grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

The National Garden Scheme is a national treasure, raising millions for charities and giving access to gorgeous gardens for those who need them most.

It’s a joy this week to be joined by former GP and National Garden Scheme CEO Dr Richard Claxton to explore how 3,200 gardens – from stately homes to hospital rooftops and new-build backyards – are transforming health and access to green space across the UK. 

In this episode, discover:

• How the National Garden Scheme quietly turns open gardens, tea and cake into £3.9 million a year for nursing and healthcare charities
• Why Richard Claxton believes gardening is one of the most powerful tools we have for long-term wellbeing
• How the NGS has evolved from stately homes and rectories to include community gardens, and small, relatable plot
• The story behind transformative projects like the intensive care roof garden at King’s College Hospital
• How balconies, new-build gardens and shared plots can play a vital role in our health and connection to nature

Richard Claxton:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardclaxtongardens/
The National Garden Scheme: https://www.instagram.com/nationalgardenscheme/

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

We’ve learned from years of unpredictable weather patterns that the climate is demanding more of our plants than ever before, and while some struggle, others quietly thrive throughout it all.

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Josie Lewis to explore which plants are quietly thriving through late frosts, heatwaves and torrential rain with a practical, down-to-earth shortlist of resilient perennials, shrubs, grasses and ground covers to help your garden cope with an increasingly unpredictable climate.

In this episode, discover:

• How long-observed changes in weather are reshaping which plants can thrive in the garden
• Which resilient perennials, shrubs and grasses are coping best with “swivelly” weather, and why traits like tap roots and silver, hairy foliage matter
• Which much-loved plants are starting to struggle with mildew, black spot and stress
• Practical, down-to-earth techniques for helping your garden weather extremes conditions

Products mentioned:

Bluebells (Native British): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-bluebells

Eryngiums (Sea Hollies): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/eryngium-alpinum?srsltid=AfmBOopO4Ifg4rzCW2YkMWRcqgDXIRlXUqsM8bCbvKl2l68rTKaBJU4l

Lavender: sarahraven.com/products/lavender-munstead

Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rosemary-tuscan-blue?srsltid=AfmBOoqw1cACNvCEpOmZsANIbxqDCLnJbnUK2yiqwuVl2Cvfo8ZtYvMy

Origanum vulgare (Oregano): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-marjoram?srsltid=AfmBOopv0ainVpy6LtMUQZNXz7j2uk0S8_o0MhkfGzThC64AF9eaF1l-

Lychnis coronaria (Magenta): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lychnis-coronaria

Stipa gigantea: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/stipa-gigantea

Quaking Grasses (Briza species): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/briza-maxima-greater-quaking-grass?srsltid=AfmBOorNYwPg5Ia0BbbQNr1nHeMdY4zpd_RelqlM_oWx8Ukfkg6qb-Yp

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/leucanthemum-vulgaris?srsltid=AfmBOoqICKKwsHKsI_Az1IDEef6FTGyX2985v8xOzJWJz6vK2m39rH80

Salvia ‘Cerro Potosi’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-microphylla-cerro-potosi

Salvia ‘Jezebel’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-jezebel?srsltid=AfmBOoo9zChqz4ORp4p1PjjxPn-FE0S9HtVs0nqaEzWg3SHc0sPNNdRE

Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-x-jamensis-royal-bumble?srsltid=AfmBOorDeIIZi7sAEHWbPIlPsgg6Nvy-c1HUTkEyZNvgfHTKvBI0VLH5

Phlox ‘David’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-david

Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-blue-paradise

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

What Pam Corbin doesn’t know about preserves, isn’t worth knowing. She’s an oracle on all things jam - hence her apt nickname, ‘Pam the Jam’.

For the home cook, and for those with a kitchen garden worthy of capturing its fruity goodness, this week’s episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Pam is a perfect entry point to creating your own jams.

She and Sarah share the secrets behind turning seasonal fruit and veg into beautiful jars of low‑sugar jams, compotes and chutneys that actually taste of the fruit, not just the sugar!

In this episode, discover:

• How Pam moved from a tiny jam business in a converted pig unit to writing modern classics on preserves
• Why traditional jam recipes were so heavy on sugar, and how to safely make lower‑sugar, soft‑set jams today
• Practical, step‑by‑step tips for tricky fruits like strawberries and raspberries – including staging your jam, managing foam, and avoiding overcooked, rock‑hard results
• Simple ways to make more than just jam from your harvest, from apricot compotes and bottled cherries to clever uses for rhubarb, courgettes and runner beans
• How to choose and use basic preserving kit so you can confidently turn garden gluts into jars on your shelf

Order ‘Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves’:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pam-Jam-Book-Preserves-Corbin/dp/1408884496

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

There are few flowers more quintessential than the rose, and it’s safe to say that there’s a perfect rose for everyone’s tastes. 

This week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ delves into the world of roses, with someone whose love for a great rose knows no bounds: Josie Lewis.

Whether you’re looking for a rose with a particular colour to combine with the beauty of your existing garden, or you’re more pressed by scent and structure, we hear which are the absolute best roses to grow, and how best to tend to them for healthy, reliable growth.

In this episode, discover:

• Which varieties of Roses are the standout performers for each colour group
• The best ramblers, bloomers and climbers, from the huge, creamy white Wedding Day to the beautiful copper-brown Hot Chocolate
• How to make your roses last in water for maximum vase life

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

This Christmas might feel a while away, but if there’s one way to prepare right now for a more stunning and sustainable tree, it’s with alliums.

Sarah’s love of alliums is well-documented on the podcast, but this week she’s recalling some of the most show-stopping varieties with which to decorate this Christmas, and the joys that they’ll bring as ‘colour baton-carriers’ in spring.

In this episode, discover:

• Which alliums are perfect for bridging the gap between tulips going over and sweet peas emerging
• Some extravagant, statement-making varieties like the remarkably tall ‘Summer Drummer’ or sculptural shapes of ‘Magic’
• Tips for preparing your alliums to sustainably decorate your tree this Christmas

Products mentioned:

Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-hollandicum-purple-sensation

Allium cristophii

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-cristophii

Allium nigrum

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-nigrum

Allium stipitatum 'Summer Drummer'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-stipitatum-summer-drummer

Allium schubertii 'Magic'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-schubertii-magic

Allium jesdianum 'Purple Rain'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-purple-rain

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Biennials – plants which flower in their second year – may often be overlooked by us gardeners, but between their value for money, wonderful scent, and versatility they’re among the best plants to sow and grow in any garden.

Sarah makes the case for brilliant biennials in this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, exploring how she came to appreciate their beauty, and which varieties are best for all aspects of your space.

In this episode, discover:

• How the right mix of biennials can fill the awkward May gap with prolific blooms, all for the price of a seed packet
• The best early-flowering biennials, from fragrant wallflowers to the scented sweet rocket, Hesperis matronalis
• Moth-pollinated varieties with rich fragrance and velvety textures to create a pollinator paradise

Products mentioned:

Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-suttons-apricot

Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-alba

Malope trifida 'Vulcan'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/malope-trifida-vulcan

Lunaria annua

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lunaria-annua

Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/papaver-nudicaule-champagne-bubbles-mix-f1

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Every garden space deserves a chance to be transformed into a beautiful space which breathes, rather than constricts, and Pollyanna Wilkinson is a master of such designs.

Polly joins Sarah this week to share her no‑nonsense methods for transforming everything from boxy new‑build plots to tired, inherited gardens into layered, soulful spaces. 

In this episode, discover:

• How to think like a garden designer, surveying, shaping and structuring spaces before you plant
• Practical ways to transform new‑build and small gardens, or refresh an existing garden
• Guidance on choosing materials and finishes that feel good underfoot, are easy to maintain, and will age beautifully over time.
• How to use colour and planting layers to create a soulful, wildlife‑friendly garden with interest through the seasons

Products mentioned:

Amelanchier lamarckii:

sarahraven.com/products/amelanchier-lamarckii

Lavender ‘Munstead’: 

sarahraven.com/products/lavender-munstead

Nepeta x faassenii 'Kit Kat':

sarahraven.com/products/nepeta-x-faassenii-kit-kat

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Chelsea is upon us, and among the beauty of all the show gardens lies a very special offering from Arit Anderson and Parkinson’s UK.

She’s planting with purpose in a garden which promises to reflect every Parkinson’s journey in a beautifully poignant way, and on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, she walks us through the planting ethos and careful design behind one of Main Avenue’s great sights for 2026.

In this episode, discover:

• How Arit is reflecting her sister Julie’s Parkinson’s journey in a meaningful Chelsea Flower Show garden for Parkinson’s UK
• What Parkinson’s really is beyond the stereotypes, and why it’s so often misunderstood
• How thoughtful garden design can respond to real medical challenges
• Practical ideas for making any garden more accessible, sensory and restorative, whether or not you’re living with Parkinson’s
• The garden’s relocation to the John Radcliffe Hospital, and how it will serve the Parkinson’s community long after Chelsea

Products mentioned:

Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ (White Foxglove): sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-alba

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah Raven welcomes renowned garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith to uncover his visionary new garden for Tate Britain and how he’s reimagining it for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

They explore his bold, foliage-rich planting, ingenious water features, and a remarkable new memorial garden at Badminton that promises to be one of the RHS’s most ambitious show gardens yet.

In this episode, discover:

• How Tom Stuart-Smith is transforming a neglected, concrete-dominated acre at Tate Britain into a biodiverse, exotic garden
• The creative and practical challenge of turning that large-scale design into a Chelsea Flower Show garden where every element is destined to be reused at Tate
• The bold, foliage-led planting palette Tom has chosen – from cycads and Persian lilac to euphorbias, aspidistras and shade-loving exotics
• How water, sculpture and planting come together, including a finely engineered water feature and a Barbara Hepworth sculpture from a national collection

Episode Cover Photo Credit: Eva Nemeth.

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Watch the full video episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/_T97COq6blM

Throughout Mary Berry's life, the garden has played a charming role, from her wartime childhood plot to a brand-new garden started in her 80s - it’s an essential ingredient in her life.

This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Mary kindly joins us to explore a lifetime of gardening, how it’s inspired her new book, and how gardening can bring joy, structure and wellbeing at every stage of life.

In this episode, discover:

• How Mary’s lifelong love of gardening began in her childhood and continues to shape her daily life
• Practical, gentle tips for spring gardening and successional planting
• How Mary approaches designing and maintaining a garden later in life, using evergreens, hedges and topiary for structure
• Everyday good habits in the garden, such as watering, deadheading, and keeping lawns neat

Order Mary’s Book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Gardening-Life-Mary-Berry/dp/0241726654

Products mentioned: 

Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-rijnvelds-early-sensation

Narcissus ‘Silver Chimes’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-silver-chimes

Narcissus ‘February Gold’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-february-gold

Phlox drummondii ‘Blushing Bride’: sarahraven.com/products/phlox-drummondii-blushing-bride

See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events

Get in touch: [email protected]

Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest