BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

Can you have a lawn that doesn’t cost the earth? In years gone by, a flat, moss free striped green lawn was considered the hallmark of the ideal garden. Now lawns can be a contentious subject. Lawn consultant, David Hedges Gower, shares tips and techniques for creating grass areas which provide habitats for nature, and places for picnics and ballgames. Arit and David discuss how to reduce water consumption and increase biodiversity, plus, the surprising pros and cons of ‘no mow May’. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover the secrets to growing non-stop, fragrant sweet peas. Learn about sowing techniques, nurturing and supporting seedlings, and choosing the best varieties. Dive into the captivating history and diverse types of sweet peas. Explore the different colors, germination timing, and care tips. Get detailed instructions on sowing seeds, caring for plants, and providing support for climbing.

The countdown to peat-free has begun, is this the end of gardening as we know it? Professor Alistair Griffiths, Director of Science and Collections at the RHS, and Nick Hamilton, from Barnsdale Gardens, think not. They discuss with Arit why preserving our peat bogs is so vital, sharing their in-depth knowledge of peat, as well as the upcoming changes to UK legislation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to choose the right tree for your garden, debunk common myths and fears about trees, and discover how trees can enrich your garden with beauty, structure, and wildlife. Get tips on selecting fruit trees and the importance of choosing the right rootstock. Find out about growing hazels and cobnuts for crop production and bean stakes. Get advice on tree planting and selection for successful establishment.

Wildlife gardener and writer Kate Bradbury joins Arit to discuss how and why gardeners can play a vital role helping reverse the decline of wildlife. Kate shares some ingenious, innovative, and easy suggestions for how you can use your plot (big or small) to help support our feathered friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn from Alan why autumn is the best time to plant shrubs and how to ensure a successful and long-lasting investment. Discover tips for selecting and planting bare root shrubs, as well as essential techniques for pruning, shaping the planting hole, and caring for shrubs. Avoid common mistakes and follow the steps for successful planting, including quick action upon plant arrival and voicing concerns to suppliers.

Fergus Garrett, Head Gardener of Great Dixter launches the series with a discussion of how you can garden for good: how you can use both environmentally sound gardening techniques and have a stunning garden. You don’t have to choose one or the other! The Dixter team has created a beautiful oasis of biodiversity with a low carbon footprint. Great Dixter is a garden that not only respects the nature that surrounds it, but, in an unexpected reversal, actually preserves and replenishes plants and insects that have died out in the natural areas of Sussex that surround it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revive your lawn with a few simple steps. Whether you’re after a close cut lawn with perfect stripes or a longer, more wild effect, let Alan help you make a plan of action to keep it in top condition, in this week's Tea-Break Tutorial podcast – bite-sized solutions to your gardening questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Arit Anderson, garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World programme presenter, is insatiably curious about exploring ways to garden to protect and preserve our environment. Spending time gardening or enjoying others’ gardens opens our eyes to the environment around us and the realities of climate change. But can individuals make a difference by gardening more sustainably, when the problems (and solutions) seem so huge? In this second series, Arit delves deeper into key subjects including rewilding, peat-free gardening, making your own compost, and the surprising rich range of habitats created by poor soils, ex-industrial areas, and derelict buildings. She also speaks to experts challenging claims that some areas of horticulture (e.g., lawns and cut flowers) can never be environmentally sound. You can have green swards and wedding bouquets, they argue, that do not cost the earth. Full of surprising stories and practical tips, this series will inspire everyone to grow greener. The producer is Lucy Dichmont. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discover the advantages of sowing seeds in autumn for bigger and earlier plants. Learn about sowing flowers and vegetables in autumn and the risks associated with it. Get tips for dealing with slugs, snails, and fungus diseases during wet weather.