Hello and welcome back to the Mic the Gardener Gardening Podcast. In this week's episode I chat to garden & landscape designer and author, Jack Wallington about his new book 'A Greener Life: Discover the Joy of Mindful & Sustainable Gardening'. This book is a must have if you wish to pursue and learn more about sustainable garden practices and to work alongside nature in your own green space. Jack tells us about how this, his third book, came about including how and where he writes and m...
Mar 04, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Hello and welcome back to the Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast with me, your host, Mike Palmer. In this week's episode I pay a visit to the Harold Hillier Winter Garden near Romsey, United Kingdom. It's a stunning garden year-round, but the winter garden is beautifully planted with trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs which provide amazing winter colour, scent, texture and all-round interest. I chat with Head Gardener, Fran Clifton about: What makes a great winter garden What plants to use Pl...
Feb 25, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Mic the Gardener podcast. This week I head to the stunning Arundel Castle Gardens , West Sussex, United Kingdom to chat with Head Gardener, Martin Duncan. As you will hear, Martin is an extremely experienced and knowledgeable Head Gardener with some very prestigious jobs under his belt. We chat about Martin’s illustrious career to date, some of the very distinguished people he has worked for, his love of landscape design, the role of Head Gardene...
Feb 18, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Hello and welcome back to Series III of the Mic the Gardener Gardening Podcast . I’m delighted to be back after the New Year break. In this first episode I go back to the most fundamental and important component of our gardens…. soil. Without soil we have no plants, trees, shrubs, vegetables, fruit, perennials or bulbs. My parents used to tell me to spend a pound on the hole and a penny on the plant. That’s so true.. Our gardens, containers and balconies will only truly flourish if the soil is h...
Feb 11, 2022•58 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Hello, hello, hello! I'm so excited to have started work on Series 3 of the Mic the Gardener podcast . In fact, much like the Forth Bridge, I never quite stop thinking about and/or working on the podcast. I have one episode already recorded and almost ready to go on Friday 11th February , when I return. And there are some very exciting episodes on the schedule for Series 3. Don't worry, I'll be teasing more about those at the end of each episode. As always, I love to hear from you so please drop...
Jan 31, 2022•59 sec
Hello there, it's Mike Palmer here, your host from the Mic the Gardener podcast. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for listening to the podcast and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a very happy holiday period and my very best wishes for a happy, healthy & safe new year. I'll be back sometime very early next year so keep your eyes peeled for more news from me very soon. In the meantime.... HAPPY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! Mike...
Dec 22, 2021•59 sec
In this episode, the very last of Series 2, I revisit some of the great conversations from a selection of the great guests I've had join me over the last few months. Clips include: Michael Perry (aka Mr Plant Geek) Ben Cross (Alstromeria Ben) Neil Lucas (Ornamental Grasses) Anna Pavord Danny Clarke, the Black Gardener Naomi Slade Mark Lane Gareth Richards Andrew Fisher Tomlin Freddie Strickland Sienna Hosta Nursery (Hostas) I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of my guests in Series 2 ...
Dec 20, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 59
In this weeks episode, the last interview of the second series, I chat to Danish gardening superstar, Claus Dalby . As well as being the owner of a stunning garden in Denmark, Claus has his own publication company and incredibly considers himself a hobby gardener; a hobby gardener with 396,000 followers on Instagram. In this Christmas special episode, I chat to Claus about his Christmases as a child, what Christmas means to him now and, of course, his wonderful do-it-yourself Christmas decoratio...
Dec 13, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Welcome back to another episode of the Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast. In this week's episode I chat to curator of RHS Wisley , Matt Pottage . And in this conifers special, Matt tells us all about the best conifers we can grow in our gardens. Conifers have had a bad press in recent decades, following the controversy over leylandii hedges. Yes, the ones which some people have allowed to tower over properties, depriving them of light and causing many neighbourly disputes. Further, very popul...
Dec 06, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Hello! And welcome back to the Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast page. This week I have a rather exciting Plant Special episode for you featuring penstemon. I speak to RHS gold medal winning nursery owner, Julia Mitchell of GreenJJam nurseries , specialists in growing penstemon. As with all of my Plant special episodes, we chat about everything you need to know about growing penstemon including: What soil to grow them in and where How to grow them in containers General maintenance Pests and d...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 14
In this weeks episode of the Mic the Gardener gardening podcast, I chat to the owner of Natural Grower, Charlotte Beatty . I am thrilled to have Natural Grower sponsor my podcast. I've used their products in my own gardening for a while now, and certainly well before Charlotte agreed to sponsor the podcast. As such, having natural growth as a podcast sponsor is fantastic as I genuinely love their products, but not quite as much as my garden and plants do! In this episode, Charlotte tells me abou...
Nov 22, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this episode, another Plant Special, I chat to nurserymen Chris Potts and Ollie Walker of Sienna Hosta . Chris and Ollie are hosta fanatics and what they don't know about hostas isn't worth knowing. And, I can assure you, there isn't much if anything they don't know! Following a walk around the hosta-packed nursery I sat down with them both to chat about everything you could possibly need to know about growing hostas successfully. We chat about: What to grow hostas in and where Growing hostas...
Nov 15, 2021•57 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In this week's episode I chat to RHS Young Designer of the Year , Freddie Strickland . This episode was recorded at the beautiful Iford Manor Gardens near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, a garden which both Freddie and I have wanted to visit. Luckily, garden owners William and Marianne allowed us to sneak in through the back door as the garden is currently closed for winter. Freddie tells me how he got into garden design, about his course and his lecturer and landscaper, Matt James . He also talks ...
Nov 08, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In this week's episode I chat to world renowned garden designer and plantsman Andrew Fisher Tomlin . I've been a huge fan of Andrew's work for many years, so it was a privilege to chat with him. We were originally due to meet in Andrew's south London garden, but unfortunately, the UK petrol price put paid to that. Nonetheless, Andrew starts this episode by giving us a detailed tour of his garden and talks about some of the more unusual plants in it. We also talk about how Andrew started his jour...
Nov 01, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this week’s episode I chat to author Gareth Richards about his new RHS book ‘Weeds - The Beauty and Uses of 50 Vagabond Plants’ . There can't be one of us who doesn't battle with at least a handful of weed varieties in our own gardens. In my own garden, it's hairy bittercress, couch grass and bindweed, and that, is quite enough, thank you very much. Like many of us, you'll find me hissing and cussing under my breath as I fight to extract them from my borders. However, Gareth's fascinating boo...
Oct 25, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode Mike chats to BBC TV Gardeners' World and BBC Breakfast presenter Mark Lane . This episode was originally due to be recorded in Marks own garden, but unfortunately the UK petrol crisis put paid to that and this episode was recorded via Zoom. Nonetheless, Mark talks passionately and descriptively about his own beautiful garden, describing the trees, shrubs, plants and features and how it's developed over the years. Mark also tells Mike about his career and how he first became a TV...
Oct 18, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this Dry Shade Specia l podcast episode, Mike dispels the common fear around planting in a dry, shady area. Many gardeners, irrespective of their knowledge and experience, visibly quake at the knees at the mention of 'dry shade'. So, in this episode recorded in his own back garden, Mike talks through the plants he has used to great effect to bring a dry shady border alive, year-round with trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses and spring flowering bulbs. It probably goes without saying that a dry...
Oct 11, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode Mike chats to garden writer, designer and broadcaster (and in fact most things 'garden'), Naomi Slade , in her sunny, urban, Bristol garden. Naomi tells Mike how the garden has developed in the four years since she took it on. Despite being an urban garden it is home to a heavily laden pear tree, several ornamental crab apple trees, a pretty little greenhouse, a decked seating area, a compost bin and a lovely selection of shrubs and perennials. And, Mike also discovers that there...
Oct 04, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this episode Mike chats to Danny Clarke, a.k.a. The Black Gardener . You'll know Danny from the BBC TV series 'The Instant Gardener ' and most recently he has become part of the ever-popular ITV gardening makeover programme, 'Love Your Garden ' alongside Alan Titchmarsh, Frances Tophill, David Dominey and previous podcast guest, Katie Rushworth (Series 1). Click here to listen to Mike chatting to Katie Rushworth . Danny tells Mike about his childhood, his early career and how he moved into ga...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this episode Mike chats to garden writing legend, Anna Pavord , author of the Gardening Bible, The Tulip . Anna was the gardening correspondent for The Independent and author of a number of bestselling gardening & plant books. She is also an associate editor of Gardens Illustrated magazine and has also written for The Observer for over twenty years. In this delightful interview, she chats to Mike by telephone from her West Dorset home about The Tulip , her writing and career as a successf...
Sep 17, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this informative, fourth 'plant special' episode, Mike chats to leading ornamental grass expert and 13 Chelsea Gold Medal winner, Neil Lucas about ornamental grasses. Recorded in the grounds of the stunning Knoll Gardens, near Wimborne, Dorset, UK, Neil talks to Mike about everything you could possibly need to know about growing ornamental grasses successfully. It's an Ornamental Grasses Podcast Masterclass which covers: How to grow grasses Grasses for specific locations including dry shade, ...
Sep 10, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this episode Mike chats to Ben Cross of Crosslands Flower Nursery , a family business growing and delivering British alstromeria nationwide all year round since 1936. Ben is passionate about the importance of growing their beautiful alstroemerias in a sustainable way. He regularly give talks about the importance of buying British grown flowers in order to reduce the carbon footprint when flowers are imported from across the world, packed with chemicals before ending up in our supermarkets, fl...
Sep 03, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this first episode of the second series, Mike chats to Michael Perry, a.k.a. Mr Plant Geek. Michael is a TV presenter, speaker, podcaster and social media influencer (voted as Social Media Influencer of the Year 2020 by the Garden Media Guild ). In this exciting episode, Mike chats to Michael in his glorious, sunny Suffolk-based garden about the garden itself, the design, the hard landscaping and quite a bit about the plants, of course! Also in this episode, Michael talks about why weeds are ...
Aug 27, 2021•59 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Yes the wait is almost over! Your host, Mike Palmer, returns with a brand-new, exciting series of the popular 'Mic the Gardener' podcast on Friday, 27th August, 0600 (BST). Alongside the in-depth chats with fascinating garden presenters, journalists, designers and other gardening folk and the very popular plant profile episodes, Mike introduces a brand new feature, ' Up the Garden Path '. In these occasional episodes, Mike will take you ' Up the Garden Path ' of some well-known personalities in ...
Aug 20, 2021•59 sec
I'd like to thank each and every one of you for listening to, subscribing to and following my new Mic the Gardener podcast; I've enjoyed every single moment of recording, editing and presenting it. So many of you have contacted me to let me know you have also enjoyed the first series and/or have left amazing reviews on Apple Podcasts. And the response to the Mic the Gardener podcast survey was unbelievable. All of your comments and observations have been read and I've already started to plan for...
Jul 12, 2021•59 sec
In this final episode of the first series Mike visits the stunning Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire where he chats with Managing Director, Simon Buchanan, Head Gardener, Pat Havers and Fruit Consultant, Chris Lanczak. Waterperry Gardens is steeped in history, most notably with the arrival of the redoubtable Beatrix Havergal, with her partner Avice Sanders in September 1932. Together, at Waterperry, they set up a Horticultural School for Ladies which ran successfully until 1971. The heritage of ...
Jun 25, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, the third in a series of 'plant special' podcasts, Mike chats to Clematis King, Raymond Evison , owner and founder of Raymond Evison Clematis. Raymond has spent six decades searching for, breeding and developing the world's best clematis. Born in 1944, Raymond started his horticultural career at the age of 15 in Shropshire and quickly became the director of his first company 'Treasures of Tenbury Ltd'. A brutal winter killed a third of his mother stock and he moved the clematis ...
Jun 13, 2021•53 min
In this exciting episode Mike chats to Ellen Mary. Ellen Mary is one busy lady who amongst many things is a social media influencer, gardening presenter, journalist, radio broadcaster, podcaster, one of the Top 5 Women Influencers in Horticulture (Grow Your Own magazine) and now an author, with her very first book 'The Joy of Gardening', published on 27 May 2021 by Goldfinch Publishing. Ellen Mary chats to Mike about the book, how it came about and how she found the writing process in general. M...
May 21, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this exciting, second 'plant special' podcast, Mike chats to world-leading rosarian, Michael Marriot , formerly of David Austin Roses , where he was an integral part of the team for 35 years. What Michael doesn't know about roses, frankly isn't worth knowing. Mike chats to Michael about everything you need to know about growing the best possible roses, including how to chose the best varieties, planting, pruning, feeding, watering and pests & diseases. He discusses some great practical an...
Apr 30, 2021•52 min
In this episode Mike chats too Skinny Jean Gardener, Lee Connelly . Lee, one-time Blue Peter gardener, bestselling author of the ' How to get your Kids Gardening ' book, successful podcaster with his Sunday Times Top 5 Podcast, the Skinny Jean Gardener podcast and spokesman and advocate for getting kids into gardening. Lee chats about his inspirational initiative, the School Gardening Success Plan , which aims to give 30,000 UK primary schools the capacity to teach their children to Grow Your Ow...
Apr 16, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 6
