On the final Not Just a Garden Bonus Episode 10 for this series, we are looking at spring in the garden in the form of hyacinths, crocuses, daffs, hummingbird hawkmoths and newts.

We also take a look at sonic hedgehog proteins, dogs licking cane toads, a beautiful antidote to AI images, whether AI can be used to help with grief, beaver reintroduction to the UK, the perils of Atropa belladonna in the beauty industry, the tragic catastrophe at Lake Nyos in Cameroon, and some incredible new research on whale sharks.

In our final Quazy Quiz, Sweetpea releases Hate, Date or Room-mate on Bear, and on the last Who Am I? we find out which Gardeners' World presenter was bass player in The Tumbling Dice🎸🎲🎲

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/bonus-episodes/

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Eleanor Cochrane was on Gardeners' World 2025, ep28 when she showed us her beautiful late summer jewel borders at The Copper House Garden on the Kent/Sussex border.

On this episode of Chit-Chats, not only do we set the record straight on Eleanor's feelings towards yellow flowers, but we also find out about her incredible experiences volunteering at Great Dixter, how she manages her sizeable garden without a greenhouse in sight, how to create a perennial meadow, the fortuitous discovery of their beautiful woodland ponds, and the importance of succession planting.

We also hear about Eleanor's hidden stash behind the sofas, her husband's similarities to Aiden Turner, a grave warning if importing topsoil, hoeing in a good way, and what to do if you have bad legs. 

Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Great Dixter
• Sissinghurst
• Beth Chatto
• The Bumblebee Trust
• Sarah Raven Dahlias
• Halls of Heddon
• Parkers Catalogue

More Not Just a Garden

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On Not Just a Garden Bonus Episode 9, now that spring is approaching, we consider our seed-snails, Jetfire daffs, Yin Yang beans, and Hobbes' favourite stick.

We also explore the variable world of licking toads, active-volcano-dwelling sharks, Portuguese urine toothpaste, bioluminescent honey fungus, and the pitfalls of chewing tobacco leaves, even for cowboys.

In our Quazy Quiz, Sweetpea flummoxes Bear once again with her Quazy Quareer but we learn a lot about animal faeces in the process, and we're getting through the last of the Gardeners' World Presenters with another Who Am I?

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/bonus-episodes/

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More Not Just a Garden

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Sharon Darlington was on Gardeners’ World 2025 episode 19 when Sue Kent visited her magical millpool. In this Good Ol’ Chit-Chat we learn how Sharon first came across Millpool-by-The-Sea and how she developed it to become the stunning space it is today. We also find out what took Sharon all the way to Anglesey, her natural ability to grow meconopsis with minimal effort, the big plans for her Darlings Buds floristry, and Sharon’s very handy husband who can build anything from planters to jetties, but will always be “The Sower of Cosmos”.

Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• The Laundry Garden
• Joseph Massie
• Bodnant Garden
• Himalayan Gardens

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On Not Just a Garden Bonus Episode 8 we explore some residual valentine's thoughts, more seed snails, bad decisions, edible sunflower steaks, and a bit more on rape alarms - thank you Penny for sharing! We also take a look at controversial behaviour at the winter olympics involving the male anatomy, road closures on account of breeding toads, why red roses are synonymous with February 14th, and what happens when a whale dies🐋

In our Quazy Quiz, we have Plant Name or Sweetpea Being a Pain (in the aster), and can Sweetpea guess our latest Gardeners' World presenter on Who I am?

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

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More Not Just a Garden

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Pat Havers was on Gardeners’ World 2025 episode 32 when she showed Carol Klein around the beautiful borders at Waterperry Gardens. Pat joins us for a Chit-Chat and we learn about managing troublesome badgers, the importance of Silent Spaces, clever rose hacks, Pat’s fortuitous route into horticulture, her daughter’s determination in finding the perfect garden gift, and a disembodied voice shares Pat’s prosecco and passion fruit inspired beverage🍸

Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Beatrix Havergal
• Silent Space

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On account of slick mother/daughter communication skills we have a partially Valentines-themed Not Just a Garden Bonus Episode 7 this week. We learn about M&S's Only Ingredients range, Google Synth ID, naming a cockroach after an ex, every day items that are worryingly radioactive, the correlation between nuclear weapons and bananas, the wonders of Knepp Farm, how frogs, ferrets, bonobos, crows, spiders, octopuses and clown fish handle sexy sexy time, and a discount from Dan's Plants for all our listeners, right in time for Valentine's Day💕

On the Quazy Quiz we find out about another nature-based career, and by process of elimination, Sweetpea guesses another Gardeners' World presenter on Who Am I?

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

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More Not Just a Garden

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Houseplant legend Claire Lowrie was on Gardeners’ World 2024 episode 3 when she showed her magnificent Jungle Haven of stunning indoor plants, so we were thrilled that she could join us for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat about her magical dream “garden”. We learned a top tip for looking after monstera (given Bear’s propensity for laziness), about using semi-hydroponics to make usually hard-to-grow plants much easier, the art of air-layering, how to manage fungus gnats, and which plant provides so much edible nectar that it drips from the flower. We also find out what was involved in making the first ever gold medal winning RHS-judged Indoor Plant Garden.

Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Video of the making of Claire's RHS Malvern garden
• Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club Series 2, episode 15
• Ladybird Plant Care
• Grow Tropicals
• Worcester Terrariums
• Rare Palm Seeds

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Bonus episode 6 from Not Just a Garden and we look at garden, plant and gardening events around the country this month, (including snowdrop gardens through the NGS), giving ChatGPT a piece of our minds, alpine plant hunting, Scotland making bird history, frozen frogs, carnivorous oyster mushrooms, how Tyrian purple is made, Adam Frost's new garden plans, Frances' feature garden at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, and a fantastic offer from Dan's Plants for all our listeners.

We have another Quazy Quiz where Sweetpea confuses Bear with her "Plant Name or Sweetpea Being a Pain" quiz and we learn about another highly decorated Gardeners' World presenter in "Who Am I?"

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

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More Not Just a Garden

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We were delighted to be joined by plant, garden & social historian, author, and TV & Radio presenter Advolly Richmond OBE, FLS for a Good Ol’ Chit-Chat. We talked all sorts from OBEs and blue plaque high jinks, to making pivotal career changes and writing books. We also learned about Advolly’s dream garden with sentimental Edgeworthia chrysanthas, self-cleaning greenhouses, private pebble beaches, gossip under ancient trees, and ungainly hammock entries, - all of course being powered by prosecco and snacks🥂

Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Village Water
• Reaseheath College
• Painswick Rococo Gardens
• Long barn Gardens
• Sissinghurst
• Kew
• Kelmarsh
• Silent Space
• Benmore Botanic Gardens
• Waterperry Gardens
• Lloyd Loom Chairs
• David Austin roses
• Peter Beale roses
• Trevor White roses
• Morlas Plants
• The Accidental Seed Heroes, by Adam Alexander

More Not Just a Garden

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