Talking Gardens
In Talking Gardens, host Stephanie Mahon invites notable figures from the gardening world to design their ultimate fantasy garden. Each guest selects their favorite plants, garden designers, and head gardeners to create a dream space. The podcast is produced by the team behind Gardens Illustrated magazine.
Episodes
The future of Chelsea, alternative formats and relocating show gardens
In our final episode from the show, we ask what is going to happen to RHS Chelsea now Project Giving Back funding is ending, Jack Wallington puts forward ideas for an alternative sort of garden show, Tom Massey tells is what it's like to relocate a show garden, we discover who won People's Choice and some top designers tell us why they keep coming back for more.
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How to build a Chelsea garden (and get into the show for free)
Come behind the scenes with us on today's episode of Talking Chelsea to find out what industry types made of the show this year, what's involved in preparing and building show gardens with multi-Gold winning contractor Crocus, how to get into the show for free - ie volunteer - and the personal reason behind why Arit Anderson created her show garden.
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Planting, the Pavilion… and more plants
Today’s episode of Talking Chelsea is dedicated to plants and planting at the show. Discover which style of planting is dominating the gardens and standout plants across the showground, as well as Rosy Hardy’s top tips for creating a gold winning plant exhibit, Nigel Slater on naming a new sweet pea, Tom Stuart-Smith on the amazing collection of plants for his show garden, Michael Perry’s top pick
Medals, magic and take home ideas
Join us at the Chelsea Flower Show today to get the lowdown on all the medals and best in show winners with Lucy Hall, Sarah Eberle on being the most decorated Chelsea designer in history, and Rhoda Parry on what a ‘naturescape’ is. Plus a day in the life of the Chelsea show manager, how Frances Tophill found collaborating with The King and David Beckham, what the Gardens Illustrated team think th
Gardens, gnomes and Gold medals
In the first episode of our Chelsea Flower Show miniseries we are coming to you direct from the 2026 show with all the behind the scenes insights, including a hard first look at the show gardens with Chris Young, some AI design controversy with Matt Keightley, the reason why gnomes are (usually) banned at the show with RHS librarian Fiona Davison, who the judges are and how the judging works accor
Midori Shintani
Stephanie talks to Midori Shintani about her time as head gardener for one of the world’s most influential modern gardens, the Tokachi Millennium Forest, and her next move working with Dan Pearson on the Play Earth Naturing Park in Japan, and launching her own plant nursery. Discover what it was like to share the landscape with bears, and the idea of 72 micro-seasons for gardeners through the year
Matthew Wilson
Garden designer, horticulturist and GQT panellist Matthew Wilson is our guest on this episode, and he’s discussing his favourite gardens, from Kent to California. He reveals the things his clients say they don’t want in their gardens, what on earth hydroseeding is and the one temperamental plant he wishes he could grow. Plus, we discuss the benefits of urban greenspace, the sustainability of concr
Cath Kidston
Our guest this week is the British designer and businesswoman Cath Kidston, whose body care brand C. Atherley celebrates her love of scented pelargoniums. Cath describes the gardens she has created, from a beautiful riverside plot in Chiswick to her current Cotswold garden with a view. She discusses her love of ‘pellies’ and why a greenhouse is an essential in her garden. Plus, we touch on gardeni
Jamie Butterworth
Plantsman, author and TV presenter Jamie Butterworth joins Stephanie this week, tracing his horticultural beginnings from Young Gardener of the Year on TV to working with Monty Don. Jamie talks candidly about the highs and lows of setting up his own nursery during the pandemic, and his plans for his brand new home and garden in the Lake District. Plus, we find out why Jamie loathes ‘boring’ evergr
Matthew Pottage
Our guest this week is Matthew Pottage, who became RHS Wisley’s youngest-ever curator aged 29 and is now head of horticulture and landscape strategy at London’s Royal Parks. He reveals his love for Chilean plants and why monkey puzzle trees often struggle in the UK, as well as the controversial return of conifers and pampas grass in our gardens. We discuss why many people are afraid to plant tall
Luciano Giubbilei
Landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei joins host Steph to reveal all about his dream garden. He describes growing up in Italy, his own landscape inspirations, including Villa Gamberaia in Florence and Rousham in Oxfordshire, and his own new landscape project at The Field in Mallorca.
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Pollyanna Wilkinson
This week’s guest is the award-winning garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson. She reveals her ‘uncool’ love of romantic planting and the literary gardens she’s always admired, and discusses finding space for veg beds, chickens and a football pitch in her small suburban plot. Plus, Polly tells us the one plant she avoids putting in client gardens, and asks: do we actually need our sheds?
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Adam Frost
Gardener, designer and TV presenter Adam Frost talks to host Stephanie about growing up with two very different gardening grandmothers, the advice Terence Conran once gave him at Chelsea and how his world fell apart during Covid. Find out about his new dog-friendly garden he is creating with his wife, his favourite multi-purpose gardening tool and the dangerous TV show he’d make if he had his way.
Talking Gardens is back for Season 6!
Talking Gardens is back this spring with Stephanie Mahon, and all-new brilliant guests from the world of gardening.
We’ve got TV presenter Adam Frost singing Steph happy birthday; and Insta star Pollyanna Wilkinson on loving deeply uncool cottage gardens. Matthew Wilson will be telling us what on earth hydroseeding is and designer Luciano Giubbilei tells us all about how he found his own magical
Tom Coward
This time, Steph is talking to Tom Coward, head gardener at Gravetye Manor garden in Sussex. Now a luxury hotel, it was once the home of gardener and writer William Robinson, who dominated the Victorian gardening scene with his books The English Flower Garden and The Wild Garden. Tom chooses what he would like in his dream garden, his passion for plants and who he would have at his fantasy dinner
Alys Fowler
Horticulturist, author and garden journalist Alys Fowler joins Steph to discuss her dream garden and her new garden in Wales. She discusses the importance of ‘living with your rubbish’ and gives her perspective on rewilding, as well as revealing why she believes she may come from a long line of bog-dwellers.
Talking Gardens is created by the team at Gardens Illustrated magazine. Find lots more ga
James Hitchmough
James Hitchmough, planting maestro and Emeritus Professor of Horticultural Ecology at the University of Sheffield joins Steph to talk about his dream garden, and his own new garden he is creating in Somerset. James discusses all the places he has travelled to to see gardens and plants and the people he has met along the way, plus why he likes growing from seed and what started him on his career pa
Jo Thompson
Jo Thompson, award-winning garden designer, joins Steph to talk about her fantasy garden. From her love of roses to her penchant for romantic gardens and her love of Italy, where she spent a lot of time as a child, in this episode we discover more about how Jo is always juggling so much from her new book to her Substack community and garden designs.
Find out what inspired her to come out of Chel
Tom Massey
Designer Tom Massey joins Steph to talk about his Chelsea Flower Show garden that includes mycelium walls and AI that makes trees talk. He reveals the gardens and landscapes that have influenced him most, from the Cornwall hideaway where he spent his childhood holidays to Richmond Park in London and the special Japanese island he will never forget.
Talking Gardens is created by the team at Garde
Manoj Malde
Garden designer Manoj Malde speaks with Steph about his dream garden and his inspirations for it, including Jardin Majorelle in Morocco and Lotusland in California, as well as the landscape of Crete and the work of designers Steve Martino and Juan Grimm. Discover what it was like to get married at the Chelsea Flower Show and what he has in store for his show garden there this year.
Talking Garden
Carol Klein
Legendary plantswoman and TV presenter Carol Klein talks to Stephanie about her life and career, her hatred of garden makeover shows and miniature plants, her recovery from cancer last year and why Valerie Finnis once gave her a banana as a consolation prize. Find out what and who she would have in her fantasy garden and when she plans on retiring.
Talking Gardens is created by the team at Garden
Dan Pearson
Steph talks to lauded landscape designer Dan Pearson about his dream garden and what he would want to include in his fantasy space, from a temple garden in Kyoto and the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park to the architecture of Mexico and the high glades of the Himalaya. He talks through his design process and the plants he would love to grow, and discusses how to manage client’s expectations
Talking Gardens Season 5 Trailer
What would you have in your dream garden? That's what we ask our guests on Talking Gardens, the podcast from Gardens Illustrated. We've got more amazing guests this season with top designers going for gold at the Chelsea Flower Show, as well as much-loved gardeners and expert plants people who will be telling all about their fantasy growing spaces. Discover Dan Pearson's approach to garden design,
Sarah Raven and Nigel Slater (Live)
This special bonus episode was recorded with a live audience at the Garden Museum in London. Stephanie talks to new guest Sarah Raven and returning listener favourite Nigel Slater about their fantasy gardens.
Nigel has the chance to add all the small things he forgot when he first constructed his dream garden, including a mossy rill and a climbing plant. We hear why Sarah would also include a
Ulf Nordfjell
In this episode of Talking Gardens, Stephanie talks to Swedish garden designer Ulf Nordfjell about his fantasy space. From the Villa Gamberaia in Tuscany and the enduring influence of the Renaissance on his work, to his love of the flora local to his home in northern Sweden, we hear about all of the things he would have to include in his dream garden.
Learn why he was blown away by the Noguchi
Jinny Blom
In this episode Stephanie talks to award-winning garden designer Jinny Blom about her fantasy garden. Jinny chooses the plants, places and people that would make up her dream garden, from her experiences exploring Hidcote in the 1960s to why she’d have to include a piece of the Atacama Desert.
We learn why a fountain in Italy inspired her so much she’s recreating it in her own garden as a spac
John Little
In this episode Stephanie talks to John Little about his fantasy garden. We learn why community spaces would be a key, even in his dream garden, and hear about the work he’s done to bring greenery to communities in urban settings throughout his career.
Listen to John struggling to choose between a sandpit and an industrial site as a landscape he’d like a piece of for his fantasy space and hear
Shane Connolly
Floral designer Shane Connolly joins Talking Gardens this time to talk about sustainable floristry, his own garden in Worcestershire and the places he would have to include a piece of in his dream garden, from Villa Cimbrone in Italy and The Mezquita of Cordoba in Spain to Glenarm Castle garden in Northern Ireland. The renowned event florist, who holds the Royal Warrant and was famously commission
Butter Wakefield
In this episode, award-winning garden designer Butter Wakefield constructs her fantasy garden. From the landscape of Maine to the gardens at Chatsworth, we learn about all of the things she would have to include in her fantasy space.
Find out more about Butter’s career, from starting out at Christie’s to her training in garden design and learn how she acquired her unique name. Butter tells us
Charles Dowding
No-dig gardening guru Charles Dowding creates his dream garden from all of the places he has been and seen. We find out why he loves the landscapes of the island of Iona in Scotland, his adventures in growing in France and Wales, and how he discovered the no-dig method.
Discover his tips on building your social media and learn about Charles’ tried-and-tested methods of composting - plus, what
Rosy Hardy
Plantswoman Rosy Hardy creates her fantasy garden from all of the landscapes and places that have inspired her. From the sunken garden in Edinburgh owned by her childhood neighbour to Amazon Spheres in Seattle and the Patagonian mountains, we hear about how all of the things would play a role in her dream garden.
Find out how her nursery Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants was started out of a car b
Monty Don
Gardener and broadcaster Monty Don joins us on Talking Gardens to talk about his fantasy growing space. From the design of Wollerton Old Hall in Shropshire to the character of Balmoral Cottage in Kent, and the dramatic views of a Fernando Caruncho design in Greece, Monty shares his favourite spots with us.
Get insights into his never-seen second, secret garden, why he rails against the moralit
Talking Gardens Season 4 Trailer
What does your fantasy garden look like? That’s what we ask our guests on the Talking Gardens podcast. This season we’ve got an amazing new line up of top gardeners, designers, plantspeople and flower fanatics telling us all about their dream growing spaces and the plants, people and tools they couldn’t live without.
Tune in to hear what national treasure Monty Don really thinks about rewilding
Jimi Blake
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
Kate Humble
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
Nigel Dunnett
In this episode, lauded planting designer Professor Nigel Dunnett describes all the things he would have to include in his dream garden, from wildflowers to birdsong, and where Claude Monet and David Bowie would fit into his garden fantasies. We hear about what it was like to create his famous projects including Superbloom at the Tower of London, the gardens at the Barbican, Sheffield Grey to Gree
Katy Merrington
In this episode, Katy Merrington, cultural gardener at The Hepworth Wakefield gallery garden in Yorkshire, constructs her dream garden - in fact, her dream world, which is a place where the streets of our towns and cities are green and welcoming. Discover who would be on Katy’s ultimate fantasy gardening team; why she thinks we need to reconsider ivy; and what a napping tree is. Tune in to learn h
Andy Sturgeon
In this episode, garden designer Andy Sturgeon picks all the things he’d love to have in his fantasy garden - a crazy multiverse of different climate zones and garden styles from a jungle to a desert and a traditional space with topiary and roses… and monkeys. Discover what floral event he’s desperate to see; which international designers he would have help create his dream space; why he wants a f
Miria Harris (Chelsea Special)
Garden designer Miria Harris tells us what she would choose for her fantasy garden, from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water in Pennsylvania, to roses and the ocean. Discover how she made the leap to a career in garden design via work experience with Jinny Blom, and why she admires Edwardian garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Miria recounts her personal story of experience of stroke and explains how
Ann-Marie Powell
Designer Ann Marie-Powell is our guest this time, talking to Stephanie about the inspirations for her dream garden, including the wild character of the gardens at Waltham Place in Berkshire and her imaginary party ‘camp’ with hammocks, teepees, a hot water tap and chef. Discover what she would grow in her fantasy greenhouse, who she’s got a girl crush on and the inside scoop on her Chelsea Flower
Tayshan Hayden-Smith
In this episode we hear from Tayshan Hayden-Smith, the footballer turned community gardener and activist, who tells Stephanie about the landscapes and people that have inspired him, including Meanwhile Gardens and his mum. Discover why he loves the buzz and energy of urban environments, with pavement plants growing in the cracks and crevices, and why he believes we need to rethink what we consider
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh MBE - gardener, broadcaster, author and national treasure - talks to Stephanie about the gardens, places, people and plants that he would like to include in his dream garden, from a tiny cottage garden on the coast of Cornwall to York Gate garden near Leeds and the ultimate summerhouse at Wolverton Hall. Discover which famous designer he would like to ask to create his little piece
Talking Gardens Season 3 Trailer
What would you include in your dream garden? On this season of Talking Gardens, that’s what we asked all new gardening guests, from Alan Titchmarsh to Kate Humble, and Tayshan Hayden-Smith to Nigel Dunnett. Discover who would want a napping tree and a cup of tea that never goes cold; who Ann-Marie Powell has been Insta-stalking; why garden designer Andy Sturgeon would need an entire multiverse to
Arit Anderson
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
Tamsin Westhorpe
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 succulen
Isabel Bannerman
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 look
Arthur Parkinson
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.
Enjoyi
Piet Oudolf
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 Gard
Errol Reuben Fernandes
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 plan
Marian Boswall
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 s
Nigel Slater
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 w
Harry Holding
Harry Holding is creating his first-ever show garden at Chelsea this year for School Food Matters in the All About Plants category, and chats to us about how his design is both beautiful and edible, and should encourage children to take an interest in where their food comes from. We hear how he got his start while still at school himself by launching a food-growing business; we learn what an ‘edim
Chris Beardshaw
Designer Chris Beardshaw talks about his show garden for Myeloma UK at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show, which comprises a formal English border and a curated woodland garden of eternal spring with two temples. He reveals some shocking truths about his first-ever Chelsea show garden 25 years ago, involving a cloud of whitefly, trusses of tomatoes and the King; reflects on how the show has changed sinc
Tom Massey (Chelsea Special)
Designer Tom Massey talks about his 2023 Chelsea show garden for the Royal Entomological Society, which he hopes will show how important people and their gardens are to insects. Tom discusses the design, which will include an outdoor laboratory with curving roof inspired by the shape of an insect’s eye; as well as what brownfield gardening is, why we don’t use the term ‘pest’ anymore, and which in
Charlotte Harris
Designer Charlotte Harris talks about the garden she and Hugo Bugg are creating at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Horatio’s Garden, the charity that makes gardens at NHS spinal injury centres. It will be the first main avenue show garden to focus on accessibility, and Charlotte discusses developing the design by speaking with patients. She also talks about how this is the most technical gard
Cleve West
In this episode of the Talking Gardens podcast, Cleve West talks about his design for the Centrepoint Garden at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which will feature a fallen tree and the remains of a demolished house, representing the idea of homelessness, as well as self-seeding plants, ‘weeds’ and pioneer species. We also hear about what veganic gardening involves, and Cleve’s advice for first-t
Sarah Price
In the final episode of the series, award-winning garden designer and Gardens Illustrated contributing editor Sarah Price constructs her fantasy garden. From the biodiversity of the alpine meadows in northern Spain to the Heem Parks of the Netherlands, Sarah chooses elements of the natural world to create her dream space. We hear about her upcoming Chelsea Flower Show Garden, why she couldn’t live
Charlie Harpur
In this episode, Charlie Harpur, head gardener of Knepp Castle’s newly rewilded Walled Garden in Sussex, constructs his dream garden. Choosing the nostalgia and sense of exploration from the gardens of his childhood to the feeling of adventure that he found while working at Villa Boccanegra in Italy, he also admits to being a plant nerd about alpines, reveals how things are progressing at the expe
Jekka McVicar
In this episode, renowned nurserywoman and herb grower Jekka McVicar constructs her fantasy garden. She talks about bucking the trend by adopting organic and peat-free early on, and the challenges of growing plants for the Chelsea Flower Show. Jekka explains her love of Chinese garden design features such as moon gates and discusses the influence of the cookbooks her grandmother wrote. Unsurprisin
Troy Scott Smith
In this episode, head gardener Troy Scott Smith talks about his ultimate imaginary garden, drawing inspiration from some of the places he has worked, including Iford Manor Gardens in Wiltshire and Bodnant in North Wales. He chats about the legacy of Sissinghurst and reveals why they won’t be watering the borders there in summer anymore. Tune in to find out who inspired him to change his approach,
James Wong
In this episode, ethnobotanist and self-confessed plant geek James Wong talks us through the immersive, green, tropical garden of his dreams, featuring a James Bond-esque glasshouse/living room with a retractable roof. He discusses watching Gardeners’ World as a plant-obsessed child in the tropics, back when his dream was a temperate garden. Find out why James would now prefer to fill his garden w
Tom Stuart-Smith
In this episode, Stephanie speaks to world-renowned landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith, who has created numerous famous gardens and landscape projects, including RHS Garden Bridgewater near Manchester. They talk about his new Plant Library at the Serge Hill Project, his work abroad in India and Morocco and his dream of eliminating plastic from gardens.
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Alice Vincent
Writer and Gardens Illustrated columnist Alice Vincent, author of new book and podcast Why Women Grow, talks to Stephanie about her dream garden, from her fantasy writing studio inspired by Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage to a mossy path, naturalistic planting and a glasshouse for entertaining friends such as Diana Ross (the garden writer, not the disco diva). As well as this, she explains how she
Fergus Garrett
In this episode, head gardener Fergus Garrett talks about his fantasy garden, from the borders of Great Dixter, where he has worked since 1992, and the spirit of its creator Christopher Lloyd, to the wild landscapes of Turkey. Fergus picks interesting people and places from all over the world to be a part of his dream space, and talks about who might take on running Dixter after him. Find out why
Welcome to Talking Gardens
If you could create your dream garden from pieces of all of your favourite places, and if you could grow any plants in the world, what would you choose? Who would you have as your imaginary head gardener, or garden designer?
In Talking Gardens, the new podcast from the team behind Gardens Illustrated, host Stephanie Mahon asks the great and the good of the gardening world to construct their ultim
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