Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

To be completely contrary after her plea for gardeners to plant more native plants, Sarah interviews Graham Blunt of Plantbase, a nursery specialising in the most fabulous, exotic and downright bizarre plants! Graham talks about hardy palms, his favourite exotic trees, cacti and succulents that can be grown outdoors and how to overwinter caudex plants and bananas. Graham has also been intensively researching new regulations that come into play in December 2019 and how these will affect plant lovers. He reckons that Brexit will seem like a "small gust of wind" compared to the potential havoc wreaked by new CITES, Plant Health and Nagoya regulations due to come into effect on Dec 14th 2019. If you buy garden or indoor plants, this episode will be of real interest. www.plantbase.co.uk Plantbase, Sleepers Stile Road, Cousley Wood, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6QX. 01892 785599 07967 601064 plantbaseuk@gmail.com Twitter: @Plantbaseuk 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

The daffodils have been in full swing for a few weeks now and as today's guest, Adrian Scamp of Scamp's Daffodils tells us, we can expect them to carry on gracing us with their cheery blooms into May. Each year, I'm newly amazed by the indomitable daffodil; its ability to cope in all weathers, to grow in seemingly unpromising situations and to flower successively from December to May if you choose the right varieties. This episode, we cover every question you had about daffodils but were afraid to ask! Adrian gives his expert advice on: - When to order and when to plant bulbs (hint: order now!) - The conditions favoured by daffodils including soil and aspect- When to feed and with what - How to propagate - Troubleshooting any problems About Adrian Scamp's Daffodils was started by Ron Scamp. Ron's passion for the daffodil developed as a child in the 1940's and 50's whilst spending his childhood on his uncle's daffodil farm in the Tamar Valley. In 1990 after years of growing daffodil varieties in his garden and greenhouse, Ron produced his first catalogue offering select varieties to other daffodil enthusiasts. Over the years the collection has developed and now contains approximately 2500 varieties including modern, species and historical collected from all over the world. As a professional grower, Ron has achieved many awards including RHS gold, the E.H Trophy for best exhibit and the Lawrence Medal. Adrian joined the company in 2007 and continues to grow and develop the collection. During the spring, they display their flowers at many shows and find this aspect of their work particularly enjoyable, as they meet other enthusiasts and customers both old and new. Each year, a list of the shows they will be attending is published in the news section of their website. Adrian can be contacted by phone 07826 067175 or via email amscamp@qualitydaffodils.com Please leave a message on the mobile as Adrian is often on the fields with no phone signal. Links: Scamp's Daffodils https://qualitydaffodils.com The Scamp's Daffodil Catalogue https://qualitydaffodils.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Scamp-Booklet-2019.pdf A.M. Scamp 49 Mongleath Road Falmouth Cornwall 07826 067175 amscamp@qualitydaffodils.com Scamp's on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/QualityDaffodils/ Scamp's on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scampsbulbs/ The Daffodil Society https://thedaffodilsociety.com/wordpress/ Daffodil: the Remarkable Story of the World's Most Popular Spring Flower by Noel Kingsbury https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daffodil-Remarkable-Worlds-Popular-Spring/dp/1604693185 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

Join Sarah for a brief recap of why native plants are better than non-native, before a delve into the more positive impact gardeners can have in ensuring wildlife has a future in our landscape. Part 2 of this exploration of native vs. non-native plants looks at the reality of what happens when natural and human habitats collide. Sarah discusses Darwin Comes to Town, a book by Menno Schilthuizen, which explores how nature is adapting to fit in with our urban landscapes but as in Part One, the conclusions she comes to about the future of our wildlife aren't pretty! However, the second half of the episode looks at how we as gardeners and growers can help make a difference, no matter how big or small our plot. 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

Rough & Ready Audio Alert! This is a bonus episode recording of the wild food tasting session that took place before the main interview with forager Michael Wachter, which aired in Episode 18. A supporting blog post featuring a photo and names of the plants that were sampled can be found on the Roots and All blog. As with the main episode, this episode and the blog post are not to be used as guides to foraging. Please do not attempt to eat any wild plants unless you are capable of correctly identifying them or you are accompanied by someone who can. Please note, there is much giggling, background noise and chewing audible throughout, which is not standard for there Roots and All podcast which is usually impeccably produced and edited! 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

In this episode, I'm talking foraging with expert forager Michael Wachter. Michael has masses of experience when it comes to living outdoors sustainably and being self-sufficient, having lived on a remote island off the North Coast of Germany. He also regularly treks across the landscape both in the UK and abroad, with nothing but a sleeping bag and his survival kit, foraging for food along the way. Michael currently lives and works in East Sussex, where he indulges his passion for plants at every opportunity. We only scratched the surface of his experiences and if you ever have the opportunity to hear him speak, I urge you to do so, you will be spellbound as he recounts his adventures! We cover: The best places to find wild food How to forage in your own garden, however limited you are on space Michael's trek along the South Coast of England The philosophy of foraging About Michael Wachter Born in the rolling hills of North Bavaria along a river in Bamberg, Michael studied landscape architecture near Frankfurt. After a short stint working in an office, he went to work for the protection of mainly seabirds on the North Coast of Germany, before coming to England in 2014. He currently works as a gardener in East Sussex and indulges his passion for wild plants on a daily basis. Links: Michael Wachter on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michael_wachter/?hl=en Robin Harford's site provides great information, plus he produces a podcast on the topic: https://www.eatweeds.co.uk The Woodland Trust's guide to foraging sustainably: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/ Wild Food & Foraging UK Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/WildFoodUK/ The website of Samuel Thayer, a foraging resource for listeners in the US: https://www.foragersharvest.com 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 explores the reasons we all need to go native in our gardens. From declining insects and struggling bird populations to invasive species and plants for pollinators, Sarah looks at the impact planting non-native species in our gardens can have. Acknowledgement to Douglas W Tallamy for the excellent research presented in his book Bringing Nature Home. 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

UK HEDGEHOGS NEED YOU! Since 2000, UK populations of hedgehogs have declined 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas. Today's guest, Hugh Warwick, estimates hedgehog populations have dropped by 90% or more since the second world war. Based on these horrendous figures, we can deduce if we don't start helping them right away, these beautiful animals could be facing extinction. That's where we, as gardeners, come in. Hugh talks about how we can encourage hedgehogs into our gardens and how we can best look after those who decide to share our space. We cover: Encouraging hedgehogs into your garden Supplemental feeding and watering Ensuring hedgehog safety in the garden The importance of creating a network to facilitate hedgehogs' movements How to identify and deal with poorly hedgehogs About Hugh Warwick Hugh is an ecologist and author with a particular interest in hedgehogs. He is a spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, runs the Oxfordshire campaign, HedgeOX and is a regular contributor to radio and television. He has written two books about hedgehogs … and much to the distress of his family, has plans for more! Links: https://www.hughwarwick.com Hugh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hedgehoghugh Link to the video we discussed, where Hugh drills through a perfectly good wall in aid of helping our hedgehogs, a worthy sacrifice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8joMexoVo38&feature=youtu.be Hedgehog Street: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org British Hedgehog Preservation Society Website: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/hedgehogsociety Telephone 01584 890801 Email info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2018 Report: https://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/state-britains-hedgehogs-2018/ Hugh's project the HedgeOX campaign aims to help Oxfordshire's hedgehogs: Website: https://www.hedgeox.org/?fbclid=IwAR2FJwEaBz4Wejdl5PRWn5R-hFq9b8yUCqWrCSwSOes8_HjMpxTqj3Z4S3E Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hedgeox/

Back by popular demand, it's Part 2 of taking on and managing an allotment. With Louise Bell. Listen as we talk about what to do with your allotment over winter, which crops you should be growing, when to harvest and if you only have time to do one job, which should it be. The follow up to Allotments Part 1 - Episode 5 of the podcast, published on 7th August 2018. 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

Have you ever wondered which are the most poisonous plants in your house and garden? Do you know how plant toxins work and how to handle poisonous plants safely? What are we, as gardeners, most at risk of when dealing with our beloved plants? And which risks are sometimes blown out of proportion? Join me as I speak to botanist Dr Liz Dauncey about poisonous plant facts, myths and interesting cases. And if you're particularly fascinated by the macabre and want to find out the most gruesome way to go, plus which poisons are untraceable, listen on! About Dr Elizabeth A. Dauncey Liz is a botanist with a PhD in Plant Taxonomy during which she undertook a taxonomic revision of Dendrobium section Pedilonum, a group of orchids from South-East Asia. She spent most of her career as a botanical toxicologist working for the Poisons Unit of Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital in London, on joint initiatives with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Her work involved developing strategies and products to reduce the number of poisoning incidents involving plants, and to improve the identification of plants by treatment centres. She worked with the Horticultural Trades Association on their 'Harmful?' campaign that introduced a list of 117 plants on sale in garden centres that should carry warnings on their pot labels. Liz subsequently spent four years with Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services, which enables effective communication about medicinal plants in health, regulation and research. She now works freelance, writing books, providing information and advice about plant toxicity, and undertaking poisonous plant surveys. Liz is author of Poisonous Plants: A Guide for Parents and Childcare Providers (Kew Publishing, 2010) and co-author of Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World's Most Poisonous Plants (Kew Publishing, 2018). Plants That Kill is now also available in German, Dutch, Italian and Japanese! She is currently co-authoring a follow-on book called Plants That Cure, due to be published in 2020, which looks in particular at the plants from which pharmaceutical drugs have been developed. There are also plans for a revised and updated edition of her Poisonous Plants guide that will be expanded to include plants that are poisonous to pets. Links: Poisonous Plants: A Guide for Parents and Childcare Providers (Kew Publishing, 2010) - out of print at the publisher but still available online: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Poisonous-Plants-Parents-Childcare-Providers/dp/184246406X/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g8682124849?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8 Plants That Kill: A Natural History of the World's Most Poisonous Plants (Kew Publishing, 2018) - widely available https://shop.kew.org/plants-that-kill-a-natural-history-of-the-world-s-most-poisonous-plants Horticultural Trades Association - Code of practice for potentially harmful plants, downloadable list https://hta.org.uk/resourceLibrary/code-of-practice-for-potentially-harmful-plants.html Kew's Medicinal Plant Names Services - plant name portal https://mpns.science.kew.org/mpns-portal/ Twitter - @liz_dauncey 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

An episode dedicated to Esiah Levy. A short intro to seed sharing and open pollinated varieities. Sadly, Esiah Levy who you may have heard interviewed in Episode 12 of the Podcast, passed away on the 22nd January. This episode is dedicated to sharing his passion for seed sharing and open pollinated seeds, and will hopefully inspire you to add some of these varieties to your patch this year. Please check out the GoFundMe set up to help Esiah's young family: https://www.gofundme.com/esiah-levy 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