"Shish kebabs", do we have a packed episode this week! As well as recapping Gardeners' World 2025 episode 17, we also take a look at Switzerland's latest railway innovation, we learn how dandelions are once again saving the day, how plants cry when they're stressed, what Wellington, New Zealand got up to with 180 cabbages back in 1978, and the serious need for personal space between male and female anglerfish.

On the show we get to see the first ever RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse with Frances Tophill, Jamie Butterworth, Adam Frost, Arit Anderson and Joe Swift. Some of the show gardens paid a visit were:

RNIB Legacy Garden, Designer: Paul Hervey-Brookes

Drakkars Drift, Designer: Luke Coleman

A potted History: Echoes of Rockingham, Designer: Sam Dryell

RHS Teenage Dirt Park, Designer: Rachel Platt

The Grant Horticulture Xeriscape Garden, Designer: Callum Bain-Mackay

The Discovery Outdoors “Edimental Kitchen Classroom” - Designers: Sam Penrose and Jojo Tarvet

What is This Life if, Full of Care, We Have No Time to Stand and Stare?, Designers: Sally Holder and Victoria Irish

The Dune Garden, Designer: Jacopo Ducato Ruggeri

The Greenfingers Charity Together Garden, Designers: Phil Hirst & Jo Charlton

Urban Pollinators, Designer: Richard Browning

Hazelwood Barn, Designer: Lee Bestall

RHS Miners Garden, Designer: Chris Meyers

RHS Work with your Garden, Designers: Matt Biggins and Richard Hill

From the Floral Marquee we see Dan's Plants, Proctor's Nursery, and Harts Nursery and also meet Dean Charlton from Hooton's Walled Nursery, and Greg Anderton from Leafy Lytham.

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

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Martin Dohrn was on Gardeners' World 2025, episode 11 when he showed us around his fascinating garden of 60 species of bees. We were thrilled to have him join us for a Chit-Chat during which we learned a bit more about his award winning film My Garden of a Thousand Bees, some of the challenges of natural history film-making, and a bit of behind the scenes on how he captured his tiny subjects on camera. As well as hearing what would make it into Martin's dream garden, we also talk wildlife bridges, gentlemen's cycle clubs, dune slacks, de-insecticiding our gardens, loving wasps more, Martin's latest award-nominated project, and drinks made from artichokes.

Some mentions from Martin, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Tangled Bank Studios
• Public Broadcasting Service
• American Association for the Advancement of Science

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

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Owen Hayman - Horticulture Innovation Manager, Certified Surveyor of Japanese Knotweed, Open Water Swimmer, UK Nursery Aficionado, Ribena lover - joins us for this week’s episode of Chit-Chats. We learn about Wisley diplomas, the global rock stars of planting design - Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough, the invasive potential of plants, poo-powered ponies, how free-range chickens are threatening our wildflowers, how to swim in cold open water for longer, and which ornamental is the totally fabulous moody barbie of the plant world.

Some mentions from Owen, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Jimi Blake
• Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation
• RHS Wisley
• Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh
• Lee Bestall
• Green Roof Centre
• Manor Fields Park
• Plant Life
• Dishoom Black Bean Dahl
• Pan Global Plants
• Great Dixter Nursery
• Hooton’s Walled Nursery
• Dove Cottage Nursery
• Desert to Jungle
• Lime Cross Nursery
• Cliff Bank Nursery
• Arvensis Perennials

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

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Once again we cover an array of topics on our Gardeners' World recap including fun facts about Hampton Court and Wimbledon, kissing orchas, Lazy Housewives, Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter, influential 19th century Spanish women, hummingbirds vs sunbirds, and Antonio Banderas. We also answer some of the bigger questions such as where Frances and Rachel found their dresses.

This week Gardeners' World Episode 16 is reporting on RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival with Frances Tophill, Rachel de Thame and Adam Frost. We see some of the show gardens including:

• The Three Graces of Galicia, Designer: Nilufer Danis
• One Element, Designers: Nadine Charlton and Michael Lote
• The Subaru Cocoon, Designers: Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews
• Welcoming Wildlife, Designer: Henry T Pope
• 15 Minute City Garden, Designers; Angela Barker-Lewis and Charles Ziar
• The Student City Garden, Designer: Charlie Bailey
• Sunlight Shining Through, Designers: Zechen Ren, Xiua Xu, Tonguen Liang and Minjie Yang
• RHS Vertigro, Designer: Adolfo Harrison
• Aster of Senses, Designer: Yoni Carnice
• The Sundowner Garden, Designers: Victoria Stanton, Kate Hyslop, Gina Liverton-Brown
• Telling Stories, Making Memories, Designers: Ella Clarke and Sally Holder
• The Hummingbird Haven: A Symphony of Movement and Colour, Designers: Alison Shadwell-Williams and Yvonne Price
• Herbal Fortress, Designer: Marlene Lento
• A Garden of Two Tales, Designer: Daniel March
• A Woodland Edge, Designer: Nicolas Navarro
• RSPB and RHS Swift Garden, Designers: Lilly Gomm and Coralle Thomas

We also hear about dahlias from Rachel Golding-Barrett at The Tetbury Flower Company, Rob and Rosie Hardy from Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, Jenny and Amrit Madhoo from South Devon Chilli Farm, and Jess from Botanica Plant Collections. Finally we meet the awesome Bill Bailey to hear about the plight of the swift.

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

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Elliott Neep was on Gardeners' World 2025 episode 10 where he gave us a tour of his magnificent garden in South Oxfordshire. He joins us on the podcast for a Chit-Chat with a difference; we cover all sorts of horticultural topics such as how Elliott got into gardening, transforming his garden from neglected soil to a thriving haven, how he successfully uses no-dig, and growing roses in alkaline soil. Then we take a side-step into the important and huge subject of mental health where we learn the critical importance of receiving the right diagnosis and subsequent support. Elliott gives us real insight into the impact of mis-diagnosis, the value of gaining second opinions, how teenage mental illness can be misinterpreted, and the impact severe depression can have on the brain. And if we haven't chatted enough, we somehow find time to take a quick sprint through Elliott's dream garden, as well as find out about Safari Bob, the versatility of Roscoff onions, and the very real threat of mummified gimps.

Some mentions from Elliott, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Elliott’s substack & instagram
• Polar Warriors
• Charlie Mackesy books
• Alitex Greenhouses
• Hartley Botanic Greenhouses
• Waterperry Gardens

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

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We have a lot to chat about this week as we learn that there are more than 3 states of matter after all, how Giant Hogweed is running riot this year in the UK, how Japan handles trees that are in the way of construction, what scientists can learn from geckos, and how David Beckham can help us remember a particular fern name.

Gardeners' World is back at Longmeadow with Monty and we head to Stockton Bury Gardens with Toby Buckland to meet the treasure Raymond Treasure. We learn some interesting things about ferns from Neil Frame in Bristol, (including that he's made botanical history!!) and Sue Kent gives us an update on her garden. Finally Erika Savory shows us her beautiful garden in Lyme Regis, fully equipped with her salvia babes.

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

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Mags & Mon brought the laughter to GW25 episode 8 and despite Mon’s broken ankle, they brought it in spades to this episode of Good Ol’ Chit-Chats too! Even though we meander down dark alleys of death, destruction, coffins, cemeteries, toxic towns, and funerals, we also find out about shops on allotments, camomile lawns, the incredible health benefits of a certain purple coloured vegetable, and we have a dream garden fit for a llama, a donkey and kermit the frog - without Jim Henson’s hand.

Some mentions from Mags & Mon, links can be found here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/gardens/

• Haddon Hall
• Tissington Nursery

More Not Just a Garden

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/NotJustaGarden/home

Website: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

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This week we learn a bit about a massive underground water reservoir located 400 miles beneath Earth’s surface, the clever way Hong Kong saves 320 million cubic meters of freshwater each year, that gardening is taking video gaming by storm, how beavers are saving the day and millions of euros in the Czech Republic, what the process for getting a perfect endive entails, and the illuminati.

Frances Tophill is presenting Gardeners' World 2025 episode 14 from Alison Jenkins' beautiful Damson Farm this week. Carol Klein shows us some pretty plant combos in her enviable garden whilst Suzette Fuller in Bushey, Watford gives us a tour of her magical outdoor treasure trove. Finally Adam Frost meets Wendy Bundy and her incredibly resilient two acre plot on the River Derwent in North Yorkshire.

Relevant links can be found on our website here: https://notjustagarden.co.uk/recaps/

To help make this podcast happen, please visit our Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/notjustagarden

More Not Just a Garden

https://notjustagarden.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/notjusta_garden/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.