The Garden Podcast

In the final edition of The Garden Podcast, Chris is joined by garden writer and podcast regular Melissa Mabbitt for a look back at the highlights of the programme in 2020, an extraordinary year in gardening. Including an interview with a new RHS President with perhaps the best name ever; a discussion on garden-making with Rachel de Thame and a celebration of an unsung veg garden hero with food writer Mark Diacono. Plus we talk to a Wisley-based horticulturist who's also called Chris Young about the delights of growing indoor ferns as houseplants. This is the final programme of the series. Thank you so much for listening, and we hope you'll join us on our main podcast feed – Gardening with the RHS – where we'll continue to feature content from our award-winning magazine for RHS members, The Garden. Please see links in the show notes.

This month, Chris speaks to one of Britain’s foremost ornamental grass experts, Neil Lucas – proprietor of Knoll Gardens. From tiny seslerias to towering miscanthus, Neil shares tips on choosing and using grasses in a variety of situations. Historian Ambra Edwards discusses the legacy of legendary 17th-century plantsman and polymath John Evelyn. And finally, broadcaster Michael Perry talks about an unusual new plant on the block that’s as good outdoors as it is as a houseplant – the exotic-looking and drought-tolerant mangave*. *Please note, the naming of these plants is a controversial topic; botanically they are listed variously as Agave, × Mangave and Mangave.

Chris talks to incoming RHS President Keith Weed about what he hopes to achieve in his new role. Writer and Wisley graduate Holly Farrell extols the virtues of learning your trade with an RHS Diploma in Practical Horticulture, highlighting some of the incredible opportunities that this iconic course can open up. Plus Alan Street of Avon Bulbs shares his love of an unusual late summer flower: Eucomis or pineapple lily.

What do salsas, sauces for sea bass and knickerbocker glories all have in common? They're all good uses for the humble redcurrant of course! Food writer Mark Diacono shares his love of redcurrants, along with their white and pink cousins; plus interviews on famous authors' gardens with Daisy Johnson and urban garden design with Bradley Viljoen.

This month, Chris talks to broadcaster, industry insider and lover of all things brazen, Mr Plant Geek (aka Michael Perry) about an undeservedly neglected but hardworking plant, the nasturtium. Michael shares growing tips and outlines some of its many different and wonderful varieties. David Ware of pioneering eco-friendly nursery Edibleculture describes how the company has managed to not only go peat free but is now attempting to eliminate plastic waste too, as part of an ongoing quest to 'green' its entire business. Plus a behind-the-scenes look at how The Garden magazine team are coping with lockdown.

Leaves are green, right? Wrong! Curator Matt Pottage shares the reds, oranges, yellows and even shocking pinks to be found among the spring foliage at RHS Garden Wisley. Chris talks to writer and broadcaster Jane Perrone about a life-changing gardening project at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre near Bedford. This month's plant rant is the often-maligned bergenia. Garden writer Melissa Mabbitt and Deputy Editor Phil Clayton share the good and the bad, and give suggestions of the best varieties and how to use them.

As increasing evidence links exposure to gardens and gardening to improved mental health and wellbeing, Chris talks to The Garden columnist Lia Leendertz about her own experiences in this field. Meanwhile in the Wisley Glasshouse, strange things are afoot as a green army prepares to invade an abandoned Victorian house. Callum Munro-Faure shares advice on some of the stars of the show, the weird and wonderful aroids or Araceae family. And finally, plant-hunter extraordinaire Roy Lancaster takes us on a tour of his Hampshire garden, chock-full of exotic plants from around the globe.

Gardeners have long known that being outdoors and surrounded by plants quite simply makes you feel better. Now scientific studies are starting to bear this out – and the NHS is taking notice. We talk to Professor Tim Kendall about how horticulture is making its way into the health service. Do you know your 'Swan's Egg' from your 'Autumn Nelis' or 'Bishop's Thumb'? Gerry Edwards, Chair of the RHS Fruit Group, shares his love of heritage pear varieties and offers tips on how to grow them. Plus: bamboo – graceful greenery or rampaging rogue? Garden writer Melissa Mabbitt and Deputy Editor Phil Clayton debate the merits of this divisive plant and give advice how to grow (and control) it.

This month the podcast is taken over by The Garden's sister publication, The Plant Review (formerly The Plantsman). Hear renowned plant collector Roy Lancaster as he takes you on a tour of his Hampshire garden, while author and Director of the Yorkshire Arboretum John Grimshaw recounts expeditions in search of the weird, wonderful and utterly un-growable plants of the East African highlands. Back at sea level, magazine editors past and present discuss their 'desert island plants'.

Hypericums are popular plants in municipal plantings – but do they have a place in gardens too? This month garden writer Melissa Mabbitt and Deputy Editor Phil Clayton discuss the charms of this often-maligned genus which has recently been the subject of an RHS Plant Trial. Meanwhile wildlife expert Jean Vernon describes the diversity of native British bees and offers tips on how to encourage them in our gardens. And finally Digital Features Editor Gareth Richards shares his exotic edible discoveries from a recent trip to Hyde Hall's Global Growth Vegetable Garden.

Keith Wiley's remarkable Devon garden, Wildside, makes a stunning feature in this month's magazine. Chris talks to Keith about his unique approach to planting and how his experience of wild plant communities translates into a garden setting. Matt Pottage, curator of RHS Garden Wisley, revels in the seasonal delights of wisteria – sharing tips on varieties and updates to received wisdom about pruning. Finally, Jenny Bowden explains the new online gardening advice service for RHS members.

March is one of the biggest issues of The Garden magazine and in celebration we've got a podcast jam-packed with gardening goodness. Chris gets an insider's guide to this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show with News Editor Anisa Gress, who shares news on exciting designs and highlights to look out for. Then it's back down to earth as for a discussion on the delights of rhubarb with writer, grower and cook Mark Diacono; then Ursula Cholmeley of Easton Walled Gardens shares her favourite first-year-flowering perennials to grow from seed. *A note to readers of The Garden magazine: to hear Chris Young speaking to Anna Skibniewski-Ball about RHS Flower Show Cardiff, please listen out for episode 149 of the RHS Gardening Podcast, which will be broadcast on 21 February. For more info and useful links see www.rhs.org.uk/thegardenpodcast

This month we unfurl the best wintergreen ferns with Wisley Curator Matt Pottage. From flamboyant and exotic woodwardias to the delightful, diminuitive native polypody, there's a fern to add greenery to any garden throughout the darkest months. Plus, Jon Webster shares the delights of the Foliage Garden at Rosemoor; and if you thought pathology was confined to glossy TV dramas, think again, as Plant Pathologist Jassy Drakulic shares insight into her role at the forefront of keeping our beloved specimens safe from all manner of garden baddies. For more info and useful links see www.rhs.org.uk/thegardenpodcast