Scotland Grows Show

“Crathes is a garden of real change. It’s got everything from early hedges from 1702 right up to contemporary new gardens. It’s a real kaleidoscope of colours.” Step behind the historic garden walls of Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire in this episode with head gardener James Hannaford, as he reveals what it’s really like to care for a living tapestry that stretches back to 1609. From resilient plant choices for Scotland’s wild winds to the emotional challenges of losing centuries-old trees in storms, James shares expert insights, inspiring stories, and practical advice that every gardener will want to hear as well as a shopping list of plants suited to our climate. Whether you’re a horticulture enthusiast or just love a good garden stroll, discover the passion and responsibility behind one of Scotland’s great gardens with James Hannaford, and what it means to be part of Scotland’s gardening heritage. -------------------------------------------- The Scotland Grows Show is the podcast which celebrates everything that is good in Scottish gardening, as we join gardeners around the country to find out what grows well where they are, and pick up tips and stories along the way. Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows Magazine celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series of the Scotland Grows Show is sponsored by Dedicate a Tree, a special opportunity from the National Trust for Scotland to help breathe new life into Scotland’s woodlands. You can dedicate a tree from £7.50 and choose from three planting projects happening across places in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. They’ll send you a certificate and information leaflet, as well as regular updates about the progress of your chosen woodland project, and your tree dedication can be shared on their virtual woodland. Whether you dedicate a tree for yourself or for a loved one, in celebration or in memory, you’ll help nurture and protect Scotland’s wonderful woodlands for generations to come. Dedicate a tree today at nts.org.uk/trees

M.T. O'Donnell is joined by gardener and Scotland Grows writer Andy Peasgood to discuss the journey of transforming a typical new-build garden into a thriving green space. Andy shares his experience of creating a garden from scratch, tackling compacted clay soil, drainage challenges, and maximising every inch of his 8x6 metre plot. Key Topics Covered: Starting from Scratch: Andy recalls the early days of moving into his new-build home and the realities of dealing with a barren, waterlogged plot. Designing for Small Spaces: How thoughtful planning, curving paths, most of vertical space, and filling borders can make even the smallest garden feel spacious, dynamic, and inviting. Low Maintenance, High Reward: Andy’s practical tips for keeping gardening manageable, to plant choices that don’t require constant attention. Wildlife-Friendly Projects: Inspiring ideas for habitats in any garden, like bug hotels, wildlife walls, gabion benches, and wildlife ponds. The Importance of Soil and Drainage: Why good soil and proper drainage are fundamental (and often overlooked) in new-build gardens. Lobbying for Better Garden Standards: Andy’s thoughts on what should be standard for gardens in new home developments, and the potential for policy improvements. Creativity in the Garden: How Andy’s background as a ballet dancer inspired his approach to garden design, using the garden as a stage for creativity. And of course, Andy's top plant picks to make your own small space a flourishing haven! Connect with Andy: Follow Andy on Instagram Read his articles on the Scotland Grows Magazine website -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows Magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a brilliant subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

There is something special about Branklyn Garden - a 2-acre garden, set on the side of Kinnoull Hill, overlooking Perth, created from 1922 onwards by beginner gardeners John and Dorothy Renton, using amongst other things seeds and plants collected by plant hunters. The garden was left to the National Trust for Scotland in the late 1960s by the couple, and today attracts 18,000 visitors a year to its enchanting space, and infamous tea room. So what makes Branklyn Garden so special? Back in series 7 of the Scotland Grows Show, we chatted with Jim Jermyn, former head gardener at Branklyn, on his memories of the garden, and in this episode, M.T. O'Donnell catches up with Kate White, the current Head Gardener at Branklyn Garden for her inside take on the enduring popularity of this very special garden. -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a brilliant subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

The Down's Syndrome Scotland Show Garden, inspired by a young Scottish boy called Liam, has been designed by Chelsea newcomers, Duncan Hall and Nick Burton of Burton Hall Garden Design, who wanted to design a Show Garden for Down’s Syndrome Scotland to help break some of the barriers and stigmas faced by people who have Down’s syndrome, whilst celebrating their many positive qualities. In this episode, we chat with the garden designers about the garden ahead of this year's RHS Chelsea Show, and with Eddie McConnell, CEO of Down's Syndrome Scotland on the difference this garden will make to the conversations around Down's syndrome, and on the benefits it will bring in its relocation back to Scotland after the show. We featured the garden in Issue 27 of Scotland Grows Magazine and if you re not a subscriber to the magazine, you can find details here. We also promised to link in the show notes to Eddie's son Findlay's Instagram page, where he would welcome more followers so go make Findlay's day! -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a brilliant subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

Brian Cunningham makes a welcome return to the Scotland Grows Show, two years since he appeared as the very first guest on the show. In this episode, we talk about the ways in which Scone Palace Garden Fair has evolved over the last few years including the introduction of a speakers’ tent, the launch of the small space and showcase garden in the Scottish Garden Design Competition, a new demonstration area for this year, and the very unique experience offered at Scone Palace. Brian’s passion for Scottish horticulture as always shines through and he updates us not just on what to look forward to at this year's Scone Palace Garden Fair, but on his top plant choices and his love for gardening in all seasons. Further information and tickets for Scone Palace Garden Fair on 30th & 31st May 2025 can be found HERE. Welcome to the Scotland Grows Show, the podcast which celebrates everything that is good in Scottish gardening, as we join gardeners around the country to find out what grows well where they are, and pick up tips and stories along the way. -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

Have you found it a little confusing growing in different peat-free composts? With the impending ban on peat-based composts on the horizon, we welcome Scott Smith, of Husky Horticultural, and former head gardener at ‘Beechgrove’ garden, back to the Scotland Grows Show to talk about his research trial for the RHS Master of Horticulture. Through his trial with sun gold tomatoes, Scott will explore the varying requirements of growing in different peat-free media, offering practical guidance for amateur gardeners navigating this crucial shift. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities presented by peat-free gardening and the broader implications for the horticultural industry. You can contact Scott for further information on his trial on LinkedIn or by email. Welcome to the Scotland Grows Show, the podcast which celebrates everything that is good in Scottish gardening, as we join gardeners around the country to find out what grows well where they are, and pick up tips and stories along the way. -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

Welcome back Fiona Thackery to our revisited series of the Scotland Grows Show where Fiona explains the concept of therapeutic horticulture: using gardening, nature connection, and plants to improve health and well-being, under the guidance of a trained practitioner. Fiona and M.T. explore the role of Trellis in nurturing this emerging practice across Scotland, supporting over 520 projects that bring therapeutic gardening to individuals with various health conditions, and the incredible benefits that gardening offers for mental and physical health, drawing from Fiona's extensive experience as CEO of Trellis, a Scottish charity dedicated to supporting therapeutic horticulture. Be inspired by the shared passion of the benefits of therapeutic horticulture, and learn how you can support the life-changing work of Trellis, including attending their annual Conference on 14th March 2025. Welcome to the Scotland Grows Show, the podcast which celebrates everything that is good in Scottish gardening, as we join gardeners around the country to find out what grows well where they are, and pick up tips and stories along the way. -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com. -------------------------------------------- This series is sponsored by ROOTS, a subscription from the National Trust for Scotland which helps both your garden and Trust gardens thrive. For £7 a month you will be sent a ROOTS pack every six weeks, with gardening gifts, including Scottish seeds six times a year, stories about Scotland’s plant life, and tips from expert Trust gardeners, as well as an invitation to two exclusive ROOTS events a year with the Trust gardens team. Whether you buy ROOTS for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, your £7 a month will go towards supporting Trust gardens and designed landscapes in Scotland. Sign up today at nts.org.uk/roots and use the code Grows25 to receive an extra packet of seeds in your first pack.

Our guest today talks about the weather all day long, probably even more than us gardeners do, so it’s very fitting that we talk to none other than Scotland’s own weatherman Sean Batty about this changing climate of ours for our special Christmas episode. Sean is a meteorologist and weather presenter for STV, having worked for the channel since 2007, but he has been interested in the weather from as young as aged 7. We discuss the weather extremes he sees and how that affects gardeners and growers, Sean’s new book ‘The Worst Christmas Weather EVER!’ as he introduces younger audiences to the realities of climate change, and we discuss whether we’ll be getting a white Christmas this year, or any year from now on. Welcome to a very special Christmas episode of the Scotland Grows Show, the podcast partner of Scotland Grows magazine, which celebrates everything that is good in Scottish gardening as we join gardeners around the country picking up tips, plant recommendations, and their stories along the way. We'd be really grateful if you have been enjoying the Scotland Grows Show all year, or even if this is your first episode, if you would take a minute please to leave a review or rating on your podcast listening platform to help spread the joy of Scottish gardening, it honestly would be so appreciated. -------------------------------------------- Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so we can let you know when new episodes are published. Scotland Grows magazine is our digital title which celebrates Scottish gardening, and drops into your inbox 6 times a year. If you would like to receive a copy, just follow this LINK. You can follow Scotland Grows on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we'd love to have your company there! And of course, you can always find your share of gardening goodness on our website at scotlandgrowsmagazine.com.