Podcast appearances and mentions of Beth Chatto

If you enjoyed our previous podcast with Åsa Gregars-Warg from Beth Chatto's Plants and Gardens, this extended version is well worth a listen. Join Fiona and head gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg as we take a deeper dive into Beth Chatto's pioneering approach to gardening in harmony with nature. From plant choices and soil care to adapting to climate change, this full-length conversation is packed with extra insights and inspiration for gardeners of all kinds.

In the 1960s, Beth Chatto started her garden on an unwanted wasteland in Essex, England. She was an ecologist and knew how to select plants that are adaptable to any conditions.

Eminent gardener and plantswoman Carol Klein celebrates the wonderful women who have played a central role in horticulture for centuries, from early plant hunters such as Marianne North to designers like Gertrude Jekyll, gardeners such as Margery Fish and Beth Chatto, to this year's Chelsea best in show designer Ula Maria. And yet, the industry remains rather male dominated. She shares her opinions on the grass ceiling, how the industry needs to change, and the women who have inspired her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your garden's shadows can actually be stunning, vibrant spaces! In this episode, I chat with Susanna Grant, author of Shade and founder of the London-based shady plant shop, LINDA. Susanna joins me to discuss shade-loving plants and how to bring life and vibrancy to those darker corners of our gardens. About Susanna Grant Susanna Grant is founder of Linda, a garden designer, planting specialist and writer, author of Shade (Quarto). She organises the Spring Plant Fair at The Garden Museum, and The Autumn Plant Fair at Arnold Circus where she is a volunteer and a trustee. Links Susanna Grant on Instagram @hellotherelinda  Shade: Work with the light, grow the right plants, bring dark corners to life by Susanna Grant Other episodes if you liked this one: 236: Mosses - This week, my guest is Dr Neil Bell, bryologist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and author of The Hidden World of Mosses, which takes a look into the minute and fascinating world of bryophytes. If you've ever wanted to know how these plants live and reproduce, whether you can cultivate moss indoors or outdoors, what that green stuff is you find on the surface of potted plant's compost and whether you should take it off, the environmental and habitat value of mosses and how they are affected by the moon, listen on… 23: Ivy With Fibrex Nurseries - Key talking points covered are; Growing ivy as a houseplant, Ideal growing conditions for ivy indoors, Ideal growing conditions for ivy outdoors, Different growth habits and the suitability of certain species for certain garden situations, Fast and slow growing varieties, Pruning, Benefits to wildlife, Unsuitable situations for ivy,    Please support the podcast on Patreon

This month, Fiona meets Åsa Gregers-Warg, head gardener at Beth Chatto Plants and Gardens. They tour the gardens, and reflect on Beth Chatto's legacy, discussing how we can adapt our gardens to promote resilience and withstand changing environmental conditions. “We haven't used any herbicides or pesticides for the last few years. And we all have to be water wise these days as well. It started off with the gravel garden being the only part of the garden that was never irrigated. But since a couple of years ago, we don't water the rest of the gardens either.” Also in this episode… Fiona and Chris are preparing their gardens for winter, even in the cooler months there's still plenty to do! In the postbag, the team tackle questions on reusing old compost, dealing with coddling moth, and why it's crucial not to leave soil bare at this time of year. Thanks again to our sponsors, Viridian Nutrition. Visit their website at www.viridian-nutrition.com.

W odcinku odwiedzamy Ogrody Beth Chatto o znaczeniu historycznym w Essex w Anglii, wpisane na listę dziedzictwa narodowego. Ogrody ekologiczne założyła ogrodniczka Beth Chatto w 1960 roku ze żwirowej gleby i torfowisk nieczynnej farmy sadowniczej. Jest to kilka ogrodów prezentujących przykłady zrównoważonego nasadzeń w oparciu o motto Beth Chatto „właściwa roślina na właściwym miejscu”. Skupimy się na suchym ogrodzie założonym w miejscu żwirowni, który nie jest podlewany od ponad 30 lat. Jakie rośliny dają sobie w nim radę i jaki jest klucz do sukcesu? Zapraszamy na podcast.Rozmawiają Katarzyna Bellingham i Jacek Naliwajek E-book Plan na warzywnik: https://sklep.naturalnieoogrodach.pl/produkt/plan-na-warzywnik/Poniżej, polecane produkty ze sklepu Kasi (reklama): Róże angielskie: https://bit.ly/3pqQfR5Naturalny hydrożel Bio Aqua Control: https://bit.ly/3SXUYplNeemAzal na mszyce: https://bit.ly/3MLk1b3Lepinox na ćmę bukszpanową: https://bit.ly/43RpZxxNemaslug, biologiczny preparat na ślimaki: https://bit.ly/4aCkRByAgro Eca Protect: https://bit.ly/44j4XdaBeczka 55l na gnojówki: https://bit.ly/4bneRN9Sklep Kasi: https://KasiaBellinghamSklep.pl/ Strona internetowa: https://naturalnieoogrodach.pl/Newsletter: https://ogrodowynewsletter.gr8.com/Kontakt: naturalnieoogrodach@gmail.comSubskrybuj nasze kanał YT:http://bit.ly/3kxfBuehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDsU5ePpzDBdaxJADjL2jQ?view_as=subscriber---------------Podcastu możesz też słuchać na aplikacjach mobilnych:�� Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2WjD1lz�� Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IT0uXP�� Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2VN51RH----------------Zajrzyj do nas:FB: https://www.facebook.com/Naturalnie-o-ogrodach-803749476630224/IN: https://instagram.com/naturalnie.o.ogrodach/-----------------Co to za kanał „Naturalnie o ogrodach”?Opowiadamy o ogrodach naturalnych, ekologicznych, pożytecznych, wiejskich, miejskich i angielskich.Propagujemy i zachęcamy do uprawiania ogrodów ekologicznie, w zgodzie z naturą, bez chemii. Polecamy również vloga Katarzyny:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuyPP3vZWmT-BsknBiejXQ #naturalnieoogrodach E-book - Plan na warzywnik. Jak zaplanować uprawę warzyw, grządka po grządce, od wiosny do jesieni: https://sklep.naturalnieoogrodach.pl/produkt/plan-na-warzywnik/Sklep Kasi: https://KasiaBellinghamSklep.pl/ Strona internetowa: https://naturalnieoogrodach.pl/Newsletter: https://ogrodowynewsletter.gr8.com/Kontakt: naturalnieoogrodach@gmail.comSubskrybuj nasze kanał YT:http://bit.ly/3kxfBuehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDsU5ePpzDBdaxJADjL2jQ?view_as=subscriber---------------Podcastu możesz też słuchać na aplikacjach mobilnych:�� Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2WjD1lz�� Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IT0uXP�� Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2VN51RH----------------Zajrzyj do nas:FB: https://www.facebook.com/Naturalnie-o-ogrodach-803749476630224/IN: https://instagram.com/naturalnie.o.ogrodach/-----------------Co to za kanał „Naturalnie o ogrodach”?Opowiadamy o ogrodach naturalnych, ekologicznych, pożytecznych, wiejskich, miejskich i angielskich.Propagujemy i zachęcamy do uprawiania ogrodów ekologicznie, w zgodzie z naturą, bez chemii. Polecamy również vloga Katarzyny:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuyPP3vZWmT-BsknBiejXQ #naturalnieoogrodach

Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture.  A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring!Without a doubt, spring is in full throttle, both in Devon and in Essex. Lucy and Saul are enjoying produce from their plots, and displays in their borders - Lucy even managed to squeeze in a visit to her local Beth Chatto gardens, courtesy of the Garden Media Guild. Seeing how famous gardeners plant up their gardens is such an enjoyable process, and this will also be echoed later this month when the duo step out onto the Chelsea Flower Show showground.Instagram Links:Lucy headgardenerlcTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the Show.

Naturalist Chris Gibson talks about his work at Beth Chatto gardens advising on invasive species and plants from abroad. Find out more about Chris Gibson and his work at his website: https://bit.ly/49zEqtX

JANET DRAPER BIOJanet Draper has been the sole gardener for Smithsonian's Mary Livingston Ripley Garden for 26 years.   This tiny 1/3 of an acre garden is located on the National Mall and is open 24 hours a day to visitors from around the globe.  Janet's roles in the garden include everything from design and maintenance to cleaning the fountain and answering questions from visitors.  Janet's approach is to try to do something different every year to challenge herself and to keep educating visitors about the amazing diversity of plants! Janet was raised in a rural farming community in Indiana and always knew she wanted to do something with plants. She pursued a bachelor's in horticulture from Purdue University in 1987. Afterwards, she sought addition training with a series of internships that took her further than she could ever have imagined. She worked at Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Native Piedmont Plants in Greenville, Delaware before it was open to the public; Kurt Bluemel's nursery in neighboring Maryland where she learned the European approach to running a nursery, the famed perennial nursery of Countess von Stein-Zeppelin in Germany's Black Forest, and Beth Chatto at her amazing Nursery and Garden in Elmstead Market, England. Once back in the States, she continued to gain experience at numerous nurseries from Long Island to Illinois.  After nearly a decade of working in perennial nurseries, she then started putting plants in the ground instead of little black plastic pots as an estate gardener and contractor for Oehme van Sweden where she helped install and maintain their designs.  She also helped co-found the Annapolis Horticulture Society. You can learn more by visiting Smithsonian Gardens, by contacting Janet at her email address drapeja@si.edu, and by following Smithsonian Gardens on Instagram.THE PLANTASTIC PODCASTThe Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes.  He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX.  To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com.  He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe.  Until next time, #keepgrowing!

Hello and welcome to this episode of Roots and All. This week, I'm speaking to landscape architect Sally Bower. Sally has just been awarded the main RHS prize for her Bursary Report titled ‘Nature Rising from the Rubble' which looks at gravel and recycled aggregate gardens in Essex and London. Specifically, Sally looked at John Little's Hilldrop garden, RHS Hyde Hall, Beth Chatto's gravel garden, the Langdon Nature Discovery Car Park and the Horniman Museum Grasslands garden and her findings were invaluable if you're interested in designing with or growing in these types of media, and Sally had some surprising findings of note too. Dr Ian Bedford's Bug of the Week: Harlequins What We Talk About The purposes of the study and the distinctions between the different growing media used by people creating gravel/rubble gardens Is this style of gardening be appropriate across the whole of the UK? Big Sky Meadow - is this style of planting is as labour intensive as a traditional flower border might be? In Beth Chatto's garden, when beds are newly installed or are refreshed, they are subject to double digging during which process mushroom compost is incorporated to improve soil fertility. How does this gel with the idea that plants grow really well in low fertility, well-drained gravel substrates? John Little's private garden and how it is built to encourage biodiversity How important is a site specific approach? One of the gardens is a success because once the plants grow through the aggregate and reach the clay below, they grow happily and healthily. Isn't this just a gravel mulched garden rather than a proper gravel garden? How gravel gardens make a positive environmental contribution Why does soil which contain demolition waste high in lime capture carbon more quickly? Sally's favourite example of this type of garden from the ones she wrote about About Sally Bower Based in Liverpool, I've been a landscape architect and garden design for over 20 years. My designs aim to develop attractive low impact schemes which reconnect people with nature, support wildlife and respond to the site and its setting. I am particularly interested in what it means to make a ‘wild' garden and brownfield gardens for biodiversity and wildlife. Links www.sallybower.co.uk Link to Sally's Report - ‘Nature rising from the rubble' Other episodes if you liked this one: John Little of the Grass Roof Company Beth Chatto with Catherine Horwood Patreon Membership

De mange flotte hagene vi kan se i England, kan gi noen og enhver en inspirasjons-innsprøytning. Tommy Tønsberg har de siste ti årene jobbet en periode hver vinter, i Beth Chatto sin hage i Essex. I denne episoden prater vi oss gjennom hva som kjennetegner engelske hager, fra stram struktur i barokkhagene, til nåtidens wildlife gardens. Her er det mye å hente idéer og inspirasjon fra. Det meste kan tilpasses og justeres slik at elementer også kan passe inn i dagens hager. Du finner Hagespiren her:https://hagespiren.no/Mail:podcast@hagespiren.noFølg gjerne Hagespiren Podcast på Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hagespirenpodcast/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/hagespirenYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBHDkK1G9iu3Ytv_pgLCOjgTusen takk for at du lytter til Hagespiren Podcast!Del gjerne podkasten med andre som du tenker vil ha glede av den. Episoden kan inneholde målrettet reklame, basert på din IP-adresse, enhet og posisjon. Se smartpod.no/personvern for informasjon og dine valg om deling av data.

From time to time Lucy and Saul decided they wanted to record conversations with other Head Gardeners, Curators, Garden Owners and fellow horticulturists across the UK, these will be published as Bonus Episodes alongside their usual format of chatting about their gardening lives. We hope you enjoy.For the Bonus Episode #18 we are joined by Head Gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg of the Beth Chatto Gardens - one of the UK's finest gardens in Essex. Åsa came over from her homeland of Sweden in 2001 to start as a student gardener under Beth's tutelage, and in the past 20 years has evolved into the Head Gardener, driving the gardens development forward since Beth's death in 2018. Lucy and Saul chat to her about her love for gardening, Beth as a mentor and 20th Century Gardening Icon and also how Åsa sees the development of such a prestigious garden in the future. Twitter links:Beth Chatto Gardens @BethChattoGdnsSaul @GardeningSaulLucy @HeadGardenerLCInstagram links:Beth Chatto Gardens bethchattogardensLucy headgardenerlcIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

In this episode sponsored by Genus gardenwear Joff Elphick talks to Barbara Segall about her new book GARDENS of the SOUTH-EAST published by Frances Lincoln. Within its 144 pages are  20 gardens many of which often remain overlooked but all of which display the passion of the owners or gardeners that look after them. It's a fascinating talk with not just the gardens, but many names of people involved in horticulture scattered throughout the episode for one reason or another. Jane perrone, Alys Fowler, Peter Donegan, Rocky Coles, Marcus Harper, Fergus Garrett, Clive Boursnell,Beth Chatto, Christopher LLoyd, Tom Coward,William Robinson, John Brookes,  and Gertrude Jekyll all get a mention. The publisher says: A tour of some of the UK's most beguiling gardens in the counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey, the counties that exemplify 'the garden of England'. In these three counties a wealth of history and horticulture has combined with geography in the shape of rolling landscapes, wooded valleys and meandering waterways, to provide an attractive and fascinating collection. They are in villages and towns, as well as in deep countryside, and all are privately owned. Some have been in the possession of the same family for many generations, while others have recently been transformed by new owners. Some open for the National Garden Scheme, while others are open privately and in some cases for just the occasional day for charity. The stunning gardens explored in this visually rich guide include: Arundel Castle, Denmans, Gravetye Manor, Munstead Wood and Sussex Prairie Garden. The book also includes a gazetteer of other important gardens in the area with location advice, to enable readers to plan a more elaborate tour of this fertile garden area. Filled with stunning, specially commissioned photographs by Clive Boursnell, Secret Gardens of the South East is a unique guide that opens the gates to the most intriguing gardens in this part of England.

Czy możliwy jest bujny ogród z roślinami rosnącymi na piasku, a na dodatek bez podlewania? W tym odcinku opowiemy o angielskim ogrodzie The Gravel Garden w hrabstwie Essex, którego właścicielką jest Beth Chatto. Ogród założony na suchym, piaszczysto-kamienistym podłożu, który od 30 lat nie jest podlewany. Jak to możliwe? Właściwe przygotowanie podłoża, dobre jego rozluźnienie, wyściółkowanie niezbyt zasobną materią organiczną i co najważniejsze, właściwy dobór roślin. Bo rośliny dobieramy do stanowiska, a nie odwrotnie. W tym odcinku poprowadzimy Was krok po kroku po właściwym przygotowaniu gleby i podpowiemy, jakie rośliny znoszą tak trudne warunki. Wybór wśród roślin, jest wbrew pozorom, duży. Zapraszamy do słuchania.Rozmawiają: Katarzyna  Bellingham i Jacek NaliwajekNasz newsletter: ogrodowy newsletterZapraszamy do obserwowania nas na kanale YouTube Do zobaczenia na Instagramie oraz FacebookuAby się z nami skontaktować napisz do nas maila na:naturalnieoogrodach@gmail.comPolecamy także vloga Katarzyny na YouTube: Katarzyna Bellingham

Hello and welcome to this weeks edition of the Mic the Gardener – Gardening Podcast. This week my special guest is Catherine Horwood. Catherine is an award-winning writer and lecturer and author of the official biography of Beth Chatto, ‘Beth Chatto - A Life with Plants'. Beth was and indeed still is one of our most influential gardeners. There can't be many of us who hasn't got one of Beth‘s inspirational books on our bookshelves. It's a great chat with some fascinating stories about Beth and her life And if you haven't already, please follow/subscribe as there are still more great episodes in the pipeline! Please leave a review if you are able as it really helps people to find the podcast and tell them what it's all about. Thank you!

For the past 33 years Kathy and her husband Simon have created a simply amazing Manor House Garden in Stevington, just north of Bedford. It's a garden full of inspiration, buoyed by Kathy's keen use of colour and structure as well as plenty of great plants. In this episode of Dig it, Peter Brown and Chris Day discover more about how the garden evolved, advice on growing plants in containers using recipe-style plantings, the crocking debate, tales of a donkey, opening a garden to the public and using edible flowers in baking.Plants mentioned: Beech hedging, Eucalyptus, Pine trees, avenues of Betula jacquemontii, Metasequoia glyptostroboides and Ginkgo biloba. Wisteria, Weeping Cedrus, xeriscape plants such as succulents. Perennials Agapanthus, Alliums, Japanese anemones, Gladiolus callianthus 'Murielae' (Abyssinian gladiolus, RHS AGM), Sedum, Hellebore Gold Collection (outward facing blooms perfect in pots) Helleborus ‘Frosty' is a good one, Verbena bonariensis, ornamental grasses including Calamagrostis ‘Overdam', Echinaceas. Hyacinths, Dwarf and species Tulips, Tulip clusiana 'Lady Jane' and Dwarf Narcissi like ‘January Gold' (early) and ‘Pipit' (later flowering). Good flavours to use with cake bakes include scented rose petals as these provide the most flavour as well as lavender.Kathy's desert island plant: English lavender – wonderfully versatile, you can cook with it and use it in a wide variety of ways as well as producing a wonderful tea to enjoy.Products mentioned: White Himalayan birch plantings at Anglesey Abbey. National Garden Scheme (NGS). Solardome ® greenhouse. Beth Chatto's dry garden – a converted car park to a gravel garden. Piet Oudolf, a Dutch garden designer, plant nursery man and author who practices a more naturalistic approach to gardening. Composts: Dalefoot Wool Compost and Jack's Magic All Purpose Improved Compost (reduced peat) and New Horizon Peat-Free Compost. Broadleaf p4, using John Innes Compost as an additive. Kathy likes to use Evergreen Compost , who offer peat-free, peat-reduced and a traditional compost containing sphagnum moss peat. Water retaining granules such as Broadleaf P4 and Swelgel, which can be added to compost and soil to help retain moisture around the plant's roots. Garden photographer Clive Nichols and the early morning photo shoot.Kathy Brown's Books The Edible Flower Garden, Container Gardening, Kathy Brown's Recipes For Easy Container Gardening and A Bulb for all SeasonsTo find out more about Kathy's Garden, opening details, Kathy's lectures and how to book a visit click hereOur thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something a bit different this week on The Talking Dirty Podcast. You may have heard a couple of weeks ago Jimi Blake popped to East Ruston Old Vicarage to take a look around with Alan Gray. Afterwards, before Jimi shot off to Beth Chatto's garden in Essex for a Symposium on Rewilding, the pair sat down to share some of their thoughts from the day. PLANT LIST Lophosoria quadripinnata Dicksonia antarctica Pteris wallichiana Ricinus communis 'Blue Buddha' Lobelia tupa Romneya coulteri Brassaiopsis mitis Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex' Agave montana Amaranthus cruentus 'Hot Biscuits' Papaver commutatum 'Ladybird' Salvia microphylla Salvia confertiflora Salvia curviflora Meconopsis betonicifolia

Today I welcome floral artist and flower friend and mentor, Sarah Statham of Simply by Arrangement. Whether writing from her corner of Yorkshire, England, or gardens farther afield, she is forever seeking light and the perfect pebble, and always celebrating color, form, and seasonality. Her role as an educator extends beyond the vase, providing invaluable business advice through one to one conversations with numerous flower fettlers, both seasoned and new. As much as I rely on her rock steady advice, it is her humor, love of learning, and keen sense of observation that I admire most. Perhaps it is due to the many roles she has held in her own life, but her ability to see and share stories is one of her greatest gifts. And since most of you will know her way with a bowl and a tulip or two, you'll agree there are few in the same league. Garden People Podcast from https://www.instagram.com/violetear_studio/ (@violetear_studio ) L I S T E N https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/garden-people/id1595934172 (iTunes) https://open.spotify.com/show/7qlYq5yVrLEgfCuZOtrPcn (Spotify) https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/garden-people (Stitcher) S H O W N O T E S https://www.instagram.com/simplybyarrangement/ (Sarah Statham) https://simplybyarrangement.co.uk (Simply by Arrangement ) https://www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/members/the-yorkshire-flower-patch/ (Rachel, Yorkshire Flower Patch) https://www.instagram.com/jillshaddock/ (Jill Shaddock) https://www.misspickering.com (Miss Pickering, Stamford) https://www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk (Flowers from the Farm) http://mail.dovecottagenursery.co.uk/index.html (Dove Cottage Nursery) https://www.instagram.com/maxgilldesign/?hl=en (Max Gill) https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/constancespry/ (Constance Spry) https://www.bethchatto.co.uk (Beth Chatto) https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/christopher-lloyd (Christopher Lloyd) https://www.instagram.com/suestuartsmith/?hl=en (Sue Stuart Smith), https://amzn.to/3ufHpoK (The Well Gardened Mind: Restorative Power of Nature) https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/author/anna-pavord/ (Anna Pavord), https://amzn.to/3brwxgL (The Tulip) http://www.ianmcewan.com (Ian McEwan) https://www.thebusinessofsellingflowers.com (The Business of Selling Flowers) (https://www.instagram.com/plantpassion/?hl=en (Claire Brown), https://www.instagram.com/millpondflowerfarm/ (Paula Baxter), https://www.instagram.com/carolsiddorn/ (Carol Siddorn)) - https://www.thebusinessofsellingflowers.com/scholarship (Scholarship Program) P L A N T L I S T Grand Prix Roses Clematis Fritillary

The Queen of Herbs – Jekka McVicarJekka McVicar talks with Dig It's Peter Brown and Chris Day about the popularity in growing herbs, tips on growing them, plus a fascinating insight into her RHS show work Jekka shares her passion for growing and propagating herbs, organic growing, meeting the Queen and Jekka spills the beans on her exciting new herb garden project which opens next year.Plant mentions: Numerous Basils including Basil ‘Red Rubin' for infusing to create pink gin, Coriander, Convallaria (Lily of the Valley), Cress, Digitalis (Foxglove, medicinal herb), Dill, French Tarragon, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Laurus nobilis (bay leaves), Mints including Peppermint and Spearmint, Murraya koenigii (Curry tree), Nasturtium, Oregano, Red Amaranth, Rosemary, Salvia lavandulifolia (lavender-leaved sage), Szechuan (Sichuan) Pepper, Turmeric, Thymes, including Jekka's Purple Haze, Tomatoes, Wild Rocket and Winter savory.A range of herb plants are available at the Garden Centre and onlineKew Gardens research into herbsProduct mentions: Jekka's Mr Fothergill's herb seeds, Maxicrop Seaweed Extract, available at the Garden Centre (feed on Friday).Medicinal herbs resources: Medical herbalist Anne McIntyre and herbal practitioner Simon Mills.Borage the gnome news storyJekka's Books see website, plus available at the Garden Centre, A Little Book of Herbs. An A-Z.Peat-free compost, Jekka has her own formula based on coir. If potting herbs always use a Peat-free ‘Potting' compost rather than a multi-purpose mix.2009 RHS Lawrence Award, for best floral display. The Medal was special as it was the first for herbs and a first for organics.Notable luminaries: Garden designer and writer Noel Kingsbury, RHS show organiser Mavis Sweetingham, horticultural legend Beth Chatto, national treasure Delia Smith, top TV chef Jamie Oliver, top fish chef Nathan Outlaw.Jekka's Desert Island plant: The entire Lamiaceae family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family and includes culinary herbs like Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Marjoram, Oregano, Hyssop, Thyme, Lavender, and Perilla.To find out more about Jekka's story, the specialist herb farm containing over 400 culinary and medicinal herbs from all around the world and online shop.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Beth Chatto was the amazing gardener who said "Right plant, right place." meaning there is a prefect plant for each circumstance, you just need to do the research. Well you can also think of this when your creating a garden, what is it that the landscape is already telling you? Is it dry and sandy? Or maybe wet and shady? All of these things can drastically  change the kind of garden that you'll want to create, but we can walk you through it. This episode Emma and Beth talk about the different gardens we've had to make on the farm and how to be creative with the space your given.Instagram:@abllominggoodtimepodcast@crowleyhouseYoutube:@crowleyhouseflowerfarm  

Peter Gibbs is at Beth Chatto's Plants and Gardens answering your horticultural queries with Christine Walkden, Bunny Guinness and Matthew Wilson. This week, the team meet garden and nursery director David Ward and head gardener Åsa Gregers-Warg, who show them around Beth Chatto's gravel, water, and woodland garden, all the while sharing their advice on cultivating a moss lawn, growing an acorn from seed, and helping a plant through it's dormancy period. In the run up to spring, Kate Clark joins the panel to tell us about the nationwide gardening competition for local communities, RHS Britain in Bloom. Producer - Daniel Cocker Assistant Producer - Bethany Hocken A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://hazelstainer.wordpress.com/2018/09/07/the-beth-chatto-gardens/

Fergus Garrett trained in horticulture at Wye College, London University. He worked in Kent for Rosemary Alexander of the English Gardening School, for Beth Chatto at the Unusual Plants Nursery in Essex and then for the Sackler family at Cap d'Antibes and Gstaad. In 1992 he became head gardener at Great Dixter, working closely with Christopher Lloyd until Christopher's death in 2006. Since then he has become Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. Fergus works full-time, hands-on in the garden, as well as writing and lecturing extensively across the world. Here is the link to the Great Dixter Biodiversity audit-https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/house-and-estate/biodiversity/biodiversity-audit/

Carol and Dee talk about coreopsis, leeks, letters between gardeners, and more.Helpful Links:Coreopsis at Mt. Cuba CenterCoreopsis at High Country GardensInfo on growing leeks from Bonnie PlantsOn the bookshelf:  Dear Friend and Gardener by Christopher Lloyd and Beth ChattoWell-Read Mom book club Dee joined.PBS documentary on Wendell BerryEmail us at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol and her books, visit her website.  Visit her blog May Dreams Gardens.For more info on Dee and her book, visit her website.  Visit her blog Red Dirt Ramblings.Affiliate links to purchase any of our books:The 20-30 Something Garden Guide: A No-Fuss, Down and Dirty, Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff, by Dee NashPotted and Pruned: Living a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelHomegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelSeeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening Life, by Carol J. MichelCreatures and Critters: Who's in Your Garden, by Carol J. MichelThe Christmas Cottontail: A Story for Gardeners of All Ages, by Carol J. Michel

From winter floods to summer droughts, water is becoming ever-more of an issue for gardeners. This week, we talk to RHS Water Scientist Janet Manning, to discover clever ways we can all make the most of what we've got. The gardening advice team answers listeners' questions on plants that help prevent flooding, and those that tolerate both drought and waterlogging. Plus a look at the enduring legacy of pioneering plantswoman Beth Chatto's Dry Garden.

Today we celebrate a woman who helped change the way pesticides were used in the United States. We'll also learn about the man who taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees and also founded the Home Orchard Society. We’ll hear about how to prune Willow (Salix) trees with one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a lovely set of postcards - they’re so pretty - you may just want to display them. And then we’ll wrap things up with a marvelous article about a source of winter joy for gardeners: scented houseplants.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Eight Steps to Create a Stunning Winter Garden | Stihl    Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events January 29, 1958  On this day, a letter to the editor appeared in the Boston Herald in Section 3 on Page 14 and was titled “Evidence of Havoc by DDT." It was written by a Duxbury resident, journalist, and nature-lover: Olga Owens Huckins. Olga and her husband, Stuart, had created a little bird sanctuary around two kettle ponds on their property. It was a place, “where songbirds sang, ducks swam, and great blue herons nested.” When the Massachusetts State Mosquito control program began spraying in their area, Olga observed birds and insects dropping dead in her garden. During that time, the DDT was sprayed at a rate of two pounds per acre. The day Olga's property was sprayed, the pilot had extra DDT in his tank, and he decided to dump it - right over Olga's land. As a former Boston newspaper reporter, Olga voiced her anger and frustration in the best way she knew how; she wrote about it. Olga wrote, “The ‘harmless’ shower-bath killed seven of our lovely songbirds outright. We picked up three dead bodies the next morning right by the door. They were birds that had lived close to us, trusted us, and built their nests in our trees year after year.” After writing the paper, Olga wrote another letter to an old friend named Rachel Carson. Olga wanted Rachel to help her find people in Washington who could provide more information about the aerial spraying of DDT. Olga's letter sparked four years of research for Rachel. She put it all together in a book called Silent Spring. Rachel's book opened people's eyes to the hazards of DDT, and public opinion eventually forced the banning of DDT in 1972. Today, Olga & Stuart’s property has new owners, and they continue to preserve the site as a bird sanctuary - and also as a way to honor the two brave women who stepped forward when it was put in harm’s way: Olga Huckins and Rachel Carson.   January 29, 2005 Today is the anniversary of the death of the founder of Home Orchard Society, Larry L. McGraw.  Larry's obituary stated that pomology was his passion for more than 50 years. Pomology is the science of growing fruit. In an effort to preserve fruit trees in the Northwest, Larry began collecting scion wood specimens in his twenties, and he founded the Northwest Fruit Explorers - an organization and clearinghouse for fruit information and fruit growers. During his retirement, Larry worked as a horticulturist for the Oregon Historical Society. One day, Larry discovered an envelope that contained apple seeds that were a hundred years old. The letter inside the envelope referenced Marcus Whitman and his orchard. Marcus Whitman was a doctor who led a group of settlers West to Washington State by Wagon Train. His wife was named Narcissa, and she was very bright, a teacher of physics and chemistry. Marcus and Narcissa were part of a group of missionaries. They settled in an area now known as Walla Walla, Washington, and apparently, the Whitman's had an orchard. Beyond that, Marcus and Narcissa's time in Washington was not fruitful. They attempted to convert the local Native Americans to Christianity but were unsuccessful mainly because they didn’t bother to get to know or understand them. Sadly, their only daughter drowned when she was two years old. After that, Narcissa’s eyesight began to fail. When the Native Americans came down with measles, they blamed the settlers; but they specifically blamed Marcus since he was the town doctor. After almost all of the Native American children died, the surviving Native Americans launched an attack on the settlers. The Native Americans killed Marcus and Narcissa in their home on November 29, 1847, and this event became known as the Whitman Massacre. The seeds that Larry found at the Historical Society were one of the last pieces of the Whitman legacy. Larry's attempts to germinate the Whitman apple seeds were unsuccessful. However, Larry did successfully obtain apple trees from Russia for his Portland Orchard. By 1973, Larry had over 300 varieties of apples growing in his garden. Two years later, in May of 1975, Larry hosted a meeting with a group of other orchard growers. It was the official first meeting of the Home Orchard Society. During his lifetime, Larry taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees. And during his 50 years of researching apples, Larry estimated he had come across over 2,000 different apple varieties from all over the world.   Unearthed Words ‘How often do you prune your willows?’ you may ask. It varies. We have to consider the vigor of different varieties and also, of course, the amount of time we have to spare. We do not always do what is ideal. If you can manage it, I think it is probably best to prune every year in February, removing about half the shoots, leaving the youngest, brightest looking stems. Some we prune every two years, others we leave longer, but not too long. I once left [the rosemary willow] Salix elaeagnos ""SAY-lix el-ee-ag-nus"(rosmarinifolia "rose-mah-ren-uh-FOE-lee-uh") for several years. With long, fluttering, grey leaves, white-backed on purple stems, they made superb specimens. I was loath to touch them but eventually found we had to restrain them from smothering other good things. Faced with the huge framework in winter how hard dare I cut? Gingerly I went round, saw in hand, cutting off vast pieces but leaving, to my mind, an acceptable framework. Along came a young member of staff who, not before consultation, confidently took the saw and slaughtered my framework almost to the ground. I knew, in theory, he was right, but I just hadn’t the courage. Would it be too great a shock to the system? Well, they were slow to start, but by the end of the season, they looked magnificent. — Beth Chatto, garden writer and gardener, Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook, January   Grow That Garden Library Botanicals: 100 Postcards  This wonderful postcard set came out in 2017, and the subtitle is 100 Postcards from the Archives of the New York Botanical Garden. “This box set contains 100 rare and brilliantly colored botanical art selections from the New York Botanical Garden archives.  The images include portraits of exotic flowers, cacti, and succulents from the New York Botanical Garden collections.  Each image is printed on lush, uncoated stock to mimic the original paintings. These postcards are perfect for mailing, framing, or using as gift tags.” You can get a copy of Botanicals: 100 Postcards from the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $15   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 29, 1998 On this day The Courier-Journal out of Louisville, Kentucky ran an article by Tovah Martin called “Winter is the Best Time for Scented Plants.” Here’s an excerpt: “In spring, there are violets, but who wants to crawl around sniffing flowers 2 inches above the ground?  In summer, roses abound, but close encounters with rosebuds can be thorny.  No, winter is when scents are sampled to the best advantage.  With a horde of houseplants huddled on the windowsill, nostrils can have a field day.  Fragrant plants, however, have one slight drawback: They're not very showy.  The blooms of most fragrant flowering plants are a subdued cream, white, or yellow in color and rather diminutive in size.  Take heliotrope, for example. It smells like a comforting combination of baby powder, mulled cider, and vanilla. The flowers are white or purple in dense clusters, and they bloom lustily in any bright, south-facing window, if you can keep the white fly at bay.  Or try a hoya in an east or west window; the blossom umbels smell something like freshly baked croissants.  If you prefer something along the line of apricots warm from the oven, try Osmanthus fragrans, the sweet olive.  If you crave the citrus scent but don't have a sizable south window, consider a mock orange, Pittosporum tobira, instead. It tolerates low light and produces nosegays of creamy flowers amid laurel-like leaves. Several jasmines (especially Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans, J. nitidum, and J. tortuosum) are easy houseplants. They exude deep, romantic, come-hither-type perfumes with a hint of musk thrown in after dark.  If you like the idea but not the musky note, go for a jasmine imitator. Trachelospermum asiaticum is known as pinwheel jasmine but bears no kinship to jasmine whatsoever. It looks like jasmine with vining branches studded by umbels of star-shaped blossoms with twisted petals. And it smells like jasmine, without the questionable undertones.  One word of caution before you delve into the realms of fragrant plants: If you can, try to sample potential perfumed roommates before adopting them.  One person's perfume is another's stench.  Even certain jasmines can rub some people the wrong way.  British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll spent a night abroad and sent her lady's maid searching for a dead rat. It turned out to be Jasminum polyanthum, growing by the window.”   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate living virtually - we can tour one of the world’s greatest museums - which opened on this day in 1759. We'll also learn about a man who endeared himself to his countrymen when he published a book about the plant life found within sixteen miles of his hometown. We’ll hear some thoughts on identifying wildlife in the winter garden. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a beautiful book that’s full of incredible wisdom from a seasoned gardener and stylist. And then we’ll wrap things up with the story of the woman who wrote about her garden and called herself the commuter's wife.    Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News How to Grow and Care for Spirea Shrubs | The Spruce | Les Engels   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events January 15, 1759 On this day, the British Museum opened. The British Museum was founded in 1753 when Sir Hans Hans left his entire collection to the country of England. At first glance, a personal collection doesn't sound worthy of starting a museum. But over his lifetime, Hans ended up becoming a one-person repository for all things relating to the natural world. Hans outlived many of the explorers and collectors of his day, and as they would die, they would bequeath him their herbariums and collections. So when Hans passed away, he practically had become the caretaker of the world’s Natural History, aka the British Museum. Today the British Museum is the largest indoor space captured by Google Street View. Google mapped the museum in November of 2015, and so it's now available online to all of us. So, today if someone asks you what you’re doing, you can say, "I'm going to tour the British Museum. What are you up to?"   January 15, 1786 Today is the birthday of the British shoemaker and amateur botanist Richard Buxton. Born into poverty in Lancashire, as a young boy, Richard enjoyed picking his favorite wildflowers: Germander Speedwell, Creeping Tormentil or Cinquefoil, and Common Chickweed. Now, although it has pretty deep blue flowers, I think it's a little funny that Richard picked Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys "kam-EE-driss") because the blossoms wilt quickly after picking or cutting them - which is how it got the ironic common name "Männertreu" in Germany. "Männertreu" means "men's faithfulness."  As for Creeping Tormentil or Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) - today, that plant is considered a lawn weed. And a clue to the medicinal power of this invasive plant is its name: Potentilla, which means "powerful, despite its small size."  Finally, all species of Chickweed are in the genus Stellaria. And, the adorable little chickweed blossoms resemble carnations, which makes sense because chickweed is actually a member of the carnation family, Caryophyllaceae ("kair-ee-off-il-AYE-see-ee"). And before we get back to Richard's story, there's another great thing to know about Chickweed: it's a great plant to eat. I think of it as a spinach substitute. Nutritious and delicious, you can eat Chickweed leaves raw or in a sandwich or salad. The mild flavor is delightful - and if you're wondering what it tastes like, it's often compared to corn silk. As for Richard, he was industrious, and he taught himself to read when he was 16. Richard accomplished this herculean task with two books: The Common Spelling Book and Jones Pronouncing Dictionary. And by the age of 18, Richard became an apprentice to a shoemaker and an amateur botanist named James Heap. Together, James and Richard would botanize the countryside - looking for herbs to make drinks. After realizing a reference book would help with their foraging, Richard bought a copy of Culpeper's Complete Herbal. And when Culpepper wasn’t practical enough or accurate, Richard purchased Meyrick’s Herbal. For Richard, both of these books both started a lifelong pursuit for botanical knowledge. As a gardener, if you struggle with taking cuttings from your garden, you’ll identify with Richard. Although most botanists collect specimens and then dry and mount them, Richard couldn’t bear to cut the specimens he found in nature. Instead, Richard made all of his botanical discoveries by observing living plants and taking notes. In 1849, when Richard was 62, he endeared himself to his countrymen when he published a book called A Botanical Guide to the Flowering Plants, Ferns, Mosses, and Algae, Found Indigenous Within Sixteen Miles of Manchester. Richard’s obituary in The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser said: “This extraordinary self-taught man died at his residence… after a very short illness, in the 81st year of his age. It is now nearly twenty years since Mr. Buxton, then a maker of children's shoes wrote his "Botanical Guide." In that book, in an exciting account of himself, Richard said, "I have now reached the age of 62 years, and although by no means robust, I can yet make a ramble of thirty miles a day, and enjoy the beauties of nature with as much zest as ever I did in my life.  True, the pursuit of botany has not yielded me much money, but what, in my opinion, is far better, it has preserved my health, if not my life, and afforded me a fair share of happiness."  Mr. Buxton was probably the best British botanist... that Lancashire has produced, and he has been called by one of the most eminent living authorities, " a complete dictionary of English botany." Richard was a pauper all of his life. As he grew older, Richard’s friends and fellow naturalists encouraged the community to help Richard by buying his book. And the geologist Edward William Binney set up a fund for Richard and ultimately ended up paying for Richard's tombstone when he died at the age of 81. And in 1914, The Guardian shared that members of a Manchester nature club were going to try to ascertain how many of the 40 plants mentioned by Buxton still existed.  There was no word on the results of that endeavor.   Unearthed Words The first thing I noticed as I watched my own boots sink below the blue-shadowed surface were the footprints of many other occupants of the garden. The mallard duck had left their heavy, plodding trails before flying off, hopefully, to someplace where the water is not totally frozen over - probably to the salt marshes which are not far away. The large webless prints of moorhens, setting off in determined straight lines, were everywhere. Blackbirds, thrushes, robins, and jackdaws were evident in a confused jumble of prints all around the house and buildings. I wish I could identify more of the strange little footmarks to be found in the snow. However, it is not difficult to recognize rabbits’ long feet, crisscrossing an area we call ‘The Wilderness,’ my last two acres of uncultivated land, which is wired off from the garden with rabbit-proof netting. Here too, I saw the prints of a fox together with a continuous hollow scraped in the soft snow. It was easy to imagine him dragging his kill back to some hideaway. Wingbeats of alighting birds were left imprinted as blue-shadowed fans on the glittering whiteness. — Beth Chatto, garden writer and gardener, Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook, January   Grow That Garden Library A Year at Brandywine Cottage by David Culp This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Six Seasons of Beauty, Bounty, and Blooms. In this book, David Culp shares a year of life at his Brandywine Cottage and generously shares how to enrich your life with the natural world - even if it’s just your own backyard. David’s book is organized seasonally and offers a smorgasbord of flower gardening, veggie and herb growing, floral arranging, and cooking with home-grown produce. David provides monthly tips and advice to help you experience year-round success and joy. Best of all, David’s shared wisdom is practical and creative - and all are gems of conciseness and are based on his 30 years of experience. This book is 296 pages of David Culp’s extraordinary life - in and out of the garden - at Brandywine Cottage. It’s an inspiring read for gardeners and anyone who finds the natural world an enriching and joyful part of life. You can get a copy of A Year at Brandywine Cottage by David Culp and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $13.   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart  January 15, 1906 On this day, The Nashville Banner ran a story about revealing a prolific author and nature lover's true identity. It said: “The authorship of the popular book... The Garden of a Commuter's Wife... has been as jealously guarded in this country. It can be positively stated, however, that the book [was] written by Mable Osgood Wright. Her authorship will be ...announced by the Macmillan Company on the publication of a new book in the series The Garden, You and I." A New Yorker, Mabel Osgood Wright, was a leader of the Audobon movement, a photographer, a conservationist, a native plant advocate, and an American author who wrote about gardens, nature, and birds. A nature writer, Mabel started out by submitting pieces to The New York Times and other newspapers. A decade later, she collected her articles and put them in a book called The Friendship of Nature. After her first book, Mabel produced a brand new book every single year until 1911. Some of her more famous works include Birdcraft, which came out in 1895, and Flowers and Ferns in Their Haunts, released in 1901. Mabel had a gift for writing about nature and natural sciences in a way that was relatable and struck a chord with her readers. As a talented photographer, Mabel took most of the photographs for her books. As indicated in the newspaper article above, Mabel published her best-selling book The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife (1901) and its sequels, under the  pseudonym “Barbara.” In Mabel's book The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife, the gardener was Mabel, and the Commuter was her husband, James. Mabel dedicated her book and her garden to him. Mabel was opposed to the massacre of birds to decorate women’s hats. In Connecticut, Mabel created the first private bird sanctuary in the country. The sanctuary, Birdcraft, was Mabel’s design. Today the six-acre Birdcraft Sanctuary is open daily, year-round, from dawn to dusk. And Mabel’s beautiful Connecticut country home and garden gave her plenty of material for her books. It was Mabel Osgood Wright who said: “Let everyone who makes garden plans frequently insert the letters C.P. after them as a reminder... for Climate Permitting.”   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a man who was regarded as the most revered British field-botanist of his time. We'll also learn about the botanist who considered China to be his real home. We’ll hear thoughts on holly and ivy from one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book of Sunday poems inspired by the natural world. And then we’ll wrap things up with the woman who wrote a book called Garden Cinderellas - what an excellent title.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Experts Predict Gardening Trends for 2021 | Candide | Marc Rosenberg   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events January 13, 1834 Today is the birthday of the botanist and former Keeper of the Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew, John Gilbert Baker. Regarded as the most-revered British field botanist of his time, John had a profound understanding of plants and an earnest desire to preserve them. Professionally, John was referred to as J.G. Baker. The scope of his work brought him into contact with an incredible span of plant species. In addition to his impressive collecting, John identified ten plant families, and he wrote helpful handbooks on plant groups, like the Amaryllidaceae ("am-ah-rilla-DAY-see-ee"), the Bromeliaceae ("bro-mee-lee-AYE-see-ee), the Iridaceae ("eye-ri-DAY-see-ee"), the Liliaceae ("lil-ee-AY-see-ee"), and the ferns. And in addition to all of that, John described and developed the very first key for the Hemerocallis or the daylily. And, here's a little fun fact about John: He once met Beatrix Potter (who was an amateur botanist in her own right in addition to being an author). And, as luck would have it, Beatrix wrote about meeting John in her journal on May 19, 1896 - although it didn't seem like she was very impressed with him. She wrote, "We met Mr. Baker... A slim, timid-looking old gentleman with a large thin book under his arm and an appearance, of having been dried in blotting paper under a press." John was mentored by the botanist Hewett Cotrell Watson. Hewett was a few generations older than Darwin, and he was one of the first botanists to research plant evolution. And it was Hewett's work that paved the way for a new science now known as ecology. In his old age, Hewett burned all of his botanical correspondence. But thankfully, John persuaded him not to burn his herbarium. And so, upon his death, Hewett Cotrell Watson left his house and his land - as well as his books and botanical collections - to the person he thought would most-appreciate them: his protégé, John Gilbert Baker. In 1899, John was awarded the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society. Eight years later, he received the Veitch Memorial Medal. Both of these awards were well-deserved. Today, Wikidata has several pages of data devoted to the plants named by John. It's an impressive list. Conversely, John Gilbert Baker is honored by many plant names, including the Iris bakeriana.   January 13, 1884 Today is the birthday of the eccentric Hawaiian-based botanist, anthropologist, and explorer Joseph Francis Rock. Joseph was born in Austria but ended up immigrating to the United States before eventually settling in Hawaii, where he was beloved. In fact, Joseph became Hawaii's first official botanist. Joseph started teaching as a Botany professor at the University of Hawaii in 1911, and he also served as a botanist for the Hawaiian Territorial Board of Agriculture. After working for 13 years in Hawaii, Joseph left to explore China - and that quest would become his primary passion.   It was 1920 before Joseph left Honolulu for China for the very first time. And when he traveled, Joseph always carried a copy of David Copperfield to remind him of his own terrible childhood. And although Joseph knew he was beloved in Hawaii, he always said that he considered China to be his “real” home. In fact, when comparing China to the rest of the world, Joseph said China was better since it was the place, “where life is not governed by the ticking of the clock but by the movement of celestial bodies.” In total, Joseph spent much of his adult life - more than 20 years - in southwestern China. And often, Joseph was the very first explorer to enter these interior locations that he visited. In fact, there were many times when Joseph became so embedded in the country that his peers would go too long without hearing from him, and they would begin to think that Joseph must have died. How would they ever find him? Many could only guess that his body was probably somewhere in the Tibetan or Yunnan ("YOU-nan") mountains. Yet, thankfully, Josephalways turned up. And it’s important to note - especially when you consider how much Joseph traveled - that Joseph never traveled alone. When Joseph explored, he always went with a large party comprised of two dozen mules, 20 men, and an escort of nearly 200 soldiers for protection against bandits. And as for his personal effects, get this: Joseph brought a folding bed, a table and chairs,  a full set of silverware and china to dine on, an Abercrombie & Fitch canvas bathtub for hot baths, and a hand-cranked phonograph so he could listen to his favorite music: opera. Now, when he returned to Hawaii, Joseph recounted many hair-raising stories from his time in China. There was this one time when Joseph had collected plants along the base of Mount Gongga ("Gan-GAH") in China's Tibetan Borderland. Now, Mount Gongga is known as "The King of Sichuan ("SITCH-ooh- an") Mountains. Joseph incorrectly predicted it was the tallest mountain in the world (but it's actually the 41st-tallest). Well, one spring, Joseph had an especially great time collecting around the base of Mount Gongga. So, naturally, he wanted to visit it again. But, when he returned in the fall, Joseph and his party were halfway up Mount Gongga when a runner reached them with a letter from the tribal King. Apparently, after Joseph's first collecting trip, a severe hail storm had destroyed the fields. The tribe blamed the catastrophe on Joseph's mountain botanizing, which they believed offended the god of the mountain. And the King's letter warned that Joseph and his party were in danger of being attacked and killed by the tribe if they continued up the mountain. So, the King requested that Joseph abort the trip - which he did. Years later, even after being kicked out of the country, Joseph wrote, ''I want to die among those beautiful mountains rather than in a bleak hospital bed all alone.''  In addition to plants, Joseph had a knack for languages. He cataloged and transcribed Chinese manuscripts and actually wrote a dictionary of one of the tribal languages. He had an enormous intellect and was multi-talented. In addition to being a botanist and a linguist, Joseph was regarded as a world-expert cartographer, ornithologist, and anthropologist. Now, from a gardening standpoint, it was Joseph Rock who brought blight-resistant Chestnut trees to America. Naturally, he had sourced them in China. The Chestnut is in the same family as the Oak and, today, there are nine species of chestnut in the Northern Hemisphere. The four main species of Chestnut (Castanea spp.) are European, Chinese, Japanese, and American chestnuts. Depending on the species, Chestnut trees can live to be hundreds of years old. And Chestnuts are unique in that they have very little protein or fat. Instead, Chestnuts are carbohydrates, and they are the only nuts that contain vitamin C. And there's one additional plant that I always associate with Joseph Rock: the Rhododendron. Joseph Rock also brought American gardeners more than 700 species of Rhododendron. How could we ever thank him enough for that? In fact, some of Joseph's original Rhododendron seeds were first successfully grown in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. And in 1903, the Rhododendron was designated the official State Flower of West Virginia. Referred to as the King of Shrubs, the word Rhododendron comes from two Greek words: "rodon," which means "rose," and "dendron," which means "tree,” hence Rose Tree. And Rhododendron flowers are produced in trusses (a truss is a flower-like structure composed of many flowers). Finally, Rhododendrons are in the Ericaceae ("er-rah-KAY-see-ee") plant family, which also includes Blueberries, Cranberries, Heathers, Huckleberry, Mountain Laurels, and Trailing Arbutus. So the next time you see a Chestnut Tree or a beautiful Rhododendron, tip your hat to Joseph Rock.   Unearthed Words Holly and ivy are the primary images of many Christmas cards, symbols of life carrying on when much else appears dead or has vanished beneath the frozen surface. I would almost go so far as to say they should be in every garden, but perhaps I should substitute "something evergreen" instead of being so specific. Not everyone has the room or the right conditions for large-growing evergreens. I am thinking of laurels and rhododendrons in particular. But hollies can be found in all shapes and sizes; many are plain, but no less handsome, while several are variegated. There are seven pages of holly in Messrs Hilliers’ Manual of Trees and Shrubs to tempt the reader, and a walk among the Holly Collection at Kew Gardens will undoubtedly fire the imagination. Some will be difficult to obtain, but nurserymen will be pleased to propagate more unusual plants if enough of us ask for them. If you look out of your favorite window now, are you satisfied with the view?  Does it lack design?  Would a small-leafed, narrowly-pyramidal holly do anything for it, and how many plants can you see which remain green - or grey, or bronze - throughout the winter, furnishing the bare soil at ground level? — Beth Chatto, garden writer and gardener, Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook, January   Grow That Garden Library A Small Porch by Wendell Berry This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is Sabbath Poems 2014 and 2015. Over three decades ago, Wendell Berry started spending his Sundays in nature, when the weather allowed, “walking and wandering around familiar territory, seeking a deep intimacy only time could provide. These walks sometimes yielded poems. Each year since he has completed a series of these poems dated by the year of its composition.” The New York Times bestselling author of Paddle Your Own Canoe, Nick Offerman, raved, "[Berry's] essays, poetry, and fiction have fertilized a crop of great solace in my life, and helped to breed a healthy flock of good manners, to boot.” This book is 80 pages of grounded and incredibly moving poetry - inspired by the natural world. You can get a copy of A Small Porch by Wendell Berry and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $6   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 13, 1974 Today is the anniversary of the death of the American botanist, garden lecturer, and garden writer Helen Morgenthau Fox. In 1928, Helen wrote a book called Garden Cinderellas: How to Grow Lilies in the Garden, and Harvard’s Ernest Henry Wilson wrote the forward to this book. Helen shared two stories in this book that made me smile. First, Helen talked about researching her book at the Department of Agriculture in Washington. “In the library of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, I found all that has ever been published on Lilies to the present time.  At my request, the valuable old herbals, botanies, and flower monographs were piled on my desk as nonchalantly as if they were so many newly-published novels. It was a privilege to touch the creamy rough surface of such famous old herbals as Parkinson or Clusius and read their quaint descriptions. One day I had Redouté’s “Les Liliacés (The Lilies)” in my hands, and when I found it contained only a few of the true Lilies, I felt quite like the fox in the fable because the price has always kept it way out of my reach.” Helen also shared that she had sent out a survey to determine which Lilies were being grown across the United States. The survey responses paved the way for Helen to make some new friends, and she shares an experience that will be familiar to most gardeners: making new friends while looking at flowers. “Sending out the questionnaire made many new friends for me, and I was delighted to come across a lady who was growing washingtonianum ("Washington-ee-AYE-num"), parryi ("PARE-ee-eye"), japonicum ("jah-PON-uh-kum" (From Japan)), brownii ("BROWN-ee-eye"), and other generally difficult Lilies very successfully in western New York. My Lily friends were most kind, and one of them telegraphed me when the neilgherrense ("Nil-guh-ree-EN-see") was in flower in his garden since he knew I had not seen it. So I traveled to Washington to look at the visitor from far away blooming as if quite at home in this strange country. There, on a broiling July day, three Lily fans generously spent hours showing their treasures and explaining to a stranger, whose only bond was a mutual love of flowers, what they had done and especially what they hoped to accomplish.” Note: The Neilgherrense Lily is native to the Nilgiri hills in India. The term Nilgiri is Tamil for the Blue Mountains. The strikingly blue color of the hills is attributed to the bloom of a shrub, Strobilanthes kunthiana ("stroe-bih-LAN-theez Coon-tee-AYE-nah").   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate an American poet, essayist, and editor who is often remembered in a photograph where she is dressed as Saint Barbara with a laurel wreath around her head. We'll also learn about the woman who started a flower club that offered rare and exotic plants to Swedish homemakers during World War II. We’ll hear about the enticing words used to describe the gorgeous plants in garden catalogs - they work so well on gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with an old book by a stylist who loves to incorporate nature into her interior designs. And then we’ll wrap things up with a cheery story about the man who saw life through rose-colored glasses—chin up.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated News Beautiful Bark on Deciduous Trees | Fine Gardening | Kristin Green   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events January 7, 1861 Today is the birthday of the American poet, essayist, and editor Louise Imogen Guiney. Louise was the daughter of a Tipperary-born Civil War General named Patrick Guiney. And after living in constant pain from his war injuries, Louise’s father died when she was 16. But her dad’s bravery and morality helped to shape Louise’s work. As her family struggled to make ends meet, Louise worked several jobs. In 1894, she ended up working for her local post office in Auburndale, Massachusetts. She was the postmistress. And when locals protested her appointment because she was Catholic, her friends responded to the backlash by buying so many stamps that Louise kept her job and actually even got a raise. I think of that little incident when I read a poem often attributed to Louise - but its origins remain uncertain. The foolish fears of what may come, I cast them all away Among the clover-scented grass, Among the new-mown hay; Among the hushing of the corn, Where drowsing poppies nod. Ill thoughts can die, and good be born, Out in the fields of God. During Louise's early life in Boston, she lived on Pinckney Street. And that street served as a hub for creatives like Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Thoreau family, and the publisher Elizabeth Peabody. Imagine living there... Louise’s work was featured in popular magazines like Harper’s and The Atlantic Monthly. And has she matured in her adulthood, Louise fell in love with England’s history and she made repeated trips there before permanently moving to the country in the early 1900s. In one of her beautiful pieces of correspondence, Louise was asked if her poem A Song Of The Lilac could be set to music - and it was. It’s a charming verse that goes like this: And when by night the May wind blows The lilac-blooms apart, The memory of his first love Is shaken on his heart. Today if you search for Louise online, you’ll see beautiful images of her dressed as Saint Barbara with a laurel wreath around her head and, in some photos, someone faintly penciled a halo above her head.   January 7, 1898 Today is the birthday of the Swedish botanist and children's book author Vivi Laurent-Täckholm. During World War II, Vivi started a flower club that offered rare and exotic plants to Swedish housewives. Vivi's club debuted several popular houseplants, including pothos and two types of Plectranthus, green-leafed and variegated. As Plectranthus australis grew in popularity, thanks to Vivi’s flower club, it became known as Swedish Ivy. The genus name, Plectranthus, refers to the spur-shaped flowers and comes from the Greek words for spur and flower: plectron and anthos. And if you’ve never seen a Swedish Ivy flower, don’t worry - the little flowers aren’t particularly showy. But it sure is a thrill to get your Swdish Ivy to bloom - I've had that pleasure - and I hope someday you will be able to enjoy it as well.  The species name (australis) means southern and refers to its native home of South Africa. Although it is neither Swedish nor an ivy, the stems trail, and it does resemble an ivy. With its square stems, it is easy to tell that Swedish Ivy is a member of the mint family, and it is also related to the coleus.   Now, I always like to recommend Swedish Ivy as a perfect first houseplant for beginners. I love to grow it in a tall or cylindrical planter - or a hanging basket. And if you want to try to grow Swedish Ivy - it's pretty simple. Swedish Ivy thrives in bright indirect light. Now, the key here is the words indirect light - don’t put it in full sun, or the leaves will burn. And if your Swedish Ivy looks leggy, it needs more light. If your Swedish Ivy has yellow leaves, it's probably overwatered. In fact, it's better to keep your Swedish Ivy on the dry side than too wet. So think about all of that and if you have some issues with your Swedish Ivy - you're going to need to change the way you're taking care of it. All that said, I like to give my Swedish Ivy a spa day every so often. I think that a lovely shower in the sink with a dollop of Dawn dish soap helps to keep my Swedish Ivy dust-free and also keeps pests away, as well as providing more humidity - which they love. Finally, don’t be afraid to prune your Swedish Ivy. You can prune it back to 6-inch stems. I always think about it as giving my Swedish Ivy a haircut. You don't just let these plants grow on into infinity - they'll always look better with a little pruning and shaping - just like your hair does after a fresh cut. Then, put the cuttings into a vase of water. In a few weeks, the cuttings will be rooted, and then you can just pop them into the soil and you'll have a whole new plant. You can also use this method to make your plant fuller and more robust-looking - especially if you have a new plant. You can always add more rooted cutting to fill the plant in. It's one of Swedish Ivy's best features - they are so easy to root from cuttings. Now, if you love the green-leaved Swedish Ivy, you would probably also enjoy the sister species of this plant. There is a variegated version with white-edged leaves. I especially love that in a bright-colored pot, something orange or purple, or chinoiserie. Then there's another species - the Argentatus - that features bright, silvery leaves. This one is really fun and I love telling people that it's a sister to the Swedish Ivy because they often don't believe it.  And then finally, Amboinicus - the Cuban or Caribbean oregano species - has big, soft green leaves. It's very friendly and you get a bonus with it: a powerful oregano fragrance. I love that in the kitchen. Wouldn’t that be lovely in a pot on your kitchen counter?   Unearthed Words Since before Christmas, I have been nibbling, in odd moments, at my new catalog. I try to write word pictures of plants, which might make them irresistible. When I began the nursery twenty years ago, I issued a very small list with descriptions of plants, as I saw them, in place of photographs which I could not have afforded. My catalog has grown with the nursery over the years, but there are still no pretty pictures. I have not actually gone into the cost because, while I know they might help some readers, I myself, deep down, do not want to change. I am very attracted by good photographs in other catalogs, but I find I easily forget them. It is the difference between watching television and listening to a good radio play. I can take the works of the best writers and gardeners, such as Vita Sackville-West, Graham S. Thomas, or Christopher Lloyd, to bed and be lost till midnight, reading their thoughts and seeing their plants and gardens as a musician hears music reading a score. — Beth Chatto, garden writer and gardener, Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook, January   Grow That Garden Library A Passion for Detail by Charlotte Moss This book came out in 1991, and it’s an oldie but goodie. In this book, Charlotte shares her interior design’s beauty, which often includes elements from the natural world. To Charlotte, much of our spaces’ visual appeal can be found in the little details - and the same is true with our gardens. In Charlotte’s book, gardeners will be inspired by the variety of objects Charlotte displays - from dried flowers and vases to specimen plants and vintage pots. Charlotte encourages us to see the beauty in everyday items and incorporate things that bring us the most pleasure - even if those items are traditionally used outdoors in the garden. This book is 192 pages of inspiration courtesy of Charlotte Moss, incorporating rustic whimsy and romance in the little details that create gorgeous rooms. You can get a copy of A Passion for Detail by Charlotte Moss and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $3   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 7, 1927 Today is the anniversary of the death of the American lyricist and columnist for the Atlanta Constitution, Frank Lebby Stanton. A son of the south, Frank was influenced by hymn-writers like Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. Extraordinarily popular during his lifetime, Frank’s charming and straightforward verse evoked a feeling of nostalgia and sentiment. For instance, Frank wrote the words for the Tin Pan Alley hit song, “Mighty Like a Rose.” Among Frank’s many famous verses is this one: So many creeds like the weeds in the sod –  so many temples, and only one God. And Frank’s most famous four-lined verse is also a favorite of gardeners - and it is inscribed on his Atlanta tombstone: This world we're a'livin' in Is mighty hard to beat. You get a thorn with every rose. But ain't the roses sweet?   Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Uno dei meriti di Beth Chatto è stato quello di creare un giardino insieme al proprio vivaio, un catalogo vivente e artistico delle infinite combinazioni e scenari che le piante possono creare in un ambiente.Entriamo in quest'ottica continuando a parlare del suo libro "Garden Notebook", un terzo appuntamento per capire che non solo le piante devono stare bene ma anche le persone che vengono, in un'idea di business che è legata a doppio filo alla cultura, allo star bene e all'amore per la natura.ISCRIVITI E COMMENTA ☝️☝️ FACCI SAPERE CHE NE PENSI! INSTAGRAM

Nel mondo dell'orticoltura si fanno incontri, seminari, conferenze, di natura spesso tecnica, e che possono apparire noiosi dall'esterno. Ricordo un summit di due giorni sulle nuove varietà di Fritillaria.Dal libro "Garden Notebook" (https://www.bethchatto.co.uk/sundries-and-gifts/garden-notebook-paperback-.htm) di Beth Chatto però apriamo una piccola finestra su cosa significa trasmettere le esperienze, sul come ogni tecnica abbia una storia e dietro ogni storia ci sono le persone.ISCRIVITI E COMMENTA ☝️☝️ FACCI SAPERE CHE NE PENSI! INSTAGRAM

Sto sfogliando in questi giorni il libro "Garden Notebook" di Beth Chatto: vivaista, giardiniera, scrittrice, ha fatto suo il concetto della "pianta giusta al posto giusto", coniugando estetica ed ecologia.A partire da una sua intervista rilasciata per la vittoria del premio alla carriera della Society of Garden Design (https://youtu.be/mlS6EF8E7BY) avviciniamoci alla sua esperienza e alla sua visione del giardino, per imparare da lei a capire come comportarci e come pensare non solo i nostri spazi aperti, ma anche quelli chiusi!ISCRIVITI E COMMENTA ☝️☝️ FACCI SAPERE CHE NE PENSI! INSTAGRAM

Clare&Colan discuss a few of their favourite gardeners, their inspirations and ethos, and the gardens they created. Take a tour through the gardens of Audrey Hepburn, Bunny Mellon, Margery Fish, Beth Chatto and Dan Pearson.

Lucy and Saul are fully aware that the world has taken a monumental shift - the Coronavirus outbreak has left our little bit of the world in Horticulture reeling both personally and professionally. So we both decided that instead of our longer format episodes every 3 weeks or so - we going to record shorter podcasts, through the week, to bring you a slice of our lives at East Donyland Hall and Stonelands and beyond - trying to bring a little bit of spring and sunshine to your eardrums.In this episode Lucy and Saul have a chat about which gardens inspire and influence their Head Gardening careers. Lucy's choice is the garden of one of the UK's most celebrated plantswomen Beth Chatto - a garden in Essex famed for its philosophy or Right Plant, Right Place - including its famous Gravel Garden, and the atmospheric Woodland with choice plants growing all over. Saul share's his love for the Garden House on the outskirts of Dartmoor in Devon, describing how it was seminal in the early development of his career and how its one time Head Gardener Keith Wiley continues to shape his Plantmanship.We also mention the charity Perennial - with many Horticulturists, including many friends and colleagues, losing their jobs and livelihoods during this difficult time, Perennial are a charity dedicated to help fellow Horti's when the fall on hard times. Please if you can take a look at their website and support them in what ever way you might.Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulLucy @HeadGardenerLCIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Today we celebrate a man who wrote one of the most influential herbals in history and the French botanist who created the modern strawberry. We'll learn about the Father of Paleobotany and the sweet little Orchid known as the moccasin flower. Today's Unearthed Words feature words about winter. We Grow That Garden Library™ with the diary of a fabulous nurserywoman and garden designer. I'll talk about a garden item to get hung up on... and then we'll wrap things up with the fascinating birth flowers for the month of February. But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Curated Articles Plant of the Month: The Sensitive Plant | JSTOR Daily JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. Aw... it's The Sensitive Plant! Whenever you touch it, the leaves fold up like a fan along its stem. "At first glance, Mimosa pudica ("poo-DEE-cah") is a plant that most people would consider a weed. It grows close to the ground, with countless delicate leaflets, puffy pinkish balls of flowers, and small bunches of legumes. So it makes sense that Mimosa pudica would be known as the "Humble Plant," but what about its association with other names, like "Herb of Love" and "Sensitive Plant"?   When Linnaeus considered what separated living from non-living things he wrote, "Stones grow; plants grow and live; animals grow, live, and feel." With the Mimosa's apparent ability to feel, many people felt that the Sensitive Plant took on animal characteristics with its strong reaction to touch. The Sensitive Plant fascinated 18th-century botanists, scientists, and poets who often compared the plant to animals because of the reaction of the plant; contracting after being touched. In 1791, Erasmus Darwin wrote about the Sensitive Plant in a poem called The Botanic Garden. Weak with nice sense, this chaste Mimosa stands From each rude touch withdraws her timid hands; Oft as light clouds o’er-pass the Summer-glade, And feels, alive through all her tender form, The whisper’d murmurs of the gathering storm; Shuts her sweet eye-lids to approaching night, And hails with freshen’d charms the rising light.   Honey Plant Growth Stimulator - Using Honey To Root Cuttings This post is from Gardening Know How. "Many people have found success with using honey to root cuttings. It is, after all, a natural antiseptic and contains anti-fungal properties — allowing the little cuttings to remain healthy and strong. Some people have even added honey to willow water to aid in rooting."   Now, if you'd like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1515  Today is the birthday of Valerius Cordus. Cordus was the author of one of the most influential herbals in history. In fact, centuries later, the botanist Thomas Archibald Sprague re-published "The Herbal of Valerius Cordus" with his older sister, who he considered to be the best botanist in his botanist family. After the book was published, Sprague gifted her with a personal and gorgeous bound copy. He had the book dedicated to her in Latin: "M. S. Sprague praeceptrici olim hodie collaboratrici d.d. T. A. Sprague" - basically, thanking her for all that she had taught him and collaborated with him. Valerius Cordus died young, at the age of 29. He had contracted malaria. In 1544, Valerius had spent the summer botanizing in Italy with two French naturalists. At some point, he had waded into marshes in search of new plants. When he became sick a short time later, his friends brought him to Rome, and then, they continued on to Naples. When they returned for him, they found their friend, Valerius, had died. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Swiss botanist Konrad Gesner who had the sense to collect Cordus' prolific writings and preserve and publish them. One expert once said, "There was Theophrastus; there was nothing for 1,800 years; then there was Cordus." The genus Cordia is named in honor of Valerius Cordus. Cordia's are in the borage family, and many cordias have fragrant, showy flowers. Some cordias also produce edible fruits with strange and fascinating names like clammy cherries, glue berries, sebesten, or snotty gobbles.   1827  Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne ("do-Shane"). A specialist in strawberries and gourds, Duchesne was a student of Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris. A plant pioneer, Duchesne recognized that mutation was a natural occurrence and that plants could be altered through mutation at any time. As a young botanist, Duchesne began experimenting with strawberries. Ever since the 1300s, wild strawberries had been incorporated into gardens. But, on July 6, 1764, Duchesne created the modern strawberry - the strawberry we know and love today. Strawberries are members of the rose family, and their seeds are on the outside of the fruit. Just how many seeds are on a single strawberry? Well, the average strawberry has around 200 seeds. Now, to get your strawberry plants to produce more fruit, plant them in full sun, in well-drained soil, and trim the runners.   1873  Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist and the Father of Paleobotany; Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart ("Bron-yahr"). Adolphe-Théodore and his wife had two sons, and when Adolphe-Théodore died, he died in the arms of his eldest son. As one of the most prominent botanists of the 19th century, Adolphe-Théodore worked to classify fossil plant forms, and he did so even before Charles Darwin. Adolphe-Théodore's work provided content for his book on the history of plant fossils in 1828. Adolphe-Théodore published his masterpiece when he was just 27 years old. Adolphe-Théodore's writing brought him notoriety and gave him the moniker "Father of Paleobotany." He was also called the "Linnaeus of Fossil Plants." A paleobotanist is someone who works with fossil plants. Plants have been living on the planet for over 400 million years. So, there are plenty of fossil plants to study and catalog. Adolphe-Théodore was not so much a fossil plant discoverer as he was a fossil plant organizer. He put fossil plants in order and applied principles for distinguishing them. In 1841, at the age of 40, Adolphe-Théodore received the Wollaston Medal for his work with fossil plants. It is the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London. The honor would have made his geologist father, Alexander, very proud. Adolphe-Théodore was a professor at the Paris Museum of Natural History. He was the backfill for Andre Michaux, who had left to explore the flora of North America.   1902  Today the Showy Lady's-Slipper became the State Flower of Minnesota. The Lady' s-Slipper Orchid was discovered in 1789 by the botanist William Aiton. The common name Lady' s-Slipper is from the unusual form of the third petal that makes that part of the bloom look like a little shoe. During his lifetime, Darwin repeatedly tried to propagate the Lady' s-Slipper Orchid. He never succeeded. Now, the growing conditions of the Lady' s-Slipper are quite particular - which is why they are almost impossible to keep in a traditional garden. It's also illegal to pick, uproot or unearth the flowers - which was a problem in the 1800s when people collected them almost to extinction. Since 1925, the Lady' s-Slipper has been protected by Minnesota state law. In the wild, Lady' s-Slippers grow in swamps, bogs, and damp woods. They take forever to grow, and they can grow for almost a decade before producing their first flower, which can last for two months in cooler weather. As long-lived plants, Lady' s-Slippers can grow as old as 100 years and grow up to 4 feet tall. To Native Americans, the Lady' s-Slipper was known as the moccasin flower. An old Ojibwe legend told of a plague that had occurred during a harsh winter. Many people died - including the tribal healer. Desperate for help, a young girl was sent to find medicine. But, the snow was deep, and in her haste, she lost her boots and left a trail of bloody footprints in the snow. Every spring, the legend was that her footprints were marked with the beautiful moccasin flower. One summer, when Henry David Thoreau came upon a red variety of Lady' s-Slipper in the woods, he wrote about it, saying: "Everywhere now in dry pitch pine woods stand the red Lady's-Slipper over the red pine leaves on the forest floor rejoicing in June. Behold their rich striped red, their drooping sack."   Unearthed Words Here are some words about this time of year.   The day is ending,  The night is descending;  The marsh is frozen,  The river is dead. — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, An Afternoon in February   A man says a lot of things in summer he doesn't mean in winter. — Patricia Briggs, American Fantasy Writer, Dragon's Blood   Pleasures newly found are sweet  When they lie about our feet:  February last, my heart  First at sight of thee was glad;  All unheard of as thou art,  Thou must needs, I think, have had,  Celandine ("seh·luhn·dine")!  And long ago.  Praise of which I nothing know. — William Wordsworth, English Romantic poet, To the Same Flower (In medieval lore, it was believed that mother birds dropped the juice of the celandineinto the eyes of their blind fledglings.)   I was just thinking if it is really religion with these nudist colonies, they sure must turn atheists in the wintertime. — Will Rogers, American actor & cowboy   The twelve months… Snowy, Flowy, Blowy, Showery, Flowery, Bowery, Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy, Breezy, Sneezy, Freezy. — George Ellis, Jamaican-born English satirical poet    Grow That Garden Library Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook Beth's book was a monthly record of everything she did in her garden. Her chapters covered the garden, but also bits of her life. From a personal standpoint, Beth shared her successes as well as her failures. She was a business owner and ran a garden center, and she also showed a garden at Chelsea, which was a tremendous thrill but also an incredible amount of work. Beth gardened for over four decades, and she appreciated the time-factor of gardening and the patience required to grow a garden and grow into a good gardener. She wrote: "As certain of our plants take many years to mature, so it takes a long time to grow a genuine plantsman. Those of us who have been at it longest know that one lifetime is not half enough, once you become aware of the limitless art of gardening." Here's an excerpt from her chapter on January. Beth's talking about a mass planting of shrubs that appeared less-than-enticing in the winter landscape: "I remember several years ago… suddenly feeling very dissatisfied with a group of shrubs which had not faulted when they were full of leaf (and, for a few weeks, blossom) during the summer. But now, leafless and with nothing distinguished about their habit of growth, the whole patch looked muddled, formless and lifeless. By removing some of it, planting a holly and Mahonia among the rest together with vigorous sheaves of the evergreen Iris foetidissima ("FOY-ta-dis-EMMA")'Citrina' nearby and patches of small-leafed ivies as ground cover, the picture became much more interesting in winter and now forms a better background to the summer carnival which passes before it." In her book, Beth writes in conversation with the reader. In January, she asks: "If you look out of your favorite window now, are you satisfied with the view? Does it lack design? Would a small-leafed, narrowly pyramidal Holly do anything for it, and how many plants can you see which remain green -or grey, or bronze -throughout the winter, furnishing the bare soil at ground level?" Finally, Beth begins her chapter on February with a word about how, for many nursery owners and landscapers, this time of year can feel overwhelming as the full weight of the season's work is anticipated. Beth also acknowledged how difficult it was for her to write during the garden season. This is a common challenge for garden writers who are too busy gardening in the summer to write but then can find less inspiration to write in the winter without their gardens. "This morning, I awoke to hear the grandfather clock striking 4 a.m. and was immediately alert, all my present commitments feverishly chasing themselves through my head. Apart from a garden I have foolishly agreed to plan, there is the Chelsea Flower Show nudging more and more insistently as the weeks rush towards May. Usually, I have a nucleus of large plants and shrubs in containers that provide an established looking background. [But] the sudden severe weather in January has killed off several of my old plants. I have no frost-free place large enough to protect them all; in normal winters, a plastic-covered tunnel has been sufficient. Another commitment is this notebook, which has been fermenting in my mind for several months. I would like to write it, to record some of the ups and downs of a nursery garden, but my one fear is not finding time to write decently. Even keeping up a scrappy diary becomes difficult as the sap rises." You can get a used copy of Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for under $9.   Great Gifts for Gardeners AOMGD 3 Pack Macrame Plant Hanger and 3 PCS Hooks Indoor Outdoor Hanging Plant Holder Hanging Planter Stand Flower Pots for Decorations - Cotton Rope, 4 Leg-Strings, 3 Sizes $9.89 HANDMADE WEAVE: Show your plants some love with this elegant, vintage-inspired macrame plant hanger. Simple, yet meticulously handcrafted, this beauty would add a touch of elegance and beauty to your home, balcony, or your patio. PACKAGE INCLUDE: 3 PCS hooks and 3 PCS different sizes plant hanger, approximate length:46"/41"/34", and diameter: 2cm.Fit multiple pot size and shape, ideal pot size is 3-10". (No pot or plant included).Color: off-white Create Nice Home: Hanging plant holders can be used for indoor, outdoor, living room, kitchen, deck, patio, high, and low ceiling. This hanging plant stand has a strong, flexible woven design that can accommodate various shapes and sizes of planters (pots not included). The maximum load is about 12 pounds. EASY INSTALLATION: the hangers are suitable for indoor and outdoor use; Just expand the four leg-strings, put the plant pot in the middle of the conjunction. The perfect solution for pet owners if the pet has a tendency to destroy your plants, then this one will save you from lots of struggle! Nice Gift: Ideal to decorate pathways and indoor. It will be a great and practical gift for a plant lover. They'll love the freedom to display their plants wherever they want. It's perfect for birthdays, Christmas, and more!   Today's Botanic Spark Even though roses are often associated with February (thanks to Valentine's Day), February's birth flower is not the rose. Instead, February has two birth flowers. In England, February's birth flower is the Violet, and in the United States, February is honored with the Primrose. With regard to the Violet, the plantsman Derek Jarman once wrote: "Violet has the shortest wavelength of the spectrum. Behind it, the invisible ultraViolet. 'Roses are Red; Violets are Blue.' Poor Violet — violated for a rhyme." The adorable little Violet signifies many virtues; truth and loyalty; watchfulness and faithfulness. Gifting a Violet lets the recipient know you'll always be true. Like the theme song from Friends promises, you'll always be there for them. The ancient Greeks placed a high value on the Violet. When it came time to pick a blossom as a symbol for Athens, it was the Violet that made the cut. The Greeks used Violet to make medicine. They also used Violets in the kitchen to make wine and to eat the edible blossoms. Today, Violets are used to decorate salads, and they can even be gently sprinkled over fish or poultry. Violets are beautiful when candied in sugar or used to decorate pastries. Violets can even be distilled into a syrup for a memorable Violet liqueur. Finally, Violets were Napoleon Bonaparte's signature flower. When his wife, Josephine, died in 1814, Napoleon covered her grave with Violets. His friends even referred to Napoleon as Corporal Violet. After he was exiled to Elba, Napoleon vowed to return before the Violet season. Napoleon's followers used Violet to weed out his detractors. They would ask strangers if they liked Violets; a positive response was the sign of a loyal Napoleon supporter. The other official February flower is the Primrose, which originated from the Latin word "primus," meaning "first" or "early." The name refers to the Primrose as one of the first plants that bloom in the spring. As with the Violet, the leaves and flowers of Primrose are edible and often tossed into a salad. The leaves are said to taste like lettuce. Gifting a Primrose has a more urgent - stalkerish- meaning than the Violet; a Primrose tells a person that you can't live without them. In Germany, people believed that the first girl to find a Primrose on Easter would marry that same year. And, the saying about leading someone down the Primrose path, refers to enticing someone with to do something bad by laying out pleasurable traps. The phrase originated in William Shakespeare's Hamlet as Ophelia begs her brother: Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven; While like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself, the Primrose path of dalliance treads. And, the man known as "The Daffodil King, Peter Barr, who bred over 2 million daffodils at his home in Surry and he's credited with popularizing the daffodil. Yet, when Barr retired, he went to Scotland and grew - not daffodils, but Primroses. Two years before he died, Peter Barr, the Daffodil King, mused, "I wonder who will plant my grave with Primroses?"

Over the past four or so years, experts from many fields have come together to record the biodiversity at Great Dixter and the results have been fascinating. Fergus shares some of the results of this biodiversity audit and talks about how important it is to establish a coherent network of habitats in both public and private spaces across the UK.  About Fergus Garrett: Fergus trained in horticulture at Wye College. He worked for Rosemary Alexander and for Beth Chatto before becoming Head Gardener at Great Dixter in 1992. Fergus worked closely with Christopher Lloyd until Christopher’s death in 2006. Since then he has become Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. Fergus continues to work full-time in the garden alongside a dynamic team of gardeners and students. He also writes for many publications and lectures extensively across the world. In 2019, he was awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour.  What we talk about: The decision to commission the Biodiversity Audit of Great Dixter The findings of the audit Biodiversity hotspots  How the ornamental areas compare to wilder areas such as the meadows and woodland Thoughts about how the research that’s underway at Great Dixter can be developed and how it can beneficially inform the way we all garden The importance of preserving historic houses and gardens from a biodiversity perspective Links: Great Dixter House & Gardens www.greatdixter.co.uk Great Dixter Biodiversity Report Get in touch: Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk  Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link: Help me keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall     

This week I’m talking to Catherine Horwood, authorised biographer of Beth Chatto and author of the recently released Beth Chatto: A Life With Plants. Catherine was hugely privileged to be given access to Beth’s personal diaries and I’m sure there are lots more stories she could tell you about Beth that didn’t make it into the book, but the snippets of Beth’s journals and the biographical information that are in the book paint a wonderful picture of Beth as a wife, a mother, an employer, a gardener and as the RHS crowned her this year an “Iconic Horticultural Hero”. About Catherine Horwood: Catherine is a freelance author and journalist and is the authorised biographer of Beth Chatto. As well as writing the recently released Beth Chatto: A Life With Plants, Catherine has written Rose (Reaktion, 2018) Gardening Women: Their Stories from 1600 to the Present (Virago, 2010) and contributes articles to Gardens Illustrated, The English Garden and several national newspapers. What we talk about: Her early career in flower arranging How she changed to fit in with the socials circles she found herself moving in The move to White Barn House Her friendship with Christopher Lloyd The inspiration for the gravel garden Her awards and the recognition she gained worldwide Her legacy, the future of the nursery and the Beth Chatto Education Trust Links: Beth Chatto: A Life With Plants - Catherine Horwood, Pimpernel Press, 2019  Catherine Horwood www.catherinehorwood.com  The Beth Chatto Gardens www.bethchatto.co.uk  The Beth Chatto Nursery  Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk  Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod Patreon Link; Help me keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall 

Join me in this week's podcast where I am joined with fellow podcaster Lee Connelly aka skinny jean gardener. In this podcast, Lee has taken me to explore Beth Chatto's gardens. In this weeks diary, we have tackled the following tasks Tidying my greenhouse and levelling the water buttWeeding the allotment while having some very changeable weatherDeciding if I've grown too many tomatoes Listen to the podcast to find out more. Beth Chatto's Gardens. Lee invited me up to have a look around Beth Chatto's garden. Which is a garden open to the public near Colchester, Essex. I love visiting gardens in my spare time. I find having a good look around some gardens inspirational and gets the creative juices flowing. Beth Chatto's garden certainly gave us lots to think about and we discuss our thoughts in this episode. During this episode, you will hear us mention about creeping herbs as ground cover. The herb used in this garden is creeping thyme but other herbs that could be used are creeping rosemary and oregano. At the very bottom of this blog post I have added a few photos taken on my visit. To find out more about Beth Chatto Gardens or to plan a visit check out their website here. To find out more about Lee and his work check out the skinny Jean Gardener website. more pupley flowerslove itgreat ground coverA lovely purpley flowerLoved how the light looked around this tree at beth chatto's gardenA tree trunk i really liked at beth chatto's garden

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.      Garden soundtrack   Preparing for the visit of gardening friends, with the help of    Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening by Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto, published by Frances Lincoln 1998 https://amzn.to/30WsVJ2   In Your Garden by Vita Sackville-West, published by Frances Lincoln, reissued 2004 https://amzn.to/2SKZven   I’m getting mightily bored of saying that things are out of print, but both of these are, which seems… daft. There’s a Kindle version of the Christo/Beth Chatto book, and second hand copies about. Used copies of the Vita book are crazy prices, so your local library may well be the best bet.     The affirmation that comes from reading a passage written by one of your gardening heroes who agrees with you…     … until they go and spoil it by banging on about a flower you can’t stand!     Alstroemerias, how I don’t like them, but you probably should. The wonderful work done by British flower grower Ben Cross as seen on his Instagram feed https://www.instagram.com/alstroemeriaben/     A trail for the next full episode, featuring writer and podcaster Lucy Lucraft, kicking off an occasional series where I’ll be talking to new gardeners about their experiences getting to grips with plants, garden centres and, let’s face it, other gardeners.  https://lucylucraft.com/         website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB           

Gail, Hazel and host Philippa dig into the subject of garden writing with the journalist and social historian Ursula Buchan and Matt Collins, nature writer and Head Gardener at London’s Garden Museum. The conversation meanders convivially in the usual Slightly Foxed manner, via daredevil plant-hunters, early wild gardening advocates such as Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West, and the passing passions and fashions of garden design, with a peek over the hedge at Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter along the way. And there’s the usual round-up of the latest bookish harvest from the Slightly Foxed office and plenty of recommendations for reading off the beaten track too. The digits in brackets following each listing refer to the minute and second they are mentioned. (Episode duration: 35 minutes; 50 seconds) Books Mentioned We may be able to get hold of second-hand copies of the out-of-print titles listed below. Please get in touch (mailto:anna@foxedquarterly.com) with Anna in the Slightly Foxed office for more information. 84, Charing Cross Road (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/84-charing-cross-road-plain-foxed-edition/) , Helene Hanff. Plain Foxed Edition published 1 September 2019, available to order now (2:24) Corduroy (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/corduroy-plain-foxed-edition/) , Adrian Bell. Plain Foxed Edition published 1 August 2019, available to order now (2:30) Wood and Garden, Gertrude Jekyll is out of print (11:33) The Wild Garden (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/william-robinson-wild-garden/) , William Robinson (11:34) The English Flower Garden, William Robinson is out of print (11:38) We Made a Garden (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/margery-fish-we-made-a-garden/) , Margery Fish (13:27) A Green and Pleasant Land (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1091970/a-green-and-pleasant-land/9780099558668.html) , Ursula Buchan (15:23) Graham Stuart Thomas titles are out of print (17:04) Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening, Beth Chatto & Christopher Lloyd is out of print (18:46) Forest: Walking among Trees (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/matt-collins-forest/) , Matt Collins. With photographs by Roo Lewis (19:20) Meetings with Remarkable Trees (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/thomas-packenham-meetings-with-ramarkable-trees/) , Thomas Packenham (19:48) Trees (https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/titles/hugh-johnson-2/trees/9781845330552/) , Hugh Johnson (19:52) The Hidden Life of Trees (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/peter-wohlleben-hidden-life-of-trees/) , Peter Wohlleben Oriental Vegetables, Joy Larkcom is out of print but both The Salad Garden (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/joy-larkcom-salad-garden/) and Grow Your Own Vegetables (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/joy-larkcom-grow-your-own-vegetables/) are available (21:37) The English Gardener, William Cobbett is out of print (22:06) The Well-Tempered Garden (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/christopher-lloyd-well-tempered-garden/) and In My Garden (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/christopher-lloyd-in-my-garden/) , Christopher Lloyd (22:49) The Diary of a Bookseller (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/shaun-bythell-diary-of-a-bookseller/) , Shaun Bythell (31:25) Where the Hornbeam Grows, (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/beth-lynch-where-the-hornbeam-grows/) Beth Lynch (32:05) Old Glory (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/jonathan-raban-old-glory/) , Jonathan Raban (32:33) So I Have Thought of You: The Letters of Penelope Fitzgerald, Ed. Terence Dooley is out of print (32:54) Wilding (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/isabella-tree-wilding/) , Isabella Tree (33:44) Related Slightly Foxed Articles & Illustrations An article on Beth Chatto, The Dry Garden will be published in a forthcoming issue of Slightly Foxed (18:11) A Well-tempered Gardener (https://foxedquarterly.com/christopher-lloyd-well-tempered-gardener/) , Michael Leapman on the garden writings of Christopher Lloyd, Issue 59 (https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/slightly-foxed-issue-59-published-1-september/) (22:49) Other Links Ursula Buchan (http://www.ursula-buchan.co.uk/) is an award-winning journalist, social historian and garden writer (3:50) Matt Collins (https://www.mattcollinsgarden.co.uk/) is a nature writer, and Head Gardener at the Garden Museum (https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/) in Lambeth, London (6:02) David Douglas (25 June 1799–12 July 1834) was a Scottish botanist, best known as the namesake of the Douglas-fir (10:08) Hortus (https://www.hortus.co.uk/) , a gardening journal (20:08) All back issues of Slightly Foxed are available to browse and buy here (https://foxedquarterly.com/products/back-issues/) (30:20) Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by Bach Sound effects: An English Country Garden in July by Keith Selmes (https://freesound.org/people/Keith%20Selmes/sounds/329675/) Bees and bumblebees foraging by odilonmarcenaro (https://freesound.org/people/odilonmarcenaro/sounds/239909/) Thanks to http://www.freesound.org CC licence, attribution  The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by Podcastable (https://www.podcastable.co.uk/)

This week we're going back to nature at the world's biggest annual flower show. Designer Jo Thompson explains how she's gone wild with the BBC Springwatch Garden, Dave Green shares his meditative spaces in the Stop and Pause Garden and Matthew Childs contemplates new approaches to energy use in the Smart Meter Garden. Plus we visit the RHS Back to Nature Garden (co-designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Andrée Davies and Adam White), discover a drought-tolerant garden in memory of horticultural hero Beth Chatto, meet community allotmenteers and hear a surprising botanical cocktail recipe from food writer Mark Diacono.

Have you ever taken a class on gardening?   If you're in the Calgary area, there's an excellent class taking place tonight from 7 to 9 PM   It's part of the "Garden On" Lecture series.   Tonight's focus is on herbs.   If you're new to gardening, herbs make for wonderful starter plants. They are easy to grow, generally trouble-free, and versatile. They can be incorporated into almost any garden situation.   Tonight's class will cover What makes an herb an herb Propagation Harvesting The class will be at the Acadia Recreation Complex in Calgary tonight at 7 PM.         Brevities     #OTD It's the birthday of Enid Annenberg Haupt, born today in 1906.    The very woman the president of the New York Botanical Garden called, "The greatest patron American horticulture has ever known."     Enid was one of eight children; her parents Sadie and Moses had one son and seven daughters.   Her father was the founder of a large publishing empire.     Enid followed in his footsteps was an heiress to the large family fortune.     Enid's first marriage ended in divorce. Her second marriage to Ira Haupt launched her philanthropic activities and introduced her to the world of gardening.       When they were engaged, Ira gave Enid a cymbidium orchid.   At the time, cymbidium orchids were rare in the United States.   Enid was immediately enthralled by it.   She told Ira that for her wedding present from him, she would be very happy with a gift of 13 cymbidium orchids. She was set on learning how to grow them herself and propagate them on her own.       In fact, the cultivar Cymbidium Enid Haupt was named in her honor. Enid found this ironic, since that particular orchid is known for its fertility. Enid could not have children of her own. However, she and Ira eventually adopted a little girl they named Pamela.     Enid's brother, Walter, gave her a chance to be a publisher. Initially,Enid was terrified. Yet, Enid had proved she had many talents. She was a good writer. She loved to grow orchids. She had an impeccable sense of style.  When it came to running a magazine, Enid felt she was over the tips of her skis. Walter insisted she give it a go.    In 1953, Enid was put in charge of the magazine Seventeen. She ran the magazine until 1970. During her tenure, Seventeenmagazine was more popular than Glamour, and twice as popular as Mademoiselle. At one point, more than half of the teenage girls in the United States were reading Seventeenmagazine.     When Enid died in 2005, she had donated more than $140 million to charities.   Her favorite charities involved gardening. This is how Enid became known as "the fairy godmother of American horticulture" and "the patron saint of public gardens."   One of Enid's largest gifts was to the New York Botanical Garden.  Over her lifetime, Enid gave them over $34 million – $5 million of which was dedicated to the restoration of the stunning Victorian glass greenhouse now called the Enid Haupt Conservancy. Without Enid, the greenhouse would have been demolished.   In 1993, Enid told the Times, "I must have a project.That should be my middle name; Project. I'm really and truly not happy without one."   And it was in Enid Haupt, who said, "Nature is my religion. There is no life in cements and paint. "       #OTD  Today in 1995 Allison Hargraeves became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Everest unaided.   When she got to the peak, Hargraeves planted a silk flower.         #OTD  On this day in 2013, Ohio State University's greenhouse smells like a mix of sauerkraut and dead fish.   This scent was from the bloom of the corpse flower, the rare titan arum.   The corpse flower is from Sumatra.   Discovered in the late 1800s by an Italian botanist, there have been less than 200 blooms in the world since its discovery.     In 1889, newspapers around the world were offering an account of the first recorded bloom at the Royal Gardens at Kew.   Reports mentioned that it was hard to describe the appearance of the flower.    That said, it reminded readers that many arums have a similar appearance; Calling to mind the jack-in-the-pulpit, the wild turnip, skunk cabbage, and the calla lily –  all types of arums.   In addition, many arums emit a repulsive odor.         Finally, this week marks the beginning of National Public Gardens Week, which runs from today, May 13, through May 19.    The kick off to this week begins today with National Public Gardens Day.   This celebration started in 2009 as part of the effort to bring attention to the country's public gardens.   You can be part of the celebration, by visiting a public garden in your area this week.         Unearthed Words   In 1982, on this day, Vassar College acquired the journals of John Burroughs.   One of the countries leading naturalist Burroughs had kept a journal over the last 45 years of his life.   The first entry in the first notebook happened on this day May 13, 1876.   Burroughs writes about the Redstart; a medium sized bird known as a May warbler. Males are mostly black with bright orange patches on the sides, wings, and tail.   Here's what it said:    "Standing in the road over in the woods, I saw a lively little shadow cast by some object above and behind me, on the ground in front of me.   Turning, I saw the source of it– The Red Start Performing its astonishing gymnastics in a leafless oak tree…   It is the quickest And prettiest Of the flycatchers."     A fan of Emerson's, Burroughs often told people that he felt Emerson was his spiritual father.   Burroughs followed Emerson's rules for enlightenment:   Sit alone and keep a journal     In his very last notebook, Burroughs wrote:   Men who write journals, Are usually men of certain marked traits–   They are idealists; They love solitude rather than society;    They are self-conscious, and they love to write…   Their journals largely take the place of social converse.   Two such a man, his journal becomes his duplicate self, And he chose to it what he could not say to his nearest friend.   It becomes both an altar and a confessional.   As I was reading about John Burroughs and his journals, I stumbled on something Burroughs had written at the thought of others reading the entries in his diaries (as he called them). "I do not expect you to read them all — only here and there where you get some real glimpse of me.   I looked into some of them last night.   They seem too sad.   I seem to have put all my sunshine into the books, and all my gloom into the Diaries.   Remember they were written for my eyes alone — a sort of cemetery where I could turn and mourn over my vanished days and vanished thoughts."       Today's book recommendation: Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook The Garden Notebook was Chatto's monthly diary and it is super readable and engaging.  As a nursery owner and operator, Chatto offers up her hints and tips about unusual herbaceous, alpine and other plants.  It's so hard to believe, but on this day last year we lost Beth – one of the most influential plants people of the last half-century. Chatto's naturalistic gardens taught gardeners to incorporate new and different varieties of plants. She also stressed the importance of focusing on foliage; embracing the fleeting nature of blossoms. Chatto started a small nursery outside London in 1967. She called it Unusual Plants. Leveraging this special interest, Chatto created ten years worth of metal winning displays at the Chelsea Flower Show and of course, her displays featured unusual plants that were often initially dismissed as weeds.   Today's Garden Chore: Incorporate herbs into shaded areas in your garden. If you think all herbs need full sun, you'll be pleased to know that you can grow a fair selection of herbs in shade. Save your shaded areas for growing lemon balm, parlsey, anise hyssop, wild ginger, and spicebush.     Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart   As I was researching Enid Haupt, I came across a wonderful articleIn the Austin American-Statesman from June 18, 1971.  It sheds light on Enid's life after retirement from Seventeenmagazine.   The article shared fantastical scenes from inside Enid's Park Ave. Apartment:   Instead of curtains,Enid had Potted Camillia plants on either side of the windows. In order to survive indoors in New York, they needed to be misted three times a day.   And there was a rug in her drawing room that Enid claimed she had waited 23 years to acquire. It was from the Palace of Versailles and it featured antique hollyhocks and tulips on a rose background.   Enid said,   "Plants are my life. I feel responsible for them."   And Enid cautioned against babying plants, she said   "I have a protective attitude without pampering. If you pamper a plant, It's like a person. It grows too soft."       Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

As 2018 draws to a close, here's a look back at some of our favourite moments of the year. From the energy and dynamism of the Chelsea Flower Show, interviews with luminaries of the gardening world such as Fergus Garrett and Beth Chatto, to an exploration of the tranquil streamside plantings at Harlow Carr, join us on a leisurely stroll through the audio annals of 2018 - a year in gardening. For more info and useful links see www.rhs.org.uk/podcast

Peter Donegan chats with David Ward, Garden and Nursery Director at Beth Chatto Gardens. Beth Chatto was born and bred an “Essex Girl” with both her parents keen gardeners. She studied to become a teacher and always tried to include gardening in her classes. Beth married Andrew Chatto in 1943 and settled into domestic life, raising two daughters. Living next door to Ramparts nursery run by Pamela Underwood, Beth learnt the art of Flower arranging and was introduced to the local plantsman Sir Cedric Morris who became a “spiritual father to her. The family moved to Elmstead Market in 1960 and Beth set about creating her garden and opened a nursery “Unusual Plants” in 1967. Beth was catapulted into the gardening world in 1976 with her iconic Chelsea displays and 10 Gold Medals. A natural communicator, through her books, lectures as well as one to one with visitors to the gardens, many people have a personal connection. Championing the mantra of “right plant, right place” with her own practical experience and artistic skills. Sadly Beth passed away in May 2018 but her garden and nursery continues to thrive under her loyal team along with an Educational Trust, set up in her name to further Beth’s horticultural ethos. Dave first met Beth as a Horticultural student in 1977 whilst studying Nursery practices at Merrist Wood College in Surrey. After working at Bressingham Gardens, on nurseries in Boskoop, Holland and a couple of tree nurseries in this country he eventually settled at Avon bulbs in Somerset for three years. Regularly visiting Beths garden and seeing her at Chelsea as a fellow exhibitor he was taken by her range of plants. Dave joined her team in 1983 when Beth was looking for someone to train up to take over the propagation. Beth seemed particularly keen to employ a fellow East Anglian (I was born in Norwich). His experience allowed him to update the nursery and freed Beth up to concentrate on the garden and Chelsea. As the propagation team grew he was able to spend more time with Beth in the garden and helped her create the Gravel garden as well as plant up our woodland garden following the great storm in October 1987. The Sodshow is available every Friday in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com The Sodshow: Twitter: @sodshow facebook: The Sodshow instagram: sodshow Beth Chatto Gardens: web: www.bethchatto.co.uk facebook: bethchattogardens twitter: @bethchattogdns

In May of this year, the gardening world – specifically the ecologically based gardening world – lost one of it’s great leaders, Beth Chatto. This August her gardens and educational trust are hosting a symposium to honor her life and her work. On Cultivating Place this week we hear more about the woman and her legacy – join us! For photos visit cultivatingplace.com. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher.

One of the greatest gardeners of the 20th century, Beth Chatto, recently died at the age of 94. Beth was admired and loved by family, friends and gardeners around the world. One of those friends was another legendary plantsman, Roy Lancaster. He visited the garden in Essex she created with her late husband, Andrew, to discuss the development of what she described as a "horticultural and ecological experiment". Hear Beth and Roy in an interview which was to become an article, Dear Mrs Chatto, in the January 2010 issue of The Garden magazine.

Photo: Philip Roth Julian Worricker on: Beth Chatto, the gardener and writer regarded as one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 years The multiple award-winning American novelist, Philip Roth...author of Portnoy's Complaint and American Pastoral Doreen Simmons, who moved to Japan in her forties and became an authority on sumo wrestling Britain's first Muslim judge, Khurshid Drabu, described as a pioneer in promoting community cohesion And June Milne, writer, publisher, and trusted guardian of the works of independent Ghana's first leader, Kwame Nkrumah. Archive clips from: The Cancer of Betrayal, 03/03/07 Radio 4; Woman's Hour, 18/08/08 Radio 4; Gardening Gurus, 30/01/00 Radio 4; Front Row, 27/06/11 Radio 4; The World Tonight, 15/07/05 Radio 4; Sumo wrestling commentary, NHK TV.

Iconic gardener Beth Chatto chats with Alan about her approach to gardening through the years.

Iconic gardener Beth Chatto chats with Alan about her approach to gardening through the years.

Gardens Illustrated Presents Beth Chatto - Garden Heroines Series.

RGS lecture 2006 with Beth Chatto and Dan Pearson Q and A.