Episódios
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In this edition of Dig It, Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Barry Smith, Head Gardener at the National Trust’s Stowe Landscape Gardens, near Buckingham. Barry has been at Stowe for over 40 years and head gardener for over 25 so he knows this garden with immense passion and understanding. Stowe, a world-famous 18th century garden was created by such luminaries as Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. For over 300 years these spectacular gardens have been welcoming tourists far and wide.
Plants mentioned: Roses, annuals (bedding), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Pinus (pine), Honeysuckle, wildflowers, Snake’s head Fritillary (featured in Barry’s funny story), Lime, Beech, English Elm and Dutch Elm resistant varieties and Snowdrops (Galanthus).
The Gardens Trust, National Trust and the Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust (for networking, sharing knowledge and celebrating success stories locally and beyond).
Barry’s top two favourite gardens: Stourhead Gardens near Mere, Wiltshire and Stackpole, near Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Monuments, specific areas and statues mentioned at Stowe. Grecian Valley Ha-Ha, Oxford Water Lake, Lamport Garden (on-going project), Temple of Concord and Victory (Grecian Temple), Stowe School, The New Inn (old coaching house), Grand Avenue approach to the Corinthian Arch, Buckingham Parish Church, Marble Arch, and The Ice House.
Stowe gardens and school have been used for many film locations including The Crown, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Slaughterhouse Rulez, Stardust and in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough.
Barry’s Desert Island luxuries Felco secateurs and a Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).
To find out more about Stowe Landscape gardens click on this link and maybe become a volunteer.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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Many of our gardens are enjoying much earlier blooms this spring due to the mild and damp weather conditions. Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest gardening news, what’s on’s and topical gardening advice for the busy month of April.
What’s on
6th -7th April: Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Royal Cornwall Show Ground near Wadebridge, features a Grow Your Own space and Tipi Talks as well as dazzling displays and exquisite exhibits.
Saturday 13th April: Hanami Blossom Day at Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent. Open 10am-3pm. Discover Japanese art and culture amidst the breathtaking blossoming orchards, plus so much more.
15th – 28th April: A celebration of Spring: from blossom to bluebells at Hever Castle Gardens in Kent.
18th - 21st April: RHS Urban Show set in the heart of Manchester (Depot Mayfield), celebrates your own oasis in this new immersive gardening experience.
Sunday 21st April: Plant Fairs Roadshow at Arundel Castle in West Sussex. Open 10am-5pm. Expert nurseries will be displaying their plants in the grounds of Arundel Castle as part of the Plant Fairs Roadshow.
Monday 29th April: Rachel de Thame: A Flower Garden for Pollinators talk at the Garden Museum in Lambeth, London, by Rachel de Thame and botanical artist Lauren Lusk yours about her new book.
Plants mentioned: Comfrey (for tea), Hebe, Narcissi, Muscari (grape hyacinths), Tulips, Hydrangea ‘Cherry Explosion,’ Rose ‘Munstead Wood’, Magnolia ‘Stellata’ (Star magnolia), Primulas and Polyanthus.
Seeds to sow: Cosmos, Cowslips, Gazanias, Geraniums, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Sunflowers and wildflowers. Veggies: Parsnips, Carrots, and salad crops.
Products mentioned: Lawn seed mixtures including Johnsons Any Time, Tuff Lawn, Shade and Meadow wildflower mixture, feed Vitax Q4, Empathy Afterplant, Sulphate of Potash, Fungus Fighter for preventative box treatment. Box alternatives - Euonymus ‘Jean Hugues’ and E. ‘Green Spire’, Evergreen honeysuckle hedging. Flowering hedges including Lavender and Hedge Germander. Garden hoe. Water retaining gel, Vitax Q4 and continuous (slow release) control fertiliser.
Peter and Chris’s bluebell wood recommendations: Hazelborough Woods (Silverstone, Northamptonshire) and The Woodland Trust’s College Wood (Nash, Milton Keynes).
News
101 Charles Darwin lookalikes gather at threatened 550-year-old oak tree in record attempt protest.
Global tree of the year winners announced.
Sycamore gap tree update
Californian Redwoods make it big in the UK
Government dashes hopes for horticulture with underwhelming reforms
More Scottish gardens open under the SGS to help the Perennial charity.
Finalist of the RHS Britain in Bloom competition announced.
International Orchid Show moves to Gardeners’ World Live.
Glow-in-the-dark Petunia ‘Firefly’ launched in the United States.
A new Rose ‘With Courage’ in conjunction with RNLI from rose breeder Peter Beales.
A change in shift of food production with wider diversification of crops.
The NHS could save £6.7 billion a year if everyone ate plant based food.
New Backyard Biodiversity Report from Garden Organics.
Top RHS plant diseases ranked from results in 2023.
Dig It Top 5: This month Grass seed best sellers.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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The temperature rises in this edition of Dig It as Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with passionate chilli grower Jason Breed. Jason, a seed specialist from Moles Seeds, gives a full rundown of the growing of these popular fiery fruits, a look at what makes chillies so hot, plus some insightful advice on getting the best from your plants and using them in the kitchen.
Chilli peppers are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chilli peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add ‘heat’ to dishes. There are many health benefits associated with chillies too.
The Scoville Scale is a measurement of pungency (spiciness or ‘heat’).
Jason famously created a Chocolate Chip Chilli Cookie featuring Habanero chillies at the Garden Centre.
Products mentioned: Products derived from chillies including sprays for bears, elephants (using barriers of chilli plants) and as an effective squirrel deterrent. Use Vermiculite at seed sowing time. Use a decent seed and cutting peat-free compost such as Levington’s. LED plant lights to help growth. Hydroponic systems lend themselves to chilli production. Use Organic contact sprays for caterpillars, greenflies, flea beetles, sawflies and whitefly control. Fertilisers including Chilli Focus Premium Liquid Concentrated Fertiliser.
Chilli varieties mentioned: ‘Apache’, ‘Quick Fire’ (30k on the Scoville scale), F1 hybrid, is the fastest maturing chilli available from seed with the prolific fiery red fruits produced in as little as 50 days from sowing. ‘Red Air’ (Bird’s eye type, Scoville Scale 70-80k), ‘Red Flame’ (Cayenne type, 30-50k), ‘Rocky’, a Jalapeno hybrid, 8k and ‘Santana’ (hybrid Anaheim, 2.5-3.5k).
Open pollinated types include Scotch Bonnet, Habanero and Tabasco, where seeds can be successfully saved from these plants.
Guinness World Records declares Pepper X as world’s new hottest chili pepper.
A garden axe would be Jason’s essential castaway item.
The latest Guinness World Chilli eating record.
Useful links
Chillies available from the Garden Centre including Padron Chilli Pepper and De Cayenne, South Devon Chilli Farm and Chilli Ranch. Jason also mentioned a Bedfordshire commercial chilli grower.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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The traditional starting point for many gardeners - Easter - falls early this year, so there’s much to be getting on with. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest events, news and topical advice for the month.
Plants mentioned: Forsythia, Snowdrops, Winter Aconites, Narcissi, Ulmus wredei, Buxus, Euonymus Jean Hugues and Green Spire, Daffodils, Dahlias, Gladioli, Freesia, Tuberous begonias, Sunflowers, Zinnia, and Cosmos. Veg plug plants, seeds of Cabbage, Tomatoes, Runner beans, Courgettes, Squashes, Rhubarb varieties Timperley Early, Glaskin’s Perpetual and Victoria. Onion Stuttgarter Giant, Hercules F1 and Centurion F1.
Products mentioned: Garden hoe, Compost mulch, Hotbin Composter and potato polybags.
What’s on
Tuesday 2nd March The Woodland Trust, our charity of the year will be joining us at the Garden Centre.
Tuesday 2nd - 10th March: Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre, Philadelphia, US
Sunday 17th March: Rare Plant Fair at The Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, 10am - 4pm.
20th -24th March: Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton
Wednesday 20th March: Orchid Day at the Garden Centre with Manos Kanellos, 11am-3pm.
Saturday 23rd March: Digby Hall Plant Fair, Sherborne, Dorset. 10am-2pm. Free admission.
Saturday 23rd – Sunday 24th March: Falmouth Spring Flower Show. This historic show features 100 classes, expert talks and activities.
Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens on BBC iPlayer
News
TV Dr Amir Khan's thoughts on gardening and mental health
A new study by the University of Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research highlighting useful evergreens which are best to clean the air.
Plant Heritage are asking gardeners across the UK to search for any rare or unusual plants in their Threatened Plants of the Year 2024 Competition.
New naturally resistant Elms are planted in Scotland.
Help for hedgehogs as robotic lawn mowers create a new safety concern.
Garden Centre highlights extent of current retail crime and violence.
A garden planned for Queen Elizabeth.
A call to arms from Monty Don encouraging shoppers to buy peat-free.
Lichens on the International Space Station.
Stink bug causes chaos Down Under.
Name your plants from Westland research.
Seiont Nurseries embrace peat-free production.
A new magnolia discovered in northern Honduras.
Garden resilience is set to change Sheffield Park and Gardens in major re-vamp.
Floral clock to be restored at Weston-Super-Mare.
Brogdale; One of the world’s largest fruit tree collections sold.
Blueberry blues as scientists reveal the secret of its colour.
Welsh gardeners are offered £20 vouchers to remove Cotoneaster horizontalis.
Time to get spotting with the RHS Bumblebee Trust survey.
Celebrating 125 years of the HTA.
Mr Plant Geek is the host for the new RHS Urban Show in Manchester.
Dig It’s top 5 top selling composts of last season. Top seller Jack’s Magic All Purpose Improved, 2nd The Gardeners Multi-Purpose from Westland 3rd Levington Multi-Purpose plus John Innes, 4th Miracle-Gro Peat Free Compost and 5th Westland New Horizon All Plant Compost
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with orchid supremo Peter White. Peter began growing orchids in 1980 and he has received many awards including RHS Gold medals for his orchid displays at RHS shows and he is a qualified judge of the RHS Orchid Committee. He is currently involved in the breeding of miniature Cymbidium and miniature Phalaenopsis. Peter White is a popular speaker on orchid growing and has supported Buckingham Garden Centre over many years.
Plants mentioned: Cymbidiums, Phalaenopsis ‘Sogo Yukidian’, Kalanchoe, Echeveria, Streptocarpus, and Saintpaulia (African Violets).
People, places, and products mentioned: Peter took us back to the large orchid collection at Aynho Park House, with his mentor gardener and orchid enthusiast Ted Humphris. Between 1938 and 1965 Ted showed plants he had grown to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Shows at Westminster, and he won 25 awards. Ted’s most famous plant was an orchid, Cattleya Portia which Peter discusses. Ted tended it for almost 50 years, and the second time he exhibited it at Westminster in November 1948 there were over 520 blooms, making it the biggest orchid in the world (at the time). Ted wrote two books: Garden Glory about his life as a gardener, and Apricot Village, a more general book giving snapshots of life in Aynho during Ted’s lifetime.
Solihull Orchid Society.
Orchid Judging and The British Orchid Council.
RHS Orchid Committee.
The Dutch company Floricultura are the biggest propagator of orchids with the largest laboratories in the world.
The 23rd World Orchid Conference and the 20th Taiwan International Orchid Show.
Orchid Focus Repotting Compost and Orchid Focus Bloom and Orchid Focus Grow fertiliser. Make sure you use a fertiliser on your orchids which contains no urea (Uric nitrogen). Use clear pots for Phalaenopsis - so light gets to the roots and you can observe the roots easily.
For cymbidiums use Chempak® High Nitrogen Feed - Formula 2. A soluble rapid growth feed which gets leaves and stems off to a strong start in summer and then follow with a Tomato Feed in autumn. Houseplant Compost, Vermiculite, potting grit. Opti flora – producers of extra-large and special Phalaenopsis. Dibleys Nursery – streptocarpus specialists. The Dutch Flower Auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands.
How dyed blue orchids are created on YouTube.
Peter’s Orchid accessories website.
Desert Island mentions: Phalaenopsis and a decent Swiss army knife with plenty of gadgets!
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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It’s February and the garden is starting to awake. In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest events, plants and people making the headlines as well as some topical advice on getting the best from your garden this month.
What’s on
1st - 29th February: Snowdrop season at Waterperry Gardens featuring over 60 different snowdrop varieties. Gardens open 10am - 5pm.
3rd February: Graft and Grow Day at Buckingham Garden Centre and held in conjunction with The Mid-Shires Orchard Group, 10am - 4pm. Scion wood swap, fruit tree grafting demos, rootstocks, and fruit trees to buy and much more.
3rd February - 10th March: Explore RHS Wisley's glasshouses for their annual Houseplant Takeover with the theme 'Plants Before Time'.
8th February - 1 May: Danger and Desire: The Seductive Power of Orchids. Exhibition at RHS Wisley.
Saturday 10th February: ‘Golden and Delicious - Edwardian Gardens’ A lecture by Caroline Holmes. Writtle University College, Writtle. 11.30am - 13.30pm.
Top selling potatoes in 2023 1st Charlotte (2nd early) 2nd Desire (main) 3rd Kestrel (2nd) 4th Cara (main) 5th Arran Piot (1st).
Plant mentions: Arbutus unedo, Betula (Himalayan birch), Broad beans, Dogwoods including ‘Midwinter Fire’ (Cornus) Hardy orchids, Fargesia (clump forming bamboo), Hedera (ivy), Mahonia, Mentha (mint), bedding Geraniums, Garlic, Sweet peas, Lettuce, Chinese money plant, Sansevieria Cylindrica Braided and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis).
People, places and product mentions: Ashridge Forest, Gertrude Jekyll, Edwardian Garden style, Georgian Parks and Gardens Round-Up weedkiller, Kathy Brown’s Garden featured on BBC Gardeners’ World, Landscape weed-suppressing fabric, Melcourt peat-free composts, houseplants fill one of the Malvern Garden Buildings at the Garden Centre, Nest boxes, Tim Chafor, Composted Bark and Hot Bin Composting.
News
Dormice under threat from wetter weather and climate change.
Bamboo is the new Japanese knotweed.
Kew experts predict horticultural trends
Grapes in, apples out – RHS predicts garden trends as climate changes
Bumper year for British wine growers as output almost doubles.
Dutch growers benefit from increased energy subsidies.
The Dutch Flower Association acknowledges peat-free growing medium for the first time.
First skatepark incorporated into a Chelsea Flower Show garden sparks debate
A Tasmanian garden wins the world’s ugliest lawn competition (video)
DEFRA launches Forest of the National competition with the overall winner receiving £10m to fund their project.
The RHS launches an AI chatbot called Chatbotanist to provide advice for members through their phone or PC
Oldest fungal plant named after children’s book author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter.
Biochar start-up Earthly Biochar has come up with a government-funded project that’s setting out to help save Britain's ash trees.
New Mr Fothergill’s wildlife seed mix launched by BBC Children in Need.
New findings suggest flowers are evolving to self-pollinate
2023 was a record year for the National Garden Scheme
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music
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In this episode of Dig It Chris Day and Peter Brown chat with Val Bourne - a lifelong gardener and award-winning garden writer whose name will be familiar to readers of The Telegraph, Country Life, Gardens Illustrated, Amateur Gardening and Saga magazine amongst others. As well as writing and lecturing, Val is an organic hands-on gardener and by her own admission a committed plantaholic.
Plants mentioned: Agapanthus, Artemisia, Antirrhinums, Aquilegia, Aster, bee orchid, Daphne Bholua, Camassia, Cosmos, Foxgloves, flowering cherry trees, Dahlia, Dierama, Lonicera fragrantissima (winter honeysuckle), Hellebores, hardy ferns, Narcissi, Nasturtiums, Paeonia, Pears, Penstemons, Rose Champagne Moment, Rose Wildeve, Red trefoil, Yellow Rattle, Phlox, Snowdrops, Trilliums, Whitebeam, Winter sweet and Zinnia.
People, places and products mentioned: Aphids, Buglife, Adam Henson, Ann-Marie Powell (garden designer), Long tailed bees, caterpillar control in salt water, earwigs, Blackspot, Hook Norton Brewery, Ground beetles, Thames Valley radio programme Dig It (no longer broadcast), ladybirds (two, seven spot, meadow species), Book English Pastoral by James Rebanks, Jennifer Owen (zoologist) and her book Jennifer Owen - Wildlife of a Garden: A Thirty-year Study (published by RHS). Andrew Halstead, retired RHS Principal Entomologist. Rothamsted Research Station, Cedric Morris garden at Chelsea, and No Mow May.
Val’s desert island tool - Cobra headed weeder tool. Castaway plant Amsonia, the eastern blue star plant.
Val’s book’s The Living Jigsaw, (Kew Publishing), The Natural Gardener: The Way We All Want to Garden, (Francis Lincoln) plus Val’s 10 Minute Gardener’s range of books covering vegetable, fruit, Grow your own and flower growing.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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The month of resolutions, new starts, and big dreams for the coming year. Peter Brown and Chris Day take time to delve into some of the talked about trends of 2024, plus the usual mix of gardening news, events, and gardening advice for the month ahead.
What’s on
Monday 1st January Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Guided Tour. Romsey, Hampshire.
Thursday 18th January: Rose Pruning Masterclass with Michael Marriott at Borde Hill, Haywards Heath in West Sussex.
Saturday 20th January: National Tulip Day in the centre of Amsterdam, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
Saturday 27th January: Talk ‘Puzzle Pictures’, 2.30-5pm organised by the Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust and to be held at Aylesbury Methodist Church and Centre.
26-28th January: RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.
27-28th January: Houseplant Weekend at RHS Garden Bridgewater.
Saturday 3rd February: Buckingham Garden Centre’s Graft and Grow Day featuring fruit tree grafting in conjunction with The Mid-Shires Orchard Group. 10am - 4pm.
Looking to get out and about? There’s plenty of great winter gardens around the UK to visit on the Great British Gardens website.
Dig It top 5 selling trees of 2023 Sharing the top slot Malus ‘Aros’ and Cotoneaster ‘Cornubia’, joint 2nd place with Malus ‘Red Obelisk’ and Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ and in the third place Acer ‘Brandywine’.
As we start the year, here’s our followers top most popular guest podcasts to date. Top slot is No Dig with Charles Dowding, in the second slot is Cottage Gardening with Rosy Hardy. In third position The Queen of the Herb’s Jekka McVicar followed by Cherry growing with Vikki Grainge and at the 5th slot Composting with Rod Weston.
News
End of the line for peat composts at Evergreen after 22 years.
Arit Anderson, in her new book, highlights a range of garden trees that can stand up for our changing climate.
Scientist calls for new ways to understand plant durability in recent RHS talk.
Low-level offenders will clean up graffiti and plant trees instead of being sent to prison as ministers try to solve major overcrowding crisis in UK.
Global action to save Aussie ‘living dinosaur’ tree.
International conservation charity Plantlife secures £80,000 campaign target to increase lichen research.
UK bans giant rhubarb after study finds popular garden plant is invasive species.
Plant fossils are remains of ancient baby turtles.
The Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) reach a membership milestone of over 700 members.
Peach Fuzz is Pantone colour of the year. A velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and heart. Expect to see plenty of peach tones and hues this year!
2024 is the year for Edimentals.
Garden ornament turns out to be live bomb.
Plant mentions: Box, Cyclamen persicum (large florist cyclamen), Broccoli, Purple and white sprouting broccoli, Globe artichoke, Reindeer moss, Mixed Native Hedging, Gunnera maculata, Honeysuckle hedging, Pansies, Swiss Chard, Chinese lanterns, Lettuce ‘Lollo Rossa,’ ornamental grasses, Pea ‘Feltham First’ and ‘Meteor,’ Geraniums (from seed), Liliums, autumn fruiting raspberries, strawberry runners, and seed potatoes.
Product Mentions: Kelkay trends for 2024, terracotta pots, lawn aerator, mower service, Haxnicks Fleece jackets and organic winter wash.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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In this edition of Dig It we chat with multi-award-winning Garden Designer and Landscape Contractor Alan Sargent, a Fellow of The Institute of Horticulture and Founder of The Association of Professional Landscapers. Alan Sargent is a proper landscape gardener who over the past five decades has won countless awards, including over sixty Royal Horticultural Society Show Garden medals at Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton Park and Gardeners’ World Live.
Alan’s latest book, Confessions of a Gardener, helps support the fantastic charity Perennial - the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society. £4 will be donated to Perennial. You can order it here.
Product mentions: Consider a Hydrological survey which documents the source (inflow), route, and flow (outflow) of springs, brooks, streams, rivers, and culverts. The report also notes water depths, seasonal flooding, and the significance of surface water runoffs on your land and beyond. Lasers for levels rather than water levels. Butyl pond liner, Bradstone paving and stone, Porcelain, Indian sandstone paving, importance of permeable materials for drainage.
Plant mentions: Palm trees, wildflowers, and re-wilding to help attract birds, bee friendly plants for pollinators and Japanese maples.
People mentions: Alan Titchmarsh - mentor to Alan, Peter Seabrook, Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Alexandra, Patron of Action for Blind People as well as being President of Sightsavers. Garden designers Robin Williams, Mark Gregory, who has been involved with 99 gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, with a total of 160 show gardens for the RHS, making him the most medalled garden builder within the RHS. Peter Rodgers, garden designer. TV presenter and botanist Dr David Bellamy. Peter Rodgers, garden designer.
Desert island tool: A Swiss army knife.
Alan Sargent’s website
Landscape Library (educational resource)
The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL, Find a Landscaping Professional)
The Professional Garden Consultants Association
The Chartered Institute of Horticulture
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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Dig It hosts Peter Brown and Chris Day look at the latest news, views, and gardening tasks to keep you busy, plus the Dig it top 5, and some ideas for getting out and about this month.
What’s on
7 – 11 December Winter Flower Week at the Garden Museum, London. Five floral designers transform the Garden Museum into an environmentally friendly floral winter wonderland.
Friday 8th December, 12 noon – 4pm at the Garden Centre we have a wine tasting event with our good friend Tim Chafor from Chafor Vineyard Estate, Gawcott.
The RHS are running Glow Events at their gardens at Wisley, 4pm - 9pm, Hyde Hall (5-9pm) in Essex and at RHS Rosemoor (4.40- 8.30pm). Visit the RHS website for details.
Dig It top 5 - spring flowering bulbs
No 1 Narcissi 'Tête-à-tête, No 2 Amaryllis ‘Dancing Queen’, No 3 Narcissi Mixed 1.5kg bag, No 4 Hyacinth ‘Early Forcing’ and at No 5 Tulip ‘Purple Rain’.
A ‘lunar halo’ was spotted in the night skies in late November and Peter managed to capture the phenomenon which is caused by the refraction of moonlight from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. // LINK TO PETERS PHOTO //
News
Adam Frost will be at the Gardeners World Live Show in June 2024 with his Chef’s Table Garden.
Greenpeace freedom of information request highlights the huge waiting lists for allotments.
Nearly half of species are threatened according to new Kew research findings.
Peat not mentioned in the King’s Speech.
The RHS publish a list of peat-free nurseries.
A new chilli Pepper X is now a new Guinness world record breaker.
A new chapter at Hillier Nurseries.
Treadstone wins the GIMA Award in the Category Sustainability Champion for their Treadstone Rope Trellis
Candide, a dedicated social networking app for plant and garden-lovers, closes on the 7th December.
A taster of the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show Gardens.
The RHS open their first standalone shop, The Plant Space at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent.
Gardeners’ World presenter Sue Kent highlights specific Garden Heritage Seed varieties from Garden Organic. Sue visited Garden Organics earlier this year.
Horticulture sector needs urgent safeguards, reports House of Lords committee
Sir David Attenborough donates Easter Island seeds to Kew
‘Darwin’s oak’ to be felled to make way for Shrewsbury bypass
East Anglian Fens were covered in yew trees 4,000 years ago, study finds
The entire population of Kenya has been given the day off to plant trees
Mentions: Sir Harold Hillier Garden, famed winter garden, in Romsey in Hampshire is well worth visiting. The Garden Centre will be donating 50p per Christmas tree sold this year to the charity Ripple Africa who actively promote sustainable tree planting in Malawi.
Product mentions: Winter wash fruit trees and bushes with Growing Success Winter Wash, tree ties, tree shelters, check your stakes, insulate outdoor taps against frost, Secateurs Eversharp, Wolf Secateurs or Felco. WD40, Blade sharpening tool/stone. Christmas tree stand with a water reservoir.
Plant mentions: Abies nordmanniana, English Oak, Bluebell, Dandelion, fruit trees and soft fruit.
Our thanks for Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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The trend for terrarium gardening grows each year, with more people than ever creating miniature enclosed indoor growing spaces to enjoy at home. Terrariums are simple to make, easy to care for and rewarding to have. In this episode Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Dr Manos Kanellos who takes us through the history, the selection of plants and planting to create your own display.
Main pointers: Location, terrariums (open or closed), types of plants best suited to light levels and careful consideration to the way you place your plants. Plant in layers starting with height and then choose plants to bulk out the display as well as covering the soil. Try and theme your display – all green, variegated or add splashes of colour in the way of plants or props.
Plant mentions: Open terrariums Cacti and slow growing succulents, where possible try and use the same group of plants, plus air and carnivorous plants. Flowering plants such as Saintpaulia and Kalanchoe are better in open terrariums.
Closed terrariums: Adiantum, Pteris and Nephrolepsis ferns, Fittonia, Helxine soleirolii, Begonia rex and Peperomias. The only orchid Manos would suggest for growing in a terrarium is the Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor).
Product mentions Any glass containers are suitable as long as they are large, grit, gravel or clay granules provide the drainage, an escape for water, activated carbon charcoal helps with the filtration and absorption qualities of the compost, peat-free potting mix, BBQ tongs for handling cacti, special tools come into play if using the old fashioned thin necked carboys or green bottles, a small watering can with a rose or large spoonful of water to help settle in new plants. Houseplant Focus plant feed. Decorative stones, slate, or moss to provide a terrain to your plants. You can add characters likes decorative animals, Buddhas, fairies, dinosaurs or even LEGO characters to help create a story. Fungus gnats (sciarid flies) control - use small yellow sticky traps or carefully spray with SB Plant Invigorator and Bug Killer.
Desert Island plant and tool: A palm maybe Beaucarnea recurvata, the elephant's foot or ponytail palm and a mobile phone!
The book, Terrariums: A Beginners Guide is an authoritative and detailed guide to terraria by Manos Kanellos and is available from all good Garden Centres.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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After an incredibly wet, windy and mild autumn in many parts of the UK, November beckons with a hope of more settled conditions. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us up to date with the latest gardening news, a couple of events celebrating apples, and the joy of garden visiting, as well as plenty of gardening tasks to be getting on with, plus the return of a very special guest to Dig It, houseplant aficionado Jane Perrone and her latest gardening project – Houseplant Gardener in a Box.
Plants mentions: Apple Granny Smith, Comfrey, Sweet Chestnut, Sycamore, Loofah, Tulips, Winter pansies, Wallflower ‘Sugar Rush’, Broad beans, Onions, Shallots and Garlic. Narcissus ‘Paper White’ and bare-root raspberry canes.
Product mentions: Empathy RootGrow, Melcourt SylvaGrow Multi-Purpose Compost, Levington Organic Blend Topsoil, wheatgerm fish food, greenhouse bubble insulation, horticultural fleece, garden furniture covers, grease bands for fruit trees, Gro-Sure Repair Kits, Autumn lawn food and pot feet.
What’s on
27th October – 28th January 2024 The Museum of Cider in Hereford is hosting an exhibition called A Variety of Cultures. The event explores how cultures across the globe have taken the apple and made it their own.
Thursday 23rd November, Annual Lecture – What Garden Visiting Does for Us with Robin Lane Fox. Venue the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR, or watch it live-streamed online at 7pm.
This month’s Dig It top 5
Soft fruits 1. Strawberry ‘Red Gauntlet’ 2. Strawberry ‘Cambridge Favourite’ 3. Blueberry ‘Sunshine Blue’ 4. Strawberry ‘Hapil’ 5. Blackcurrant ‘Big Ben.’
News
The Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland felling incident.
Wrexham’s 484-year-old Sweet Chestnut Tree has been voted Tree of the Year 2023.
The UK’s largest collection of comfreys has been made a National Collection by the conservation charity Plant Heritage.
Eight Guinness World Records achieved at Great Autumn Malvern Show.
A 10,000 collection of pumpkins and squashes set a new Guiness World Record at Sunnyfields Farm in Southampton.
Amateur Gardening magazine saved from cancellation.
The results of this year’s Big Butterfly Count are in, and more than 1.5 million butterflies and daytime months were recorded.
Losses of specimen yew trees at King Charles’s Sandringham residence as staff remove 14 dead trees in a new Topiary Garden.
Gardeners’ World has paid tribute to Monty Don's golden retriever, Nellie, following her sad passing.
Therapy garden at King’s Heath, Birmingham is awarded thousands of Lottery money for major revamp.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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In this month’s Dig It, Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Adrian Bloom about his iconic Garden – Foggy Bottom in Diss, Norfolk. Adrian tells the story behind the garden and how he’s captured it for his new book, Foggy Bottom - A Garden to Share. In the podcast we discover how the Bloom brand developed over the years and the influences of Adrian’s father, plantsman Alan Bloom.
Plant mentions: Heathers (Erica and Calluna), x Cupressocyparis leylandii, Cotinus coggygria (smoke bush), Stipa tenuissima, Miscanthus, Cornus, Viburnum, Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant redwood), Hydrangea ‘Annabelle,’ Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’, Pampas grass and Platycladus orientalis (Thuja).
Desert island plant: Buddlejas and hybridising them.
People, places, and product mentions: Alan Bloom and his helper Percy Piper were responsible for raising and introducing over 150 perennials, and the tradition has been continued by his son Adrian, son in law Jaime Blake, and grandson Jason. Percy Thrower, Richard Bloom (photographer). The 1960 Winter Olympics held in the Squaw Valley Resort in Squaw Valley, California. Pershore College, Bressingham Hall, Cambridge Fen Tongue End skating. Books: Perennials For Your Garden by Alan Bloom, A Year Round Garden by Adrian Bloom.
Origins of the name Foggy Bottom, Washington DC.
You can order a signed copy of Foggy Bottom - A Garden to Share book here
To find out more about Adrian Bloom, the Gardens, Books, and Plants, visit the website.
Blooms of Bressingham YouTube channel
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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There’s plenty to be getting on with this month in the garden, despite the clocks going back in the UK. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day help to put some of the garden to bed, plant spring bulbs and get border prepared. There’s the usual round-up of topical news from the world of gardening as well as a few important diary dates if you’re planning to get out and about this month.
What’s on
Sunday 1st October, 10am-4pm, The second day of our Apple Weekend event at the Garden Centre and we will be joined by top apple fruit identification expert Gerry Edwards, apple pressing featuring The Mid-Shire Orchard Group, Garden Organics with Chris Collins, and the local wildlife trust.
Sunday 8th October Orchard Open Day at Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire, 10am - 4pm.
Thursday, 12th October Ryton Demonstration Garden Tour 10:00am - 11.15am at Garden Organic, Ryton Gardens, Coventry. https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/events/ryton-garden-tour-12oct
Tuesday 17 October Horatio's Garden Stoke Mandeville (National Spinal Injuries Centre), designed by Joe Swift. Private Tour in aide of the Horatio's Garden Charity, 10.00-11.30am. Booking is essential.
All October Looking for local gardens to you for autumn colour then check out the Great British Gardens website
Dig it Top 5 Hedging Plants As next month we officially start the hedging season, here’s a reminder of our top sellers last season Top seller at No 1. Quickthorn 2. Hornbeam 3. Green Beech 4. Photinia Red Robin 5. Green Privet.
News
The world’s oldest gardening magazine Amateur Gardening magazine closes after 139 years.
Interflora and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust join forces to introduce a bee-friendly Beequet!
Top chef Raymond Blanc continues his passion for growing and preserving many of the Heirloom veggies from Garden Organics at his Oxfordshire restaurant.
The new RHS Urban Plant Show is set to open at the Depot Mayfield in Manchester on the 18th-21st April 2024.
Reduced peat growing of UK houseplants.
Nursery growing peat-free houseplants from seed.
Be more sustainable by taking cuttings from your own plants says Tony Le Britton.
Sculpture garden scoops top accolade.
First sensory garden for pets opens in Devon.
New study on growing homegrown food is looking for volunteers to help with research. To take part, contact [email protected]
Teenager finds seed from world’s largest bean pod on beach.
Plants mentioned: Holly (Ilex), Potatoes, Tomato, Catnip, Plant garlic (available instore), Stocks, Winter hardy Pansies and Violas, 6-pack Wallflowers, Fuchsias, Pelargonium (geraniums), Alliums, Crocus, Daffodils, Tulips. Indoor Hyacinths and Amaryllis planting time. Nature Love’ colour themed bulb packs. Primrose and mini cyclamen for centre bowl planting.
Products mentioned: Compost bins, Vitax Greenhouse Fumigator (Insecticide smoke for greenhouses) and greenhouse disinfectant. Horticultural fleece for winter protection. Larger plant labels.
Our special thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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In this edition of Dig It, Peter Brown, and Chris Day chat with winemaker / vintner Tim Chafor, who runs the 8-acre Chafor Wine Estate featuring over 10,000 grape vines, set in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside and just a stone’s throw from the Garden Centre.
Grapes grown at Chafor Wine Estate are Champagne varieties of ‘Chardonnay’ (white), ‘Pinot Noir’ (red) and ‘Pinot Meunier’, (red) alongside ‘Bacchus’ (white), a variety which is widely becoming recognised as England’s signature grape. This variety is a true dual-purpose variety.
Other grapes mentioned: ‘Merlot’ (red), ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ (red) and ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ (white).
Grape rootstocks, including the stock Tim recommends SO4.
Bernwood Forest and Buckinghamshire’s County Council Coat of Arms inspired the stag logo used by Chafor Wine Estate.
If you fancy grape stomping (feet pressing) then you might have to look further afield in the UK, as Tim said these would be experiences and we did spot one on Airbnb Tip: Google search ‘grape stomping’.
Accolades Tim’s wines have collected major awards from such esteemed bodies as the International Wine Challenge, Decanter, and the UK Wine awards. Tim’s 2014 Chafor Wine Estate Vintage Rosé received 91 points from leading wine advocate Robert Parker.
Desert island luxuries: A grape vine, either ‘Bacchus’ or if that’s unavailable the variety ‘Pinot Noir’ and a wine press!
Useful links
Chafor Wine Estate website
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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After a soggy July and mixed fortunes weather wise in August, Peter Brown and Chris Day look forward to the prospect of an Indian summer in this month’s Dig It. A pick of the best events, news, and garden trade stories, plus those essential gardening tasks for the month ahead.
What’s on
1st- 30th September Garden Organic are promoting 30 thrifty biodiversity projects, one for each day of the month through Organic September and across their social medial channels #ThriftyThirty
1st - 3rd September BBC Gardeners' World Autumn Fair, Audley End House and Garden, Saffron Walden.
5th - 10th September RHS Wisley Flower Show, Surrey.
16th - 17th September Cactus at the Castle event at Lullingstone Castle & The World Garden in Kent.
17th September Rare Autumn Plant Fair at Borde Hill Garden, Haywards Heath.
22 - 24th September Malvern Plant and Garden Fair, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire.
30th September / 1st October Apple Weekend at Buckingham Garden Centre, 10am-4pm.
It’s time to celebrate the Apple at Buckingham Garden Centre's popular Apple Weekend event featuring RHS apple expert Gerry Edwards, The Mid Shires Orchard group, plus Chris Collins, Garden Organic's Head of Organic Horticulture, and former BBC Blue Peter Gardener.
Dig It Top Five Sellers - Perennials (in 1-litre pots) 1. Lavender ‘Hidcote,’ 2. Lupinus ‘Gallery Mixed’, 3. Delphinium ‘Black Knight’, 4. Penstemon ‘Pensham Wedding Day’ and 5. Leucanthemum ‘Snow Lady’.
News
Sweetpea species offers future food potential.
Blenheim Palace gardens to get major revamp.
The National Garden Scheme launches five new community-based projects.
Growers told to be vigilant as Colorado beetles are spotted in the south of England.
Squire’s Garden Centre electrifies its fleet.
Blue Diamond buys four nursery sites.
Pitcher plants can go peat-free says RHS.
London’s Garden Museum to expand gardens into public realm.
Home and garden chain Wilko files for administration putting 12,000 jobs at risk.
CEO Dave Carey leaves Mr Fothergill’s.
Calls to use native grasses rather than ryegrass in our lawns.
Quarter of Brits think artificial grass should be banned.
Plants and products mentioned Amaryllis, autumn flowering bulbs Colchicums, Crocus and Cyclamen hederifolium. Prepared hyacinths. Cerinthes, Ammi, Scabiosa and Cornflowers. Dahlias, Heuchera, ornamental grasses, hardy Pansies, and Violas. Propagate Fuchsia, Salvias, Rosemary Prune cropped Raspberry canes. Houseplant Tradescantia. Maxicrop Original Seaweed Extract, Aftercut Autumn Lawn Food, lawn seed, pea netting to cover ponds before leaf fall and garden vax for leaf shedding for composting.
Our special thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music.
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Chris Collins is a gardening legend – winning a legion of fans from his early days working in amenity horticulture to his big break on Blue Peter, presenting on the QVC shopping channel and being the ambassador to the national charity Garden Organic. In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day chat to Chris - the globetrotting author; TV broadcaster; lecturer and horticultural consultant.
Plants mentioned: Ulmus angustifolia (Cornish elm), David Austin Roses, Borage, Poppies, tomatoes, aubergines, spinach, bedding plants, chillis, peppers, micro-greens in a salad bar and bulbs - Alliums, Crocus, Snowdrops, and Tulips. Houseplants: Cycads, Crotons, Ficus benjamina, Pelargoniums, and terrarium gardening.
Products and people: David Austin Roses, Whichford Pottery, Trowels, Honda Mower, Percy Thrower, hanging baskets, Obelisks, Maxi crop Seaweed Extract, Q4 pellets, spouts with water bottles. Lawrence Hills, founder of Garden Organics. Horticulture Week magazine, The Plantsman (BBC 2 programme), and QVC Shopping Channel.
Places mentioned: Graduate of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Apprentice gardeners at Brighton Parks Department, Limbe Botanic Garden in Cameroon, South arboretum at the Royal Botanic gardens in Kew, Head gardener at Westminster Abbey Gardens, college garden / medicinal garden. BBC Media City, Salford, home of the Blue Peter Garden, and Balcony gardens at Chelsea Flower Show.
Desert island luxuries: Felco 8 secateurs and Betula (birch tree), one of the most relaxed ‘unstressed’ trees to grow.
Chris’s gardening book, Grow Your Own For Kids
Chris Collins’s website Facebook and Instagram
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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After a damp and cool July, we look forward to a productive, colourful yet relaxed August. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day provide a round-up of the month’s gardening what’s on’s, a look at the stories making the gardening headlines and a round-up of those essential gardening tasks.
What’s on
2 - 6th August: RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show, Chelmsford, Essex.
4 - 13th August: Shropshire Petal Fields, Newport, Shropshire.
11 – 12th August: Shrewsbury Flower Show, The Quarry Shrewsbury.
12 – 13th August: The Great Comp Summer Show, Platt near Sevenoaks, Kent.
17 – 20th August: Southport Flower Show, Victoria Park, Southport.
18 – 20th August: RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show, Great Torrington, Devon.
Until 13 September: RHS Garden Wisley. A new exhibition Growing Up in the Garden, showcasing the way children use gardens as a place to connect with and explore the natural world.
NEWS
First King’s birthday honours for landscaper and designer Tom Stuart-Smith (OBE) and Kew’s Director of Gardens Richard Barley (MBE).
Renowned rosarian Michael Marriott awarded the Dean Hole Medal by Colin Squire, chairman of The Rose Society UK.
Top accolade the Brickell Award went to Adrian Young’s National Collection of 900 Saxifraga as part of Plant Heritage’s Hampton Court display.
Carol Klein named the RHS's 'Iconic Horticultural Hero' for 2023 and Carol’s comments about the lack of female representation on Gardeners’ World.
Hemlock warning: the deadly plant found in UK gardens.
Rare pink grasshopper spotted in North Wales.
Use of peat is falling according to latest HTA report.
Scottish farmers lead research to revive lost linen industry.
Salisbury City Council scraps hanging baskets and sparks division.
Top plants named at HTA Plant Show - Curcuma ‘Skyline’ overall winner. Other winners include Agapanthus Orientalis ‘Black Jack,’ Ball Colegrave Ltd’s Dahlia ‘Dalina® Maxi Starburst Pink’ and Fatsia Japonica ‘Camouflage.’
Dig It Top Five Roses: 1. ‘The Queen Elizabeth II’, 2. ‘With Love’, 3. ‘Cutie Pie’, 4. ‘Precious Ruby’ and 5. ‘Mary Berry’.
Plant mentions: Plant seed potatoes for Christmas, Leeks, Brassicas and Spinach. Sow Basil, Marjoram, Borage, Chives, Coriander, and Dill. Propagate lavender and rosemary. Divide Chives. Propagate and plant new strawberry runners including ‘Cambridge Favourite,’ ‘Elsanta,’ and ‘Honeoye.’ Continue sowing early-flowering biennials - like honesty and wallflowers. Sow Cress and compact sunflowers with the children.
Product mentions: Bamboo canes, Garden twine (Jute). Plant feeds - Tomorite, Doff fertilisers. Miracle Gro, Phostrogen, Seaweed Extract, Westland Tomato Food and Comfrey tea.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music.
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In this episode of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day talk national plant collections with Gill Groombridge, who is Plant Heritage’s Business Manager. We find out some of the background history of Plant Heritage and the diverse ranges of National Plant Collections and why 2023 is a special year for this charity.
We also chat with Jonathan Shepherd, who is a holder of not one but two plant collections – Hollyhocks (Alcea) and Cosmos bipinnatus - in his 2-acre Lincolnshire garden and polytunnels where he grows his plants in a very sustainable way. Jonathan describes his journey into growing and how he has become an advocate to these two important plant species. He also shares his growing tips on raising them for the garden and for staging at the prestigious Hampton Court Flower Festival held earlier this month.
Plant Heritage is the world's leading garden plant conservation and research charity – celebrating 45 years. The charity’s mission is the conservation of cultivated plants in the British Isles and a milestone of 700 national plant collections has been reached.
Gill’s favourite plants: Australasia beauties including Callistemon, Leptospermum and Eucalyptus (gum trees).
Hollyhocks are short-lived non-native perennials. Varieties mentioned: ‘Charters,’ ‘Purple Rain,’ Blackcurrant World, ‘Creme de Cassis’ and ‘Nigra.’ ‘Halo’ varieties bred by Thompson & Morgan include single colours - ‘Halo Apricot,’ ‘Halo Blush’ and ‘Halo Cream.’
Cosmos are short day flowers and need to be kept hungry as too much feed often results in much taller plants. Jonathan sowed over 3000 seeds for the 17 planters of Cosmos he took to this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. Varieties mentioned: ‘Cupcake Blush,’ ‘Gloria,’ ‘Dazzler’ (Monty Don’s favourite), ‘Apricotta,’ ‘Pink Mosaic’ and ‘Sonata.’ Check out our seed range here
Desert Island item: Jonathan’s grandad’s galvanised watering can - he wouldn’t be without it!
Product and people mentions: Melcourt SylvaGrow Peat-Free Compost (for seed sowing), Westland New Horizon Peat-Free (for planters). TV gardener and designer Adam Frost. Sweet Peas: An Essential Guide by Roger Parsons. Rosa Persica staged by Daniel Myhill, Jonathan Hogarth for his educational display of small and miniature hosta.
Jonathan’s website, Twitter, and Instagram
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.
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Our gardens are growing apace this month and there’s plenty to be getting on with as Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day tackle those essential tasks, plus a round-up of July events and garden stories around the UK.
What’s on
4th - 9th July: RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, Surrey. Shop for plants from specialist nurseries and be inspired by gardens.
15th & 16th of July: Belvoir Castle Flower and garden Show, in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
19th - 23rd July: RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire.
News
King Charles and Queen Camilla open the Coronation Garden in Hazelbank Park, Newtownabbey, Ireland.
The secret Italian Garden in Great Ambrook opens in Devon.
Perennial’s garden The Laskett opens to the public.
Record stag beetles this summer.
The Scottish government may not be following the same timeline for peat-free ban than England.
Globetrotting rare Ghost orchid flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Peat free test trials featured in Amateur Gardening showing positive results on two major products.
B&Q says don't dig your garden - it's bad for your soil and the environment. Listen back to Charles Dowding’s Dig it podcast.
Lincolnshire beans could provide British solution to imports.
Dig It Top Five 6-pack bedding 1. Geranium White, 2. Geranium Deep Red, 3. Lobelia trailing – all colours, 4. Petunia Mixed, and 5. Antirrhinums.
Plant mentions: Allium seed collection and drying the head for decoration, Borage, Eucalyptus, Rose 'Peter's Persica', butterfly attracting plants such as Buddleja, including the newer dwarf varieties, B ‘White Profusion’, Foxgloves, Verbena, Marjoram, perennial wallflowers, Courgette ‘Eight Ball’, Heirloom seed varieties from Garden Organics, Wisteria (summer pruning), Wisteria ‘Amethyst Falls’, Spiraea, Philadelphus (mock orange), Marginal, Water Lilies and Oxygenating plants for ponds, Sweet Peas, Box Moth Caterpillar, Ermine moth webs affecting native hedging, Runner beans, Comfrey, Wallflowers. First early potatoes for Christmas.
Product mentions: Dalefoot Peat-free Compost, SylvaGrow Multipurpose Compost, Baby Bio, Tomato fertiliser, barley straw (to help reduce blanketweed), dichlorination (water changes), Smart Garden solar water features and Root trainers.
Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music.
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