Talking Gardens – Details, episodes & analysis

This time, Stephanie visits HuntingBrook Gardens in Co. Wicklow, Ireland, to chat to owner Jimi Blake about his dream garden. Discover why he wants to live in a glass box and the places his fantasy corridors would lead to, from New Zealand to South America, and Chanticleer Garden to the Dixter plant fair. Find out how Jimi dodges bears while botanising, the ways that HuntingBrook has changed over the years, and how going to train as a gardener was life saving for him. We also hear why his imaginary space would be filled with young, up-and-coming gardeners and why, as an avid plant collector, he finds making ‘nerdy’ plant lists his own personal form of meditation. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and become a member, at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden.  Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Broadcaster, smallholder and author Kate Humble constructs her fantasy garden in this episode. From an origami version of Yellowstone National Park to Dicken from The Secret Garden and Popham’s Arboretum in Sri Lanka, Kate tells Stephanie all about the landscapes, people and gardens that have influenced her.  Find out more about how she became a TV presenter, how she knows that Sharon Stone has a big head and the best thing to do when you come across someone wild swimming naked in a river; as well as why Kate loves baobab trees but will never allow a gazebo in her garden. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and become a member, at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden.  Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, garden designer and TV presenter Arit Anderson creates her dream garden, choosing the wow factor of Dan Hinkley’s Wyndcliffe garden on the sea and a West Country sunset. Discover what she thinks about in-between planting, her cold and soggy childhood holidays in the Lake District, how she finds being on TV, and what she means by ‘shade-loving’ people. Tune in to find out why Arit would love a bluebell meadow and the reason she would never allow leaf blowers in her fantasy space, or in her own garden.  Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoy this podcast? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, gardener and garden writer Tamsin Westhorpe talks about her dream garden, from the lived-in atmosphere of an old Arts and Crafts garden to the coastal landscape of The Durrells in Corfu. Find out about the horrible old jumper she keeps pristine in a plastic cover in her wardrobe because of who once complimented it, and why she would have to have an outdoor shower, pots of succulents and a daybed. We hear about Tamsin’s varied career, from art-school drop-out to parks keeper and interior landscaper, and why she thinks gardening is vital for mental health. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoy this podcast? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Show notes Vann Garden Great Dixter Outdoor showers Succulents Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, designer and gardener Isabel Bannerman - whose projects include the private garden of King Charles at Highgrove, and Arundel Castle - describes what she would have to include in her dream garden, from a woodland stream setting and scented shrubs such as mock orange, to elm trees and rambling roses, a place to sit and a greenhouse. Discover why she thinks naturalistic planting looks like hard work, how she is no good at growing vegetables and where she would go in a time machine. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and ideas, including Isabel and husband Julian’s top garden books, and subscribe at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Show notes: Ribes odoratum Mock orange Philadelphus ‘Manteau d'Hermine’  Rosa ‘The Garland’ Gravetye Manor garden - William Robinson Ninfa Gardens Giverny, Monet’s garden Louise Dowding’s Yews Tree Farm garden Highgrove Keder Greenhouse polytunnel  Arundel Castle garden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, gardener and writer Arthur Parkinson describes his dream of a walled garden with orangery, and all manner of plants and birds. Hear about his fantasy lagoon filled with flamingos, his orchard meadow and why even in his dream space he would have to have practical elements such as a gate for plant and pot deliveries - but would never allow a windchime to pass the threshold.  Enjoying this podcast? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, world-renowned planting designer Piet Oudolf talks to Stephanie about the projects that have shaped his career and why he has never had time to dream . Discover why he enjoys creating gardens in the public realm more than private spaces, why he closed his nursery and garden and what he has planned for exciting upcoming projects, including the reimagining of his borders at RHS Garden Wisley.  Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com  Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode.  Show notes Piet Oudolf at Work book  Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerritsen’s book Planting the Natural Garden - read our review here. Lurie Garden, Chicago The High Line, New York City RHS Wisley Glasshouse borders being replanted Camden Highline, London Future Plants New plant selected by Cassian Schmidt and Piet at Hermannshof is Schizachyrium scoparium 'Ha Ha Tonka' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Errol Reuben Fernandes, head of horticulture at the Horniman Museum & Gardens, chooses all the elements he would like in his fantasy garden, from the wonder of Trebah Garden in Cornwall and the sense of discovery exploring a wonderful wasteland near his childhood home, to a swimming pond with jetty and a giant sculpture by Richard Serra. Discover his top picks of shade-loving plants and tips on how to make a microforest, and find out which garden visitors would be banned from his dream space. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find out more about Errol and the Horniman Museum Gardens, as well as more great garden inspiration and planting ideas at www.gardensillustrated.com Enjoying this podcast? Tell a friend, make sure to like, leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would like to hear talking about their dream garden. You can also follow us so you never miss an episode. Show notes Trebah Garden, Cornwall Brownfield gardens Plant pick: Hydrangea aspera ‘Koki’  Artist Richard Serra Photographer Juergen Teller  Artist Joan Mitchell Fulham Palace Garden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Landscape designer Marian Boswall constructs her fantasy garden, the first important ingredient of which would be love. Find out why Marian wants to experience the garden from the perspective of a bug and a bird, as well as in slo-mo and fast-mo, and how being ‘invisible’ is helpful when out beaver spotting. Discover what the secret of quick composting is, how she learned to love yellow… and why she wants a pair of wolves in her dream garden. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com Discover Marian Boswall’s top tips on creating a sustainable garden; see a beautiful low-maintenance garden she designed; and learn more about her favourite plants with medicinal qualities. Enjoying this podcast? Why not tell a friend to listen too? Make sure to leave a review, or a comment to let us know who you would most like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Show notes Books Terry Pratchett book Reaper Man Laline Paull book The Bees Merlin Sheldrake book Entangled Life  People 42 Acres, nature reserve and wellbeing centre, founded by Lara and Seth Tabatznik Thich Nhat Hanh, dubbed the ‘father of mindfulness’ Satish Kumar, peace activist Dr Elaine Inghams Soil Food Web Nicole Masters Integrity Soils Ideas Rewilding (beavers)  The Great Dixter Biodiversity Audit  Making compost Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, cook, food writer and passionate home gardener Nigel Slater talks to Stephanie Mahon about what he would include in his dream garden, from the inspirational spaces of Japan to the stars in the sky, and from soft green moss to bright bronze azaleas. Find out how he stole his front garden, how he went to war with foxes and lost, and the reason that fairies and soft serve ice-cream would have to be part of his fantasy garden. Discover how he managed to get Dan Pearson and Monty Don to design his own back garden, and the one gardening trend that really winds him up. Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more great garden inspiration and planting ideas, and subscribe, at www.gardensillustrated.com Enjoyed this episode? Tell a friend, make sure to leave a review or comment, and let us know who you would next like to hear talking about their dream garden. Follow now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices