The Gardener Ben Podcast

This week on the Gardener Ben Podcast, I’m joined by Kenny @raybould_and_wild, who I’m lucky enough to call a personal friend.

He has one of those jobs within the horticultural trade that I’m positive is incredibly stressful, but which many gardeners can only dream about — bringing together floristry, gardening, maintenance, and buying all in one role.

Officially, Kenny is the Director of Horticulture at Covent Garden. He’s also the founder of Stoke in Bloom @stoke_in_bloom.

We could’ve chatted for hours about plants, the environment, peat-free compost, and the challenges of gardening in such a public space visited by tens of thousands of people every year.

I really hope you enjoy listening to our conversation and that you tune in again next week, as we’re heading up to Scotland, where I’ll be talking to Ethan, a plant and soil ecologist.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #streamingnow #listennow #gardenersofinstagram #podcastsofinstagram

On today’s episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I had the absolute privilege of getting to know Gracie from @gracerosefarm.

I’ve been following her on Instagram for so long, and there are some really exciting things happening both personally and with the business as they plan to relocate to the other side of the country, taking their daughter and extended family of animals with them.

We talked about many different subjects, including the processes behind creating her books, how the company strives to offer a rose suitable for everyone — from bare roots to larger, more mature plants that offer instant gratification — and how, with the move, they’ll be launching their own independent garden centre brand.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation. Next week, I’m joined by the absolutely wonderful Kenny (@raybould_and_wild), Director of Horticulture in Covent Garden.

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On episode three of series three of the Gardener Ben podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down for a face-to-face chat with the infallible, bold, and plain-speaking @ann.russell.3958.

We are lucky enough that Ann lives very close to us here in the New Forest, which presented a real opportunity to have an open and rambling conversation — very much off-topic for me — over some tea and cake here at North Lodge.

If you follow along with Ann’s content on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, you’ll know that she is unfazed and unafraid of rolling up her sleeves and delving into some of the most challenging subjects and topics circulating on the internet on a day-to-day basis, as well as sharing the tricks of her trade with pragmatic and useful cleaning hints and tips.

Our conversation takes many twists and turns and was one of the most stimulating face-to-face conversations I’ve had in many years. It’s presented to you exactly as it was recorded — just two people chatting over tea and cake. I hope you enjoy our conversation, and if you don’t already, make sure to follow @ann.russell.3958 on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube, and get your hands on any one of her three published books, the latest of which is How to Be an Adult.

Next week, we’re heading back to America to talk roses once again — enjoy!

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #listennow #annrussell #timefortea #streamingnow #podcastshow #podcastsofinstagram #offtopic

Joining me on this week’s episode of the podcast is Robin Jennings, Senior Brand and Marketing Manager @heirloomroses.

Robin joins me for a conversation about how the brand is advancing its range into bulbs and specialist perennials, how they are making huge movements to reduce single-use plastic waste with fully recyclable and compostable packaging, and the option to have your roses shipped with or without a plastic pot!

On a personal note, I’m also really excited to hear about their collaboration with Brad from @selectroses, who was a guest on Season Two. @heirloomroses are going to be stocking some of his beautiful creations in the coming years, and it’s lovely to hear that some of those roses are going to be making their way into the gardens of a wider audience all across the USA and Canada.

To celebrate this really special episode, @heirloomroses have issued me with a personal discount code to be used on all roses and bulbs ordered before the end of 2025 (USA and Canada only).

Use the code GARDENERBEN at checkout for 20% off all roses and bulbs when ordered before the end of 2025.

Don’t worry if you’re not ready to have your roses delivered before the New Year—simply go online, make sure that you use the discount code, and book your roses to be delivered within the next eight months at a time that is suitable for you or perfect for your growing zone.

#gardenerben #roses #heirloomroses #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow #streamingnow #gardenersofinstagram #helpingyougrow #rosegarden #plantagarden

Welcome back to the Gardener Ben podcast.

I hope that you’ve all had a wonderful summer. It seemed to have never ended here on the south coast of the UK, with temperatures soaring for weeks on end and very little rain for nearly three months.

This has caused autumn to arrive early; the garden is tired and ready for a rest.

In this season, I’m planning to bring you some incredibly interesting conversations, and we start this week with jen_flourishnutrition.

The inspiration for this conversation came about after I posted a rose review to YouTube a few months ago, and I was really quite surprised by the comments that it attracted.

The rose in question is the Menopause Charity Rose from Harkness Roses, and the issue didn’t seem to be around the quality of the presentation or the plant itself, but in fact the name and the stigma that goes with discussing the menopause openly.

Jen specialises in women’s health nutrition and advises businesses and individuals on how they can feel better, especially when experiencing the symptoms of menopause, through paying attention to their diet, exercise, and understanding their bodies.

The last part of the conversation is incredibly personal to me and was difficult not only to have in person with Jen but also to edit and put into the podcast, a real glimpse into why I have been a gardener working independently and self-employed for so long.

I hope that you enjoy our conversation and head across to Instagram to show Jen’s account some love.

Catch Episode 19 the finale in Series 2 of Gardner Ben's podcast, now streaming on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and on my YouTube channel. You all enjoyed Episode 1 so much from Season 1, that I invited @mark_hamilton_anderson back to conclude Season 2. He was used AI to form the questions they had for me/ us catch our conversation now!

This has been an incredibly exciting season and special thanks. Go out to all involved.

@meadowandthyme

@cheshire_head_gardener

@urbanfarmandkitchen

@rakeexpectations

@buildingafoodforest_scotland

@gilbertsdahlias

@our.english.topiarygarden

@tacomarosesociety

@selectroses

@newforesthostas

@sow_much_more

@robsallotment

@johnwilliamson.dartmoor

@matt.pottage

@childrensallergy

@newenglandrosesociety

@santacruzdahlias

@peterbealesroses

@hilliergardencentres

@david_long_gardens

@capelmanor

@kingstonmaurwardcollege thank you to everybody for being so generous with your time.

I’ll be back in October with season three.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcasts #podcast🎧 #gardener #gardeningpodcast #thatsawrap #seeyounextseason #listennow #streamingnow

On this week's episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I’m joined by Matt, one of the gardening team from @peterbealesroses. Mark, Ethel, and I packed up the car and headed to Norfolk last weekend to spend an absolute glorious day walking around the Peter Beales show garden, garden centre, and restaurant.

An utterly extraordinary experience and incredibly inspirational. I’m taking some wonderful ideas away to use in my own garden, so I can’t recommend making the trip to see it yourself enough. However, if you’re short on time, please do look at some of the videos created while I was there to see which you can take and incorporate into your own growing space. Listen to my conversation with Matt on this week's episode.

Next week, season two is a wrap, and I’ll be catching up with my long-suffering husband @mark_hamilton_anderson.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow #streamingnow #gardener #gardenersofinstagram #roses #rosegarden #helpingyougrow

Listen to episode 17 of season two of the Gardener Ben podcast. Now it’s streaming on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and my YouTube channel.

This week, as we head into the month of June, it’s time to change gears with our maintenance in the rose garden. As we see the appearance of our first flowers, it’s time to start liquid feeding every two weeks, and of course, make sure that you’re removing any spent flowers just as quickly as possible to keep hormone levels high and plants producing flowers.

We’re heading across the Atlantic once more, where I get to share with you a conversation with Kristine from @santacruzdahlias, an Instagrammer, hybridizer, and author of two dahlia books that are available for us to buy on Amazon.

They’re responsible for growing some amazing varieties, which have now made their way all the way here to the UK and make up firm favorites in my cutting garden.

I hope that you enjoy listening to our conversation, and join me again next week when we’re back in the UK, and I’m joined by @peterbealesroses for the penultimate episode of this season.

Until then, happy gardening!

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #gardener #listennow #streamingnow #listenalong #dahlias #dahliachat

Listen to episode 16 of season two of the Garden of Ben podcast now. It’s streaming on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and on my YouTube channel.

This week I’m downloading from the Chelsea Flower Show, and I’m joined by two very special guests, president and vice president of @newenglandrosesociety, @ld_gisel, and @regan305, whom I’ve promised to take whenever they like.

During our chat, we talk about the Gateway Plants, which has opened the door to a lifelong passion and a real sense of community in the rose world, the triumph of showing roses, and the heartbreak and disappointment at the loss of treasured plants to the hands of Mother Nature.

Next week, I have the pleasure of talking to @santacruzdahlias. Make sure that you tune in again next week.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #helpingyougrow #garden #rosegarden #listennow #streamingnow

The wait is finally over, and the doors to the Chelsea Flower Show have opened—an opportunity for the world to see the gardening trends and new plant varieties that will grace our gardens in the months and years to come.

I’m going to bring you loads of content from the show over the coming weeks.

On today’s episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I’m joined by @childrensallergy, an expert in airborne allergies and hay fever. If you are suffering from hay fever symptoms that are preventing you from fully enjoying your garden, this is a must-listen.

There are several a-ha and mic-drop moments contained here, along with more information that Mark and I have gathered from our local GP in almost 40 years on the subject. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

Next week, we’re heading back across the Atlantic to Boston, where I’m talking to the president and vice president of @newenglandrosesociety, whom I met in November 2023.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardener #Allergies #airborneallergies #hayfever #gardeningpodcast #listennow #streamingnow #helpingyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #growgram