Welcome to our latest mini-series: Be your own florist - pick and arrange your own garden flowers, with Sarah Raven. 

Focused on the joys of floristry, Sarah will take you through the essential steps to bring the best of your garden to life in a vase.

This first episode is a fantastic crash course in conditioning your cut flowers, following Sarah’s 5 S’s for giving plants the most impressive vase life possible, with guidance on the vital steps like searing stem ends, sterilising bulbs, and where to pick your flowers from.

To get the most out of this episode, you watch Sarah in action over on the Sarah Raven YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sarahraven

Products mentioned:

Dahlia ‘Penhill Watermelon’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-penhill-watermelon

Dahlia ‘Molly Raven’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-molly-raven

Dahlia ‘Night Silence’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-night-silence

Lilium speciosum var. rubrum 'Uchida': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lilium-speciosum-var-rubrum-uchida

Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball' (Strong Annabelle): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-incrediball

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Welcome to the September Q&A episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, where Sarah & Josie answer questions sent in by our lovely listeners each month. 

In this episode, Sarah shares the ideal time to mulch your dahlias and how best to tackle the task, and when to start working on forced, scented bulbs ready for Christmas. 

Meanwhile, Josie picks up questions on deciding what to cut back and what to leave on the way into autumn, plus how to spot the ideal time to start planting out your bulbs.

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

With the changing of seasons brings an exciting new catalogue from which to draw inspiration for the year ahead.

In this episode full of possibilities, Arthur joins Sarah to peruse the latest and greatest from the Sarah Raven Autumn catalogue, shining a spotlight on the great performers and showstoppers to sow now, ready to breathe life into the garden next spring.

In this episode, discover:

• Bold and perennial tulips like the almost-fluorescent ‘Queensday’
• What makes narcissi the sustainable bulb of the future, and standout varieties like ‘My Story’
• Tips for growing ranunculus, with a spotlight on bold varieties like the burgundy ‘Elegance Viola’
• Why we keep coming back to beloved favourite evergreen climbers like Trachelospermum jasminoides

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

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

September signals a time where we’re preparing our plants for the colder months, which makes this episode rounding up the essential monthly jobs such an important one.

Sarah and Josie direct you towards the edibles you should concentrate on - namely the hardy annuals - and remind us of the need to deadhead your dahlias. September is also the time to plant out your biennials before the cold sets in, start forcing bulbs, and take cuttings of your tender perennials.

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Andy Monaghan’s background as a dancer alongside his gorgeous work with flowers gives him such a unique, inspiring outlook on crafting a horticultural style.

Andy joins Arthur Parkinson this week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ as he shares the combined influence of the two creative careers, how they guide his gardening on his beautiful land in Hampshire, and the joys of bringing homegrown bouquets to the Royal Opera House.

In this episode, discover:

• The creative nature of both Andy’s careers, and how they guide and influence each other
• How Andy came to have such a gorgeous Hampshire space and his huge experimentation with dozens of different varieties of roses
• Floral design techniques, and the value in having an open mind in gardening

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

Products mentioned:
Allium schubertii: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-schubertii
Allium cristophii: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-cristophii

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Autumn is an exciting moment where your bulb planting now starts the colourful symphony that emerges the following spring, so it’s a perfect time to start getting creative.

Head Gardener Josie Lewis joins Sarah on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share her top list of bulbs to plant this autumn, how many bulbs fill out your space, and we run through the art of the bulb lasagne.

In this episode, discover:

• The irresistibly scented tulips like ‘Orca’ and ‘Hermitage’ which bring with them a splash of colour
• Josie’s favourite narcissi, including a brand new variety which is as reliable as anything else in the garden
• A recap on how to structure a bulb lasagne for a beautifully structured pot
• How many bulbs are ideal for filling out any size of borders or pots

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

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

When Ed Morrison first discovered the joys of gardening, it spurred him and a number of friends to share that love with the world through what we know now as Roots.

In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Ed takes us through his fascinating horticultural journey, how we can all stand to learn from his no-dig no-chemical approach, and how anyone can be inspired to start growing at any scale.

In this episode, discover:

• How Ed, like so many of us, captured the joyous spark of gardening during Covid lockdowns
• The origins of Roots and his ambitions to bring horticultural inspiration to so many sites around the UK
• Why no-dig gardening is not just vital for the planet, but great for taking care of each others’ spaces too

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

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Welcome to the August Q&A episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, where Sarah & Josie share their top tips based on your questions every month.

For August, we hear how pests can be held at bay from your precious dahlias, and advice for treating the leaves such that they’re looking grand late into the summer season.

Sarah also shares some inspiring ideas for giving your garden structure in a year’s time, Josie recalls our best advice for preventing and treating mildew, plus we look at the best way to stop containers from drying out while you’re on your summer holidays.

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Jemima Bowker’s journey into urban gardening is one with which many of us can relate, and having moved into a new space, we’ve a number of wonderful tips for balcony gardeners.

This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Jemima joins Sarah to share how she’s made the most of both a North and South facing balcony, with inspiring ideas for varieties to thrive in any urban space.

In this episode, discover:

• Jemima’s South-facing balcony, exhibiting the glorious colours of Geum ‘Scarlet Tempest’ and Salvia ‘Jemima’s Gem’
• The bold, dark-green and purple visage of Plectranthus ciliatus which graces the darker, colder North-facing area
• Tips to spot whether you’re overfeeding, and on how to breathe life into your own part of a shared or public space

Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Products mentioned:
Plectranthus ciliatus 'Nico': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/plectranthus-ciliatus-nico
Pelargonium 'Attar of Roses' (Scented): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pelargonium-attar-of-roses
Sweet Pea 'Prince of Orange': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/sweet-pea-prince-of-orange

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Many of us take August as a chance to go away on holiday, which makes this month’s jobs in the garden so vital for keeping life in your flowers while you’re away.

This month, Sarah and Josie share just how much watering you should be doing, particularly for thirsty pots, the attention you should give to your borders, cuttings that need taking from cut and come again flowers, and how to build your own organic pest control.

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest