Aphids, Earwigs & Allies: Insect Week with the RHS
This week we’re diving head-first into the long grass, under the flowerpots, and behind the compost bin to celebrate National Insect Week! The Wildlife Trusts’ collaborator and garden designer Zoe Claymore shares her top tips on wildlife friendly gardening. RHS Principal Entomologist Dr Hayley Jones will be busting some myths around one critter which has been dominating our gardens this year – aphids! And another RHS entomologist – Josie Stuart – explains why earwigs are excellent insect predators to encourage into your plot.
Host: Gareth Richards
Contributors: Zoe Claymore, Dr Hayley Jones, Josie Stuart
Links:
Buddleja aphids
Buddleja aphid survey
Aphids
Earwigs
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32:37
Blooms, Beaks & Beets: Summer in the Garden
As the UK bursts into bloom, we celebrate British Flowers Week with flower farmer Georgie Newbery, who shares how to create stunning, sustainable bouquets from your own garden. At RHS Garden Wisley, Liz Mooney guides us through successional sowing for a summer full of salad crops, and at RHS Bridgewater, Carolyne Jones reveals how to turn your garden into a haven for nesting birds. From vibrant wildflowers to fledgling robins, it’s a glorious season of growth – and there’s still time to get involved.
Host: Jenny Laville
Contributors: Georgie Newbery, Liz Mooney, Carolyne Jones
Links:
Common Farm Flowers
The carbon footprint of flowers
Say it with British flowers study
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29:32
From Rainforests to Garden Borders: Nature’s Wild Edges
This week, we journey into one of Britain’s rarest and most magical landscapes — the temperate rainforest. Designer Zoe Claymore joins us to reveal how she captured the enchanted atmosphere of these ancient woodlands at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and how you can recreate that wild, mossy magic at home.
Then, we turn our attention to a true British garden staple: the hedge. Photographer Gareth Gardner shares what he discovered after receiving over 500 submissions from around the world for his new exhibition On The Hedge, now opening at RHS Garden Wisley.
Plus, Gareth Richards is here with practical advice on planning ahead with tips on sowing biennials, and Guy Barter shares what he’s been up to in his own garden. A lush, leafy episode not to be missed.
Host: Guy Barter
Contributors: Zoe Claymore, Gareth Gardner, Gareth Richards
Links:
British Temperate Rainforest - British Wildlife Trusts
British Rainforest - How to Guide
Lindley Late - Urban Gardening Club: Balconies, Pots and Patios
On The Hedge exhibition at RHS Wisley
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36:22
Call of the Wild
This week, we’re stepping off the garden path and into the wild. James Armitage, editor of The Plant Review, joins Gareth Richards to reflect on how a little wilderness can bring balance, biodiversity, and unexpected beauty, to even the most cultivated spaces.
We begin with a tribute to the intrepid botanist John Watson, whose plant-hunting adventures in South America unearthed a treasure trove of wild flora. Plantsman Robert Rolfe shares stories of Watson’s passion and the remarkable plants he helped bring into cultivation. Then, it’s over to the Garry oak meadows of Vancouver Island, where nurserywoman Amy Sanderson and writer Eric Hsu are rethinking everything we thought we knew about camassias – revealing their surprising resilience in dry climates.
Finally, we ascend to the Himalayas with botanist Richard Moore to meet the hardy Roscoea – a plant both wild and wonderful, whose taxonomic tale is as twisty as its mountain roots. All this, plus a call to action: find out how you can help protect community growing spaces by supporting the RHS-backed Space to Grow amendment in Parliament.
Hosts: Gareth Richards & James Armitage
Contributors: Robert Rolfe, Amy Sanderson, Eric Hsu, Richard Moore
Links:
RHS Horticultural bursaries
Subscribe to The Plant Review
Space to Grow amendment for the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Use this template to send to your MP
find your MP’s email address here
Saving allotments and community gardens
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38:23
Big Blue Poppies and Easy Edibles
Late May bursts with life – and this week’s episode celebrates the full force of the season. We revisit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to explore the mystique of Meconopsis, the Himalayan “Big Blue Poppies” that have captivated British gardeners for over a century. Then, Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell shares clever shortcuts for growing your own edibles – even if you’re short on time and space. And Edward Cooper from RHS Garden Wisley unpacks the Award of Garden Merit: what it takes to earn this mark of excellence, and how it can help you choose top-performing plants for your own patch.
Host: Jenny Laville
Contributors: Helen Knowles, Nick Turrell, Edward Cooper
Links:
The Meconopsis group
How to grow Meconopsis
RHS Plant Trials and Awards
'Gardening with the RHS' offers seasonal advice, inspiration and practical solutions to gardening problems. Trusted gardening professionals give you the latest horticultural advice, scientific research and tried and tested techniques to bring out the best in your garden.
Topics covered include: growing your own vegetables, flowers, garden design, lawn care and gardening with children. Plus expert masterclasses in topics ranging from cottage garden plants, growing orchids, to pest control and eco-friendly gardening.
Plus we’ll have behind the scenes reports from the country’s most prestigious flower shows. There’s something in these podcasts to interest every gardener, whatever your level of expertise.
For more info see www.rhs.org.uk/podcast
A Pixiu production.