Podcasts about Great Dixter

Tom Coward is headline speaker at Laois Garden Festival on Sunday 8th June 2025 celebrating the work of legendary Laois native and garden revolutionary William Robinson. What if the current trend for wild-looking, naturalistic gardens isn't just aesthetic preference, but actually a profound reaction to our technology-saturated lives? Tom Coward, head gardener at the world-renowned Gravetye Manor, draws fascinating parallels between William Robinson's revolutionary "wild garden" concept from the 1870s and today's gardening renaissance.With 15 years restoring Robinson's only surviving garden, Coward offers rare insights into balancing historic significance with contemporary needs. "It's been a love affair," he reflects, describing the challenge of reviving neglected infrastructure while honoring Robinson's principles. His approach to the garden's famous flower borders reveals thoughtful compromise—while Robinson insisted on never repeating plant groups, Coward occasionally introduces repetition to guide one-time visitors through the 30-acre landscape.The conversation travels through Gravetye's diverse spaces, from woodland gardens punctuated with 70,000 naturalized daffodils to intensively managed productive areas supplying the hotel's restaurant. Particularly fascinating are Coward's techniques for maximizing seasonal interest, like coppicing flowering cherries after bloom to provide textural contrast, autumn color, and winter structure from a single plant.Having worked at Great Dixter under Fergus Garrett, Coward brings exceptional knowledge to debates around native versus non-native plantings, emphasizing that diversity often supports more wildlife than purist approaches. His observations on climate extremes—longer droughts, heavier downpours, and increasingly powerful winds—highlight practical challenges facing modern gardeners.Discover why Robinson's legacy deserves greater recognition and how his revolutionary ideas continue shaping gardens worldwide. Whether you're creating your own wild garden oasis or simply appreciate horticultural innovation, Coward's expertise offers valuable inspiration for balancing beauty, biodiversity, and practicality in any growing space.Tom's talk at Laois Garden festival is one not to be missed. Other great talks on the day from Colin Jones Salterbridge gardens on growing your own cut flowers and Garden to Fork with your truly John Jones Master My Garden. You can get your tickets here:https://laoisgardenfestival.comSupport the showIf there is any topic you would like covered in future episodes, please let me know. Email: info@mastermygarden.com Master My Garden Courses: https://mastermygarden.com/courses/Check out Master My Garden on the following channels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastermygarden/ Instagram @Mastermygarden https://www.instagram.com/mastermygarden/ Until next week Happy gardening John

At the Festival of Gardens and Nature in County Laois, David Maxwell chats to actor Dominic West, food writer and broadcaster Nigel Slater and world renowned head gardener at Great Dixter, Fergus Garrett. Ahead of the 40th birthday of Gardeners' Corner, a new daffodil is named for the programme. Internationally recognised breeder, Brian Duncan joins David in studio to reveal how Narcissus ‘Gardeners' Corner' was created over many years in his Omagh garden. At Burtown House in County Kildare, artist Lesley Fennell chats to David about how she freezes precious moments in the garden with her paint brush. Also on the programme, Juliet Sargeant on her new book ‘Start with Soil' and Mary Doris joins David in studio with a selection of top performing plants for summer and some health boosting food made from weeds. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

JACK MCCOY BIOJack McCoy designs residential and commercial landscapes in Knoxville, the Southeast United States, and beyond through his practice, Jack McCoy Garden Design Company. His work reflects a deep understanding of plants, shaped by global experiences in some of the world's most renowned gardens.Jack's horticultural journey began in landscape construction as a teenager, followed by earning an Undergraduate Degree in landscape design and construction from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2012. He furthered his design education at Inchbald School of Design in London, UK, where he received a Postgraduate Garden Design Degree.In 2016, Jack volunteered at Great Dixter, the iconic garden of Christopher Lloyd and then returned as the Christopher Lloyd North American Scholar which is supported by Chanticleer Garden in Pennsylvania to train under head gardener Fergus Garrett. This marked the start of a transformative time at both Great Dixter and Chanticleer where he refined his design skills and plant knowledge.Jack then received a fellowship at The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, managing Israel's rare and endangered plant species. He credits this experience with deepening his understanding of plant ecology and survival. To expand his propagation expertise, Jack worked at Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina, known for its rare and unique perennials.In 2022, Jack returned to Knoxville to focus on garden and landscape design, drawing from his diverse experiences to create gardens that are both beautiful and enduring.You can learn more about Jack on Instagram at @jackmccoygardendesign, where he shares updates on his projects.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!

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!Well - it's been a while, gremlins and bugs have laid the Talking Heads pair low for a while, but nought can keep the Horti-waffle down for long, so we are back and just when Autumn is finally (we think) starting to kick-in! We've been busy when not being afflicted, and our main focus for the past few days has been in the greenhouse (dodging the rain mostly) to get them ready for their winter 'cost' of overwintering, propagating and protecting us poor gardeners. Lucy also revels in her trip to the Great Dixter Autumn Plant Fair, and we look at some of the work we've both being doing on our respective RHS Plant Committees.Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter 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

In this special programme, Gardeners' Corner celebrates those who have passed on their passion for plants: from the parent with cuttings on the windowsill, to the high profile gardeners who have inspired through writing and broadcasting. David Maxwell hears touching listeners' stories and heads to two gardens that have inspired millions. Firstly, to the garden of the late Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter where he meets head gardener Fergus Garrett who continues to inspire the next generation of gardeners, and then to Barnsdale which was the home of the late Geoff Hamilton and played host to the BBC Gardeners' World cameras for 17 years. Geoff's son Nick reveals how well his dad's gardens have fared three decades on and how they are still used today to teach and inspire.

This weeks episode is with Sound Matters. The team who create sound and listening experiences that can help you change the world. Most recently, they recorded sounds around the Newt estate in Somerset, and the fabulous Great Dixter. The sound recordings are not always as you may expect, yes there's bird song- but they also document sounds in the border, amongst log piles, deep in the raised beds, and in the centre of the compost heap. Afterwards, @mr_plantgeek and @ellenmarygardening chat about houseplants, heating and hosting!   Proud to announce Hydria as the new series 14 sponsors! Hydria™ is the world's first all-in-one water fountain kit that fits any planter or pot. Perfect for patios, balconies and even indoors as a water feature with a difference. Not only can the water sound soothe you and look wonderful in your garden but the fountain is available with various colours, attachments and tiles so you can truly personalise your fountain to your own space. Find out more about Hydria when you listen to the podcast and via their website: https://www.hydrialife.com Also check them out on socials:  Instagram: @hydria_fountain Facebook: @hydriafountain

Great Dixter's Christopher Lloyd created his famous term "succession planting" to describe continuous bloom month after month, beginning in March and ending in October.

In this episode I speak with Michael McCoy from Michael McCoy Gardens. Michael is a garden design, writer and was the host of the TV show Dream Gardens. Michael is an extremely enjoyable person to talk to and he's got some amazing stories about how he ended up spending 4.5 months at Great Dixter, as well as the story about how he ended up hosting Dream Gardens.Michael also talks about the importance of designing a garden to meet the maintenance possibilities of the client it's for.He also talks about the garden tours he offers in New Zealand.You can follow Michael on Instagram @michaelmccoygardens You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page@instyle_gardens@thelandscapingpodcastYou can view each episode on our YouTube channel

One of Britain's most celebrated gardens, Great Dixter is a magnificent place where one can learn and be inspired. A trip there should be on every gardener's bucket list.

This week we're talking to two artists inspired by the nature.    Emily Young, hailed as Britain's greatest living female stone sculptor, specialises in using materials from abandoned quarries and Francis Hamel is known for his portraiture and landscape paintings.  Emily lives and works mostly in an isolated part of Tuscany, where she free carves in reclaimed uncut natural stone, often found in abandoned quarries. She evokes beautiful ancient figures from an unknown mythology.   Her main objective is to explore the relationship of humankind and the planet through her interaction with stone.  Her 25 new works in stone are being exhibited at Richard Green on Bond Street, in association with Willoughby Gerrish Ltd.    Francis has lived and worked for over 25 years at Rousham, one of England's most prized historic house and gardens. He explains how the garden at Rousham became the starting point for his exhibition when he was seeing it afresh during lockdown.  From there he went on to paint some of Britain's best-known gardens including Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Sezincote, and Stourhead, as well as some private ones designed by renowned gardeners like Sarah Raven, Arthur Parkinson and Tom Stuart-Smith. His exhibition of garden paintings launches at his Oxfordshire home of Rousham before moving to John Martin on London's Albemarle Street.   Together they talk about how they work, what inspires them and what they set out to achieve. It's a fascinating conversation about the artistic process and highlights their similar and different approaches to stone and to paint. Emily Young: Pareidolia in Stone from 25th October to 10th November Richard Green https://www.richardgreen.com Francis Hamel: Thirty Gardens from 12th to 27th October John Martin https://www.jmlondon.com   This episode is brought to you with the kind support of support of Lomi, makers of ‘smart waste appliances' that transform food waste into plant food.  Go to Lomi's website at uk.lomi.com and use promo code breakout at the checkout for a £50 discount.

Where's the best place to ripen tomatoes? How do I get my cosmos plant to flower? What's the best way to ripen harvested seeds? Kathy Clugston and the GQT panellists have taken a trip to one of the UK's most loved gardens, the breath-taking Great Dixter Gardens in East Sussex, to answer pressing horticultural queries sent in by our listeners. Ready and waiting with tips and tricks are garden designer Juliet Sargeant, expert plantsman Matt Biggs and curator of RHS Wisley, Matthew Pottage. Treating the team to a tour is the estate is head gardener, Fergus Garrett. Producer: Dom Tyerman Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Hannah Newton A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

As summer eases into autumn, our gardens reach a colourful crescendo. In this episode, Dan & Julia share their favourite flowers and crops for extending the season, taking inspiration from their gardens and visits to Great Dixter, Sussex Prairies, East Ruston Old Vicarage and Doddington Place.Julia offers advice on autumn sowing and shares her top of the crops - delicious, juicy figs. Dan describes his new range of flower bowls and explains how to keep dahlias healthy and blooming for as long as possible.Find Julia's favourite fig recipe here.Explore Dan's collection of flower bowls here.This fortnight's jobs to do in the garden:Order onion sets.Order tulip bulbs.Keep watering and feeding pots and containers.Harvest courgettes regularly.Remove leaves on grape vines and figs, allowing more sunlight to ripen the fruits.Sow salads, fennel and beetroot for late crops in a greenhouse or under cover.Take cuttings - it's an ideal time for figs, hydrangeas, lavender, rosemary, salvias and coleus.Order indoor bulbs for Christmas forcing.Remove shading or netting in greenhouses as the light starts to diminish.Keep looking for box moth caterpillars and spray or pick them off.Dan & Julia's top plants for early autumn colour:Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm' Rudbeckia triloba' Prairie Glow'Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstsonne' Helianthus' Monarch' Helianthus 'Velvet Queen' Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Bleeding Hearts' Cosmos bipinnatus 'Double Click Cranberry' Ratibida columnifera ‘Red Midget'Eutrochium maculatum (Atropurpureum Group) 'Riesenschirm'Althaea cannabina Aster x frikartii 'Mönch' Eurybia divaricataVernonia arkansana 'Mammuth' Anemone japonicaHydrangea "Annabelle"Website links:Dan Cooper GardenParker's PatchAlitex Modern Victorian GreenhousesAlitex Adventures In Flowers Workshop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

The gardens at Great Dixter are famed across the globe for their exuberance, colour and intimacy. Driven by a sense of adventure and a mission to help others get involved in horticulture, Fergus Garrett has built on the legacy of his friend and mentor, Christopher Lloyd, never allowing Dixter to stand still and delighting thousands of visitors every season.In mid-August 2023, Julia and I were lucky enough to grab half an hour with Fergus to get his tips on late summer colour, discover his desert island plants and understand what he looks for in a plant when choosing what to grow. We cover a lot of ground, and Fergus is as generous with his knowledge as his time. Make sure you listen right to the very end, as there are gems throughout!If you enjoy this episode, be sure to follow us on your favourite podcast platform and leave us a rating and review. We'll be back in September with a brand-new series!https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/https://www.dancoopergarden.com/https://www.parkers-patch.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Entwisle talks to Fergus Garrett, world renown garden designer, about the rewilding of Great Dixter.

April, as they say, can be one of the cruellest months with sun one minute and frosty mornings and bitter winds the next. In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day look at some of the current news stories, provide a round-up of popular events coming up and those pressing gardening jobs that need to be done this month. What's on1 - 2 April: Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower ShowPlant Fairs at Great Dixter 1-2nd April, Evenley Wood Rare Plant Fair on 2nd April and the Spring Fair Roadshow at Arundel Castle on 23rd April.20 - 23rd April: Harrogate Spring Flower Show28 - 30th April: BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair in Beaulieu, New Forest, Hampshire. Product mentions: BBQs, RHS seeds, Tomorite Tomato food, Doff Tomato food, Vitax Q4 fertiliser, propagation cell trays, peat-free seed sowing compost, Vermiculite, Perlite, Fleece, Root Trainers, Lawn feeds, scarifiers and overseeding with lawn seed.Plants mentioned: Apples ‘Flower of Kent' and ‘Bramley's Original.' Antirrhinum, Cosmos, Marigolds, Sweet Peas, and Zinnia. Broad beans, Mustard and Cress, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squashes, Marrows and Sweet Corn. Buddleja, Dahlias, Rosemary, Root wrapped Roses, English Bluebells and Thyme.NewsAlan Titchmarsh: ‘I tend not to follow my own gardening advice.'Plants in Peril Plant Atlas Report.Blue Diamond / National Trust tie in.National Trust Manchester's Victorian Sky Park.Rare Moonflower blooms at Cambridge Botanic Gardens. Frank Mathews wins the Stanley Lord Bowl award for the best RHS fruit display in 2022.RHS Flower Show organisers move towards being greener with more sustainability in the briefs in all garden designs and show operations.Lindengate rehomes RHS Chelsea garden.Floating islands made from plastic bottles to grow crops in Singapore.King Charles III Sandringham West Lawn eco-garden makeover.Windowsill gardening campaign.Tackling damping off when germinating seeds.Dig it top 5 Spring potted bulbs 1 1-litre pots of Narcissi 'Tête-à-Tête' 2 Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) 3 Winter Aconite 4 Narcissi 'Tête-à-Tête' (6-pack) 5 9cm English Bluebell.Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, head gardener Fergus Garrett talks about his fantasy garden, from the borders of Great Dixter, where he has worked since 1992, and the spirit of its creator Christopher Lloyd, to the wild landscapes of Turkey. Fergus picks interesting people and places from all over the world to be a part of his dream space, and talks about who might take on running Dixter after him. Find out why he couldn't live without features such as a hunk of rock, and why he would have to have a magic portal, a meadow and a sneaky cocktail - but would bar the garden gate to snobbery and a no-can-do attitude. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Known to his friends as Christo, Lloyd spent his whole life, from childhood until his death aged 85, at work in the same garden: Great Dixter in East Sussex. He wrote a weekly column for Country Life for 42 years and was the author of 25 books, including The Mixed Border in the Modern Garden (1957) and The Well Tempered Garden (1970). Christo is the choice of the writer Olivia Laing, herself a passionate gardener. She and Matthew Parris go to Great Dixter to meet Head Gardener Fergus Garrett, who worked alongside Christo for many years and was one of his closest friends. Olivia Laing is the author of five works of non-fiction and a novel. Her books include To the River (2011), The Trip to Echo Spring (2013) and The Lonely City (2016). Her books have been translated into 19 languages. She writes on art and culture for the Guardian, Financial Times and New York Times, among many other publications and a book of her collected essays on art, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency, was published in 2020. Her most recent book is Everybody: A Book About Freedom (2021) and she is currently working on a book about gardens and paradise. Produced by Mair Bosworth for BBC Audio Photograph of Christopher Lloyd used by kind permission of Jonathan Buckley

I'm tired old Aunt Rebecca in Oregon, it's been hot and dry all over the world, putting the garden to bed is sad, next year I'll do this better, I can list all the many things I've done wrong, winter is a time when all of nature needs to rest, I'm going to try to talk myself into this, mums, tomatoes, my cucumbers are growing in balls, bean store, they're awkward, umbrella, Italian Bean Salad, Green Bean Salad w/red onions, I have to brag Kale Salad, hold onto your butts everyone, dandelions, garlic mustard, wilted salad, we pulled up all of the dead things, green mulching, hairy vetch, it's good to acknowledge and take stock, dahlias, lilies, you have to be patient with yourself, marigolds, collecting seeds, poppy seeds, seed starting, people ooh and ahh, adolescent plants, all gardener's hearts are in nature, non-resistance planting, cog in the food chain, we're standing at a precipice, Home Grown National Park Movement, Doug Tallamy's Bringing Nature Home, blue jays, really set my hair on fire, monarchs, milkweed, swallowtails, OutsidePride.com, Everwilde.com, Wildflowers.com, phlox, seed banks, they know what they've signed up for – they're natives, Great Dixter, topiary boxwood, burritos and salad from the garden, physostegia virginiana, you have agency, somebody has rolled the dice and everything's shifted, bye.

I'm tired old Aunt Rebecca in Oregon, it's been hot and dry all over the world, putting the garden to bed is sad, next year I'll do this better, I can list all the many things I've done wrong, winter is a time when all of nature needs to rest, I'm going to try to talk myself into this, mums, tomatoes, my cucumbers are growing in balls, bean store, they're awkward, umbrella, Italian Bean Salad, Green Bean Salad w/red onions, I have to brag Kale Salad, hold onto your butts everyone, dandelions, garlic mustard, wilted salad, we pulled up all of the dead things, green mulching, hairy vetch, it's good to acknowledge and take stock, dahlias, lilies, you have to be patient with yourself, marigolds, collecting seeds, poppy seeds, seed starting, people ooh and ahh, adolescent plants, all gardener's hearts are in nature, non-resistance planting, cog in the food chain, we're standing at a precipice, Home Grown National Park Movement, Doug Tallamy's Bringing Nature Home, blue jays, really set my hair on fire, monarchs, milkweed, swallowtails, OutsidePride.com, Everwilde.com, Wildflowers.com, phlox, seed banks, they know what they've signed up for – they're natives, Great Dixter, topiary boxwood, burritos and salad from the garden, physostegia virginiana, you have agency, somebody has rolled the dice and everything's shifted, bye.

It's been an unusually hot summer for everyone, hallucinating chickens, we all have to look after each other, that's a great big hunk of humanity, life outweighs getting to the next showing on time, getting a little bit chillier in mid to late September, rip up your tomato plants and hang them in the garage, and why would I do that?, get over the guilt of not starting earlier, Forrest is freaking out that the house is becoming less house and more jungle, we need to talk about gardening husbandry, give your partner at little piece of the garden, we're getting some major rain outside, geraniums, citronella geraniums, we're buggy, brilliant, octagon slab garden, lemongrass, oh oh oh, Rose of Sharon, strawberry flower bed, this is me being exactly what not to do, I have no idea what they are, when you take a plant out of the ground you should cut it back a bit, as above so below, I love your enthusiasm and your willingness to experiment, there's always next year, I would keep more notes, Christopher Lloyd, Great Dixter, Fergus Garrett, “once you've got your garden in, most of gardening is editing”, working with nature, name your beds, it's amazing, a busy winter planning everything I want to put in, how did I not know that?, boxwood, as you try something all your intelligence and awareness kicks in, calendar reminders, don't cut perennials anymore, don't dead head roses now, cleaning up garden, onions, carrots, flowerbeds, good bugs & animals need cover, one of the things I did right…, fat ground hog hangs out with the chickens, rotate your crops, bad bugs know here to find your tomatoes if you keep planting them in the same spot, nightshade plants, cold crops, what! That's insane, walls of water, bugs outnumber us 10,000 to 1, you get depressed, Seven, good bugs need to keep alive, ants & peonies, manure and mulch, worms love cardboard, Bob's your uncle, poppies, cornstarch will stop seeds reseeding, I love a mossy crosswalk, best thing about your garden?, crocuses, peas, clematis, wisteria, Chester the dog, you can't beat a list, give your insects a place to hibernate under your flower leaves, winter web research strategies, dream bigger than what you see around you, persicaria, filipendula, now is the time for dreaming, English Garden magazine, give yourself the gift of what's coming next, shredded pork with garlic sauce, love you whole bunches.

Better Lawns and Gardens Hour 2 – Coming to you from Summit Responsible Solutions Studios,  Big News!  Teresa announces her next garden tour in Spring 2023! The Best of English Gardens and The Chelsea Flower Show will be May 16th through May 25th, 2023! Nowhere in the world is the passion for horticulture expressed more vividly than in Britain, where gardens have served as inspiration for painters, writers and poets for centuries. From great country estates to miniscule inner-city gardens, the British use their exceptionally long growing season to fullest advantage, and we've timed your visit to bring you the best of English gardens.  This is your invitation to see some of England's most famous gardens at a time of year when color runs rampant. You will visit the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden at Wisley, Kiftsgate and Hidcote Manor. Royal schedules permitting, you will also take a private tour of King Charles III's estate at Highgrove. You will explore Christopher Lloyd's gardens at Great Dixter, that offer innovative ideas set against a backdrop of topiary, mixed borders and natural ponds. Additional highlights include time in the Georgian city of Bath, and visits to many other magnificent gardens, including Sissinghurst, Iford Manor and Stourhead.   In London you will have a full day at the Chelsea Flower Show. Your tour includes membership in the Royal Horticultural Society so that you may attend on members-only day when the crowds are smaller than on the public days. There will also be free time in London to explore famous sights, museums and galleries you may wish to visit, from the Tate to the tiny Museum of Garden History. Come along and join other garden lovers for a stroll through the most impressive English gardens. This trip is a quintessential celebration of springtime.   Teresa: I would love to have you join me on this wonderful bouquet list (pronounced bucket) adventure!  Garden questions and texts include keeping plumeria small and dealing with rust, yellow jasmine, black spot on roses, when to plant edamame, UF Turf Field Day CEUs, and more.  https://bit.ly/3c1f5x7 Graphic credit: Teresa Watkins    Listen to Better Lawns and Gardens every Saturday 7 am - 9 am EST.  Call in with your garden questions 1.888.455.2867, or text 23680.     #WFLF #WFLA #FNN #WNDB #BetterLawns #gardening #Florida #planting #gardeninglife #radio #southflorida #northflorida #centralflorida #tropical #floridalife #photography #SHE #fertilizer #turf #grass #landscaping #fruits #vegetables #Orlando #Sarasota #Miami #FortLauderdale #BLGradio #WRLN #WiOD #gardening #fertilizer #SummitResponsibleSolutions #QualityGreenSpecialists #BlackKow #gardentour #travel #tours #Chelsea #UK #London #ChelseaFlowerShow

My guest is Lucy Hunter, a multi-hyphenate if there ever was one: creative director, garden designer, floral artist, stylist, photographer, teacher, author, botanical dyer…the list goes on. Based in North Wales in the UK, Lucy is, at root, a restless creative who is always adding to her list of projects and modes of expression.  She shows us how useless labels can be in a creative life, and how generous our output becomes when we do away with them.  Her book, The Flower Hunter: Seasonal Flowers Inspired by Nature and Gathered from the Garden, was published in November of 2021.    I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop with Lucy, Gabriela Salazar, and Max Gill this past March, and saw first-hand her creative force at play. From design notes to photography demonstrations, her energy and engagement with attendees and their work was simply amazing. I'm so happy to welcome her here today. Lucy will have another whirlwind tour of workshops in the coming months, including one in October with TJ McGrath in New Jersey. Next year, she will return to New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and New Orleans in March, and Provence in April. You can receive up-to-date information on dates and registration on her website and IG. Links in the show notes, below. 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/lucytheflowerhunter/?hl=en (Lucy Hunter ) https://www.lucyhunter.co.uk (Lucy's website ) https://amzn.to/3OURuip (Lucy's book: The Flower Hunter: Seasonal flowers inspired by nature and gathered from the garden) https://www.carolsgarden.co.uk (Carol's Garden) (Featured in Lucy's book) https://www.greatdixter.co.uk (Great Dixter) https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden (Sissinghurst Castle Gardens) http://www.kiftsgate.co.uk (Kiftsgate Court Gardens) https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/a28975719/jackdaws-box-moth-caterpillars-national-trust/ (Jackdaws eating buxus caterpillars ) https://www.shabbychic.com?gclid=CjwKCAjw3K2XBhAzEiwAmmgrAg_9nQqDmRapWmtjGwztQUV23UmPJOLuV4vT_5AKe7zFlNuS-9tgJxoCEmEQAvD_BwE (Rachel Ashwell) https://amzn.to/3zF0wdQ (Shabby Chic Interiors: My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets ) https://www.instagram.com/lamusadelasflores/?hl=en (Gabriela Salazar) https://www.lamusadelasflores.com (La MUSA de las FLORES) https://www.instagram.com/maxgilldesign/?hl=en (Max Gill) http://www.maxgilldesign.com (Max Gill Design) https://amzn.to/3BLZoaL (Wilding: Returning nature to our farm by Isabella Tree) https://amzn.to/3bwGFW1 (The Hidden Life of Trees: What they Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World, by Peter Wohlleben ) https://amzn.to/3QiNXLN (From Seed to Bloom, Milli Proust) P L A N T L I S T Roses Daisies Poppies Rudbeckia Buxus

Possibly the very first plant that Marianne Wilbur and I drooled over when we first got to Great Dixter for the May Symposium was the Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy' so it is appropriate that Persicaria is our Plant of the Week. Marianne and I chat about our week together with Fergus Garrett and the gang at Great Dixter, and why immersing ourselves into the experience was so good for our gardens and for our souls. I also touch on two other garden enhancements that we learned about that week and they are coppicing and meadows. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/intothegarden/support

Weeds are inevitable, so don't get excited that I indulged in outrageous hype for the title of this episode. But if you garden with with weeds (and if you garden, you have weeds) intelligently, you may pick up some information on how, why and when to control them. Tasha Greer's new book, "Weed Free Gardening" may sound too good to be true, but the subtitle "A Comprehensive and Organic Approach to Weed Management" is a great description of what we will learn from her in the podcast. The Plant of the Week is the Pelargonium that everyone calls Geranium, and I round up some Great Dixter information as well as give the low down on my No Mow May experiment. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/intothegarden/support

If you did your homework assignment, this is good follow up information on the gardens of Great Dixter and the symposium that Marianne Willburn and I will be attending next week! Not only do we talk about the gardening opportunity, but we also touch on the idea of saying yes to something it would have been far easier to say no to. The plant of the week is the Fringe Tree, and I also talk about No Mow May, getting rid of invasive Nandina, and the Joe Gardener podcast episode with Dave Goulson about his book 'Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse'. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/intothegarden/support

Poppy seed planting, cat paws, Annie's Annuals, poppy seed bagels, Seinfeld, layering, succession planting, 10 seasons, dahlias, confessions, seed popping updates, please...please..., tomatoes & basil & marigolds up, berry containers, bi-annuals, save your seeds, parsley, cilantro, dill, Christopher Lloyd, fennel, next level gardening, Great Dixter, bulbs, chunky chunky groundhog, cats (Tika & Flora), dogs (Pi & Chester), tunnel analysis, wild kingdom, raised bed progress, pond liner, solar fountain, willow tree, 2 where there was 1, rose cutting  time, pruning strategies, Clorox wipes, disease, I had to pull out all my roses, rose food, grafts, homework, dinner: Salmon Wellington; Lobster Ravioli, bye.gardeningelated.com

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/

How do you create a wildlife garden? Fergus Garrett takes me on a walk around Great Dixter, where we discuss the habitats he and his team have created to help wild species.As we walk around the gardens he points out various habitats that work for different species, including the pond in the Barn Garden where great crested live, the wonderful meadows home to rare orchids and even rarer long-horned bees, and the giant piles of garden waste that serve as nesting and hibernation habitats for all sorts of species, from birds to hedgehogs to snakes.We discuss the trials and tribulations of wildlife gardening, what it means as a wildlife gardener to open your garden to the public, and how we can all take a piece of Great Dixter home with us, and recreate these habitats in our own spaces. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today’s episode is the first in another new series called the Roots and All Takeover, where I hand the microphone over to an individual or group of people and they produce the content for the episode. There are no rules, they have complete free rein, the idea being to give an audio platform to people that don’t already have one. So this first takeover is by The Young Propagators Society and features a chat between Ellie and Sophie, the founding members of the society, Michal who’s a dendrologist at Westonbirt Arboretum and Natasha, a builder and gardener and they talk about the challenges, successes and techniques they’ve discovered when propagating a very diverse range of plants.  Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Broad bean pests This episode is brought to you by the team at The Real Soil Company. Launched to the market in 2020 The Real Soil Company proudly offers new organic, peat-free SuperSoil. Packed full of organic nutrients for optimal plant health, SuperSoil’s natural ‘boosters’ will stimulate quicker plant establishment and better resilience against pests and disease, whilst also enabling edible crops to benefit from nutritional enhancement and a higher crop yield.  The enhanced soil also offers better water retention and release for optimum plant growth, whilst providing a more balanced and workable material for gardeners.  About the Young Propagators Society The Young Propagators Society was founded to create a network of people interested in propagation to share their knowledge with one another. They produce a quarterly zine that members contribute to, which you can find on their website www.youngpropsoc.com and you can get involved by contributing written pieces or artwork to hello@youngpropsoc.com Ellie and Sophie are co-creators of The Young Propagators Society, they met at Great Dixter when they were both students. They, at the same time, got their positions in their jobs as; propagator at Crug Farm and assistant nursery manager at Great Dixter. Respectively. Michal and Ellie worked together in the arboretum nursery at RBG Kew when Michal was botanical horticulturist and Ellie was a student, Michal is now the dendrologist at Westonbirt arboretum. Natasha and Ellie have been friends since teenagers and they have inspired each others’ learning and understanding of plants and botany. Natasha is a gardener and builder. Links www.youngpropsoc.com 

Eleonora Giuliodori, giardiniera marchigiana lavora in Inghilterra nell'orto biologico di Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons ristorante ed albergo vicino Oxford, dove lo chef patron è il francese Raymond Blanc. Precedentemente Eleonora ha lavorato presso i Kew Gardens di Londra, al giardino di Cliveden nel Buckinghamshire e al giardino di Polesden Lacey nel Surrey. I giardini che Eleonora consiglia di visitare sono Great Dixter e Gravetye Manor entrambi nel Sussex. I libri consigliati da Eleonora sono: "A Little Hystory of British Gardening" Di Jenny Huglow e "La rivoluzione del filo di paglia" di Masanobu Fukuoka. Grazie Jennifer, Heloise e Annah per La Marsigliese iniziale! Per commenti, suggerimenti e domande scrivete a enricodella@gmail.com FB: Enrico Della - Pagina FB: Life in the garden. Instagram: @enricodella23

Peter speaks to Fergus Garrett head gardener at Great Dixter. We get some insight into some of the problems suffered by gardens during this pandemic and how they’re coping. Fergus also gives tips on how prospective gardeners might get started. Elsewhere Peter gives us the news and some suggestions for plants to try. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week I’m talking to Aaron Bertelsen about his new book ‘Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots’. Aaron is the resident kitchen gardener at Great Dixter but as with many who work there, he lives and breathes the Great Dixter way of life and works tirelessly to support the house and garden. You may find him harvesting produce in the kitchen garden, serving lunch to guests and students, hosting horticultural royalty in the house or travelling the world to promote Great Dixter. ‘Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots’ is both a practical guide to growing food in containers and a recipe book, providing inspiration for what to do with the abundance of produce you’ll have once you’ve mastered the art. Aaron gives tips on the best fruit for containers, how to avoid flea beetle, what to feed your crops, cooking with lettuce, plus loads of other invaluable advice for those growing their own produce in containers.  About Aaron Bertelsen: “Aaron studied Social Anthropology at the University of Otago before coming to England in 1996 to volunteer in the garden at Great Dixter. He subsequently studied for a Diploma in Horticulture at Kew Gardens, and spent two years at Jerusalem Botanical Gardens in Israel, where he is still a trustee. Aaron returned to Great Dixter in 2005 and became the vegetable gardener and cook in 2007. Aaron is regularly invited to speak about gardening at events worldwide. His first book The Great Dixter Cookbook is published by Phaidon and has received international acclaim since its publication in March 2017.” - www.greatdixter.co.uk What We Discuss: What crops you can grow in containers What crops you can’t The best salad leaf crops Feeding crops in containers The best fruit for containers Growing for aesthetics as well as production Aaron’s top 3 crops (which turned into 4!) Links: Aaron’s Blog https://dixtervegetablegarden.wordpress.com Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots by Aaron Bertelsen - Phaidon, 2020  The Great Dixter Cookbook by Aaron Bertelsen - Phaidon, 2017 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!  Or donate as much or as little as you like at GoFundMe 

My own personal passion for plants began with growing vegetables. So this week's story means a great deal to me. I'm joined by Aaron Bertelsen of Great Dixter. Aaron oversees the vegetable growing at Great Dixter and has authored two world class books on the subject of vegetable gardening. In this story we discuss how a broader view of gardening can come from vegetables or any plant. To learn more about Aaron https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/learning/tutors/aaron-bertelsen/ https://www.greatdixter.co.uk/learning/tutors/aaron-bertelsen/  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aaronbertelsenofficial/ https://www.instagram.com/aaronbertelsenofficial/ To buy Aaron's book in the US https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Fruit-Vegetables-Pots-Planting/dp/0714878618/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=aaron+bertelsen&qid=1582908812&sr=8-1

Today we celebrate the Dutch botanist who figured out the king bee was actually a queen and the poet gardener who preferred curves over straight lines. We'll learn about the evolutionist who started out as a staunch Christian and who once wrote, "I did not in the least doubt the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible." Today's Unearthed Words feature thoughts about February, our shortest month. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that is brand new - just released officially today - and it encourages you to grow your fruit and vegetables in pots. I'll talk about a garden item that is just the coolest little gadget for growing seeds. And then we'll wrap things up with the backstory on a Clematis you probably have in your garden, or your neighbor has it - or both. But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.   Subscribe Apple|Google|Spotify|Stitcher|iHeart   Curated Articles How to Eat Edible Flowers | FoodUnfolded How to Eat Edible Flowers? One bite at a time. "Chamomile tastes like apples; Begonia has a sharp citrus flavor, Calendula goes peppery to bitter, Daylilies - a melony, cucumber taste & Nasturtium is sweet and peppery."   Penelope Hobhouse - SGD Awards 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner - YouTube Take a moment & watch this - an EXCELLENT video featuring Penelope Hobhouse - (Society of Garden Designers) SGD Awards 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner She says: "My feelings about good design are, first of all, the skeleton - the architecture. If you get the architecture right, you can fill it in with the plants you love. I was 82 - or something like that - when I came here. I knew it was my last garden. That's really what made me plant this as an architectural garden - with flowers in between green architecture. I only wanted plants I really loved, and that's what I've done. That's what is so lovely is living here - almost as a recluse - getting old. I think I'm very lucky people remember me at all. That's just luck and chance, I think." Sarah Morgan, SGD Chair, said: "Penelope Hobhouse has influenced and inspired garden design for decades. Self-trained in practical horticulture and design, she nevertheless forged a hugely successful career, thanks to her love and knowledge of plants and instinctive design talent." 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 1637Today is the birthday of the Dutch biologist and entomologist Jan Swammerdam (Yahn SWAH-MER-dam). Before Jan's work, people believed that insects created spontaneously. Jan proved that insects were born from eggs laid by the female of the species and that the larva, pupa, and adult, were just different forms of the same species. After Jan dissected a female bee and discovered it had ovaries, he pronounced the head of the colony to be a queen bee "hitherto looked upon as a king." And here was Jan's description of the male bees: "[The hive] tolerates, during summer days of abundance, the embarrassing presence in the hive of three or four hundred males, from whose ranks the queen about to be born shall select her lover; three or four hundred foolish, clumsy, useless, noisy creatures, who are pretentious, gluttonous, dirty, course, totally and scandalously idle, insatiable, and enormous." Jan's description of the hive's survival abilities is still as vibrant and relevant today as it was when he wrote: "Should disaster befall the little Republic; should the hive or the comb collapse; should man prove ignorant or brutal; should they suffer from famine, from cold or disease, and perish by thousands, it will still be almost invariably found that the queen will be safe and alive beneath the corpses of her faithful daughters. For they will protect her and help her escape; their bodies will provide both rampart and shelter; for her will be the last drop of honey, the wholesomest food. Break their comb twenty times in succession, take twenty times from them their young and their food, you still shall never succeed in making them doubt of the future."   1724Today is the birthday of the poet and gardener William Mason. The Reverend William Mason was also a writer, artist, and garden designer. Mason is remembered for creating the romance of the country house garden. Here's how he did it: In 1775 at Nuneham ("NEW-Num"), near Oxford, England, Mason designed a flower garden for his friend Lord Harcourt. To many, this garden was a turning point and marked the beginning of what came to be known as romantic flower gardening. What Mason accomplished was a radical change; straight lines in borders and beds were out. Circular beds were in. With new elements in gardens like island beds, this meant that the plants were located away from the house. Instead, plantings and beds were located near outdoor garden buildings like temples, or orangeries, or a seating area. The garden at Nuneham became a model for others. Mason's creation set the trend for English gardening, and Mason broadcast his ideas about romantic gardening in a very, very long poem called "The English Garden." It was released in chunks over the span of a decade, between 1772 and 1781. Mason's target audience were the wealthy garden owners of his time. He was speaking directly to them when he wrote: "Waste is not grandeur," and "A garden is the purest of human pleasures; it is the greatest refreshment to the spirit of man."   Mason made many appeals to country estate owners, but his broad message was to throw out formal gardens in favor of romantic landscapes. Now, the word romantic simply means a landscape that is wild or natural. During this time, people referred to these romantic, natural, or wild landscapes as the picturesque garden. Today, gardeners delight in this little verse from Mason's poem. It offers simple, resonate advice from William Mason to you: Take thy plastic spade, It is thy pencil. Take thy seeds, thy plants, They are thy colors.   1809Today is the birthday of the English naturalist and writer Charles Robert Darwin. Darwin was born into a large Christian family in Victorian England. His dad was wealthy; he was a doctor and an investor. For generations, Darwin's family were staunch abolitionists. Darwin's mother died when he was just eight years old. Clever and curious, he managed to find solace in learning. When he went to college at Cambridge, he was planning to be a member of the clergy. He wrote, "I did not then in the least doubt, the strict and literal truth of every word in the Bible." But then, Darwin met a man who would become his mentor and friend, John Stevens Henslow. Henslow taught botany at Cambridge, and the two men enjoyed learning from each other as they took walks in the country. Their time together inspired Darwin and helped him to focus on his specialty - the natural world. It also opened the door to a strong wanderlust - a desire to see firsthand what the world had to offer. It was thanks to his friend Henslow that Darwin received an invitation to join Captain Robert FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle. Henslow had written a letter recommending Darwin for the journey, especially endorsing his likable personality. Once Darwin was officially asked to be part of team Beagle, Henslow presented Darwin with a gift - a rare copy of Alexander von Humboldt's travels in South America. In the book, Henslow had inscribed these words: "J. S. Henslow to his friend C. Darwin on his departure from England upon a voyage around the World. 21st Sept. 1831."   Darwin treasured this gift above all others, and at his death, the book was safely brought to Cambridge University Library, where it remains to this day. Darwin's five-year Journey on the HMS Beagle led him to think differently about his faith and his perspective on creation. It was October 2, 1836, before the HMS Beagle returned to England. Often, Darwin is depicted on the Beagle as an old man; but he was just 22 when he sailed away and still a young 27 when he returned with boxes full of specimens and a brain swirling with new ideas. During the revelatory trip on the Beagle, Darwin had found the building blocks to his evolutionary theory in the many fossils and diverse species he discovered on his excursions. In particular, his visit to the Galapagos Islands - which were largely untouched by man; they were pristine - was especially influential. And, although people assume that Darwin had a lightbulb moment during his time on the Beagle, his writing shows that wasn't the case. Darwin's thinking on the topic of creation and evolution matured as he grew older. Bear in mind, his paternal grandfather, Erasmus, had experienced bigtime negative backlash for his own ideas on evolution. This made Darwin cautious, and it raised the stakes for going public with his own radical thoughts. To mitigate the risk, Darwin was methodical, and he worked to make an irrefutable case for evolution. Thus, it would be another 23 years after returning to England Beagle before Darwin was ready to publish his masterpiece: Origin of Species. Now, if you ever get the chance to review the first edition online, you might be surprised to know that the word evolution isn't even mentioned. It wasn't until the 6th edition that the powerful word that became synonymous with Darwin's work was integrated into the text - evolution.   Unearthed Words Here are some thoughts on February - the shortest month of the year:   The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within. — William Cullen Bryant, American Romantic poet   Deep sleeps the winter, Cold, wet, and grey; Surely all the world is dead; Spring is far away. Wait! the world shall waken; It is not dead, for lo, The Fair Maids of February Stand in the snow! — Cicely Mary Barker, English illustrator of fairies and flowers   In tangled wreath, in clustered gleaming stars, In floating, curling sprays, The golden flower comes shining through the woods These February days; Forth go all hearts, all hands, from out the town, To bring her gayly in, This wild, sweet Princess of far Florida - The yellow jessamine. — Constance Fenimore Woolson, American novelist, and poet, (and grand niece of James Fenimore Cooper), Yellow Jessamine    February is merely as long as it is needed to pass the time until March. — Dr. J. R. Stockton, Professor Emeritus of Business Statistics, University of Texas   February, when the days of winter seem endless, and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer. ― Shirley Hardie Jackson, American writer, Raising Demons   February makes a bridge, and March breaks it. — George Herbert, Welsh poet, orator, and priest   Grow That Garden Library Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots by Aaron Bertelsen This book is hot off the shelf - brand new - just released today! Aaron Bertelsen is the gardener-cook of England's Great Dixter in East Sussex — where the kitchen garden is a central part of everything he does. In his new cookbook, Aaron shares tips and tricks for potting up vegetables and preparing recipes from Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots - his brand new cookbook. This is such a great topic because so many of us have gardens where space is precious and limited. Following Aaron's example, we can expand our garden pots to include plants like blueberries and eggplant. Aaron has spent many seasons at Great Dixter, and for the years, he's refined his list of go-to vegetables and the various fruit specimens that he has learned to grow in containers. Now, he's sharing that advice with all of us so that we can learn what crops will grow best in pots. As a cook, Aaron also gives us his best advice on harvesting and cooking. This cookbook features over 50 wonderful recipes. The photos of these incredible dishes are so inspiring that you'll definitely want to expand what you're growing so that you can try some of Aaron's novel food ideas. Thanks to Aaron, once again, we've learned that space is not an excuse to not garden, and it certainly isn't a barrier to creativity or variety when it comes to what we plant. We just have to think more strategically about our gardens and search more diligently for wonderful examples to follow. Aaron and Great Dixter give us a wonderful blueprint for amping up the productivity in our garden space through the use of pots and the excitement in our own small garden spaces by following Aaron's lead. You can get a brand new copy of Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots by Aaron Bertelsen and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for $39.95.   Great Gifts for Gardeners Esschert Design USA W4008 Secrets du Potager Paper Pot Maker $13.65 Esschert Design says: "Our Secrets du Potager line is for those who are passionate about gardening, cooking, and entertaining and have an eye for detail. This clever tool is used for making seed pots from a newspaper; it's fun. Instead of traditional flower pots made of clay or plastic, you can also use homemade, small paper pots. In no time at all, you will be able to prepare a range of paper pots. When the time comes to plant the young seedlings outside, simply put them together with the paper pot in the ground. The newspaper rots away by itself. This set contains the paper pot press and instructions on how to produce the pots." A clever tool for making seed pots from newspaper Set includes the paper pot press and instructions on how to prepare the pot   Today's Botanic Spark I thought you'd enjoy learning about the family behind the ubiquitous Jackman Clematis - it's the one with the large dark purple flowers with yellow centers. And, just an FYI, you can prune the Jackman back in the fall without hurting next year's bloom - so don't sweat it, you can't hurt it with an end of the season cleanup. 1869Today is the anniversary of the death of the English nurseryman, pomologist, florist, and Clematis hybridizer George Jackman. He died at the age of 68. With multiple George's in the family, this George Jackman was always referred to as George I. Now, George I, and his brother Henry, were born into a nurseryman's family. In 1810, their father, William, founded Jackman Nursery on 150 acres in Woking ("Woe-king"), Surrey. George I and Henry grew up learning the business alongside their dad. By 1830, Willliam had turned the business over to his sons. After a few years, Henry decided he wasn't interested in running the struggling nursery, and he left it for George I. In the fall of 1834, George married Mary Ann Freemont. He was 33 years old. In a little over three years, George II was born. The beginning of the year 1840 was a terrible time in the life of George I. He lost his wife Mary in January and his father, William, in February. In the span of twenty-five days, George I and his 3-year-old son, George II, were alone. Needless to say, the nursery became the center of their world. The start of Clematis hybridizing, began five years before George I's life took such a dramatic turn. In 1835, about 35 miles from the Jackman nursery, London's Pineapple Nursery owned by John Andrew Henderson created the first Clematis hybrid. It was called Clematis Hendersonii - no doubt, George I took notice. When George II was 13 years old, Robert Fortune brought Clematis lanuginosa ("LAN-you-jee-NO-sah") to England. Native to China, the blooms on this Clematis were larger than any ever seen before. If Clematis blossoms were going to get bigger, the lanuginosa was the linchpin. By this point, George I was employing 35 men and six boys at the Jackman Nursery. George II shadowed every aspect of the business, and he grew to be a shrewd owner/operator. As a young man, George II was energized at the thought of clematis hybridizing. When he was just 21 years old, George II crossed Fortune's lanuginosa with Hendersonii along with the climber atrorubens. In less than six months, they had 300 seedlings. and George Jackman II had an instant hit on his hands. The plant was hardy, it quickly produced long-lasting impressive flowers, and the rootstock lasted for many years. The year was 1858, and Clematis Jackmanii (ii = "ee-eye") was born. George II wrote: "Seedlings about 300 — results of hybrids: very robust growers, abundant in flower of rich deep purple and maroon." Clematis jackmanii went on to receive the Award of Garden Merit from The Royal Horticultural Society. And, George II co-authored a book with Thomas Moore, the Secretary of The Royal Horticultural Society, the book called Clematis as a Garden Flower. George II and Thomas Moore dedicated the book to HRH Princess Mary, the Duchess of Teck. The Clematis was one of her favorite flowers. When George I died on this day in 1869, he had raised his son and had turned his nursery into a success. He had served as chapelwarden for his church - the church of St. John - for over two decades. He started serving a few years after losing his wife Mary, Mrs. George Jackman. The Gardener's chronicle said he died after a gout attack and was by all accounts a "beloved… kind-hearted, genial Christian." It went on to say that his "workmen (several of whom had been [with him] for 20, 30, or 40 years)" followed his coffin to the churchyard for burial. In 1967, the Jackman Nursery was sold by a Jackman descendant, Roland Jackman.

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     

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/)

In this week's gardening programme, presenter David Maxwell tours the transformed gardens at Hillsborough Castle ahead of the public opening. The new garden manager Claire Woods and her predecessor Stephen Martelli show David the restored four-acre walled garden and the lost garden. Averil Milligan also joins David for the tour providing practical gardening tips on route. Also in the programme, David catches up with Fergus Garrett, head gardener at the world renowned Great Dixter.

In this story we explore the world of garden guest and how gardening is more local than global. The story also answers Christopher Llyod of Great Dixter's question asked nearly 30 years ago. A huge range of story in this Garden Notes. 

Chris talks to Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter, about the incredible diversity of life that calls this world-famous garden home. The garden, created by the late plantsman and writer Christopher Lloyd (known affectionately as 'Christo') is well known as a treasure-trove of plants, but it has only recently become apparent that it's also fantastically rich in biodiversity. Meanwhile at Wisley, horticulturist and garden manager Emma Allen shares her favourite summer-flowering trees and offers advice on how to plant them now that the main tree planting season is fast approaching. For more info and useful links see www.rhs.org.uk/thegardenpodcast

Lacking the space but certainly not the enthusiasm? Taking on an allotment has fast become a popular solution to keeping those green fingers satisfied and the benefits are endless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, working an allotment can be seen as therapeutic, sociable and an all round healthy discipline, which can promote a healthier lifestyle.  In the first part of this episode, Sarah chats to Louise Bell, an accomplished writer and editor and co founder of Sunny Creative. Louise also happens to be a sympathetic gardener and was on the committee for the Marina Allotment and Horticulture Association in Hastings. Having worked on her own allotment for 10 years, Louise is armed with knowledge to enlighten us on how best to go about finding an allotment. Whether it’s run by the local council or independently managed, she presents a number of key pointers to take into account before committing to a plot and those you will need to consider once you are the proud owner.  With first hand practical advice on various topics, from restrictions on what you are allowed to grow, to how to clear a plot previously owned, there’s enough to get the ball rolling if you are thinking of investing your time and energy into growing your own produce.  Nevertheless don’t forget to follow up soon with part 2 of this episode to discover more about allotments and how to manage expectations on what you grow. Alongside self sowing plants, difficult crops and suggestions on plot structure, you can be sure to pick up many more helpful tips to ensure you have a productive plot. Please take the time to rate this podcast and you could be in with a chance to win a copy of the Great Dixter cookbook (2017) which contains a delightful concoction of seasonal recipes and is a book Louise was involved with creating.   Points of interest; Associate members. Generic allotment rules and regulations. Choosing your allotment plot. Practical issues, such as water, electricity and toilet. Visitors allowed onto the premises. Time restrictions. Recommended tools. Taking over someone else’s allotment patch.   FAQs answered; Are all allotments run by the local council? Do I specifically need to choose an allotment near to where I live? Do allotments have waiting lists? Will I have to pay for my allotment? How do I know if having an allotment is the right thing for me? Do I need planning permission for a shed? Will I be allowed bonfires? Who is responsible for any waste? Are there restrictions on what I can grow in an allotment?   Further useful research; www.marinallotments.org.uk  www.gov.uk/apply-allotment  sunnycreative.co.uk www.greatdixtershop.co.uk   The Great Dixter Cookbook 2017   Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod   Patreon Link; https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall

This week, I get to catch up with botanical artist Julia Trickey to hear about all of her latest projects including her latest publishing venture with Two Rivers Press. Julia also talks about the times she has shown at the RHS and how after winning so many medals she now has a demo stand at Royal Horticultural Society's Botanical Art Show which is open between July 11th and 12th 2018. For the first five minutes, we are taken on a journey across Sussex to the magical gardens of Great Dixter. Here I continue to play around with sound and the different effects you can achieve with field recording. I view these segments very much as one would an audio sketchbook. The short mixes form the preliminary work that will influence the direction of the final audio component of my latest project on the Blue Flower. IMAGE: Julia Trickey © Fading Anemone

Great Dixter was the home of the late, great gardener Christopher Lloyd. Today under the guidance of head gardener Fergus Garrett it remains one of our finest gardens, renowned for its exciting and exemplary planting.

The Gardens Illustrated Talk 2014, held on the Tuesday of Chelsea Flower Show week, brought together Great Dixter’s head gardener Fergus Garrett and garden and landscape designer Dan Pearson – both internationally admired gardening greats. They were led by Anna Pavord in a conversion that revealed their gardening passions and inspirations.

Celebrating the life of the late Christopher Lloyd and the garden at Great Dixter. Fergus gardened alongside Christo for 20 years as his head gardener, while Anna was one of his many friends and a regular visitor to Great Dixter. The two recall an entertaining selection of anecdotes about the great man.

Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter in Sussex talks about the dahlia trials at Wisley and comments on some of the findings and his favourites.

Forester Geoff Sinclair talks about the campaign to encourage the use of native-grown hazel poles in the garden, instead of bamboo from China; and in the wake of the publication of the late Christopher Lloyd’s last book Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners, Great Dixter’s head gardener Fergus Garrett talks about the bold Exotic Garden they created together.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd. Well known for his forthright opinions, Christopher Lloyd has tended his family garden at Great Dixter in Sussex for nearly 70 years. It's been the source of inspiration for his many books and his column in the magazine Country Life, which he's written without a break since 1963.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Letters by Gustave Flaubert Luxury: Syndicate whisky

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd. Well known for his forthright opinions, Christopher Lloyd has tended his family garden at Great Dixter in Sussex for nearly 70 years. It's been the source of inspiration for his many books and his column in the magazine Country Life, which he's written without a break since 1963. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Letters by Gustave Flaubert Luxury: Syndicate whisky