Episode 342: Healsville Sanctuary: Creating Habitats
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Episode 342: Healsville Sanctuary: Creating Habitats Luke Boyle is the Horticulture Manager at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, Australia—a leading conservation zoo nestled in native bushland, dedicated to protecting and showcasing Australia’s unique wildlife. We chat about the incredible work Luke and his team are doing to ensure the sanctuary is not just a safe and enriching haven for animals, but also an inspiring and welcoming place for human visitors. Links Zoos Victoria “Fighting Extinction” Program Learn how Healesville Sanctuary is part of statewide efforts to...
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Episode 341: Sun Safety for Gardeners
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
I’m joined by Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, and horticulturists Rachel Reynolds, Paul Kimberley and Jenny Warner, who share their personal experiences with skin cancer. With temperatures on the rise, we explore why sun safety is essential for anyone working outdoors, how to protect yourself effectively, and the serious risks of not taking the sun seriously. Links Melanoma Focus is a national charity dedicated to providing help and support to melanoma patients and healthcare professionals as well as raising awareness of melanoma, the 5th most common cancer in the UK. As...
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Episode 340: The Nature of Resilience
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Author Nic Wilson speaks about her memoir, Land Beneath the Waves. We delve into how her relationship with the natural world has provided insight and resilience in the face of chronic illness, and how our surroundings can shape and reflect our inner landscapes. Links Official Website – The central hub for Nic’s writing, including her memoir Land Beneath the Waves, Guardian Country Diary contributions, newsletter subscription (“Only Connect!”), book tour dates, and the Peat‑Free Nurseries list. A central portal with quick links to her website, book launch, newsletter, and...
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Episode 339: Growing Veg in Antarctica
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Lockie Scicluna is part of the crew living and working at Australia’s remote Mawson Station in Antarctica. Lockie is closely involved in the station’s hydroponic growing setup — an ingenious system that allows the team to produce fresh vegetables in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. We talk about the challenges of growing food without soil or sunlight, and why having a growing operation might matter more than you might think. Links Lockie on Instagram Other episodes if you liked this one: 🌱 Episode 226: Soil Bacteria & Rhizophagy Summary: In this episode, I delve...
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Episode 338: Real Organic vs Regenerative Farming
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
I’m joined by Dave Chapman, host of the US chart-topping Real Organic Podcast. We dive into the rise of “regenerative” as the latest industry buzzword, the troubling reality of corporate consolidation in agriculture, and how antitrust issues are threatening the future of truly organic food. We also explore the key differences between organic food markets in the U.S. and the EU—and what they might mean for growers and consumers alike. Links Other episodes if you liked this one: 🌱 Episode 334: Food Farming Revolutionary with Joshua Sparkes Summary: In this episode, I speak with...
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Episode 337: Orchid Obsession
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
I’m joined by author Sarah Bilston to explore the strange allure of orchids and the daring—and often destructive—pursuits of the plant hunters who sought them. We delve into the economic and ecological entanglements of botany, the lasting impacts of orchid mania on countries like Brazil, and what we risk losing when we oversimplify the tangled roots of horticultural history. Links by Sarah Bilston Other episodes if you liked this one: 🌱 1. Episode 154: Modern Plant Hunters with Dr. Sandy Primrose In this episode, Dr. Sandy Primrose discusses the legacy of Victorian-era plant hunters...
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Episode 336: Creating an Ark
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
In this episode, I’m speaking with Mary Reynolds—renowned landscape designer, author, and founder of the rewilding movement We Are The Ark. This episode originally aired in 2019 and it’s particularly pertinent as it coincides with the start of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where Mary, won a gold medal winner for her ground-breaking, naturalistic garden which at the time was a revelation. Mary has long championed a shift from traditional gardening to a more nature-centric approach. Her initiative, We Are The Ark, invites gardeners, landowners, and stewards to rewild areas under their care,...
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Episode 335: Japanese Gardens
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Geeta Mehta, author of Japanese Gardens, talks about the beauty, philosophy, and deep cultural roots of Japan's garden traditions. We delve into how these serene landscapes reflect harmony, mindfulness, and a unique dialogue between nature and design. Links on Wikipedia Other episodes if you liked this one: If you liked this week's episode with Geeta Mehta you might also enjoy this one from the archives: Episode 271: Japanese Maples with Miles Hayward Summary: In this episode, Sarah Wilson speaks with Miles Hayward, an expert in Japanese Maples and founder of Miles Japanese Maples...
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Episode 334: Food Farming Revolutionary
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
Joshua Sparkes is a grower whose innovative, soil-centered approach blends regenerative principles with a deep reverence for the natural world. We dig into his unique style of farming, how it’s shaped by observation and experimentation, and why it offers a glimpse into what must be the future of sustainable food production. Links Other episodes if you liked this one: If you liked this week's episode with Joshua Sparkes you might also enjoy this one from the archives: Episode 328: Soil, Health & Nutrition Guest: Sam Hamrebtan Link: Nutritional therapist and sustainable cooking...
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Episode 332: Garden Wildlife Ponds
Roots and All - Gardening Podcast
I’m joined by Pete Case from the Freshwater Habitats Trust to dive into the world of garden ponds—why they can be crucial for wildlife, how to create one, and what makes them such a powerful tool for conservation right in your own back, or front, garden. Whether you've got a bucket or a full-blown pond, this one’s for you. Links Other episodes if you liked this one: If you liked this week's episode with Pete Case you might also enjoy this one from the archives: Will Johansen is from Froglife, a conservation group devoted to protecting amphibians and reptiles. Will’s here...
info_outlineHello and welcome to this episode of Roots and All. This week, I’m speaking to landscape architect Sally Bower. Sally has just been awarded the main RHS prize for her Bursary Report titled ‘Nature Rising from the Rubble’ which looks at gravel and recycled aggregate gardens in Essex and London. Specifically, Sally looked at John Little’s Hilldrop garden, RHS Hyde Hall, Beth Chatto’s gravel garden, the Langdon Nature Discovery Car Park and the Horniman Museum Grasslands garden and her findings were invaluable if you’re interested in designing with or growing in these types of media, and Sally had some surprising findings of note too.
Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Harlequins
What We Talk About
The purposes of the study and the distinctions between the different growing media used by people creating gravel/rubble gardens
Is this style of gardening be appropriate across the whole of the UK?
Big Sky Meadow - is this style of planting is as labour intensive as a traditional flower border might be?
In Beth Chatto’s garden, when beds are newly installed or are refreshed, they are subject to double digging during which process mushroom compost is incorporated to improve soil fertility. How does this gel with the idea that plants grow really well in low fertility, well-drained gravel substrates?
John Little’s private garden and how it is built to encourage biodiversity
How important is a site specific approach?
One of the gardens is a success because once the plants grow through the aggregate and reach the clay below, they grow happily and healthily. Isn’t this just a gravel mulched garden rather than a proper gravel garden?
How gravel gardens make a positive environmental contribution
Why does soil which contain demolition waste high in lime capture carbon more quickly?
Sally’s favourite example of this type of garden from the ones she wrote about
About Sally Bower
Based in Liverpool, I’ve been a landscape architect and garden design for over 20 years. My designs aim to develop attractive low impact schemes which reconnect people with nature, support wildlife and respond to the site and its setting. I am particularly interested in what it means to make a ‘wild’ garden and brownfield gardens for biodiversity and wildlife.
Links
Link to Sally’s Report - ‘Nature rising from the rubble’
Other episodes if you liked this one:
John Little of the Grass Roof Company