Not Just a Garden

This week we graduate from Riverdance to Death Valley as we enter phase 2 of Operation Ratatouille. In the meantime, we hear about another troublesome African Grey parrot, the UK honey fungus pandemic, plastic eating mushrooms, another planet-saving use for bamboo, what's special about Scotland's national flower, the cunning of lotus flowers, and the hero homing pigeon.

On Gardeners' World we're with Frances & Rua Tophill, and Alison & Twiggy Jenkins at Damson Farm again, whilst Arit Anderson shows us around the Oxfordshire garden of Ken and Jan. Tim Foster shows us his apples in Bristol, we see the light with Nick Bailey, Professor Heather Whitney and Professor Keara/Kerry Franklin at The University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, and we visit Sue Kent's garden in Wales.

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

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our half century episode and to celebrate we have our very first Gardeners' World presenter!🎉🕺 Nick Macer from Pan Global Plants presented a series of episodes in 2016 and he joins us as we travel back in time to a little schoolboy Nick still finding his feet, through to a big adult Nick owning one of the most celebrated specialist plant nurseries in the UK. We also hear about plant hunting, why Mexico and south west China have such rich flora, poison dart frogs, forest bathing, Nick's until now unrealised love of fairy-lights, and some very good news for bamboo.

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

• George’s Jungle Garden Video with Dr Simon Olpin, Sheffield
• Kells Bay
• Alan Mitchell Trees of Britain and Northern Europe
• Westonbirt Arboretum
• Hillier Arboretum
• The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs
• Cowley Manor
• Painswick Rococo Gardens
• Edulis Nursery Paul Barney
• Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetland Centre

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode we find out who's been stealing all the walnuts. We also learn about the use of dandelion root extract in medicine, plastic stuffed birds, bluebell glue, cheeky parrots, Advolly's yellow dress, and butt-breathing.

And on Gardeners' World, we see a very speedy Monty Don, Carol Klein shows us around RHS Rosemoor in Devon and we meet Andy Farrington and Liz Dalby-Webb at The Plant Co-operative in Manchester. Advolly Richmond tells us all about Gertrude Jekyll at Hartland Abbey in North Devon before John Grimshaw shows us around his autumn garden in North Yorkshire.

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

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Zorab was on Gardeners' World last year and joins us for a Chit-Chat about her autumn inspired dream garden. We find out how Liz's dad instilled her initial happy curiosity in nature from a young age, which has taken her from reading books on gardening before she even had a garden, to her incredibly beautiful and productive space at Byther Farm. We also find out about "Horsefly Alley", how to install hedgehog friendly fencing, the importance of perennial vegetables, the virtues of seed and plant swaps, and her packed deep-freezer full of fruit and veg from the garden, which she probably needs to bolt to the floor before we visit.

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

RHS The Vegetable Garden Displayed

Doctor Hessayon Books

Liz's before and after video

Aberglasney Gardens

The Copper dragon 

Llysdinam Gardens

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we find out some good news about Martin Dohrn and some potentially even better news about the availability of his film, My Garden of a Thousand Bees. We also hear about what exists under the Antarctic, cancer-curing honeybees, fig trees turning carbon dioxide into stone, the lesser known yet intrepid plant hunter and botanist Dora B Stafford, and how seagulls are even more evil that we first thought.

On Gardeners' World, Frances Tophill gives an update on her pretty garden in Devon, Peter & Helleentje Walker show us some stunning carnivorous plants from their nursery in Scampston, Nick Bailey meets with Professor Craig Sturrock and Professor Malcolm Bennett to talk plant roots at the University of Nottingham, and Eleanor Cochrane shows us her beautiful modern garden in Cranbrook.

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

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gokul Asokan was on Gardeners' World 2025 episode 21 - a landscape architect without his own garden but that hasn't stopped him gardening! He joins us for A Good Ol' Chit-Chat where we hear how a classmate first inspired him to venture into the world of plants, battling home sickness, the power of perseverance, how helpful pet bunnies are (on many levels), Gokul's VERY sociable dream greenhouse, and the magic of manifesting.

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

• Wentworth
• Harlow Carr
• Wisley
• Chatsworth
• Wisteria Gardens

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on our recap we hear how as a result of her appearance on Gardeners' World, Violet Croll is now involved in an exhibition in Paris! We talk about Dan from Dan's Plants' online shop, trees growing gold, the deadly chemical found in our water pipes, what it means if you have an impressive rosemary bush, and the empathy of humpbacks. We also ponder, if we could put all the angry world leaders on a plug-plant growing trainee course in Bristol, would the world be a happier place.

On Gardeners' World this week, Carol Klein is in her stunning garden at Glebe Cottage, Sally Morgan shows us her resilient garden in Somerset, Dwayne Black gives us a tour of his gorgeous garden in Isfield, East Sussex, and Joe Swift takes us to St Werburgh's allotments in Bristol.

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

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clematis Queen Alla Olkhovska was on Gardeners' World 2025 episode 20 showing us her stunning collection of 140 different clematis which she grows in her garden, despite being at the centre of a war zone in Kharkiv, Ukraine. During this Chit-Chat we hear how Alla is handling relentless drone strikes and blackouts, her incredible family history through world wars, the October Revolution, exile to Siberia, the important role Linden Grove Gardens has played in their lives, especially when it comes to apples, and Alla's secret ingredient for successfully growing garden orchids.

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

• Alla's documentary, Gardening in a War Zone
• Alla's eBooks Clematis and Clematis Passports
• Alla's Patreon
• Alla's Go Fund Me
• V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Botanical Garden
• Frosch Garden Orchids
• Soaked apple recipe

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rajat Jindal was on Gardeners' World 2025, episode 22 showing us his magnificent Great Dixter inspired garden in Suffolk. On this episode of Chit-Chats we find out about hornbeam topiary, accidental Claire Voies, death row meals, Oxbridge potato wars, and how you can have a greenhouse that authorities may deem "too polite".

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

• Garden Museum, London
• Tania Compton
• Capability Brown
• Emorsgate Seeds
• Rousham House & Gardens

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We risk being cancelled this week by giving the BBC a piece of our minds, but we also talk about micro-hydro units, the ecosystems of belly buttons, edible six-pack rings, the perils of planting parsley if you're a woman, and the huge part snails play in the beauty industry.

This week on Gardeners' World, Frances hosts from Damson Farm with Rua Tophill and Alison and Twiggy Jenkins. We meet Ashleigh Whiffin, Curator of Entomology at the National Museums Scotland, and Nick Bailey takes us to Cambridge University Botanic Garden to hear from Professor Beverley Glover about the science of how plants make colour. Edmund, Alice, Arlen and Rufus show us around their pretty garden in Kent and Rekha talks all things veg from her beautiful hillside plot in the Peak District.

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

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/

A companion podcast for Gardeners’ World viewers, featuring weekly recaps and Chit-Chats with guests & presenters from the programme

Join the community for episode plant lists, discounts, recommendations, blogs, links, photos, & more by subscribing at https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.