @alexmitchelleg https://www.instagram.com/alexmitchelleg/ Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I chat to Olivia Kirk about low allergen planting. Olivia works on both public and private gardens and has a number of show gardens under her belt, including a gold medal winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower show. She specialises in healing gardens and has worked on a number of projects such as hospice gardens, where the effect the garden can have on a person's physical health is of paramount importance. We often think about the positive effects on mental and physical health that gardens and green spaces can provide, but we don't often stop to think about the harm they might cause. Olivia explains how with a little bit of knowledge and a few relatively simple steps, we can make our environment a much better place for everyone, especially those suffering from allergies. Check out Olivia's work at www.oliviakirkgardens.com Instagram: oliviakirkgardens Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I'm speaking to Dave Goulson, who is a Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. Dave is also the founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and author of three books, the most recent of which is The Garden Jungle: or Gardening to Save the Planet. With the recent interest in wildlife gardens, we talk about how you can create a good environment for wildlife, but more importantly, how you can avoid actively harming the environment with your gardening habits. About Dave Goulson "After a childhood chasing butterflies and collecting bird's eggs, I studied Biology at Oxford University, and then did a PhD on butterfly ecology at Oxford Brookes University. Shortly afterwards I got a lectureship at University of Southampton, where I stayed for 11 years. It was there that I began to specialize in bumblebee ecology and conservation. In 2006 I became Professor of Biology and Stirling University. In 2006 I also founded the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a charity devoted to reversing bumblebee declines. In 2013 I moved to Sussex University. I have published over 200 scientific articles on the ecology of bees and other insects, and am author of Bumblebees; their behaviour, ecology and conservation (2010, Oxford University Press) and A Sting in the Tale (2013, Jonathan Cape), a popular science book about bumblebees and The Garden Jungle: or Gardening to Save the Planet (2019, Jonathan Cape). I am a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2010 I was BBSRC "Social Innovator of the Year" and in 2013 I won the Marsh Award for Conservation Biology from the Zoological Society of London." What We Cover: What you need to look out for when buying plants and seeds Plants for wildlife Native vs non-native plants The effects of pesticides and fungicides on wildlife Links The Garden Jungle: or Gardening to Save the Planet - Dave Goulson https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Dave-Goulson/The-Garden-Jungle--or-Gardening-to-Save-the-Planet/23728420 A Sting in the Tale - Dave Goulson https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Dave-Goulson/A-Sting-in-the-Tale/22927310 A Buzz in the Meadow - Dave Goulson https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Dave-Goulson/A-Buzz-in-the-Meadow/17156479 The Bumblebee Conservation Trust https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org Follow Dave Goulson on Twitter - @DaveGoulson https://twitter.com/davegoulson?lang=en RosyBee - Plants for bees http://www.rosybee.com Contact: Stefan Batorijs 3 Barnsey Gardens Ashburton Devon TQ13 7GA UK stefan@natureandtherapy.co.uk +44 1364 652162 Nature and Therapy UK on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shinrinyokuUK/ Common Farm Flowers on Twitter: @TheFlowerFarmer https://twitter.com/TheFlowerFarmer Common Farm Flowers on Instagram: @commonfarmflowers https://www.instagram.com/commonfarmflowers/?hl=en Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week I'm speaking to Chris Williams, co-founder of Edibleculture, an inspirational nursery based in Faversham in Kent. From the day the nursery was established 5 years ago, ethically and ecologically sounds principles have been employed to create the brilliant business that exists today. We talk about how the nursery succeeds where so many others are failing to make changes; using peat-free compost, gardening organically without chemicals, eliminating single use plastics from their sales output and many other initiatives that make this nursery truly revolutionary. Find out more about Edibleculture Ltd at www.edibleculture.co.uk and the paper pots Chris discusses at www.posipot.co.uk Thanks to Linda from Hastings for giving me the heads up on Edibleculture and their work. Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoku, is the practice of immersing yourself in nature as therapy. It's the perfect antidote for those who feel disconnected from the land and unattached from nature, which is increasingly likely to happen in a world where 55% of us live in urban areas. In this episode, I speak to Stefan Batorijs who founded Nature and Therapy UK in 2017, as a response to a growing need to foster a spiritual and psychological connection to the land. If you've always wondered what Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoku, entails, this is the episode for you! About Stefan Stefan has been exploring the wild places for 50 years, and trained originally in Countryside Management, Conservation and Environmental Education. He is a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist and Mountain Leader, with 25 years experience facilitating individuals and groups in natural environments. In 2008 he established the highly acclaimed Ecotherapy Project with Plymouth NHS, for people with severe and enduring mental health needs. Stefan is currently an Associate Lecturer at Plymouth University. He teaches the role of Nature and benefits of natural immersion for mental health and recovery from trauma on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate Training. Stefan is passionate about trees, birds and Sacred land. Stefan is a member of INFOM, the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine and a member of the Eco-psychology Network. What We Cover: Stefan's personal journey through nature and into Shinrin Yoku What Shinrin Yoku entails The evidence behind why Shinrin Yoku works An excercise from a typical session of Forest Bathing Links Nature and Therapy UK - check out the Resources page for excellent links to the research surrounding Forest Bathing http://natureandtherapy.co.uk Contact: Stefan Batorijs 3 Barnsey Gardens Ashburton Devon TQ13 7GA UK stefan@natureandtherapy.co.uk +44 1364 652162 Nature and Therapy UK on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shinrinyokuUK/ Common Farm Flowers on Twitter: @TheFlowerFarmer https://twitter.com/TheFlowerFarmer Common Farm Flowers on Instagram: @commonfarmflowers https://www.instagram.com/commonfarmflowers/?hl=en Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

Sarah speaks to the Earth Friendly Gardener, John Walker about the use of peat in our gardens. We all know it's bad, but how bad is it and what's being done to prevent the use of peat in horticultural products? Is it realistic to think we can eradicate our use of peat? John is one of the foremost experts on this topic and it's fascinating to hear his thoughts. Sobering stuff indeed... About John: "As well as being a lifelong gardener and allotmenteer, I'm also an award-winning British gardening and environment writer with over 30 years combined experience in professional gardening, horticultural teaching and the garden media. I trained as a student gardener at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, England, where I was awarded the Kew Diploma in Horticulture in 1986. I gained a Permaculture Design Certificate in 1997. While in publishing, I've been both features and deputy editor of Garden Answers magazine, contributing editor of Kitchen Garden magazine, and have been technical editor of The Organic Way. My long-running 'digging deeper' column, exploring the connections between gardening and our wider environment first appeared in Organic Gardening (later Organic Garden & Home) magazine in 2006. I write and blog about greener, earth-friendly gardening for national newspapers, magazines and websites. My work has been published in NFU Countryside, Garden Answers, Garden News, Grow It!, Kew magazine, Organic Gardening (later Organic Garden & Home), the Telegraph, The Garden, The Organic Way and Kitchen Garden, and online at the Guardian and Hartley Botanic. I'm the author of the new and updated Weeds: An Organic, Earth-Friendly Guide to Their Identification, Use and Control and The Bed & Border Planner, the editor of A Gardeners' Guide to Annuals, and a major contributor to the Garden Organic Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening." John's website is a treasure trove of articles and information, please do check it out: http://earthfriendlygardener.net You can buy a signed copy of John's latest book, Weeds: An Organic, Earth-friendly Guide to Their Identification, Use and Control' here Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

How many of us haven't dreamt of having an idyllic smallholding that allows us to be financially self-supporting, maybe even one that grows flowers by the barrowload? Well, this week's guest is living the dream! Common Farm Flowers is an artisan floristry and cut flower farm based in Somerset. Founded by Georgie Newbery and her husband Fabrizio in 2010, the ethos of the farm is to produce flowers that are Grown, Not Flown. Add to that Georgie's passion for wildlife, organic methods and her love of everything that grows and you have a successful business that produces eco-friendly, sustainable and beautiful floral creations. As well as selling cut flower creations, Georgie also runs workshops and courses and has written two books on the subject. Her first book, the 'Flower Farmer's Year' is a great book for gardeners who want to grow a cut flower patch, whether for pleasure or for profit, and its sister volume, 'Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers.' is an inspiring floristry book for growers and people who enjoy arranging their own flowers. Check out her website www.commonfarmflowers.com to find out more. What We Cover: The values behind Common Farm Flowers The current state of the cut flower industry Good cut flowers for scent What to grow if your space is limited Shrubs that make a useful addition to your cut flower patch Dealing with pests on a 7 acre site Links To order some of Georgie's amazing creations, call 01963 32883 www.commonfarmflowers.com Georgie's Books https://www.commonfarmflowers.com/books.html Common Farm Flowers on Twitter: @TheFlowerFarmer Common Farm Flowers on Instagram: @commonfarmflowers Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall