Gail, Hazel and host Philippa dig into the subject of garden writing with the journalist and social historian Ursula Buchan and Matt Collins, nature writer and Head Gardener at London’s Garden Museum. The conversation meanders convivially in the usual Slightly Foxed manner, via daredevil plant-hunters, early wild gardening advocates such as Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West, and the passing passions and fashions of garden design, with a peek over the hedge at Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter along the way. And there’s the usual round-up of the latest bookish harvest from the Slightly Foxed office and plenty of recommendations for reading off the beaten track too.

The digits in brackets following each listing refer to the minute and second they are mentioned. (Episode duration: 35 minutes; 50 seconds)

We may be able to get hold of second-hand copies of the out-of-print titles listed below. Please get in touch with Anna in the Slightly Foxed office for more information.

84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff. Plain Foxed Edition published 1 September 2019, available to order now (2:24)

Corduroy, Adrian Bell. Plain Foxed Edition published 1 August 2019, available to order now (2:30)

The Wild Garden, William Robinson (11:34)

We Made a Garden, Margery Fish (13:27)

A Green and Pleasant Land, Ursula Buchan (15:23)

Forest: Walking among Trees, Matt Collins. With photographs by Roo Lewis (19:20)

Meetings with Remarkable Trees, Thomas Packenham (19:48)

Trees, Hugh Johnson (19:52)

The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben

The Well-Tempered Garden and In My Garden, Christopher Lloyd (22:49)

The Diary of a Bookseller, Shaun Bythell (31:25)

Where the Hornbeam Grows, Beth Lynch (32:05)

Old Glory, Jonathan Raban (32:33)

Wilding, Isabella Tree (33:44)

A Well-tempered Gardener, Michael Leapman on the garden writings of Christopher Lloyd, Issue 59 (22:49)

Ursula Buchan is an award-winning journalist, social historian and garden writer (3:50)

Matt Collins is a nature writer, and Head Gardener at the Garden Museum in Lambeth, London (6:02)

Hortus, a gardening journal (20:08)

Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by Bach

Sound effects:

An English Country Garden in July by Keith Selmes

Bees and bumblebees foraging by odilonmarcenaro

Thanks to www.freesound.org CC licence, attribution 

The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by Podcastable