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Weeds have many faces – they feed birds, butterflies, bees, and the like; they spread like wildfire, but are resilient; they’re complicated – and the way we regard them is even more so. In this episode, we look at the weeds in our gardens, discussing what constitutes a weed, how to deal with them safely, and how we can see them as more than the enemy. Chief horticulturist Guy Barter chats about his book What’s That Weed?, the students who brought together Wisley’s ‘What is a Weed?’ exhibition share their perspectives on these rapid spreaders, and author Ann Treneman gives her advice on creating weed containers.
Useful links: RHS Weeds | Identify common weeds | Controlling weeds | Exhibition: What is a weed?
With the first cold snap hitting the UK, it’s starting to feel like winter. It’s a time of structural beauty, evergreen supremacy, frosty seedheads, and low but magical light. In this episode, we focus on all the mystery and enchantment of a winter garden. We chat with author Naomi Slade about designing and revamping gardens in the colder months, leaning into year-round grow-your-own with garden manager Sheila Das, and exploring how to bring a bit of the winter charm inside with what’s available now to pick.
Useful links: RHS The Winter Garden | Vegetables: growing for winter | Winter Flowers Week
Our annual book special is here. In this episode, Helen Griffin, RHS Book Publishing Manager, chats with Fiona Davidson, Guy Barter, and Arthur Parkinson about their top gardening book picks of 2023. Hear a discussion on the future of GYO and resilient planting, the relevance of gardening history, and wildcard topics like cut flowers, winter gardening, and even murder.
Useful links: Botany of the Kitchen Garden | RHS The Winter Garden | Gardening Can Be Murder | The Cut Flower Sourcebook | Rekha's Kitchen Garden | England's Gardens | A harvest for all seasons | Not Another Jungle | Chatsworth
We explore how best to turn our homes into verdant oases. RHS Digital Editor Jenny Laville chats with Gareth Richards about the best low-maintenance houseplants, fun climbers for indoors, and underrated care tips and tricks. Social historian Catherine Horwood regales us with the history of ever-changing houseplant trends. And finally, author and podcaster Alice Vincent reveals the role houseplants played in her gardening journey.
Useful links: Picking the right houseplant | Houseplants for students | Potted History | Houseplants for different locations
In this episode, we journey back through time, taking stock of a few significant moments in botanical history. We start with a tale on the first flowering of the giant waterlily in cultivation, then discover how ‘Midwinter Fire’ gave Cornus sanguinea a whole new reputation, and finally, we look at the life and legacy of Arthur Bulley, founder of Ness Botanic Gardens. Each of these stories draws inspiration from articles in the December issue of The Plant Review.
Useful links:The Plant Review | RHS A Plant for Every Day of the Year | Foggy Bottom Garden | Ness Botanic Gardens
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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
