Not Just a Garden

It's Gardeners' World 2026 episode 6 recap time and we take a look at dermatology experiences, the unfeasibly long rye grass root systems, Papua New Guinea toxic birds, the benefits of eating ice-cream, the incredible bi-annual Brussels Carpet of Flowers, and how humans could take a leaf out of a Madagascan Fossa's book when it comes to their anatomy design.On Gardeners' World this week we get to have an early viewing of The Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent's Park in London, with Monty Don and Adam Frost chatting with the Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy at The Royal Parks - Matt Pottage. Advolly Richmond explores the fascinating and convoluted history of Regent's Park and Head Gardener Fiona Packe gives us an insight into the planting of the garden. Finally Frances Tophill gives us a tour of the magnolias at Liz & John Ravenscroft's Cherry Tree Arboretum in North Shropshire.In Chit-Chat-Catch-Up this week we find out that Dan Stearne from Dan's Plants is leading the charge at Harrogate Spring Show, from 23rd to 26th April. He’ll be in stand PP30 in the Grand Floral Hall on all 4 days. You'll also catch Greg Anderton from Leaf Lytham and Peter & Helleentje Walker from Wack's Wicked Plants showing their plants too, so if you're visiting, pop by and say hello!🌿We also remind our listeners that Dan's Plants is giving a 10% discount on all his plants with our exclusive code NJAG10 - just in time for some spring planting🌸Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this recap of Gardeners' World 2026 Episode 4, we consider how Alla Olkhovska and her family are coping in Kharkiv, given the latest world events and subsequent rising fuel prices.We also delve a little deeper into how to avoid dehydration in the desert, how our own wisdom teeth can be an insurance against future health problems, which surprising animals are now recognised as sentient beings by the UK Animal Welfare Act, how "fake rock" was once used in gardens across the UK, and what happens if you burp in space.On Gardeners' World, Ashley Edwards gives us a tour of the beautiful Leondardslee Garden in West Sussex, and Hati Colvin in Llandeilo shows us her cut flower farm, The Dahlia Wood Ltd. Tom Stimpson in Ely gives some tips on growing a garden in pots, and Owen, Emily and Leo Driscoll show us some wonderful treasures in their garden in Macclesfield.In our Chit-Chat-Catch-Up this week, we salivate over Geoff Stonebanks' cakes being prep'd for his garden opening through the NGS. We also imagine enjoying one of the two horticultural apprenticeship positions being offered at Ventnor Botanic Garden, as announced by Wayne Williams last week.🌿We also remind our listeners that Dan Stearne from Dan's Plants is giving a 10% discount on all his plants with our exclusive code NJAG10 - just in time for some spring planting🌸Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Gardeners' World 2026 Episode 2 Recap time and with Sweetpea in the middle of 2 days of exams, she watches the show at double speed and is very impressed with just how sprightly Monty is.In this episode we give the low down on mammograms, the extraordinary powers of the Gympie Gympie plant, despite and on account of the extreme pain it causes, why you wouldn't want to confront a honey badger if you're a naked man, and Sweetpea's best cactus-based chat-up line.On Gardeners' World Joe Swift takes us around Mary Keen's garden in Gloucestershire, and Karim Habibi shows us his apples at Keepers Nursery in East Farleigh, Kent. James Baker and Noah from GreenBaker Gardening give us a tour of their garden in Weymouth before Carol Klein has a look at the potager at RHS Rosemoor. Finally Jim Stephens gives us some tips on camellias from his garden in Dobwalls, South East Cornwall.And don't forget this week, on Wednesday 25th March at 8pm, Martin Dohrn's wonderful award-winning film My Garden of a Thousand Bees will be available on BBC Four🐝🐝🎬🐝🐝Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardeners' World is back - hurrah - and so are a sleep-deprived Sweetpea and a bemused Bear with an Episode 1 Recap.In this episode we look at the continued success of seed snails, the chicken or egg of Sonic the Hedgehog and protein, gruesome bird-killing trees, beautiful brain healing cock's combs, and the goodest boy ever.On Gardeners' World we kick off with a title shake-up and Monty back at Longmeadow. We get to see a bit of Adam Frost's new garden before meeting alpine legends Bob and Rannveig Wallis in Carmarthenshire. Arit Anderson takes us to Kew to meet plant saviours Carlos Magdalena and Paul Rees before we have a look at the tropical garden of Cathy Smythe, Gary Cattermole, Bowie (as in oh not ow - sorry😔), Dota, Mel & Mojo.Lastly, we've had many animated conversations on a fair few of the pod episodes about wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn's fantastic and award-winning film, My Garden of a Thousand Bees. Martin was on Gardeners' World 2025 episode 11 and joined us for episode 39 of Chit-Chats last year where he shared a bit about the intricacies of filming his minuscule subjects. He also talked about the struggles of bringing the film to UK screens given that it was readily available in many other countries around the world but not in the motherland. The good news is Martin's lengthy battle has paid off and it will finally be available on BBC Four at 8pm on 25th March and BBC iPlayer thereafter! We couldn't recommend the film more - spoiler, you will need tissues!And as if that wasn't enough good news, Martin's latest award-winner The Birds, which he also talked about on our Chit-Chat is going to be available on UK screens on Wednesday 18th March on BBC Four at 8pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer after🕺🎬🥂Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Cranham from Tom's Terraria Design was on Gardeners' World 2025, Winter Special episode 3 showing his stunning (and huge!) terraria as well as his exquisite collection of iridescent begonias.On this episode of Chit-Chats, we get an idea of what it must feel like to be walking through the world of Avatar, thanks to the incredible variety and beauty of begonias, and we learn some handy tips on where to start with terraria, from those as small as Sweetpea's teapot terrarium, to glass cabinets to fill a wall.We also hear about the unusual animals Tom has started introducing into the bedroom, the plants he donates to botanical gardens around the country, the advantages and disadvantages of horses, the once in a lifetime trip to Nosy Mangabe, and we find out which jam is the king of jams, especially if you have grandma’s old jam-pan.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Lyon Botanic garden Masoala National Park Trebah Garden Glasgow Botanic Garden  Saihoji Moss Temple ChatsworthMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor Cochrane was on Gardeners' World 2025, ep28 when she showed us her beautiful late summer jewel borders at The Copper House Garden on the Kent/Sussex border.On this episode of Chit-Chats, not only do we set the record straight on Eleanor's feelings towards yellow flowers, but we also find out about her incredible experiences volunteering at Great Dixter, how she manages her sizeable garden without a greenhouse in sight, how to create a perennial meadow, the fortuitous discovery of their beautiful woodland ponds, and the importance of succession planting.We also hear about Eleanor's hidden stash behind the sofas, her husband's similarities to Aiden Turner, a grave warning if importing topsoil, hoeing in a good way, and what to do if you have bad legs. Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Great Dixter Sissinghurst Beth Chatto The Bumblebee Trust Sarah Raven Dahlias Halls of Heddon Parkers CatalogueMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharon Darlington was on Gardeners’ World 2025 episode 19 when Sue Kent visited her magical millpool. In this Good Ol’ Chit-Chat we learn how Sharon first came across Millpool-by-The-Sea and how she developed it to become the stunning space it is today. We also find out what took Sharon all the way to Anglesey, her natural ability to grow meconopsis with minimal effort, the big plans for her Darlings Buds floristry, and Sharon’s very handy husband who can build anything from planters to jetties, but will always be “The Sower of Cosmos”.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/The Laundry GardenJoseph MassieBodnant GardenHimalayan GardensMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Havers was on Gardeners’ World 2025 episode 32 when she showed Carol Klein around the beautiful borders at Waterperry Gardens. Pat joins us for a Chit-Chat and we learn about managing troublesome badgers, the importance of Silent Spaces, clever rose hacks, Pat’s fortuitous route into horticulture, her daughter’s determination in finding the perfect garden gift, and a disembodied voice shares Pat’s prosecco and passion fruit inspired beverage🍸Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Beatrix HavergalSilent SpaceMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Houseplant legend Claire Lowrie was on Gardeners’ World 2024 episode 3 when she showed her magnificent Jungle Haven of stunning indoor plants, so we were thrilled that she could join us for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat about her magical dream “garden”. We learned a top tip for looking after monstera (given Bear’s propensity for laziness), about using semi-hydroponics to make usually hard-to-grow plants much easier, the art of air-layering, how to manage fungus gnats, and which plant provides so much edible nectar that it drips from the flower. We also find out what was involved in making the first ever gold medal winning RHS-judged Indoor Plant Garden.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Video of the making of Claire's RHS Malvern gardenAlan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club Series 2, episode 15Ladybird Plant CareGrow TropicalsWorcester TerrariumsRare Palm SeedsMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were delighted to be joined by plant, garden & social historian, author, and TV & Radio presenter Advolly Richmond OBE, FLS for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat. We talked all sorts from OBEs and blue plaque high jinks, to making pivotal career changes and writing books. We also learned about Advolly’s dream garden with sentimental Edgeworthia chrysanthas, self-cleaning greenhouses, private pebble beaches, gossip under ancient trees, and ungainly hammock entries, - all of course being powered by prosecco and snacks🥂Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Village WaterReaseheath CollegePainswick Rococo GardensLong barn GardensSissinghurstKewKelmarshSilent SpaceBenmore Botanic GardensWaterperry GardensLloyd Loom ChairsDavid Austin rosesPeter Beale rosesTrevor White rosesMorlas PlantsThe Accidental Seed Heroes, by Adam AlexanderMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Farida Sober was on our screens for far too short a time back on Gardeners’ World 2024 episode 11, where she showed us her revolutionary and hugely successful seed snails. So we were delighted when she joined us for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat and we found out all about Vitaly Gennadievich Alifirov tomatoes, the importance of soil health in Farida’s incredibly productive allotment, the great success she’s having with fermented grass for mulching, simplifying gardening when advice can be so over-complicated, and the covert underworld of tomato seed trading🕵🏼‍♂️👀🔎Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Farida's seed shopFarida's eBooksMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helleentje and Peter Walker from Wack’s Wicked Plants showed us their beautiful collection of carnivorous plants on Gardeners’ World 2025 episode 28. They join us for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat and take us on a stroll down memory lane from the UK, to The Netherlands, to Azerbaijan, before settling in Scampston. We also find out about the science of growing melons and chrysanthemums, Capability Brown’s lime tree that sounds like a plane, their national collection of Mexican butterworts, and Uncle Charlie’s oranges.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/ScampstonNational Collection of Mexican ButterwortsCites More Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.