Snakebark maples, winter-flowering camellias and a sacred Central American shrub that makes itself at home on our windowsills... there are many amazing plants that give us colour and interest in even the darkest months. We visit the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens* to discover an incredible range of hardy plants that look great all winter. Garden designer Juliet Sargeant gives her seasonal tips for adding interest to your garden at home and we uncover the surprising story of a perennial Christmas favourite, the poinsettia. Plus plantsman and nursery owner Claire Austin's ode to an unusual evergreen iris that flowers from December to March.

*Please note that this RHS Partner Garden is open free to RHS members in January and February. See link in the show notes for more detail.

A blaze of colour in the dark

'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.

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In the week leading to World Topiary Day, RHS Horticultural Advisor Jenny Bowden gives us an update on growing alternatives to box (Buxus sempervirens), with insights into the ongoing threat of box blight and box tree moth from Dr Stephanie Bird. Nurseryman Ed Canon from Langthorns Plantery shares his love for lilacs, flowering plants that haven’t always been considered fashionable, but are experiencing new interest due to exciting cultivar development and increased availability through micropropagation. Plus, Jenny Laville asks “what makes an award-winning garden?” as she meets Eleanor Hollingworth from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show judging team, two weeks ahead of the world’s most prestigious garden event. 

Presenter: Gareth Richards
Contributors: Dr. Stephanie Bird, Jenny Bowden, Jenny Laville, Eleanor Hollingworth, Ed Cannon
Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk 

Links: 
Box alternatives trial at RHS Garden Wisley
Langthorns Plantery
Chelsea Flower Show Tickets

Topiary, lilacs and Chelsea judging

Peter Adams from RHS Garden Rosemoor gives a masterclass in growing indoor and outdoor cucumbers with suggested varieties for growing in different situations. Esteemed plantswoman Claire Austin shares her expertise in selecting and caring for peonies – covering herbaceous, tree and intersectional types. And American plant stylist and author Hilton Carter spreads joy through the gift of houseplants – with tips for multiplying your collection through techniques including leaf and stem cuttings.

Presenter: Guy Barter
Contributors: Peter Adams, Claire Austin, Hilton Carter
Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk 
Links: 
RHS Garden Rosemoor: Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
How to grow cucumbers
Claire Austin: Celebration of Flowers
How to grow herbaceous and intersectional peonies
Hilton Carter: The Propagation Handbook
RHS plant propagation guides

Cucumbers, peonies and houseplant propagation

Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville and Guy Barter bring a jam packed show of highlights from the inaugural RHS Urban Show in Manchester - a festival of ideas focussed on greening up small spaces, looking after houseplants, and opening discussion about better urban planning. Amanda Grimes talks us through her easy-to-replicate designs for small (often concrete) spaces, including a Punk Rockery! Jason Williams aka The Cloud Gardener showcases seven innovative gardens designed with local communities that take on the challenges of urban gardening and development. Jacob James from Grow Tropicals talks us through his amazing display of rare and intriguing houseplants, with tips for different growing environments. And award-winning young designer Nathan Webster gives us a tour of his Urban Forest design, created to provoke conversation around the importance of woodland management in built up areas. 

Presenter: Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville, Guy Barter
Contributors: Amanda Grimes, Tom Massey, Tinie, Jason Williams, Nathan Webster, Jacob James
Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk 

Links: 
The RHS Urban Show 2024
Pop Culture Planting: Punk Rockery
RHS City Spaces: Cloudspaces
Happy Houseplants with Grow Tropicals
RHS Urban Forest
Chase presents: Inspired by the wild with Tom Massey and Tinie

Highlights from the RHS Urban Show 2024

In the stunning Colour Gardens at The Newt In Somerset, Joe Dransfield explains how a monochrome approach to flowers can deliver dazzling impact. Liz Mooney shares grow your own tips from the World Food Garden at RHS Garden Wisley, including peas, radishes and cardoons. And we hear the inspirational and unconventional story of Roka Brings Flowers – a grower and florist who started a wonderful cut flower business from a narrowboat with a floating greenhouse in tow. 

Presenter: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Liz Mooney, Joe Dransfield, Roka Brings Flowers

Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk 

Links: 

How to grow peas
How to grow radishes
Cynara cardunculus Cardoon
The Newt in Somerset – an RHS Partner Garden
Roka Brings Flowers
RHS Urban Show

Single-colour planting, GYO tips (for radishes, peas, cardoons), and a floating greenhouse

Desert roadcuts, abandoned pasture, heathland and marshy thickets inspire naturalistic planting ideas from Kevin Philip Williams and Michel Guidi, whose new book Shrouded in Light draws from wild shrubscapes. We also visit RHS Garden Rosemoor in North Devon, where Peter Adams gives us a tour of the extensive fruit and vegetable gardens with top tips for growing parsnips, shallots, cloching potatoes and protecting peas. Jenny Laville and James Armitage return to the podcast to debunk more plant terminology – this time talking about “hybrids” – what they are, how they occur and how they can be used to your advantage. 

Presenter: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Peter Adams, Jenny Laville, James Armitage, Michael Guidi and Kevin Philip Williams 

Contact: podcasts@rhs.org.uk 

Links: 
RHS Garden Rosemoor
How to grow parsnips
How to grow shallots 
How to grow potatoes
F1 Hybrids
Shrouded in Light

A blaze of colour in the dark

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