Avant Gardeners
With lots of enthusiasm and very little know how, Emily and Maddie love chatting about gardening, often with a glass of wine or cocktail in hand. In each weekly episode, we speak to people who inspire us in the garden, in order to unearth some much needed knowledge.
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Bess Scott // Australian Natives, Floristry, Flower Markets, Flannel Flowers
08/11/2026
Bess Scott // Australian Natives, Floristry, Flower Markets, Flannel Flowers
-- Save 15% off everything when shopping. Use the code AGPOD15 This episode is proudly sponsored by . With more than 900 varieties of veggie seeds, and unique and hard-to-find flower seeds, this is our go-to place to shop for garden goodies. Female founded, Bec sources freshest seed to help with your germination success. We love their amazing customer service, their helpful advice on getting the most out of your seed, and the range of stunning flowers and veggies they have available. -- Bess Scott grew up on a flower farm on the NSW Central Coast, surrounded by native blooms cultivated by her father - Craig Scott - and grandfather. Flowers weren’t really the career plan, but having gained amazing floristry experience in Sydney and London, Bess developed her own appreciation for both European and Australian flowers. In 2018, Bess and her partner Jack, founded in Paddington, a floristry celebrating Australian native wildflowers and honouring her family’s legacy, convincing customers one at a time how amazing native Australian flowers are. Bess lives, works, and creates stunning installations and bouquets in Sydney with her now husband Jack and their two daughters, on the lands of Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Before we get into Bess' chat, Emily and Maddie are chatting Proteas, Sydney Flower Market, pierre de ronsard roses, borage, Flannel flowers, edible violets and pansies, Emma Bowen's amazing blueberries at , why you should maybe not blend your bananas with your blueberries. Enjoy the episode!
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Such A Wallflower
08/04/2026
Such A Wallflower
-- Save 15% off everything when shopping. Use the code AGPOD15 This episode is proudly sponsored by . With more than 900 varieties of veggie seeds, and unique and hard-to-find flower seeds, this is our go-to place to shop for garden goodies. Female founded, Bec sources freshest seed to help with your germination success. We love their amazing customer service, their helpful advice on getting the most out of your seed, and the range of stunning flowers and veggies they have available. -- We're bringing the holiday vibes with a Pandan Daiquiri, amended from , but in lieu of pineapple rum, I just used regular rum and added a dash of pineapple juice. Find frozen Pandan in at Asian Grocers. This was inspired by , (and if you want to make your own pandan waffles at home, I highly recommend ). We reflect on an episode that didn't go ahead in which we drank Mastiha and ate Emma Bowen's bougatsa. YUM. We're dissecting Emily's amazing courtyard, filling everywhere with citrus. Emily's bought some Maddie has a sick citrus tree that's down to two - actually make that one - leaf, and her son suggested we glue it on to boost its chances. Maddie has decided the only way to garden with children is to walk around with seceautears in hand. She's attempting to make cuttings of anything - wallflower, saltbush, salvias, pineapple sage, hydrangeas, penstemon. Emily just discovered Wallflowers! Emily's recommendation is the new iteration of - it's near us in Glaziers Bay, open for coffee, pastries, snacks, lunch and farm tours on the weekend. Maddie is recommending this - it's USB rechargable, good for indoor or outdoor use, great for camping, outdoor dining, picnics, or the kids running round after dark!
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Honey Atkinson // Intergenerational Living, Photography, Dividing Labour, Becoming more 'Me'
07/28/2026
Honey Atkinson // Intergenerational Living, Photography, Dividing Labour, Becoming more 'Me'
-- Save 15% off everything when shopping. Use the code AGPOD15 This episode is proudly sponsored by . With more than 900 varieties of veggie seeds, and unique and hard-to-find flower seeds, this is our go-to place to shop for garden goodies. Female founded, Bec sources freshest seed to help with your germination success. We love their amazing customer service, their helpful advice on getting the most out of your seed, and the range of stunning flowers and veggies they have available. -- Honey Atkinson first picked up a camera at age 15 and has worked as a full-time photographer for more than 20 years. We first came across Honey through her work photographing Compostable Kate’s book, The Compost Coach, and have been big fans ever since. Recently, her focus has been on working with quietly ambitious women in business. Honey regards her work as a practice in mindfulness, saying, “Searching for what is beautiful about life is a real gift.” Until she was six years old, Honey lived on a commercial fishing boat in Far North Queensland. These days, Honey lives, forages, makes sourdough and grows veggies on a 10-acre property on Djiringanj Country in New South Wales’ Bega Valley with her partner, children, and mum. We talk about Cathedral Thinking, Perfectionism, Reflecting on ourselves, colour pallettes, taking photos of your garden to look back on and see how far you've progressed, finding little snippets of time to garden. Honey talks about living on a boat for the first 6 years of her life, choosing to move south, integenerational living including things like domestic and economic division, the joys and chaos of having three generations under the one roof, and what gifts it brings to everyone. Her and her mum have a shared Pinterest board. There's SO much in this chat. Best to just listen :-)
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Olives and Medlars and Quolls, oh my!
07/21/2026
Olives and Medlars and Quolls, oh my!
-- Save 15% off everything when shopping. Use the code AGPOD15 This episode is proudly sponsored by . With more than 900 varieties of veggie seeds, and unique and hard-to-find flower seeds, this is our go-to place to shop for garden goodies. Female founded, Bec sources freshest seed to help with your germination success. We love their amazing customer service, their helpful advice on getting the most out of your seed, and the range of stunning flowers and veggies they have available. -- Geez, having Poh on last week is a tough act to follow, but we're giving it a crack. Emily has knocked the top off a Brothers Maclean 2024 Mencía, and we love this apt description of it: "Heavier than a pinot, but not too ballsy.” Emily's talking about her long Tomato season, we discuss split tomatoes, cucumbers, Tiny Farm Tas' CSA Flower seedling box, and annoyingly somoene threw out Em's poppy seeds. Maddie's misidentifying things, has trouble noting down where things are sown. Emily's discovered a Medlar tree on her property - she'll report back on her verdict of the fruit. Maddie reckons No Mow May is great, and heard something funny (not for the dogs) on vet talk back radio. Maddie will use for her 89grams of olives. Mountain peppers are being harvested, and we're excited to watch Clarkson's Farm Season 5 (old news now)
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Poh Ling Yeow // The Inconvenience of Gardening, Bees, Peaches and Possums
07/14/2026
Poh Ling Yeow // The Inconvenience of Gardening, Bees, Peaches and Possums
-- Save 15% off everything when shopping. Use the code AGPOD15 This episode is proudly sponsored by . With more than 900 varieties of veggie seeds, and unique and hard-to-find flower seeds, this is our go-to place to shop for garden goodies. Female founded, Bec sources freshest seed to help with your germination success. We love their amazing customer service, their helpful advice on getting the most out of your seed, and the range of stunning flowers and veggies they have available. -- Poh Ling Yeow is an artist, author, cook, and TV host - one of the hosts of Masterchef Australia. She's also a relatively recent convert to gardening—but gee whiz, has she grabbed it with two hands! She doesn't call herself a chef, but she burst onto our screens in 2009 in the very first season of MasterChef. Since then, she's been a regular on TV, including her own series, Poh and Co., which followed the creation of her amazing garden. Poh explains that her "greed for life experience" has always made her creatively adventurous and willing to invite change. We think those are words to live by. Poh lives, cooks, creates, gardens, and tends to her bees - alongside her beloved dog Tim on Gah-na land in Adelaide, South Australia. Before that we're chatting Miso - Maddie's obsessed with these , and this that you're going to love (panko, miso and add some chilli - oh my!). Maddie is loving strawberries growing in pots, and reccomends this Poh talks about Maddie talks about Poh also references and in Adelaide
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Obnoxious Guinea Fowl and Rebranding Ravens
07/07/2026
Obnoxious Guinea Fowl and Rebranding Ravens
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Willie Smith's Non-alcoholic Cider. Made from Organic Apples grown not far from us, we're big fan of this delightful non-alcoholic cider. It's more refined that apple juice, there's no added sugar, and it's something fancier than your standard sparkling water. It has that craft cider taste, and it's a great option if you aren't drinking, want just one less alcoholic drink, or feel like something a little different. Enjoy 10% off their Non-Alcoholic ciders when using the code AG10 -- We've knocked the top off a Willie Smith's Non Alc cider for this glorious episode. Not only do we enjoy their cider, but we love going to their Apple Shed too for some live music inside, let the kids run wild outside, a bowl of delicious potatoes or their yummy apple pie. We're chatting tree dahlias (again), scary snapdragon seed pods, encouraging Ravens in the chicken yard, the no-egg season, chicken curtains, the ridiculousness of the guinea fowl. We're looking at Scarab Beetles in a new light, Emily is planting out Dwarf Gums but needs to consider power poles (as do you if you purchase a property down here!). Emily is singing the praises of
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Anna Matilda / Urban Nanna - Carescapes, Permaculture, Foraging, Autism, Renting, Friction Maxxing
06/30/2026
Anna Matilda / Urban Nanna - Carescapes, Permaculture, Foraging, Autism, Renting, Friction Maxxing
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Willie Smith's Non-alcoholic Cider. Made from Organic Apples grown not far from us, we're big fan of this delightful non-alcoholic cider. It's more refined that apple juice, there's no added sugar, and it's something fancier than your standard sparkling water. It has that craft cider taste, and it's a great option if you aren't drinking, want just one less alcoholic drink, or feel like something a little different. Enjoy 10% off their Non-Alcoholic ciders when using the code AG10 -- Anna Matilda, aka specialises in teaching people about traditional skills, crafts and methods of living in a modern-day context. Anna’s purpose is about reviving traditional ways of cooking, preserving, and crafting, always focusing heavily on permaculture principles to guide a sustainable lifestyle that’s full of gardening and zero-waste practices. Anna is a former primary school teacher with a horticultural background who has created The Urban Nanna to showcase and teach knowledge, methods and skills to people much like grandmas have done for generations. Anna lives, forages, preserves and works on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung peoples in Victoria, Australia. We're eating Tony Chocoloney. Maddie and Emily discuss Friction Maxxing, Visible Mending, With Anna we delve into Carescapes and specifically Spoons theory. Anna's book is We discuss , , , Autism and Neurodivergence, from Reskilliance Podcast, Foraging and much more. Enjoy!
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Speaking of Gladiolus
06/23/2026
Speaking of Gladiolus
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Willie Smith's Non-alcoholic Cider. Made from Organic Apples grown not far from us, we're big fan of this delightful non-alcoholic cider. It's more refined that apple juice, there's no added sugar, and it's something fancier than your standard sparkling water. It has that craft cider taste, and it's a great option if you aren't drinking, want just one less alcoholic drink, or feel like something a little different. Enjoy 10% off their Non-Alcoholic ciders when using the code AG10 at -- We're back! Welcome to a new season of Avant Gardeners. This is an Emily & Maddie episode where we start off with saffron and end on a recommendation that will have your veggies lasting much much longer in the fridge. Maddie has grown a successful saffron crop, and now understands why it's so expensive, she's popped in a bunch of Gladiolus, there are kiwi fruits growing (we incorrectly said that kiwi don't ripen off the vine. This is untrue - they will ripen on your bench). Coriander are going off in the garden paths. Maddie is ambivilent about quinces. Emily is giving back to the local seed saving group, and has a great hack with pillow cases. She's recommending a story about the amazing Denny King, as a tree that was previously thought to be extinct has recently been discovered. . Emily is recommending A big thank you to Willie Smith's Non Alcoholic Cider for being this episode's sponsor.
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Mitch Theissen // The Agrarian Kitchen, Compost, Soil Health, Japanese Salad Turnip
05/05/2026
Mitch Theissen // The Agrarian Kitchen, Compost, Soil Health, Japanese Salad Turnip
Mitch Theissen has the enviable role of Head Gardener at the award winning Agrarian Kitchen in New Norfolk, just outside of Hobart. Having grown up in the Huon Valley, born into a long line of apple farmers, Mitch started his career in the kitchen, first in Hobart, then Sydney, before spending time in Japan. It was here that his thoughts returned to agriculture and produce, and upon returning to Australia he sought out the next phase of his career, landing this dream gig a few years ago and being pivotal in what it looks like, and how it operates, today. Mitch lives, works and gardens with his partner, and young family on the land of the wulawali people in New Norfolk, in lutruwita/Tasmania’s Derwent Valley. Before we get to that, Emily and Maddie are (as well as talking over the top of each other -- sorry about that --) talking about radishes. Yep, that's about it. We also talk about Compost Soil Salad spinners (lol, yes) And maybe you need to rush out to buy some Japanese Salad Turnip Seeds. IYIYK Mitch is recommending
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Baklava Old Fashioned, Dehydrator Season and We Answer Your Questions!
04/28/2026
Baklava Old Fashioned, Dehydrator Season and We Answer Your Questions!
We're drinking a Baklava Old Fashioned - Maddie had leftover baklava syrup (sugar, water, cinnamon, honey) and has turned it into an old fashioned with burbon, amaretto and a dash of bitters. Absolutely delish! Emily has scored herself the perfect harvest basket, and her benchtop is housing a hard-working dehydrator as she works through the abundance of nashi pears. Maddie delves into the good and the bad dahlia chat. We discuss tree peonies and mimosa hydrangeas before delving into some questions that you - our amazing listeners - have asked of us. The ones we get into in this episode are: -What are some things you wish you could grow, and what would you never grow -How did you two meet? -What are your favourite cocktails. This was fun, and there are more questions to answer in future eps. Feel like asking us a question? Drop us a DM at
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Rubie Gallagher // Gardening with a Disability, Starting a Micro Flower Farm, Dahlia Cuttings, Running Away From Home
04/21/2026
Rubie Gallagher // Gardening with a Disability, Starting a Micro Flower Farm, Dahlia Cuttings, Running Away From Home
This week's guest is the delightful, talented Rubie Gallagher. Rubie is an illustrator and , who met Emily when she and her husband Max took a Calm Birth class ahead of their first child. After an accident in 2019, Rubie she spent time in rehabilitation at the Royal Talbot Rehab Centre in Melbourne which created. The two crossed paths there during Rubie's rehab. Since her accident, Rubie and her husband, along with some very helpful friends, have worked together to create Rubie's Flower Farm, a micro farm growing flowers for florists, DIY buckets and edible flowers out of Mount Rumney just outside of Hobart. Rubie talks about memories from the rehab garden, what led her to create her farm, how gardening with a kid is bloody hard, and how she deals with the cold weather (hint: ). We talk about improving soil, taking cuttings, sneaking cuttings and not sweating the small stuff. Before we get to this great chat with Rubie, we're talking about geraniums, using kids to get away with things, roses in abundance, Elephant Garlic, . Rubie recommends the following books during her chat: , by Julia Baird , by Sharon Blackie “Grass is going to grass, and weeds are going to weed." - Rubie Gallagher
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A Hospital Stay, Writing Lists & South Sydney's Jacaranda History
04/14/2026
A Hospital Stay, Writing Lists & South Sydney's Jacaranda History
We are back, and we felt like drinking something tried and tested, so Emily's cracked a , Chenin Blanc. Emily shares an unexpected stay in hospital, and she's got a lot of thoughts about the paediatric ward 'sgarden (very topical as we've recently spoken to Nurse and Therapeutic Horticulturalist Steven Wells - ). Maddie interogates how Emily gets so many things done, so we go deep on lists. Emily's planting garlic and spending time in her outdoor bath. We're processing tomatoes. Maddie shares a story about South Sydney's jacaranda history, and a recent event at that looked oh so wholesome. Emily has got on board CSA, and is growing Romanesco. Maddie has raspberry success, a scale scenario, and a twitch sitch. Maddie is recommending the benchtop bin from (use AG15 at checkout for 5% off).
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Jac Semmler // Flower Power, Pivoting to Horticulture, Super Bloom, Writing Books, Poppy Hacks
03/24/2026
Jac Semmler // Flower Power, Pivoting to Horticulture, Super Bloom, Writing Books, Poppy Hacks
We are the founding members of the Jac Semmler Fan Club. This is the second time we've been lucky enough to interview Jac, celebrating the launch of what will become an absolute gardening book staple, . In this episode we answer a bunch of your questions, including -How and should I pivot to horticulture -How do I get my poppies to germinate -What are some surprising performers in the garden We talk about changing climate, bogan pronounciation of plant names, the amazing work Jac's doing at Super Bloom, and so much more. Before we get to that: Maddie and Em are drinking a dirty cacao (cacao powder, maple syrup, cinnamon, sea salt, shot of coffee), we're talking agastache, liquorice plant, planting in pots (inspired by Connie Cao), Flannel Flower, Succulents, Mother in Law's Tongue. Thanks for being here.
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Op Shops, Toilet Paper & Plums Galore
03/17/2026
Op Shops, Toilet Paper & Plums Galore
Emily & Maddie are back with so much chat this week. We go a little off topic, but that's pretty standard...right? We cover: Philodendron Shrub (not of the plant variety!) Spent flowers are self seeding Compost bins Proteas not opening Olive grove maintenance Drowning in Plums Different types of clematis - who knew! Emily is on the hunt for the perfect garden basket from op shops near and far. Next week we're so excited to be releasing our chat with the amazing Jac Semmler of Super Bloom!
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Steven Wells // Therapeutic Gardening, Downsizing, Churchill Fellowship, Gardener Folk
03/10/2026
Steven Wells // Therapeutic Gardening, Downsizing, Churchill Fellowship, Gardener Folk
Emily and Maddie were lucky enough to meet Steven in Victoria late last year, having followed his journey for a long time. Steven began his career as a nurse, before studying horticulture, with no intention of fusing the two. But he delved deeper into therapeutic gardens, gaining a Churchill Fellowship to help support research, and he started the Therapeutic Garden at the nearly 20 years ago, providing immeasurable benefit to patients, their families, friends and staff. Steven recently downsized from a much-celebrated garden in the Melbourne suburbs, Steven now has a lush veranda in the clouds, overlooking Melbourne's CBD. This downsizing has given him time and space to focus on other passions and projects in his life. Steven lives, works and gardens in Naarm / Melbourne, on the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. Before we get to Steven's chat, Maddie and Emily are dreaming of fields of sunflowers - Emily is reminiscing about her time in Europe with sunflowers and cosmos all around. Maddie is reminiscing of her time on a farm stay in Portugal while staying in a yurt. We ask Steven for his favourite Evergreen plants, which are: Agave Attenuata / Foxtail Agave Variegated aspidistra Bromeliads And his tips for Textural Plants in a Sensory garden include Lambs Ear or Kalanchoe 'Oak Leaf'.
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Maddie + Em // Alpacas and New Neural Pathways
03/03/2026
Maddie + Em // Alpacas and New Neural Pathways
It's a Maddie & Emily chat this week. Maddie is loving (despite calling the colour urine-esque) the White Blend and if you're in Tassie go book and wine shopping at Emily was creating new neural pathways and happened upon a great side-street garden stall. Win! We're lamenting the end of cherry season, but enjoying choc-covered cherries from a local stall. We're rolling (metaphorically, not literally) in peastraw and alpaca poo. Lettuce is ON! Emily has has success with a poppy (yes, just the one), and it's reminding her of her grandfather. Maddie's hollyhocks have popped and it's reminding her of her grandmother. Emily is recommending and Maddie is recommending but a shout out to too.
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Jo Thompson (UK) // Chelsea Flower Show, 6pm wines, Favourite Roses, Trypophobia
02/24/2026
Jo Thompson (UK) // Chelsea Flower Show, 6pm wines, Favourite Roses, Trypophobia
Jo Thompson is one of the UK’s most celebrated garden designers, known for creating deeply romantic, naturalistic gardens that feel timeless, layered and full of atmosphere. Her projects span the UK and abroad - from wildflower meadows in the English countryside to rooftop terraces in New York and coastal gardens in Italy and Brazil. She’s a multiple award-winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with several Gold medals to her name, and her designs - ranging from private landscapes to meaningful public projects - are widely admired. Beyond her design practice, she’s a respected teacher, author and voice in the gardening world, sharing her knowledge through books, lectures and her much-loved newsletter, The Gardening Mind. Jo’s work reminds us that gardens can be both art and refuge – spaces that connect us to beauty, memory and the natural world. Before we get to Jo's chat, Maddie and Emily are talking about: Agapanthas (sorry!) Snakes Wildflower Meadows Emma Bowen of Sea salt and olive oil on vanilla icecream Then we get into glorious Jo's chat and we cover a lot. Highlights include: Women in horitculture / at the Chelsea Flower Show Designing a garden Trypophobia Damsen Cocktail Jo lists a bunch of her favourite roses: Wild Rover Meg - climber The Lark Ascending Felicite-Perpetue Adélaide d'Orléans Ghislaine de feligonde Blush Noisette Bengal Crimsen Mutablis Gertrude JekyllMILsures Olivia Rose Austin Ispahan
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A notebook full of failures - Maddie and Emily chat!
02/17/2026
A notebook full of failures - Maddie and Emily chat!
We're baaaaaack! And with a slightly new format. We're trying out one week where we release our chat (longer version), and the following week we'll release our guest interview. It means we can get episodes out weekly. We'll trial it and see. We've missed the podcast so it's awesome to be back. Emily has knocked it out of the park with a delicious mulberry bramble (gin, mulberry cordial from our friends' tree, blackberries, lime). Having taken more than two months off, we have so much to chat about. Including, but not limited to: Seed saving - calendula and platypus spinach, Drying hydrangeas thanks to We’re talking about Moths - they need a rebrand. and (by Christy Mandin). Aaaand lilacs, daphne, feverfew, calendula, compost bays. Catch up next week when we interview (omg!)
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Jodi Wilson // A Brain That Breathes, Soft Fascination, The Power of Pottering in the Garden, Books for you to read
01/05/2026
Jodi Wilson // A Brain That Breathes, Soft Fascination, The Power of Pottering in the Garden, Books for you to read
Jodi Wilson is a bestselling author of four books, a health journalist and postpartum doula. Several years ago, she and her family packed their lives into a caravan, and set off in search of adventure, and a more simple life. After two years on the road they put down roots in Tasmania. It is here where she’s embraced gardening, and written her most recent book, , out today. Jodi lives, writes and gardens with her partner and their four children on the land of the punnilerpanner people in north western Tasmania Before we get to this thought-provoking chat, Emily and Madeleine are drinking gin with some home made purple elderflower cordial. Emily is regretting purchasing a Ginko tree, and the agapanthus keep rearing their ugly head. She is loving her Cerastium tomentosum - snow in summer - and Maddie's cutting is also doing quite well. Maddie is obsessed with Sage, and wants to propagate more. She's also tried her hand at sage sticks. She's got a picnic blanket in the post and is excited for more outdoor eating-and-drinking sessions. Calendula is back, and in some beautiful colours, and she is recommending , by Alice Vincent. Jodi has a HUGE list of books she recommends for summer, and or anytime. We've already read a couple of them and they are excellent. Can highly recommend her recommendations! -The Mushroom Tapes by Chloe Hooper, Helen Garner, and Sarah Krasnostein -Heart the Lover by Lily King -Sandwich and Wreck by Catherine Newman -The Octopus and I and A Catalogue of Love by Erin Hortle -The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall -The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers -Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley We're also banging on and singing the praises of libraries, AGAIN!
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Emma Horswill // Earthenry Flower Farm, Dahlias, Cover Crops, Pulse Watering, Ranunculus
12/02/2025
Emma Horswill // Earthenry Flower Farm, Dahlias, Cover Crops, Pulse Watering, Ranunculus
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ Emma Horswill was a madkeen gardener with a fine arts degree and a 9-acre block. With plans for a veggie garden and orchard, Emma turned her hand to flower farming in 2019, and since then has gone from strength to strength. This family run farm, called , now grows well over 100 different varieties of seasonal and field-grown blooms, and has cultivated a dedicated community of volunteers and devotees who flock to the farm for events including garden and gossip, twilight flower picking, pick your own mornings, workshops, and seedling sales. Emma also breeds her own dahlias, makes made-to-order bouquets and sells organically-grown seeds. Emma, her husband Greg and their two teenage children live, work and garden in the beautiful township of Snug, on the lands of the Nuenonne people in Tasmania. Before we get to that, Maddie & Emily and drinking a Emily is talking about pea straw, her broody chickens and some tips she's learned from Nicky Husted, aka . We both went to the Cygnet Garden Market and bought a literal boot load of plants including Mint! Hurray. Chocolate mint, peppermint and basil mint. Emily is loving column in magazine about observing where the early and late light moves in the garden, and that's where to plant those frothy, tall grasses to catch the light. Maddie is loving the cows, dukkah from the cookbook, and having garden chats with Emily. This is our last episode of 2026. Thank you for being here. It means the world.
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Rachel Ward // Regenerative Farming, Small Farms, Nature and Creativity, Farmthru
11/25/2025
Rachel Ward // Regenerative Farming, Small Farms, Nature and Creativity, Farmthru
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ Rachel Ward’s career began on screen, with standout roles in classics like The Thorn Birds before she turned her skills to directing acclaimed works including Beautiful Kate. In her sixties, Rachel's energy and focus shifted to regenerative agriculture, swapping film sets for fence lines and embarking on an ambitious overhaul of the beef farm her and her husband Bryan Brown had owned for thirty-odd years. Her brilliant documentary captures this shift as Rachel moves into her soil-health evangelist era, charting her mission to restore land and the food system. Today, she continues that momentum through , her paddock-to-plate project designed to disrupt how regenerative farm produce is made available to consumers. Rachel lives, works and tends to her cattle on the land of the Gumbaynggirr people in the Nambucca Valley, New South Wales. Before we get to Rachel's chat, Maddie and Emily are drinking Greek Frappe (metrio me gala) even though it's 9 degrees outside. Recipe from by Kon Karapanagiotidis. Emily is dreaming of abundance in the garden. Maddie is going to try to make her own tomato powder by They both visited good mate Pip Steele Wareham at and it was just like old times in that Pip was followed around by Maddie and Emily asking lots of annoying questions. We visited and want to start our own version in Cygnet. We're growing strawberries in pots and trying to get lots more creeping thyme in the garden (thank you, ) Maddie is thinning her fruit trees (thank you, ) Rachel recommends: by Mary Reynolds, by Rick Reuben, by Charles Massy, by Andrew Skeock by David W Pratt by Kristen Ohlson, by Allan Savory Check our Rachel's new online-ordering, kerb pick up regenerative farm produce available at
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Mark Udovitch // Inner City Permaculture, bees, chickens, mushrooms, Permaculture in the Pub
11/18/2025
Mark Udovitch // Inner City Permaculture, bees, chickens, mushrooms, Permaculture in the Pub
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ and his partner Lisa wisely used Covid lockdowns to establish an urban microfarm just south of the Sydney CBD, in the leafy suburb of Bardwell Valley. This steep and productive block is flourishing with veggies, fruit trees and indigenous plants. Mark and Lisa also share the property with European honeybees, a chicken coop, and their two young children. Mark is also a prolific preserver, fermenter and sourdough maker, is a member of the Sydney Edible Garden Trail Team, hosts a regular Permaculture at the Pub event, and is a Radiation Therapist in his spare time. He’s passionate about getting more dirt under the fingernails of more people, and shares what he knows online. Mark lives, works and tends to his garden on Gadigal country, in NSW Maddie has - in a very roundabout way - made a Porto Tonico with Magnolia syrup. It's like gin and tonic, but port and tonic, (with or without magnolia syrup). Garnish it with an orange slice, cinnamon quill and rosemary. We're debriefing all things Citrus. Emily is on a full agpanthus rant, and turns out Maddie thought the singular of Agapanthus was...Agapantha. Lol. She didn't realise this wasn't the case until after we'd finished recording. Emily is on the green manure train, Maddie is hoping to grow . One of Emily's sisters bought her the book by Ann Treneman and she's LOVING it. Maddie is obsessed with her Razor Hoe. We learned heaps from attending one of the pruning webinar. Things Mark mentions: , , Thanks for being here!
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Merlin Sheldrake // Fungi, Mushrooms, Fermenting, Entangled Life
11/11/2025
Merlin Sheldrake // Fungi, Mushrooms, Fermenting, Entangled Life
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ is a mycologist, biologist, writer, and speaker with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama. His book, Entangled Life, dives deep into the magical, mysterious and stranger-than-fiction world of fungi, explaining how they can show us lessons in resilience, cooperation and transformation. Entangled Life has sold more than a million copies worldwide, and what followed is a documentary called Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Bjork. If you’re lucky enough, you can catch Merlin across Australia and New Zealand as part of . Tickets for this evening of storytelling and science are on sale now. Before we get to Merlin's chat, we're drinking our mate's with a dash of Frangelico. Yum yum! Emily is giving her indoor plants some annual love. She's ticked off three trees on her random list (snowball viburnum, smoke bush and tai haku cherry!). Emily is continually searching for tube stock, and is loving Phil Dudman's tips on . Her daughter Phoebe is the reigning queen of carrots. Emily is recommending Urban Nanna (aka Anna Matilda's) book , illustrated by Brenna Quinlan. Maddie is up in arms about nurseries selling non-native Pig Face (hear why this is such a disasterous thing in this episode with Mindy Woods), she's creating a spanikopita garden, and has some bull chat - having just agisted a new animal in Quarter Pounder - a big, beefy Belted Galloway who has been tasked with one job. And she's gushing about Entangled Life ( or narrated audio version. Both are spectacular.) Thanks for being here!
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Tim Pilgrim // Naturalistic Design, The Winter Decay, Apartment plantings,
11/04/2025
Tim Pilgrim // Naturalistic Design, The Winter Decay, Apartment plantings,
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ Tim Pilgrim has become synonymous with his own naturalistic style of garden design, one that's plant-driven and subscribes to the maximalist aesthetic. With gardening in his blood, and after working at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, he returned home to work on one of the Digger’s Club’s most famous gardens, St Erth. Tim and his wife Hadley started TP Gardens back in 2013, and since then he’s worked on some of the most jaw-dropping gardens in the country including Du Fermier in Trentham, Paul Bangay’s Stonefields and at Bress, a biodynamic winery in the Central Victorian goldfields. Tim’s debut book Wild By Design has recently been released, shooting straight to the best sellers list. And deservedly so. Tim draws his inspiration from the beauty of wild landscapes and other creative gardening minds. Tim lives, gardens and designs on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, sharing his home with his wife, and three young sons. Before we get to Tim's chat, we're drinking Walnut Liqueur made from green walnuts macerated with alcohol - a Slovenian specialty. Emily is going great guns with her seeds - rudbeckia, violas, edamame. Her orchard understory is blooming with cornflowers, walking onions, rosemary, thyme, wormwood, queen anne's lace, cosmos, calendula, and strawberries! The sorrel is still a pest. Emily's loving Banskia (it's giving May Gibbs vibes). Maddie recommends growing Correa Alba from cuttings. Maddie + Emily did a beautiful bushwalk - the Freycinet Circuit, and picked up reading tips from our very great mate Franzi. Emily's recommending Platypus Spinach from Dimity May at Tiny Farm Tas. Maddie wants baby lamb energy, vs tired mutton energy. Maddie's trying to grow shelling peas, and has made a huge (although not catastrophic) mistake with her flannel flowers. And we're trying to manifest Juvenile Grandma phase. Thanks!
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Mindy Woods // Native Ingredients, Karkalla at Home, First Nations Calendar, Foraging, Whisky Sour
10/28/2025
Mindy Woods // Native Ingredients, Karkalla at Home, First Nations Calendar, Foraging, Whisky Sour
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ Mindy Woods is a chef, restaurateur and author, and the first female Indigenous chef to become hatted by the Australian Good Food Guide. A proud Bundjalung woman, Mindy was pursuing physiotherapy when she barged onto our screens in on Masterchef in 2012. Since then she’s created an impactful career around food and education with Native ingredients being at the centre of everything she does. Mindy was named a Champion of Change at the 2025 World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, and she’s recently reimagined her award-winning restaurant, offering a full experience on country in the Byron hinterland. At , guests can take cooking classes or immersive dining experiences. In 2025, Mindy released her first book, . Mindy forages, gardens and cooks on the lands of the Bundjalung people in northern New South Wales. Before we get into this beautiful chat, Maddie and Emily are enjoying a Native Pepper Whisky Sour (Native Pepper syrup made with leaves + water + sugar). Emily is obsessing about Euphorbia, lamenting her plant tag organisation system, and is curious about how Dahlias just multiply. Maddie bought her very first rose (an earth angel floribunda), and is obsessed with the old world shape. We're also talking processing tomatoes, Emily's tomato relish, the best honey ever. And then it's into our chat with Mindy. This is a cracker. Hope you love it!
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Brenna Quinlan // Permaculture Guru, Strawbale Home, Art Activism, Rest
10/21/2025
Brenna Quinlan // Permaculture Guru, Strawbale Home, Art Activism, Rest
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. . ~ Brenna Quinlan is an illustrator and educator with a keen focus on permaculture and sustainability. Her special skill is putting her energy, creativity and passion into making the world a better place. She’s not afraid to take hard, uncomfortable or challenging subjects, but she always has humour at the core. Through her art she has collaborated with the likes of Costa, Milkwood Permaculture, David Holmgren and the CSIRO. Brenna lives, creates art and permacultures in a that she built from reclaimed materials on Bibbulmun Menang boodja, in an intentional community in Denmark, Western Australia. Before we get into this highly delightful, educational and entertaining chat with Brenna, Emily and Maddie are drinking a , Maddie is talking about chickens and accidentally discovered the most delicious eggs she's ever tasted. She's making lots of homemade marshmallows with those bad boys. We go deep into potatoes: Pink Eyes and King Edwards, and Maddie's planted out a bunch of cuttings from Emily's succulent garden - including Blue Chalk Sticks and something else whose name we don't know. Maddie is recommending and is embarrassed by her lack of chlorophyll knowledge. We also explore the abscission zone (of leaf and brain variety). Emily's spending wholesome days with the kids at Birches Bay Art Farm, where she recently purchased some Native Pepper Berry. She's also experimenting with thornless blackberry. Brenna is a wealth of information and recommends the following: by Claire Dunn by Anna Matilda, aka Urban Nanna Koren Helbig's , by David Holmgren Follow Brenna , and consider supporting her on Patreon .
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Katie Finlay // Grow Great Fruit, Pruning, Grafting, Pest Control, Chamomile & Gin
08/19/2025
Katie Finlay // Grow Great Fruit, Pruning, Grafting, Pest Control, Chamomile & Gin
Katie Finlay is a third-generation orchardist who grew up on the family farm she now calls home. She received a Bachelor of Science from Monash Uni majoring in botany and genetics - which came in very handy when she returned to the farm 15 years later Katie and her partner Hugh are on a mission to help backyard growers and orchardists alike to create the abundant fruit trees of your dreams. Katie and Hugh run , an education hub that combines their decades of fruit growing experience into practical lessons through webinars, online courses, annual subscriptions and in-person sessions. They also have a nursery with more than 200 varietes of fruit including apples, stone fruit, heritage varieties and multi-grafted trees. Katie lives and farms on Djaara country at the foot of Mount Alexander in central Victoria To kick the episode off we're drinking a cup of chamomile tea and honey, with a dash of Poor Tom's Gin. Maddie's tree dahlia didn't quite go off like she'd have hoped, but her ranunculus from seed are going great. She's still planting things too close together. Emily is in her espalier era, with 7 trees about to go into the ground. We ask - What can't you espalier? We acknowledge we've been pronouncing bougainvillea like Aussie bogans - boganvillia. Whoops. Emily has secured herself a Charles Jolly Lilac. Maddie is recommending In our chat with the amazing Katie, we cover all this and more: bud swell pruning pests and pest control grafting storing fruit preserving fruit cooperative farming models succession planning Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on or check out .
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Scott Whitaker - Hinterland Bees // Bees, Honey, Varroa, Honey Mead, Hollyhock, Chickens
08/05/2025
Scott Whitaker - Hinterland Bees // Bees, Honey, Varroa, Honey Mead, Hollyhock, Chickens
Scott Whitaker is a visual artist and former art gallery owner who now runs with his wife Allyson Reynolds. They got their first hive back in 1996, and now manage more than 250 of them across orchards and rainforests in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Scott produces pure, natural raw honey and has become synonymous with swarm removal. His social videos are mesmerising to watch, opting for no protective gear when handling thousands of them. Scott lives, gardens and bee keeps on Jinibara and Kabi Kabi country in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland. If you love or loathe bees, or eat anything pollinated by bees, this is a great listen! Before we get there, we're drinking a Hartzview Honey Mead. Emily is talking about all the positive impacts on her gardening journey including Terry Memory, Milkwood Permaculture, Emma Bowen @ Rising Farm and Hannah Maloney. She's also about to plant all her peonies. Maddie is trying to grow Hollyhock, she's reneged on her idea of building her own chicken coop, and she's on the snail warpath. She's also recommending . Yum! Scott recommends the book by Thomas D. Seeley. NOTE: We interviewed Scott about 8 weeks ago, and since then varroa has been detected in several of his hives. Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on or check out .
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Nikki Husted - Purely Chickens // Homesteading, Chicken Life (And Death), Gardening with Chickens, Lindt Ball Hot Choc
07/22/2025
Nikki Husted - Purely Chickens // Homesteading, Chicken Life (And Death), Gardening with Chickens, Lindt Ball Hot Choc
Nikki Husted, aka on Instagram, has been on our Dream Interview List for a very long time. Nikki is a former public school teacher turned chicken guru, who educates and entertains a community of like-minded chicken fanatics about all things poultry and homesteading. In 2023 she released her book , bringing together more than two decades of chicken know-how into a really practical resource. Nikki lives in Ohio with her husband, two young kids, and a menagerie including dogs, cats, goats, geese and - of course - dozens of chickens! Whether you have chickens or not, you're going to love Nikki's chat! Before we get there, we're drinking a Lindt Ball Hot Chocolate (which you can make adult by adding a shot of whisky or similar). Emily is sharing her compost palace update, her Arborteum experience and she's getting around to spraying her fruit trees. Maddie is obsessed with her $4 zero turn mower and she's upskilling on avocado pollination types. Recommendations: Emily is loving her mulch fork, while Maddie is obsessed with top quality hazelnuts. Specifically (hard to source if you're not very local) or if you're looking to purchase some online. Yummm bloody yum. Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on or check out .
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Sue Stuart-Smith // From 'outdoor housework' to The Well Gardened Mind, Gardening for Mind & Body, the Power of Flowers, The Barn Garden
07/08/2025
Sue Stuart-Smith // From 'outdoor housework' to The Well Gardened Mind, Gardening for Mind & Body, the Power of Flowers, The Barn Garden
Welcome to the first episode of our little mini winter series. We'll be talking about the birds and the bees, the mind and fruit trees. Thanks for being here. First up, we're having a fan girl moment chatting to . Sue is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author of – a Sunday Times Bestseller. Sue originally saw gardening as 'outdoor housework', but it was the veggie garden that drew her in. She originally studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a doctor and working in the NHS, where she went on to become the lead clinician for psychotherapy in Hertfordshire. Sue and her husband, celebrated garden designer , have together spent almost four decades cultivating the Barn Garden – a place that inspired much of her writing. Her book explores the relationship between gardening and mental health. Sue lives, works and gardens in Hertfordshire in the UK from where she shares widely her deep appreciation for the natural world. Before we get to this beautiful chat with Sue we're drinking a . Emily is dishing up why she's not a fan of carnations. Maddie boldly states she's going to build her own chicken coop. We've discovered (unpalatable) native blueberries. We've found all of the apple info at . And Emily's decided what to plant in her future espalier bed - including a Plum Scrumptious - an interspecies plant that is plum and peach. Yumbo!
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