Talking Gardens

Our Media
  • 4.5 (94)
  • HOME & GARDEN
  • WEEKLY SERIES
Talking Gardens

If you could create your dream garden from pieces of all of your favourite places, and if you could grow any plants in the world, what would you choose? Who would you have as your imaginary head gardener, or garden designer? In Talking Gardens, the podcast from the team behind Gardens Illustrated, host Stephanie Mahon asks the great and the good of the gardening world to construct their ultimate fantasy growing space. Tune in to hear what Great Dixter’s head gardener Fergus Garrett, gardener and broadcaster Monty Don, and garden writer Alice Vincent choose for their dream gardens. Discover why head gardener Troy Scott-Smith is no longer watering the borders at Sissinghurst; why herb expert Jekka McVicar loves a moon gate; and how gardening saved the life of Charlie Harpur, head gardener at Knepp Castle Walled Garden. We also learn what ethnobotanist James Wong’s imaginary Eden would look like, and what garden designer Sarah Price would never allow in her garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    Dan Pearson

    Steph talks to lauded landscape designer Dan Pearson about his dream garden and what he would want to include in his fantasy space, from a temple garden in Kyoto and the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park to the architecture of Mexico and the high glades of the Himalaya. He talks through his design process and the plants he would love to grow, and discusses how to manage client’s expectations and some of his new projects plus why he can’t stand tennis courts. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com  Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m

  2. EPISODE 2

    Carol Klein

    Legendary plantswoman and TV presenter Carol Klein talks to Stephanie about her life and career, her hatred of garden makeover shows and miniature plants, her recovery from cancer last year and why Valerie Finnis once gave her a banana as a consolation prize. Find out what and who she would have in her fantasy garden and when she plans on retiring. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com  Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Manoj Malde

    Garden designer Manoj Malde speaks with Steph about his dream garden and his inspirations for it, including Jardin Majorelle in Morocco and Lotusland in California, as well as the landscape of Crete and the work of designers Steve Martino and Juan Grimm. Discover what it was like to get married at the Chelsea Flower Show and what he has in store for his show garden there this year. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com  Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    49 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Tom Massey

    Designer Tom Massey joins Steph to talk about his Chelsea Flower Show garden that includes mycelium walls and AI that makes trees talk. He reveals the gardens and landscapes that have influenced him most, from the Cornwall hideaway where he spent his childhood holidays to Richmond Park in London and the special Japanese island he will never forget. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 1m

  5. EPISODE 5

    Jo Thompson

    Jo Thompson, award-winning garden designer, joins Steph to talk about her fantasy garden. From her love of roses to her penchant for romantic gardens and her love of Italy, where she spent a lot of time as a child, in this episode we discover more about how Jo is always juggling so much from her new book to her Substack community and garden designs. Find out what inspired her to come out of Chelsea Flower Show retirement to do one more show garden this year, for The Glasshouse, and what advice she would give to other women designers who are juggling career goals and families. Plus, why she would want to have Vita Sackville-West and Christopher Lloyd on a job-share as her gardeners and why she’d rather grow a carrot than a cactus. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find more gardening inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend and make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    58 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    James Hitchmough

    James Hitchmough, planting maestro and Emeritus Professor of Horticultural Ecology at the University of Sheffield joins Steph to talk about his dream garden, and his own new garden he is creating in Somerset. James discusses all the places he has travelled to to see gardens and plants and the people he has met along the way, plus why he likes growing from seed and what started him on his career path in the first place. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com  Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 8m

  7. EPISODE 7

    Alys Fowler

    Horticulturist, author and garden journalist Alys Fowler joins Steph to discuss her dream garden and her new garden in Wales. She discusses the importance of ‘living with your rubbish’ and gives her perspective on rewilding, as well as revealing why she believes she may come from a long line of bog-dwellers. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com  Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    58 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Tom Coward

    This time, Steph is talking to Tom Coward, head gardener at Gravetye Manor garden in Sussex. Now a luxury hotel, it was once the home of gardener and writer William Robinson, who dominated the Victorian gardening scene with his books The English Flower Garden and The Wild Garden. Tom chooses what he would like in his dream garden, his passion for plants and who he would have at his fantasy dinner party. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com Subscribe to Gardens Illustrated magazine and get your first 6 issues for only £12 and unlock member-only benefits including our members-only newsletter, dedicated members website, and much more. Become a member today ➡ ourmediashop.com/GIPOD525 Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden next time. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    49 min

  9. SEASON 5 TRAILER

    Talking Gardens Season 5 Trailer

    What would you have in your dream garden? That's what we ask our guests on Talking Gardens, the podcast from Gardens Illustrated. We've got more amazing guests this season with top designers going for gold at the Chelsea Flower Show, as well as much-loved gardeners and expert plants people who will be telling all about their fantasy growing spaces. Discover Dan Pearson's approach to garden design, why Manoj Malde left fashion for horticulture, how Tom Massey is bringing AI into our gardens, and what advice Jo Thompson gives to women who want to do a Chelsea Show Garden. We'll also be talking to national treasure Carol Klein, Head Gardener Tom Coward, planting maestro James Hitchmough and Horticulturist Alys Fowler. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Hit follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1 min
See All Season 5 (9)

Trailers

4.5
out of 5
94 Ratings

About

If you could create your dream garden from pieces of all of your favourite places, and if you could grow any plants in the world, what would you choose? Who would you have as your imaginary head gardener, or garden designer? In Talking Gardens, the podcast from the team behind Gardens Illustrated, host Stephanie Mahon asks the great and the good of the gardening world to construct their ultimate fantasy growing space. Tune in to hear what Great Dixter’s head gardener Fergus Garrett, gardener and broadcaster Monty Don, and garden writer Alice Vincent choose for their dream gardens. Discover why head gardener Troy Scott-Smith is no longer watering the borders at Sissinghurst; why herb expert Jekka McVicar loves a moon gate; and how gardening saved the life of Charlie Harpur, head gardener at Knepp Castle Walled Garden. We also learn what ethnobotanist James Wong’s imaginary Eden would look like, and what garden designer Sarah Price would never allow in her garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

Information

  • Creator
    Our Media
  • Episodes
    51
  • Seasons
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Our Media
  • Show Website
    Talking Gardens

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