The Gardener Ben Podcast

Episode 11 of season 2 of my podcast is available to stream on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube now, covering topics such as organic pest control of aphids, greenfly, and black fly; focused watering of newly planted first-season roses and shrubs; and we’re all about soil as I get to have the most wonderful and enlightening conversation with Becky from the account @sow_much_more.

No matter what point in your gardening journey you are at, whether you’ve been doing it for years or you’re following for hints and tips as you just start out, this is a must-listen episode. Becky is a garden writer, soil expert, ecologist, and botanist, and like me, is incredibly passionate about no-dig organic gardening and the health, condition, and biodiversity of soil.

Proving that if you really pay attention to your soil, you can really grow a garden. Look out for her newly released book ‘Grow a New Garden’ or ‘The Seed Collectors Kit,’ both of which are out now.

In next week’s episode, I’m joined by @robsallotment, whose garden focuses very heavily on tasty and useful produce to cook and eat, while you know it’s completely the opposite here at North Lodge in my garden, which is just roses, dahlias, and sweet peas.

#garderben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow #streamingnow #gardener #organicgardening #helpingyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #grow #ecologist #botanist #gardenwriter

On this week’s episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I talk you through the process of lifting and dividing herbaceous perennials, which can be a great way of giving yourself plants to trade with friends and family.

Now the garden is actively growing, it’s very easy to feel that it’s under attack from all sorts of critters such as lily beetles, slugs, and snails, which, as you would expect, is the focus point of conversation with this week’s guest.

I’m joined by Vicky from @newforesthostas, who, together with her husband Steve, runs a nursery specialising in foliage plants and has multiple awards from Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace flower shows.

The nursery is packed full of plants—in fact, I’m very confident in saying that Vicky is utterly obsessed with hostas. I could talk to her all day. She shares with us some expert advice on how to deal with slugs and snails, and why you should not surround them with slices of cucumber, which seems to be very much this year’s ridiculous online trend!

Next week, the podcast heads off to Devon, where I have the pleasure of chatting to Becky (@sow_much_more), who is a botanist, ecologist, gardener, and author of a brand-new book just released: Grow a New Garden.

#gardenerben #gardener #podcast #gardeningpodcast #podcaster #listennow #streamingnow #helpingyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #gardengram #spotify #amazonmusicpodcast #applepodcasts

📱📻🎙🎧

Episode 9 of season two of the Gardner Ben podcast is packed full of what I’ve been up to over the last week or so.

With the proper arrival of spring, I’ve unwrapped my tree ferns and given them their first watering and feed of the year. As the spring bulbs continue to flower, it’s important that you not only deadhead them but also give them a good liquid feed to ensure that they will flower properly next year. Never remove the foliage from a plant until it goes yellow or brown naturally.

This week’s guest is Brad from @selectroses, who joined me for a most informative and enjoyable chat from British Columbia. Brad and his team run a specialist rose nursery, retailing hundreds of different varieties of roses. He’s also responsible for hybridizing many brand-new varieties, and as you can see from the pictures, he is a very talented gardener who, like myself, grows many different things apart from roses.

Please make sure that you give the episode a good listen and head to Brad’s profiles both on Instagram and on YouTube, and show his accounts some 💚.

Next week, we’re heading back to The New Forest, and I get to catch up with Vicky from @newforesthostas ahead of their first open days of the year.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcasts #listennow #streamingnow #gardener #gardeningpodcast #helpingyougrow #gardenersofinstagram #selectroses

On today’s episode of the Gardenerben podcast, I talk at length about watering and spring feeding as we move into the spring months and things start to really warm up. It’s important if you’ve planted new roses or shrubs over the autumn and winter season you keep a close eye on their watering even if it rains I also share some hints and tips about how you can improve success by watering properly in the greenhouse

My guest this week is @run.dive.jwr who is involved with @tacomarosesociety , i’ve said it several times before but I’m incredibly jealous of the amount of community spirit and joy that are American friends share within their rose growing communities

listen to the full conversation on Apple Spotify, Amazon and now on YouTube, next week we’re staying on the other side of the Atlantic and I get to talk to Brad from @selectroses

#gardenerben #gardener #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #roses #listennow #streamingnow #helpingyougrow #chat

On today’s episode, we’re heading up to Shropshire, where I caught up with @our.english.topiarygarden.

This episode could not be better timed, as after many years in their containers, Mark and I have finally got round to planting the huge 8-foot-tall yew pyramids I’ve been growing. They have finally made their way into our newly landscaped Wintergarden, where they’re making the centerpiece and backbone of this new area.

Bee and her husband have spent nearly 30 years creating their perfect topiary garden—a long-term vision that has come together in an absolutely astonishingly beautiful, stylish, and timeless garden that looks great in all four seasons.

Bee talked me through where they gain their inspiration and some hints and tips for keeping box and yew healthy and happy. It’s lovely to hear that through their Instagram account, they’ve met some wonderful real-life gardening friends and have found a real sense of community from building their social media account.

Head over to @our.english.topiarygarden now and show their account some 💚.

Next week, I’m slingshotting it back across the Atlantic Sea, where I’m talking to Justin from @tacomarosesociety.

In this week's episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I have the absolute pleasure of catching up with Nick, the owner and operator of @gilbertsdahlias, just outside Romsey in Hampshire.

We talk about dahlias, the hybridization of new varieties, and Nick shares with us some really good hints and tips on how a professional grower goes about lifting, storing, dividing, and propagating his stock. Throughout the entire conversation, Nick's passion, commitment, and enthusiasm for the dahlia shine through. What you can’t unfortunately see is the look on his face when he’s talking about his favorite varieties and walking around the dahlia field at sunrise during high summer.

Please head across to their Instagram channel and show it some love 💚

And if you’re ever near Romsey, make sure that you pop into Gilberts to not only take a look at the dahlias in August, September, October, and into the very beginning of November, but also to grab yourself a good slice of cake or a hearty ploughman in their café.

Something that Nick said during our conversation has got me a little scared, so I’m off out into the garden now to see whether I can dig up this enormous dahlia imperialis I have - wish me luck!

On the next episode, we’re talking all things toy when I get to catch up with Bee Wilson of @our.english.topiarygarden.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardenerben #gardenchat #gardener #dahlia #listennow #streamingnow #helpingyougrow

As we creep towards the beginning of spring, the garden is slowly waking up. I’ve had my flower press out again to encapsulate and capture just a few of the early spring blooms.

At North Lodge, I'm also pressing on with the new winter garden. The digger has been in and removed the stumps from the laurel hedge we cut down, and it’s now time to start mulching and preparing the area for planting.

On today’s episode of the Gardener Ben podcast, I have the absolute honor of talking to Katrina, Clayton’s mum, who shares with us her and Clayton’s journey into gardening, most specifically permaculture, and how the family is now building a food forest in Scotland.

Clayton has autism and is homeschooled by his mum. He developed a keen interest in growing, tending, and harvesting his own food—a story that resonates strongly with my own personal journey and is a testament to how finding the spark that ignites your child’s imagination can really unlock an entirely different world of learning.

Head over to their Instagram channel now and show them some love 💚 @buildingafoodforest_scotland.

We had so much to talk about in a limited time scale, but I’ve already invited Katrina back if she has time to talk to me in season three.

If you grow dogwood for their colorful and vibrant stems, it is now time to cut these back to their permanent framework, which will stimulate strong and vigorous growth and brightly colored stems for next winter. Make sure that you give them a thoroughly good mulch and head to Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube to see my full tutorial.

On next week’s episode, I’ll be talking everything dahlia with Nick, owner and proprietor of Gilbert’s Dahlias near Romsey.

Episode 4 of my podcast is available for you to download and stream now.

Now that March has arrived, it’s time to really start sowing some seeds. I’ve got some tomatoes and the first batch of peas sown in the greenhouse outside. It’s time for some carrots and some beetroot, which I’ll have to keep tightly covered under cloches to save them from the pesky birds.

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Karen @rakeexpectations on Instagram, who shares with us what she grows in her garden in Fife, Scotland.

As well as tales and stories of Trevor and Dorian's garden antics, head to Karen’s profile now and show it some 💚!

As we head towards March, I finally got the time to weigh my way into the last frontier of the garden. Now celebrating just under seven years in this particular cottage, what will be known as the Wintergarden is going to take quite a lot of work.

I’ve started by removing the very strange laurel hedge, which ran along our drive, opening up the space. I’m going to have to get a mini digger to remove the stumps before I can start thinking about planting and adding lots of soil conditioner.

It’s time to start thinking about planting your daily tubers undercover, and on this week's episode, I’m joined by Luay Ghafari, who’s somewhat of a massive inspiration known as @urbanfarmandkitchen on Instagram and TikTok. He also maintains and writes a successful food blog and is a published author. I really don’t know how he finds the time to keep it all in the air.

Specializing in garden-to-table produce, he shares his love for tomatoes and cooking during our brief conversation.

If you don’t follow along already, head over to his Instagram account and show it some love now!

‘My rose has black spot’. What should I do? Is the largest question? I get asked online

The prevention of most pest and disease problems in the rose garden is far better than ever reaching for the cure and with good basic gardening practices you can pretty much avoid most of the issues we face

This video contains many different techniques and nuggets of information regarding to

proper pruning

Deep and focused watering

Organic practices

Mulching and soil conditioning

Incorporating natural habitat into the garden

Disposing of infected waste

And how having a hands off approach can really let nature in and allow the garden to find proper balance

If you have any questions regarding the subject of avoiding pest and disease problems, don’t hesitate to ask

This week’s episode of the Gardener Ben podcast features @cheshire_head_gardener.

I had the most wonderful, relaxed, and enlightening chat with Tristan, exploring his role as Head Gardener @barnston_estate. We talked freely about his gardening style and his passion for repurposing, reusing, and building a garden. Make sure that you head to his Instagram page once you’ve listened, give him a follow, and show his account some love 💚.

This week in my garden, I’ve continued to clear the opulence of last summer. I’ve collected and started working with this year's Hazel supports, getting myself ready for the season ahead.

I’m preparing the ground to plant out the sweet peas, mulching it heavily and constructing the supports that they will need to climb and be successful over the next few months. These need to be at least seven or eight feet tall.

It’s also time to start thinking about chitting potatoes. Starting and growing them in a cool, bright greenhouse or windowsill can get them ahead by a few weeks before going in the ground. You don’t have to buy expensive seed potatoes; ones that have been in the cupboard for a little too long and have naturally started sprouting are just as good and can be a great way of reducing food waste.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardener #gardeningpodcast #gaygardener #grow #helpingyougrow #listennow #streamnow #gardenersofinstagram

In this week's episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Sarah, the creator behind @meadowandthyme, who creates some astonishingly beautiful, intricate, and detailed pressed flower art.

Having recently become reinterested and taken up flower pressing as a hobby, I was eager to hear her thoughts on her processes and how she got started with her amazing business.

Take a listen now, and make sure to head over to @meadowandthyme and show the account some love!

If you have a question you’d like answered on the podcast, don’t hesitate to drop a message.

#gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #newepisode #streamnow #gardener #gardenpodcast #helpingyougrow

Season one roundup , Today’s episode concludes season one and I really hope that you’ve enjoyed the podcast so far, I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of you that have listened and I look forward to bringing you season two in February 2025

I’ve been hard at work behind-the-scenes lining up some incredible guests to share with you their gardening and personal journeys

Please head to Instagram and show this seasons contributors some love

sorelle_dorset

misfit_plants

the_boys_at_whiteside

liamroseconsultant of david_austin_roses

And therosedude

I hope that you have a wonderful festive holiday whatever you get up to.

Relax and just let the garden rest,

On this week's episode of the podcast, I’m joined by @liamroseconsultant. Liam is the Senior Rose Consultant at David Austin Roses, and I had the pleasure of catching up with him for a relaxed chat after attending one of their bare root rose courses at the beginning of November.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did, and if you want to book yourself onto one of David Austin Roses' pruning workshops, you can book them through the link in my bio, now running from January 7 to the 1st of March

https://tidd.ly/3OtdyCU.

Todays episode is short and sweet, it’s all about letting the garden and its keeper rest, allow the garden to breath, take some weather and the seasons to properly change before starting the winter tidy up,

On next weeks episode I’ll be joined by David Austin’s senior rose consultant Liam - listen in next week to catch our chat

Welcome to episode eight of the Garber Ben podcast! Over the last few months, an Instagram account has really captivated my attention. In all of the noise and hot air on the Internet, that's a difficult thing to do. Today, I’m joined by Carlos and David, who, in a beautiful part of Scotland, have taken on a massive restoration project. Together, they are renovating their dream home and surrounding it with their dream garden.

Having completed a significant restoration ourselves, I wanted to learn more about what motivates them and their long-term goals for their beautiful space.

Head over to their Instagram and show their account some love: @the_boys_at_whiteside.

I hope you enjoy our rambling chat as much as I did!

This week's episode is all about autumn sewing sweet peas. The weather has become so changeable, but I used to enjoy putting my greenhouse to bed for the winter and not having to worry about it during the festive period. This year, however, I’m going to sew my sweet peas in October and November and bring them on slowly and steadily in the greenhouse. Follow my step-by-step guide to guarantee success for long, strong, and cut stems next year.

I’m also joined on this week's podcast by Michael Randall of @misfit_plants, who brought his collection of weird, wonderful, and unusual plants to our open garden event back in June 2024.

In this week's episode of the Garden of Ben podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of having a lovely informal chat with Matilda and Natalie, who together run @sorelle_dorset.

Nestled in North Dorset, just outside of Shaftesbury, the sisters have established not only a café and bistro but also a half-acre flower farm. Head to their Instagram account to show them some love, and be sure to give this episode of the podcast a listen!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Episode Five of the Gardener Ben Podcast!

Today’s episode is all about bare root roses. We’ll cover everything you need to know, from taking delivery and unpackaging to rehydrating, making soil improvements, planting, and aftercare. Our goal is to ensure that your new plants get off to a smooth start and bloom in just a few months, bringing you years of enjoyment.

Next week, I have the pleasure of being joined by Natalie and Matilda, sisters who run a café and event space alongside their flower farm in North Dorset. Be sure to check out their Instagram, and if you’re local, consider popping by to either buy yourself a seasonal, locally grown bunch of flowers or treat yourself to brunch or an exquisitely made cup of coffee. You can find them on social media using @sorelle_dorset.

Episode Four

Hey—where’s my rose……dude!

Today’s episode showcases my abilities, and I am unbelievably pleased to welcome my first guest to the podcast. Today, I’ll be talking to Jeff, who is known across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube as (therosedude). He’s a rose enthusiast and, more importantly, a home rose hybridizer, sharing his passion for creating new varieties from his garden.

I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Tune in to next week’s episode, which is all about unpacking, rehydrating, planting, and caring for bare root roses.

Happy gardening!