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  • 517: How to feed birds, a turf masterclass, and another essential job for autumn

    517: How to feed birds, a turf masterclass, and another essential job for autumn
    Oct 22 2026
    As the weather cools and birds flock back to gardens, many of us enjoy putting more food out for them. But have we been feeding birds all wrong? How can we help our feathered friends without inadvertently endangering them? RHS Senior Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock tells us how to feed birds properly this winter. After an incredibly tough summer for turf, many domestic lawns are still feeling the effects of months without rain. It might be time for a reboot, so RHS turf and lawn care specialist Jim Millward talks us through how to turf properly and tells us about his team’s progress on returfing alongside Wisley’s famous Jellicoe Canal. It’s off to RHS Garden Hyde Hall to talk with Sarah Wilson Frost about mulch; what is it, why is it important, and what does it do? And we’ll round-off the episode with listener questions answered with Gareth and Melissa. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Helen Bostock, Jim Millward, Sarah Wilson-Frost, Melissa Mabbitt Links: Bird statistics Bird feeding Returfing and laying turf Guide to mulch Chop and drop
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    34 Min.
  • 516 – Incredible ivy, vegetable folklore and autumn planting essentials

    516 – Incredible ivy, vegetable folklore and autumn planting essentials
    Oct 15 2026
    Meet one of our most loved and hated native plants. You might think of ivy as a destroyer of buildings or a nuisance weed, but it’s actually just been crowned the most popular flower with pollinating insects in an 8 year study by the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. It’s also the RHS Wildlife Wonder plant for October, so our Science and Horticulture editor Olivia Drake is here to explain what makes it so valuable, and worth including in your garden. Staying with plant wonders, did you know if you dream of cucumbers, it means you might speedily fall in love? RHS Head of Libraries and Exhibitions Fiona Davison offers fascinating tales of vegetable folklore for an upcoming online seminar. Hyde Hall’s Andy Tebbutt tells us why autumn is the best time of year for planting, but what’s happening to that plant when you put it in the ground? And Gareth Richards and Melissa Mabbitt answer your gardening questions. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Olivia Drake, Fiona Davison, Andy Tebbutt, Melissa Mabbitt Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk Links: Ivy Butterfly Conservation pollinator survey Vegetables, dreams and folklore RHS Libraries Why autumn is the best time for planting
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    31 Min.
  • 515 - The Plant Review: Waxcap Wonderlands, ancient apples, and your questions answered

    515 - The Plant Review: Waxcap Wonderlands, ancient apples, and your questions answered
    Oct 8 2026
    A new season, and a new edition of The Plant Review, the quarterly magazine published by The RHS that delves a little deeper than the regular RHS Garden mag. If you prefer your plant stories and horticultural happenings that bit more detailed, The Plant Review is the publication for you. In this special programme, RHS plant pathologist Jassy Drakulic talks fungi in lawns, Plant Review editor James Armitage tells the story of Blanche Ada’s Thornycroft apples, and Gareth Richards and Melissa Mabbitt answer your gardening questions. Host: Gareth Richards, James Armitage Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Jassy Drakulic, Melissa Mabbitt Links: The Plant Review Waxcap Watch Thornycroft apples Plants mentioned by James: Haplocarpha scaposa Lepechinia hastata Eryngium pandanifolium Vernonia crinita Cyperus involucratus Carex secta Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk
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    27 Min.
  • 514 - Plants for pollinators, dividing perennials, and no more cauliflowers?

    514 - Plants for pollinators, dividing perennials, and no more cauliflowers?
    Oct 1 2026
    So many jobs to do at this time of year, but not enough time! As we rush to garden centres and nurseries, you can make it easier on yourself by narrowing down your new plant choices to those which are ultra wildlife friendly. Pollinators will always appreciate a helping hand, and a good place to start is with a new RHS guide, Plants for Pollinators. One of the authors, RHS entomologist Josie Stuart, is on the podcast to talk about what to plant now to boost wildlife diversity. If edibles are more your thing, Guy Barter offers sobering news on the future of Britain’s favourite brassicas – is it the end of the line for cauliflowers? And we continue our guide to essential jobs to do in autumn, this time it’s why and how to divide perennials. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Josie Stuart, Guy Barter, Nick Petters, Melissa Mabbitt Links: Plants for Pollinators Autumn ox eye daisy - Leucanthemella serotina No more cauliflowers Guardian article Dividing perennials Rootstocks for fruit Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk
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    34 Min.
  • 513 – Autumn gets real, root cuttings, and what do spiders ever do for us?

    513 – Autumn gets real, root cuttings, and what do spiders ever do for us?
    Sep 24 2026
    Head to the bottom of the garden this month and you might end up with a face full of spiders’ webs. Before you run screaming into the house, RHS spider expert Ben Brough offers an insight into why an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare is a fantastic garden ally. Want more plants for next spring without the cost of buying? RHS Garden Wisley’s Sam Gallivan teaches us how to take root cuttings and instantly multiply your plants for free. Last week we ended our series looking at bulbs to plant now for spring interest, and today we begin a new series of serious jobs for serious gardeners throughout a busy autumn, beginning with autumn veg planting with Liz Mooney. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Ben Brough, Sam Gallivan, Liz Mooney, Melissa Mabbitt Links: Wildlife gardening advice Plants for bugs Taking root cuttings Grow your own fruit and veg: September Liz Mooney’s allotment life Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk
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    30 Min.
  • 512: Turf wars, houseplant MOT, and a final bulb of the week

    512: Turf wars, houseplant MOT, and a final bulb of the week
    Sep 17 2026
    Many listeners’ turf will have taken a bashing over summer, and now is the time to glow-up the green. RHS Garden Wisley’s Jim Millward shares his tips on how to get your grass ready for autumn. The holiday is officially over for our houseplants, time to bring them back inside after enjoying a hot summer. RHS indoor plant specialist Freddy Fuller offers do’s and don’ts for seasonal houseplant success. And to round-off a month of spring bulb suggestions, RHS Wisley’s Jess Jansdotter offers her choice in the final 'Bulb of the Week' of September. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions. Host: Gareth Richards Producers: Dan Cocker Contributors: Jim Millward, Freddy Fuller, Jess Jansdotter, Melissa Mabbitt Links: Lawncare advice Autumn houseplant advice: Snowdrops Send your questions to podcast@rhs.org.uk
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    33 Min.
  • 511: Saving drought-hit plants, the wildlife wonder of apples, more bulb inspiration

    511: Saving drought-hit plants, the wildlife wonder of apples, more bulb inspiration
    Sep 10 2026
    Is it dead? Or is it just sulking? That’s what many listeners will be wondering after returning from their summer holidays to find many plants exhausted by hot and dry weather. Horticultural advisor Nick Turrell provides a dose of reality – and some much-needed hope – when it comes to saving, or binning, the hardest-hit perennials. Presenter Gareth Richards speaks to RHS science editor Olivia Drake about this month’s Wildlife Wonder plant - apples! There’s more to this popular fruit than meets the eye. September is the month for bulbs, and RHS Wisley’s James McDonnell offers his pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - Ipheion. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Nick Turrell, Olivia Drake, James McDonnell, Melissa Mabbitt Links: RHS Climate Change Survey RHS Ipheion trials Wildlife Wonder plant: Apple Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk
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    33 Min.
  • 510: Magnificent mini-beasts, figs, and another bulb of the week

    510: Magnificent mini-beasts, figs, and another bulb of the week
    Sep 3 2026
    There’s a myriad of weird and wonderful beasties out there who feast on flowers, but all is not rosy inside the garden gate. Pollinators are in trouble, and Josie Stuart, RHS Senior Entomologist at RHS Garden Wisley shares some unexpected ways home gardeners can help pollinators thrive, no matter the size of your plot. Horticultural specialist Jim Arbury offers expert advice on a hot topic many RHS website visitors want to know more about: figs. Which variety should you choose? How do you get started? And how do you grow them successfully? As September brings cooler temperatures and an increasingly autumnal feel, RHS Wisley’s Claudia Connal offers her pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - the mysterious and beautiful Turk’s cap or martagon lily. Plus, we answer your gardening questions on dealing with tomato gluts, growing echinaceas, and pruning hydrangeas and evergreens. Host: Gareth Richards Producer: Dan Cocker Contributors: Josie Stuart, Jim Arbury, Claudia Connal Plants mentioned: Turk’s cap lily (Lilium martagon); lilies 'Claude Shride’, ‘Golden Morning’, ‘Pink Morning’ and ‘Albi Morning’. Hoop petticoat daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium), Crocus ‘Vanguard’. Figs ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Little Miss Figgy’ and ‘Brunswick' Links: Find information on all the topics covered at rhs.org.uk Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk
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    31 Min.