Not Just a Garden

On this recap of Gardeners' World 2026 Episode 4, we consider how Alla Olkhovska and her family are coping in Kharkiv, given the latest world events and subsequent rising fuel prices.We also delve a little deeper into how to avoid dehydration in the desert, how our own wisdom teeth can be an insurance against future health problems, which surprising animals are now recognised as sentient beings by the UK Animal Welfare Act, how "fake rock" was once used in gardens across the UK, and what happens if you burp in space.On Gardeners' World, Ashley Edwards gives us a tour of the beautiful Leondardslee Garden in West Sussex, and Hati Colvin in Llandeilo shows us her cut flower farm, The Dahlia Wood Ltd. Tom Stimpson in Ely gives some tips on growing a garden in pots, and Owen, Emily and Leo Driscoll show us some wonderful treasures in their garden in Macclesfield.In our Chit-Chat-Catch-Up this week, we salivate over Geoff Stonebanks' cakes being prep'd for his garden opening through the NGS. We also imagine enjoying one of the two horticultural apprenticeship positions being offered at Ventnor Botanic Garden, as announced by Wayne Williams last week.🌿We also remind our listeners that Dan Stearne from Dan's Plants is giving a 10% discount on all his plants with our exclusive code NJAG10 - just in time for some spring planting🌸Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this recap of Gardeners' World 2026 Episode 3 we challenge Joe Swift's hatred for red robins and channel a more untamed and rugged version alongside a fireworks forsythia in our garden.We also discuss sharks on cocaine, the adaptability of red dung moss, the very real concerns of plastic eating plankton, whether it's safer to drink urine or cactus water if dehydrated in the desert, and vampire moths.On Gardeners' World, Frances Tophill takes us to Dryad Nursery in York to look at a beautiful collection of miniature daffodils, and Milly Proust shows us around Alma Proust near Petworth, West Sussex. Sue Kent takes us to Maggie Carr's garden in Llanelli from where she started the wonderful Incredible Seed Library, and tomato aficionado Lance Turner from Tomato Revolution in Melksham, Wiltshire teaches us a thing or two about, well, tomatoes.In our Chit-Chat Guests Corner this week, we send out our big congrats to Sharnee for her recent wedding to Harry, and we are full of envy at Annmarie & Andrew's incredible recent experience at John Massey's garden with Chris Howell and Clive Nichols.🌿We also remind our listeners that Dan's Plants is giving a 10% discount on all his plants at https://dansplants.co.uk with our exclusive code NJAG10 - just in time for some spring planting🌸Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Gardeners' World 2026 Episode 2 Recap time and with Sweetpea in the middle of 2 days of exams, she watches the show at double speed and is very impressed with just how sprightly Monty is.In this episode we give the low down on mammograms, the extraordinary powers of the Gympie Gympie plant, despite and on account of the extreme pain it causes, why you wouldn't want to confront a honey badger if you're a naked man, and Sweetpea's best cactus-based chat-up line.On Gardeners' World Joe Swift takes us around Mary Keen's garden in Gloucestershire, and Karim Habibi shows us his apples at Keepers Nursery in East Farleigh, Kent. James Baker and Noah from GreenBaker Gardening give us a tour of their garden in Weymouth before Carol Klein has a look at the potager at RHS Rosemoor. Finally Jim Stephens gives us some tips on camellias from his garden in Dobwalls, South East Cornwall.And don't forget this week, on Wednesday 25th March at 8pm, Martin Dohrn's wonderful award-winning film My Garden of a Thousand Bees will be available on BBC Four🐝🐝🎬🐝🐝Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Horticulturist and horticultural therapist Ashley needs little introduction as one of the presenters on Gardeners' World. But not just that, he’s also a member of the DIY SOS team, appears on ITV’s Love your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, is a regular on the BBC Gardeners' Question Time panel, is one of the Ask the Experts team in Gardeners' World Magazine, and is head gardener at Crocus at Dorney Court. *draws breath😮‍💨Not surprisingly, Ashley's been called the busiest man in horticulture and so we were really grateful he could find a moment to join us. In fact Ashley had to fly off for some filming straight after so we do fairly steam through his dream garden, but we still found time for A Good Ol’ Chit-Chat!On this final episode of Chit-Chats for Series 4, Ashley tells us about his varied and exciting route into horticulture and how it took him from the UK to abroad - from US Pennsylvania where summers were so humid, the dahlias would produce aerial roots, to Sicily where he could pluck and eat sweet blood oranges straight from the tree.We also find out about tackling imposter syndrome, manifesting a place in St Lucia, the significance of Japan's cherry blossom festivals, green furry monsters, sunflower borders, mossy mounds, air-frying kale, dance floors in the greenhouse, and Sweetpea and Ashley's shared love for Missy Elliott and Mary J Blige🕺And if you want to get some time with Ashley, then he’s taking tours and having a chat at Crocus at Dorney Court on 28th March (there will be cake), or you can meet and natter with him at both Gardeners' World Spring Fair on 3rd May and Gardeners' World Live on 18th June.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Crocus at Dorney CourtHoratio's GardenLongwood GardensAnna Tasca Lanza Cooking SchoolSyon ParkMore Not Just a GardenWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gardeners' World is back - hurrah - and so are a sleep-deprived Sweetpea and a bemused Bear with an Episode 1 Recap.In this episode we look at the continued success of seed snails, the chicken or egg of Sonic the Hedgehog and protein, gruesome bird-killing trees, beautiful brain healing cock's combs, and the goodest boy ever.On Gardeners' World we kick off with a title shake-up and Monty back at Longmeadow. We get to see a bit of Adam Frost's new garden before meeting alpine legends Bob and Rannveig Wallis in Carmarthenshire. Arit Anderson takes us to Kew to meet plant saviours Carlos Magdalena and Paul Rees before we have a look at the tropical garden of Cathy Smythe, Gary Cattermole, Bowie (as in oh not ow - sorry😔), Dota, Mel & Mojo.Lastly, we've had many animated conversations on a fair few of the pod episodes about wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn's fantastic and award-winning film, My Garden of a Thousand Bees. Martin was on Gardeners' World 2025 episode 11 and joined us for episode 39 of Chit-Chats last year where he shared a bit about the intricacies of filming his minuscule subjects. He also talked about the struggles of bringing the film to UK screens given that it was readily available in many other countries around the world but not in the motherland. The good news is Martin's lengthy battle has paid off and it will finally be available on BBC Four at 8pm on 25th March and BBC iPlayer thereafter! We couldn't recommend the film more - spoiler, you will need tissues!And as if that wasn't enough good news, Martin's latest award-winner The Birds, which he also talked about on our Chit-Chat is going to be available on UK screens on Wednesday 18th March on BBC Four at 8pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer after🕺🎬🥂Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris was on Gardeners' World 2025 Winter Special Episode 2 when Adam Frost joined him at John Massey's stunning gardens at Ashwood Nurseries near Kingswinford in the West Midlands.On this episode of Chit-Chats, Chris shares his passion for the winter garden and the important part scented witch-hazels play, and we learn about the enormous numbers in John's Garden as well as some of Chris' favourites.We also find out about mosaicing your meadows, using aspirin on the tomatoes, walking trees, what to look out for when buying Wollemi pine seeds, The fantastic Adam Greathead Award, grandma's elderflower champagne, and Chris' penchant for half-mooning.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Ashwood NurseriesBirmingham Botanical GardensWinterbourne GardenGreat DixterJardin Le VasterivalWitch Hazel NurseryPan Global PlantsWest Dean GardensBluebell ArboretumMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Cranham from Tom's Terraria Design was on Gardeners' World 2025, Winter Special episode 3 showing his stunning (and huge!) terraria as well as his exquisite collection of iridescent begonias.On this episode of Chit-Chats, we get an idea of what it must feel like to be walking through the world of Avatar, thanks to the incredible variety and beauty of begonias, and we learn some handy tips on where to start with terraria, from those as small as Sweetpea's teapot terrarium, to glass cabinets to fill a wall.We also hear about the unusual animals Tom has started introducing into the bedroom, the plants he donates to botanical gardens around the country, the advantages and disadvantages of horses, the once in a lifetime trip to Nosy Mangabe, and we find out which jam is the king of jams, especially if you have grandma’s old jam-pan.Some mentions from our guest, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/Lyon Botanic garden Masoala National Park Trebah Garden Glasgow Botanic Garden  Saihoji Moss Temple ChatsworthMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/More Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 CatalogueMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/notjustagardenMore Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 GardenJoseph MassieBodnant GardenHimalayan GardensMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/notjustagardenMore Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 HavergalSilent SpaceMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/notjustagardenMore Not Just a Gardenhttps://notjustagarden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 gardenAlan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club Series 2, episode 15Ladybird Plant CareGrow TropicalsWorcester TerrariumsRare Palm SeedsMore Not Just a GardenPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/homeWebsite: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjustagarden/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustaGarden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.