This week we’re exploring some of the plants which may have flown under your radar. Plantsman Chris Sanders will take us on a journey that began with a casual flick through a rare horticultural book and spiralled into a decades-long obsession with rare Japanese cherry cultivars, never seen before in the UK. Horticulturist Scott Galloway makes a compelling case why the resilient favourite of Gertrude Jekyll – the much overlooked bergenia – could be a game-changer in an era of shifting climates. And Abbotsbury Subtropical Garden curator David Pearce proposes why African boxwood makes the ideal box alternative.

Hosts: Gareth Richards and James Armitage

Contributors: Scott Galloway, David Pearce, Chris Sanders

Links: 

Subscribe to the Plant Review 

Grow bergenias

Scott Galloway’s website with more info on bergenia

Find Matsumae cherries 

Plant Heritage

Valentine’s Day and flowers go hand in hand, so what better way to celebrate than by dedicating this week’s programme to the stunning blooms you can grow right in your own garden? Over the past four years, the RHS has been on a mission to find the best red roses for home gardens. We’ll be revealing the top contenders with Wisley’s Roz Marshall. If roses aren’t your thing, Roz Chandler from Field Gate Flowers will be guiding us through the process of starting your own cut flower garden from bare earth to vase. And finally, nothing signals the arrival of spring quite like the golden explosion of daffodils! This year, the RHS is launching a nationwide appeal to track their varieties, flowering times, and distribution across the UK. RHS Principal Scientist and daffodil enthusiast Dr. Kálmán Könyves will share their fascinating history and his hunt for rare—and possibly lost—cultivars.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Roz Marshall, Roz Chandler, Kálmán Könyves

Links:

Red Roses Trial results

Field Gate Flowers

Seed To Vase Course

Daffodil Diaries

This week, Guy Barter takes us through some essential gardening tasks for the season ahead and we explore a hardy favourite: as Caroline Williamson from RHS Garden Bridgewater reveals the fascinating (and surprisingly dark) art of forcing rhubarb. And finally, mother-daughter duo Ellie and Claudia of Elka Textiles will show us how to turn garden plants into beautiful, sustainable dyes—perfect for a creative winter project!

Host - Jenny Laville

Contributors - Guy Barter, Caroline Williamson, and Ellie Fisher & Claudia Gosse from Elka Sustainable Textiles

Other links  

How to grow rhubarb

How to force rhubarb

More jobs to be getting on with in February

Green Futures Gardening Club

PDF tutorial ’Natural Dyeing with Brown Onion Skins’

This week, Jenny Laville explores the incredible world of seeds with RHS botanist James Armitage, uncovering their diverse shapes and dispersal methods. We’ll also be embracing this time to start planning our gardens for the growing season ahead, RHS Senior Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock will be describing all the key things to consider when it comes to creating wildlife friendly spaces bursting with key habitats. Plus, in the final part of our front garden mini-series, RHS Gardening Advisor Nick Turrell offers practical advice on designing a space that’s both beautiful and functional. 

Host Guy Barter

Contributors Jenny Laville, James Armitage, Nick Turrell, Helen Bostock

Links

The Great Seed Swap at RHS Garden Wisley

Wildlife Gardening

Join us as we celebrate garden birdlife ahead of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch! The RSPB’s Adrian Thomas gives us a crash course in birdwatching from the comfort of your own kitchen window, while scientist Arran Folly discusses the threats facing our feathered friends and what we as gardeners can do to help. Plus Nick Turrell from the RHS advisory team shares how front gardens can play a vital role in reducing flood risks in our communities.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Dr Arran Folly, Adrian Thomas, Nick Turrell

Links:

The Big Garden Bird Watch

RHS guide to identifying garden birds

The Vector-Borne RADAR project

There’s plenty to do at this time of year to get your garden prepped for the growing season ahead. This week we’ll be finding out how hellebores can bring some winter joy to your garden with passionate plantsman John Grimshaw. It’s also time to start planning your veg patch and Liz Mooney from RHS Garden Wisley’s edibles team will be explaining the principles of crop rotations and why they are great for some growers (but not all). Finally Nick Turrell, one of the encyclopedic minds on the RHS Gardening Advice team, is on a mission to help us unlock the potential of one of the most overlooked parts of our outdoor spaces…

Host: Jenny Laville

Contributors: John Grimshaw, Liz Mooney, Nick Turrell

Links:

RHS guide to Hellebores

RHS guide to crop rotations

It may be bitterly cold outside but there's still plenty to get excited about in the garden. This week we’re joining Fruit Specialist Jim Arbury in the Orchard at RHS Garden Wisley to find out how to prune your apples and pears at this time of year. Horticulturist Alex Hankey shows us around the diversity and delicate beauty on display at Wisley’s alpine glasshouse, and RHS Garden Rosemoor’s Alex Paines shares his passion for the ancient hedgerows which lace the Devonshire landscape.

Host: Guy Barter

Contributors: Jim Arbury, Alex Hankey, Alex Paines

Links:

Apples and pears: winter pruning

Devon Hedges Group

RHS advice on hedges

Let’s make 2025 the year we all embrace growing our own fruit and vegetables—whether you’ve got a sprawling garden, a small balcony, or just a windowsill! No matter how much space or time you have, we’ve got plenty of inspiration to get you started and keep you going all year round.

First, we’ll hear from Shelia Das and Liz Mooney from RHS Wisley’s talented edibles team, who will share their expert advice on growing delicious produce across every season. Then, we’ll check in with Lucy Chamberlain, author of Grow Food Anywhere, as she reveals how to make the most of your space—whatever its size, shape, or location.

And what about all that fantastic homegrown produce? Don’t worry! We’ll revisit our fascinating chat with Canadian chef and photographer David Zilber, a fermentation expert who’s worked in some of the world’s top kitchens, including the renowned Fermentation Lab at Restaurant Noma. He’ll inspire you with creative ways to preserve and enjoy your harvest.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Shelia Das, Liz Mooney, Lucy Chamberlain, David Zilber

Links:

RHS Grow Your Own Veg Through the Year: 365 Days of Homegrown Vegetables & Herbs

Grow Food Anywhere

Today Guy, Gareth, and Jenny reflect on the past twelve months of beautiful blooms and bountiful harvests, but also wet weather and guzzling gastropods! Join us as we revisit some of our favourite stories from 2024, and share what garden tips and seasonal advice we’re taking with us into the new year.

Hosts: Gareth Richards, Guy Barter, Jenny Laville

Episodes mentioned:

Dr Hayley Jones discussing slugs from episode ‘Critter camaraderie: Slugs, Snails, and Guerilla Gardening Tales’ 

Gareth Richards and James Armitage take a walk through Chelsea from episode ‘Notes on hardiness’

James Lawrence and the sustainable planting combinations from episode ‘Sustainable plant combos, GYO tips (for tomatoes, beetroot, squash), flowering shrubs’

Jassy Drakulic on encouraging mycorrhizal relationships in your soil, from episode ‘Compost, fungi, and giant vegetables’

Anya Lautenbach’s money saving advice from episode ‘Growing on a budget’

Additional Links:

Become an RHS member

This week we’re bringing the garden indoors and welcoming in the Christmas cheer. RHS Horticultural Advisor Jenny Bowden will be sharing her love letter to the tradition of the Christmas wreath, and Freddie Garland – founder of Freddie’s Flowers – will be sharing his tips on how to make your own (among many other seasonal crafts to get stuck into). And finally, we’ll be learning all about our favourite festive parasite, mistletoe, with Oxford PhD student and mistletoe expert Oliver Spacey.

Host: Guy Barter

Contributors: Jenny Bowden, Freddie Garland, Oliver Spacey

Links:

Christmas with the RHS

Freddie’s Flowers

MistleGo!

RHS plant profile: mistletoe

Hippeastrum

Amaryllis belladonna