The Virgin Gardener Podcast

Hello podcast People! This episode I’m chatting to one of my garden designer heroes, Matthew Wilson. He tells us the story of his life in horticulture, and the many bends in the road along the way. Besides heading up a busy garden design practice, Matthew is a regular on BBC Gardener’s Question Time a speaker, journalist and author as well as finding time to spend in his own garden. His 2009 TV show Landscape Man literally broke new ground in telly gardening. We chat about what it’s really like to face the public’s gardening questions, and I grill him on all your tricky ones too. This was my first live podcast and the audience was the sunniest, kindest, smiliest sort. What a lovely bunch of people gardeners are! Enjoy! Matthew Wison Website | Twitter | Instagram

Cleve West, by Chaz Oldham Hi Podcast People! In this episode I chat to Cleve West, legendary garden designer, and passionate vegan. We talk about just what it takes to create a winning Chelsea garden, eating vegan and having long enough legs! Do take a look at his website www.clevewest.com for links to all the vegan things we speak about in this episode. Enjoy! CLEVE WEST Website | Twitter | Instagram

Hello Podcast people! Fergus the Forager is a master of living off the land. See the show notes for all his details, including courses you can take.

A good portion of this podcast revolves around mulberries, and the rest is basically about muesli. See show notes. ENJOY!

www.laetitiamaklouf.com

Naomi's Twitter. Naomi's Website Naomi Slade is a freelance journalist with a degree in science and a background in publishing, events and managing rock bands. In this podcast she shares her love of and fascination for the subject of her latest book, Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden. Things we talk about in this episode: Naomi’s background Her Snowdrop book: Plant lovers guide to snowdrops (Timber Press) Joe Sharman of Monksilver Nursery Naomi’s snowdrop Galanthus 'Naomi Slade' Her Orchard book: An Orchard Odyssey (Green Books) Definition of an orchard: 5 Trees with crown edges not more than 20 metres apart Perennial fruit and food Dahlia as fashion victim Divisive dahlias Rich man’s plants 1851 Exhibition Christopher Lloyd Are they worth the effort? Dahlia genetics Humans are diploid - 2 sets of chromosomes dahlias are octoploid - 8 sets of chromosomes Loads of transposons which spontaneously change what they look like quick mutations = thousands of cultivars Yellow and orange dahlias often have irridescence Dahlia History Aztec rituals Cactus dahlias Dahlia requirements How to start them off Slugs and frost Slugs hide underneath the tuber and come out at night Pinching out Planting out Feeding Staking Deadheading Dahliaworld.co.uk has all 60k varieties - the perfect place to geek out National collection in Penzance Overwintering Nobody likes a soggy bottom Favourite dahlias Restrained dahlias: ponpons and small balls Containers Varieties and cultivars we talk about in this episode: D. Hamari Gold D. Peresii D. David Howard D. Arabian Knight D. Gentle star D. Thomas Eddison D. Hootenanny D. Eveline The gallery series - compact and pretty Happy singles - simple daisy flowers

Things we talk about in this episode: What's in a name The process of creating a stand at Chelsea Pitching, competing, submitting Creating an outdoor living space Choosing carefully so as not to overload the stand. Making a realistic outdoor space How to choose a grower How the process works Trees and hedging Choosing plants Having a master plan (or not) Who is the client? Sponsor? Stand? It’s all about the medal Gold medals and good pr The first job Sleepless nights Faking it till you make it Not knowing the answer! Asking for help where you need it Knowledge and confidence How to be a good service provider Communication Selling ideas to a client Suggesting, steering, guiding Using FACTS to get your way A tape measure is your best tool. Balancing motherhood and a buisiness Baked beans again Being there when it counts - sports day etc Setting a strong example for the children Garden design creates beautiful spaces for families - it’s one of the nicest things you can do for people Planting style Planting a show garden vs planting a private garden Seasonal planting Shrubs and herbaceous Clipped shapes and chaos Scaling up: putting big in small Getting vertical interest in - wires and trellis to take eyes up Getting a mirror in! Should be antiqued - bounces light Being a weekend gardener Outsourcing the clearing up Screening and blocking out Trellis Trees Meadow Tidying tendencies Being brave Computer woes Turning the laptop on Delegation Plants, People, links Gaze Burvill Garden Furniture Deepdale- hornbeams Chichester Trees and Shrubs Hortus loci Rosa'Gertrude Jekyll' Geum'Totally tangerine' Rosa'Munstead Wood' Julia Samuel Colefax and Fowler The English Gardening School London College of garden design Andrew Wilson Cloudy Bay garden Chelsea 2014 p9’s (0.5 litre pots) Alchemilla mollis roses nepeta Salvia nemerosa'Caradonna' Salvia'Nachtvlinder' Salvia'Amistad' Hydrangea'Annabelle' Hydrangea paniculata'Limelight' Amelanchier lamarckii Mobilane Tulipa 'Black parrot' Fritillaria meleagris Allium 'Purple sensation' A. 'Purple rain' Gareth Kinsella The wildflower Turf company RosaMme Alfred Carriere - flowers on a north wall Stauntonia hexaphylla- will cover everything but beware Clematis armandii Akebia quinata Trachelospermum jasminoides

Things we talk about in the episode: Why we love pelargoniums scent of leaves musky stringent smell bad breath tomato foliage the easiness of them Fibrex nurseries The National Collection of Pelargoniums Heather’s growing history Learning about pelargoniums, ferns and ivies The difference between pelargoniums and geraniums Family: Geraneacae Same family, different genus: Genus: Pelargonium (southern hemisphere, tender, succulent or woody shrubs) Genus: Geranium (northern hemisphere, cranesbill. Hardy, herbaceous perennial) You can’t hybridise between the two - most definitely two different things! Geranium for pelargonium is WRONG because it’s misleading If you can’t say pelargonium, just call them pellies Pelargoniums are really tough in the right environment Replicate SA in the UK Loam based, open, free draining compost Water management Good light, even over winter No darkness, no dinginess In England that’s difficult, but not impossible Good airflow In a cool environment - Strip off a lot of the leaves which they don’t need because they’re not growing and you’re not watering. Zonals, decoratives, uniques, scenteds can have majority of leaves lower down taken off, leaving just the growing tip Gets rid of mildew, mould, botrytis etc at the same time - bonus! Allows good airflow which is essential Keeping pelargoniums indoors as houseplants Avoid a kitchen or bathroom environment - too damp Sitting room, living room, porch, Close to window or on windowsill. Natural daylight - doesn’t have to be direct sunlight Feed: Tomato feed like Tomorite First feed of season should be a balanced feed but otherwise Tomorite as soon as you see fresh young growth Bedding Zonal pelargoniums are still used for bedding - can look stunning Key is to mass-plant with just one colour. Colour match with neighbouring plants Key group within zonals: Bold series - good chunky, strong growing with short stems and lots of flowers which are shatter-proof. Use decorative, uniques and scented for gap-filling too! Attar of roses, Grey Lady Plymouth in a mixed border - Chocolate peppermint and Tomentosum at Wisley - looked amazing Containers: Potting compost magic formula; John Innes no. 2 and multi-purpose compost half and half Re-pot in spring and you don’t need to feed for a month because of JI You cant over-feed a pellie! Feed every time you water If you want to get flowers like you see in the shows then you have to feed them! They’re on steroids Pinching out. Young cuttings - single stem. Once rooted and growing, pinch out top leaf and newest bud. Leaving a couple of live axils below means it will start to branch out. It’s not about height, it’s about body. Keep pinching out Fibrex takes cuttings in August through to April. The pinching out happens throughout, until February. From buds, flowers will appear in six weeks. Pinching out is instinctive and takes practice, but not a lot of time if you’ve got a few pots outside the door. Dead heading. Pelargoniums LOVE to flower. If you take off the untidy ones it will grow more as soon as possible. If you leave them, the plant slows down. Heather deadheads every plant, every week - LOTS of work! Not so for a few pots. Snap bottom of flower stem between fingers and it will come off naturally Overwintering. Cuttings Prepare your pot, 9 -12 cm Sterile seed compost and perlite or grit for drainage, Pat mixture down and saturate with water. Take cuttings, 2 inches at most depending on variety. Heather takes tip cuttings with one or two leaf nodes. Strip bottom leaves off, leaving growing tip and a couple of leaves at top. After 4-5 days give another drink. 5-10 cuttings in a 9cm pot. Cuttings really do like company. Heather pushes her cuttings straight in - no dibber and no rooting hormone. Heather likes to keep the leaves touching in the nursery. Leaving pelargoniums in pots over winter Start in September to prepare them by feeding them with a...

Andrew in the greenhouse why a greenhouse? hardening off cold frames potting on and space considerations overwintered pelargoniums: feeding houseplant murder houseplant care at this time of year whitefly mealybugs feeding houseplants with seaweed extract upping the watering regime vine weevil on pillow nemasys repotting containerised plants vine weevil vigilance dealing with pot-bound plants standardised plants intuitive gardening top-dressing crocks alpine scree daffodils and yellow snobbery forsythia, the untidy plant deadheading daffs chopping tulips Laetitia’s amelanchiers and how much she loves them amelanchier - a hard-working plant Garden visiting in winter and early spring Box topiary at West Dean gardens Clipping your sarcococca into mounds horrifying results post-clippage On The Ledge Podcast Andrew’s pelargonium tips Laetitia’s alpine trough The Garden Log Narcissi Thalia Miranda Janatka’s article in the hardy plant society blog amelanchier canadensis and lamarkii West Dean Gardens Plants we talk about and links On The Ledge Podcast Andrew’s pelargonium tips Laetitia’s alpine trough The Garden Log Narcissi Thalia amelanchier canadensis and lamarkii West Dean Gardens

THINGS WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: Incredible Edible Bristol Five minute gardening Knitting theory Using both sides of your brain Killing begonias Ivy and pelargoniums as houseplants Windowsill seed sowing Buying seedlings Not over-sowing Am I a nurseryman? Essential seed-sowing equipment Compost Plants to grow from seed Dividing plants with two forks LINKS, PLANTS, IMPORTANT STUFF WE MENTION Incredible Edible Bristol Ron Finley Emma Mitchell Coffee plant Schefflera Peace lily On the Ledge Podcast Sweet peas (cupani) Cosmos Chillies Alpine Strawberries Hydrangea pruning

Things we talk about in this episode: Judging at Chelsea Objectivity and how the judging system works James’s gardening journey Sex, death and deliciousness The gardener as referee The recipe for a good garden Making sure that the practical essentials are in the right place James’s own garden The corner of shame Calling in help when life gets in the way James’s inspiration Show gardens and unattainability Gardening as larceny Removing sentimentality (and diseased trees) Watching and waiting Dealing with the boring stuff first Barefoot compost heaps Gardens, garden designers, succulents, cacti, azaleas and rhododendrons Roses and revolutionary verve Stopping gardening when it becomes a chore Designers and Chelsea show gardens The cult of the designer James’s 7 minute Chelsea garden Evil wisteria Stop worrying Fortnum and Mason manure Plants for dry shade Right plant right place Self control Growing rhododendrons in the cotswolds And watching them die Seed sowing Leggy chillies Snow hating Shed cleaning Weeding with a hula hoop Apres freeze watering Dahlias Slugs and how to deal with them Slugs vs snails Evil slugs Evil drunken slugs Savage slugs Hedgehog homes Podcasting as gardening

Laetitia and Andrew introduce themselves and reveal what's in store for listeners of The Virgin Gardener Podcast. Exciting news! Our first guest will be the horticultural rockstar that is James Alexander Sinclair!