Loving Your Garden - Better Gardening Podcast

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Horticultural Wholesaler and LYG member Mark Smith updates us on some of the new products on display at the National Plant Show held at NAEC Stoneleigh in June.
Blight resistant Box, easy-maintenance Clematis and dwarf varieties of popular shrubs for smaller gardens are just some of the items up for discussion. He also reveals how the industry feels about the year to date as fears grow the economy generally, and it's positive news for horticulture at least.
Also, John Stirland discusses topical jobs to be getting on with including taking softwood cuttings from your favourite plants.
As ever, you can pick out items of interest from our chapter tab but at just 27 minutes, it's worth listening to the whole piece so as not to miss anything.
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Nick Hamilton, owner of the hugely popular Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland talks about the legacy of his famous father - Gardeners' World presenter Geoff Hamilton who introduced millions to gardening during the eighties and nineties before his untimely death in 1996.
We discuss Barnsdale of course but also what it was like growing up in a television studio (Barnsdale was effectively 38 TV studio gardens). We talk about how the pandemic has changed the fortunes of horticulture, Barnsdale as a visitor attraction and how all of these are covered in Nick's newly published book 'The Right Genes' which is packed full of anecdotes about growing up with a famous father in a place that was beamed into millions of homes every week.
As ever, you can check out the chapters tab if you want to focus on a particular part of the podcast but at just half an hour, it's worth a listen through from the start. (To paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies, we would say that wouldn't we!)
For info, Barnsdale Gardens is 5 miles East of Oakham in Rutland (LE15 8AH) is open to visitors 363 days a year from 9-5 pm March-October and 10-4 pm over the Winter.
Website: https://barnsdalegardens.co.uk/index.html

A travel podcast for women over 45 who want to explore this big beautiful world.

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A fabulous episode with one of the country's foremost floral designers who shares some tips and tricks for getting the best out of cut flowers but whose passion is utterly engaging. Jonathan is a regular at all the top shows including Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton and Malvern and his creations have adorned some of the country’s most prestigious venues.
As ever, we've added a chapter tab if you want to dip in and out although I would recommend all 32 minutes to get the best out of the episode.

A travel podcast for women over 45 who want to explore this big beautiful world.

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At last, Spring is upon us and our gardening season proper begins! Our chat this week is packed full of useful tips as John Stirland outlines a few key jobs to be getting on with including getting your herb garden ready, early lawn prep, Hellebore trimming and dividing and cleaning down greenhouse etc. John also answers questions on organic compost and potato growing.
As ever, there's a chapter tab if you want to dive in on a specific subject but at only 24 minutes, the whole piece is well worth a listen and don't forget, if you'd like to know more about Loving Your Garden Facebook Group, just visit and take a look. We've just conducted a member survey and almost 80 per cent of respondents rate the group as maximum 5 star with just under 20 per cent rating it 4 star. Here are just a few of the comments:
Friendly and very informative
Knowing that you can ask for help and always get a reply
Privileged in being invited to look at other LYG’s photos of their personal beautiful spaces/ gardens 🌿. Handy advice given and shared and the podcasts/weekly live feed are so valuable to everyone... Thank you to you all ... LYG brings us all together where ever we are from!

A travel podcast for women over 45 who want to explore this big beautiful world.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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It's not terribly inviting outside, where I am at least, with snow falling and low temperatures set for the next few days. However, that hasn't stopped me from planting a good size Amelanchier Lamarckii and having a wee tidy up of some borders. This is the thing about March and whatever the weather might throw at us, gardeners gotta garden!
And that's the theme of this week's podcast with horticulturist John Stirland answering LYG member questions and discussing jobs to be getting on with from sowing (we talk about artificial lighting for plants), first cuts for lawns, finishing off Winter pruning, transplanting and a host of other topical jobs before Spring breaks into a sprint.
As we cover a lot of topics, you'll find a quick guide in the chapters section so you can quickly navigate to what particularly interests you although, naturally, I would suggest listening to the whole piece so as not to miss useful nuggets of information.
Thanks to our UK-based sponsors Fitzgerald Laing Decorators:
for a free quote and advice on any project, here's their Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3zvPicB
PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A FINALIST IN THE ‘22 GARDEN MEDIA GUILD AWARDS FOR PODCAST OF THE YEAR.

A travel podcast for women over 45 who want to explore this big beautiful world.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify