Gardens, weeds and words

Are those of us who love gardening doing enough to eliminate barriers that might stop others from getting involved?

In discussion with garden designer and poet Sean Swallow about the relationship of words and gardens, and the ability of both to describe and shape our creative process.

On the threshold between winter and spring, garden writer and author of The Almanac: a seasonal guide to 2019 joins me to talk about her garden, her work, and why living more in tune with the seasons is good for us all.

British Sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon joins me to discuss how she adapts her creative process for her own garden, creating intimate garden spaces, and the advantages of time spent just standing about and thinking.

Mid-winter offers a pause to the gardener, and a chance to plan, on those long, dark evenings, for the garden over the next year. And no matter how wildlife friendly your garden already is, there’s always something else we can do.

Can you be a gardener without a garden? We think you can – indoors, outdoors... whenever you're tending plants, you're gardening. Alice Vincent tells us about her experience gardening 60 feet up in her London flat.

The clocks have gone back, and we're descending into the darker part of the year. Over a seasonal garden soundtrack, I talk to Ros Atkinson about her garden and vegetable-related experiences, and she goes about capturing light.

Over a soundtrack of the garden in October, I'm pondering how our gardens relate to the landscape in which they sit, chatting to artist Celia Hart about her beautiful lino cut images of the Suffolk landscape, and visiting Dungeness. With a micro review of Monty Don's The Ivington Diaries and a reading by Beth Pinkerton.

Over a soundtrack of the garden in September, I wonder why we make gardens, and chat with Jane Perrone about the part plants play in her life. With a micro review of The Almanac: a seasonal guide to 2018 by Lia Leendertz, and a reading by Ben Dark.

A new gardening podcast is coming, from Andrew O'Brien, gardener and blogger at Gardens, Weeds & Words. Don't forget to subscribe!