Gardening with the RHS

Today we’re getting wild in the garden and taking a look at some of the abundance that's on display as spring hits its peak. The RSPB’s Emma Marsh joins us to unpack the results of this year's Big Garden Birdwatch, offering a revealing snapshot of the health of some of our most cherished garden visitors. Emma also shares how new research is informing New RSPB advice on feeding birds seasonally and safely. One key food source for young chicks at this time of year is juicy caterpillars; RHS Principal Entomologist Dr Hayley Jones shares her advice on how to live with these misunderstood critters, and why moths in general deserve some more credit in the garden. And finally, we turn to a seasonal highlight: crab apples. Nurseryman Nick Dunn of Frank P Matthews nursery joins us to celebrate these remarkable trees as they burst into bloom, offering beauty, abundance and a vital source of food for birds, insects - and even us. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Emma Marsh, Dr Hayley Jones, Nick Dunn Extra links: Wild About Gardens: magical moths RHS Wildlife gardening advice Remembering Nigel Dunnett

This week Grace Johnson from the Hedgehog Street Campaign joins us once again to tell us more about what we can all do to support the recovery of hedgehog populations, right where they need it most: in our gardens. RHS horticultural advisor Jenny Bowden joins us with a clever money-saving tip, showing how you can make your own potting mix from scratch at home. And to round things off, Liz Mooney heads down to the veg patch with everything you need to know about growing cabbages. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Jenny Bowden, Grace Johnson, Liz Mooney Links: How to make a footprint tunnel Get involved in some Hedgehog citizen science

This week we head to RHS Wisley's Hilltop where the science and advisory teams are working tirelessly to come up with solutions to some of the biggest pressures facing horticulture and gardeners today, and few are bigger or more pressing than climate change. RHS advisor Jenny Bowden talks us through an experiment she's working on to find out which plants are best suited to the extremes in summer drought and winter flooding UK gardens are increasingly experiencing. Horticulturist Liz Mooney runs us through the Lettuce extravaganza she is sowing at Wisley's world food garden. And bulb expert Muhammad Hafiz Ullah, gives us a masterclass in growing gladioli Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Jenny Bowden, Liz Mooney, Muhammad Hafiz Ullah Links: Choosing plants for seasonally wet and dry soils How to grow lettuces Gladioli Gladiolus trial

This week, we’re focusing on the edible garden, and the simple yet radical act of growing your own food in an age of convenience. Food writer Nancy Matsumoto explores how our globalised food system is impacting both people and planet, and why women-led initiatives could help shape a more sustainable future. RHS Garden Wisley’s Liz Mooney joins us from the World Food Garden to answer everything you ever wanted to know about growing potatoes. And finally, Nick Turrell and Jenny Laville sit down to look at how you can get started growing your own – without ending up with a mountain of plastic along the way. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Nancy Matsumoto, Liz Mooney, Jenny Laville Links: Reaping What She Sows book Nancy Matsumoto’s substack ‘Reaping’ Liz Mooney’s top tomato cultivars Liz Mooney’s guide to aubergines, sweet peppers, and chillis Liz Mooney’s guide to peas How to go plastic-free in your garden

This week, we’re leafing through the pages of The Plant Review to explore a simple question: what can we learn from the wild? American plantsman Daniel J. Hinkley reflects on a lifetime of exploration that has taken him to some of the wildest places on Earth in search of plants. Yet in his article he turns his attention to a small, unassuming genus growing close to home in Washington State: Coptis. Next, David Pearce, curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, transports us to the cloud-shrouded mountains of Madeira to meet a striking architectural plant found nowhere else in the wild, and one that he’s been successfully cultivating on the Dorset coast. And finally, Sacchi Parasrampuria and James Miller take us to Poon Hill in Nepal, reflecting on a recent plant observation trip and the lessons they brought back from the Himalayas. Hosts: James Armitage and Gareth Richards Contributors: Daniel J Hinkley, David Pearce, Saachi Parasrampuria, James Miller Links: The Plant Review Heronswood Gardens Abbotsbury subtropical gardens Musschia wollastonii

This week, we’re heading to RHS Garden Wisley to discover how its horticulturists are turning one of the wettest starts to the year on record into a garden that’s primed for spring. Team leader Helen Bensted-Smith shares some top tips for gardening in persistently soggy conditions, and explains why increasingly wet winters and dry summers are challenges we need to adapt to rather than battle against. Guy Barter takes us on a seasonal stroll through Oakwood, which is coming into its own at this time of year, and has plenty of take-home ideas for gardening in damp shade. And finally, we popped in to see Liam Anderson, who’s hard at work pruning the 75m Wisteria Walk. In just a few months, it will be transformed into a spectacular tunnel of cascading purple and white blooms. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Helen Bensted-Smith, Guy Barter, Liam Anderson Links: How to choose plants for seasonally wet and dry soils RHS daffodil diaries Sarcococca Wisteria pruning video Wisteria at Wisley

Now is a great time to start planning what to grow, and this week, we’re diving headfirst into the seed catalogues for inspiration! We’re exploring some of the tastiest, and most eye catching, additions to the veg patch: heirlooms! We also take a deep dive into tomato cultivars, as Liz Mooney shares her top picks from last years 'tomato extravaganza’ which saw her grow more than 50 varieties at RHS Wisley's world food garden. And finally, let's get back to basics with the foundation of any abundant veg plot: the soil! Nick Turrell and Jenny Laville dig into the ins and outs of how to care for earth beneath your feet. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Lucy Hutchings and Kate Cotterill from She Grows Veg, Liz Mooney, Jenny Laville and Nick Turrell Links: Mangelwurzel Tomato Black Beauty 1,500 Year Old Cave Bean Chicory Rose of Venice Beetroot Red Toad How to grow tomatoes

This week we’re rolling up our sleeves to look at how we can support our garden visitors, while also preparing for the burst of life that spring will bring. The RSPB’s Emma Marsh is back to share how monitoring projects like the Big Garden Bird Watch can make a real difference when it comes to helping our declining species. Gareth Richards pops in with his top tips for growing one of his allotment favourites (and a firm favourite with bumblebees too) the humble raspberry. And Olivia Drake shines a spotlight on the RHS Wildlife Wonders plant for January: the shrubby honeysuckle. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Emma Marsh, Gareth Richards, Olivia Drake Links: Sign up to the Big Garden Bird Watch RSPB free guide and ID chart How to grow raspberries Why you need a shrubby honeysuckle in your garden

The new year has arrived with an Arctic blast, and so it feels like the perfect moment to retreat indoors and let the garden live in our imaginations for a while. Nick Turrell joins us to continue his countdown of the most influential plants that have shaped human history. Guy Barter shares his practical ideas for making the most of your Christmas tree in the garden, and Pru Murray takes us through some of the new partner gardens RHS members can enjoy visiting in 2026. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Nick Turrell, Guy Barter, Pru Murray Links: Nick Turrell's most influential plants part 1, and part 2 Visit rhs.org.uk/partnergardens to search for Partner Gardens to visit local to you and find out their opening times for members. If you want to suggest a garden to join the scheme or have any other feedback you can email the team on: partnergardens@rhs.org.uk

Oh the weather outside is frightful but there’s still plenty of wonder to be found out there. James Armitage, editor of The Plant Review, joins Gareth Richards to reflect on the quiet beauty of the resilient plants that carry us through the winter months, and on the quiet beauty of seeing familiar plants anew.We begin with writer and plantsman Phil Clayton, who tells the extraordinary story of the Wollemi pine, tracing its journey from near-extinction to gardens around the world. James then sits down with Tom Christian to discuss the remarkable diversity of the ivy family, a group of plants rich in variety and resilience, whose beauty and horticultural value are often underestimated. Finally, we meet South Korean artist Seong Weon Ahn, whose delicate paintings capture plants not only with botanical precision, but with a deep sense of presence and mood. Contributors: Phil Clayton, Tom Christian, Seong Weon Ahn Links: Subscribe to The Plant Review Host: Gareth Richards and James Armitage

This week, RHS Head of Libraries Fiona Davison, garden designer Zoe Claymore and RHS Gardening Advisor Nick Turrell gather to share their must-read gardening books of 2025. Along the way, they explore what really makes a garden waterwise, dive into the astonishing world of fungi, demystify regenerative gardening, and get to the root of soil science. They also journey through the makings of a temperate rainforest, spotlight remarkable horticultural heroes from history — and yes, they even tackle the topic every gardener loves to hate: slugs. Host: Fiona Davison with Nick Turrell and Zoe Claymore Books mentioned: Garden People: The Photographs of Valerie Finnis - Ursula Buchan Botanical Illustration: The Gold Medal Winners - Charlotte Brooks RHS Waterwise Garden - Tom Massey RHS Fungi for Gardeners - Dr Jassy Drakulic RHS Slugs: Friend or Foe - Dr Hayley Jones The Kindest Garden: A Practical Guide to Regenerative Gardening - Marian Boswell Illustrated History of Landscape Design - Elizabeth Boults One Garden Against the World - Kate Bradbury The Lost Rainforests of Great Britain - Guy Shrubsole

It’s National Tree Week, and we’re heading into the woods to celebrate the trees that shape our landscapes, enrich our lives, and quietly support the world around us. We’re joined by Sally Bavin from the Woodland Trust, who explains why woodlands are so powerful for both our physical and mental wellbeing. She also shares her fascinating research into mapping the UK’s richest areas of “wellbeing woodland.” We’ll also dive into the RHS’s new Strong Roots report, which uncovers the challenges preventing Great Britain from growing the trees it needs for the future. Plant scientist Louise Jones takes us behind the scenes at the RHS to explore her investigation into a mysterious fungal pathogen that’s attacking lime trees. And finally, we continue our pond series with Helen Bensted-Smith, who reveals the wildlife you can spot around your pond this week. Host: Gareth Richards and Guy Barter Contributors: Sally Bavin, Lousie Jones, Helen Bensted-Smith Links: BIO-well research Ancient forgotten forests need our help Native trees to plant in small gardens State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2025 Submit to the natures calendar project Strong Roots report Lime Tilia Leaf Blotch Report Form Write in with your gardening questions to: podcasts@rhs.org.uk

All life begins with water — and in gardens across the UK, ponds are becoming vital sanctuaries for wildlife. Now is an excellent time of year to create one, and RHS expert Helen Bensted-Smith walks us through everything you need to know: from position and depth, to lining material, structure, and how to fill it! It’s the first in our four-part mini-series on making your own wildlife haven this autumn — starting from the ground up with tips on planning, design, and making your pond truly work for nature. Plus, Emma McFarline returns to share the fascinating histories and healing traditions of two timeless plants — the apothecary rose and chamomile — and Duncan McLean offers expert advice on finding the perfect indoor plant to brighten up your home through the November chill. From ponds to petals and everything in between, it’s a celebration of how nature connects us — indoors and out. Host: Jenny Laville Contributors: Helen Bensted-Smith, Emma McFarline, Duncan McLean Links: How to build a wildlife pond RHS Rosemoor RHS plants