Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

It's squally out there! With the podcast being recorded on the eve of Storm Benjamin's arrival, Saul and Lucy are turning their thoughts to one of the major autumn tasks - leaf clearing. While it's key to get this fallen foliage off the lawns, is it essential to remove autumn leaves from borders? The duo give this concept practical consideration. And it's been an incredible year for apples, this year, so much so that Stonelands has produced tonnes of fruit. Lucky Plymouth listeners can get their hands on this prestigious harvest - Saul explains how.

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

The pinnacle of the Autumn season is almost upon us as the trees up and down the UK turn their seasonal colours and end our garden season with one of the finest spectacles we've seen in years - make sure you get to your local arboretum or garden this year to see what colours your local trees are turning. We also answer a question on overwintering plants in the more extreme weather of Scotland, and end with a plea to join your local garden club, leave the internet behind and have a good natter with actual in-person gardeners, nothing is better on a darker evening with a mug of tea and  bourbon!

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

It's the hedges and edges episode! Saul and Lucy have both been flexing their muscles on long-pole hedgecutters and lawnmowers this week. Machinery reliance always comes with the risk of breakdown, though, and both gardeners have had issues with their hedging equipment - at this point we either tinker, or upgrade! Pitmaston Pineapple apple has given a bumper harvest for Saul, and Lucy's fruit thinning has worked its magic, too - the fruit stores at Stonelands and Kingsland are burgeoning as a consequence.

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

This week Lucy has had two of of fantastic listeners write to her with questions about how we garden in the winter - specifically how to overwinter precious Pelargoniums and if your using a greenhouse how best to frost-proof it and make sure your precious plants survive. We also commiserate ourselves on broken vehicles - remember to send us your old banger photos - and the gremlins continue to infect even this podcast......!

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

Last week, Lucy and Saul were posed an excellent listener question: Jo asks - how did we progress into our head gardening roles and the associated people management? What were the difficulties, were we given any training, and how did we find the experience? Well Jo, consider your question answered! The blessing of this horticultural industry is that everybody can experience different scenarios - and Saul and Lucy are no different. Oh, but we do both offer excellent green woodpecker experiences as part of our apprenticeships...

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Autumn is here on the Talking Heads podcast - as the last vestiges of Summer in the garden dodge the wet and windy weather while trying to give the last hurrah before that inevitable but pleasantly seasonable slide into the hibernation of winter. But gardeners never sleep so Lucy and Saul are still out and about in their plots plying the horticultural trade they both love. So join them both for more horti-waffle and insights into the life of the modern, professional gardener.

Saul returns from his holidays (technically he is actually still on them!) and Lucy drags herself away from that tropical border to come to the aid to a Dad with a Brassica Cage. Upcycling is the name of the game when it comes to protecting those Brussel sprouts, plus a few cub-scout worth knots! Also hedging is still dominating the gardeners day-job - when will the miles of foliage that needs trimming end! 

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Summer in 2025 is here - and after one of the sunniest and driest Springs on record, we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardeners tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after the spaces they are in charge of, as well as enjoying their gardens at home.

With Saul taking a well deserved break after our time at Audley End for the Gardeners' World Autumn Fair, Lucy lifts the lid on her latest crush (after eating some homegrown sweetcorn and tomatoes, of course - that's a life-long love). Yes, she's entered the world of tropical plants after Saul's persistent persuasions via 278 zoom calls, of 35-minute duration. Names trip off her lips such as coleus (plectranthus), ensete, amaranth, salvia, musa, fasicularia (and dahlia, Saul....) as she conveys what she's learnt on her journey so far. 

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Summer in 2025 is here - and after one of the sunniest and driest Springs on record, we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardeners tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after the spaces they are in charge of, as well as enjoying their gardens at home.

Lucy and Saul certainly have their thinking caps on for this episode, as the duo discuss the specifics of what being a Head Gardener entails. Is it solely gardening, with a team of folk that you manage, or should you also be expected to dabble in electrics, plumbing, carpentry and chauffeuring? In all honesty, we think it should be whatever you're happy to do - and talking of which, we've both been very happy in our own gardens this week. Saul has been excitedly eyeing up his ginger blooms, whilst Lucy has been cooking up a variety of home-grown meals for her family. Thanks, mum and dad, for the sweetcorn!

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Summer in 2025 is here - and after one of the sunniest and driest Springs on record, we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardeners tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after the spaces they are in charge of, as well as enjoying their gardens at home.

How has the years warm and dry weather effected the productivity of our plots - well Lucy went to find out when she visited the Fothergills Trial Ground open day where they grow 1500 varieties of flowers, veg and fruit to show case their seed varieties. The picture is obviously mixed with some crops enjoying the temperatures while others struggling to get going, a similar picture back home at our gardens. We also look into some more 'Horticultural News' both sad and positive - including the new Adam Greathead Award for aspiring gardeners to gain valuable experience at John Massey Gardens, Ashwood Nursery and Great Dixter.

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show

Summer in 2025 is here - and after one of the sunniest and driest Springs on record, we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardeners tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after the spaces they are in charge of, as well as enjoying their gardens at home.

Take a day out to spray weeds, and nobody will see any results instantly - but woe betide you if you neglect this essential job and customers consequently see a sea of fat hen (or, even worse, oxalis or creeping buttercup...) a week or so down the line. Juggling jobs is all part of the professional gardener's daily challenges, and understanding your clients' needs, along with good two-way communication, allows you to make sound decisions for all concerned. Plus, Saul has been spending more time in Stoneland's kitchen garden whereas Lucy has flexed her  tropical muscles once again. Great minds obviously do think alike - especially with revelations about wild swims and marine biology aspirations...

Instagram link:
Lucy lucychamberlaingardens

LinkedIn link:
Saul Walker

Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Support the show