Dig It - Discussions on Gardening Topics

In this edition of DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Matthew Biggs, best known for his appearances on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners' Question Time. He shares his special story, which is packed with anecdotes, wisdom, solace and plant stories from his amazing career which started at Pershore College of Horticulture and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and into writing, TV and so much more. Plants mentioned: Apple Cordons, Apple varieties ‘Scrumptious’ and ‘Reverend W Wilks’ (cooker). Beetroot, Redcurrants, packets of annual seeds, Tomatoes, Alpines, Hanging baskets and Herbs People mentioned: King Charles III, passionate about gardens and nature. Bunny Guiness, Clay Jones, Christine Walkden, Ernest Wilson (plant hunter), Joseph Banks (plant hunter), Gertrude Jekyll (British horticulturist and garden designer), Mr Middleton (earliest radio and television broadcasters on gardening for the BBC), Professor Alan Gemmell, Roy Lancaster, Geoffrey Smith, William Robinson (the great plantsman) and James Wong. Places mentioned: Pershore College, Kew Gardens (Temperate House, Princess of Wales Conservatory and the Palm House. Sandringham Gardens, Buckingham Palace Gardens. Bluebell Nurseries, Hidcote Manor Gardens and The Beechgrove Garden in Scotland. Garden restoration project at Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood. A collaboration between the Hospital and Sunnyside Rural Trust at Hemel Hempstead. Matt is working with several key people including gardener designer Tom Stuart-Smith (and his wife, Sue Stuart-Smith author of The Well Gardened Mind, a Sunday Times Bestseller), National Garden Scheme new CEO Dr Richard Claxton, founder of the Gardening4health charity, and Mark Gregory, top RHS Chelsea Garden builder with over 160 RHS gardens to his credit! Mount Vernon Hospital’s garden is currently at the planning and fundraising stage, it’s hoped to start planting in September. Details on how to donate to this amazing project can be found on this Just Giving page [https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mountvernongardenproject] Matt’s award-winning podcast, Gardening with Cancer, featuring BBC Gardeners’ World gardening journalist David Hurrion can be found at this link [https://www.everand.com/podcast/755123933/Gardening-with-cancer-with-Matt-Biggs] Matt’s Desert Island plant: Handkerchief Tree (Davidia involucrate). You can find Matt’s books at most independent bookshops and on second-hand book platforms such as World of Books. Instagram: @matthewbiggs55 X: @plantmadman Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy [https://www.chilternmusictherapy.co.uk/] for supplying the music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

After three UK heatwaves so far this summer, our plants and gardens have enjoyed a much-appreciated spell of wet weather. In this edition of DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day (for the final time), explore the latest gardening news stories, what’s on’s and tasks to be getting on with this month. What’s on 14th – 17th August: Southport Flower Show, Victoria Park, Southport. 15th – 17th August: RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show, Torrington, Devon. 29th – 31st August BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, Audley End House, Essex. If you are out and about this month - don’t forget to support the National Garden Scheme, locally or if you are holidaying in the UK, search out one of the many garden treasures. News Kew Gardens' 175-year-old Palm House will close for five years for major makeover. Sycamore Gap: Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers jailed for over 4 years for felling of iconic tree. The gardening and lifestyle retail brand sarahraven.com has been acquired by its original founder and creative director, Sarah Raven. Current hosepipe restrictions in the UK. Could selling second-hand gardening products bring in a new demographic to Garden Centres? Eden Project Dundee moves one step closer. Further expansion plans at RHS Wisley. OmVed Gardens builds UK's first food and ecology centre. The buzz about trees: Scientists at Wakehurst harness sound to understand bee abundance. Gertrude Jekyll ® named world’s famous rose 2025. ‘Coral Gardens’ announced as Rose of the Year for 2026. The UK drought dominates RHS enquiries. Wootten’s of Wenhaston future threatened due to a lack of water on site. Plant theft crime on the rise. Michael Perry aka Mr Plant Geek becomes the HTA’s new ambassador. Dutch urban greening of a bus station pergola using wisteria hailed as a major success. DIG IT Top 5 Ornamental grasses Top seller is Festuca glauca ‘Compact Blue’ 2nd Festuca glauca ‘Intense Blue’* 3rd Stipa tenuissima * 4th Carex Prairie Fire, and 5th Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’ *RHS AGM. Plants mentioned: Apple cordon tree, Carnations, Bananas (Musa), Blackberries, Bonsai trees, Trachycarpus, Phoenix canariensis, Variegated Monstera, Dahlias, Leeks, French and Runner Beans, Lavender, Tree Ferns, Strawberries, Pinks, Cherries, Rhubarb, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Melons, Sow Marjoram, Basil, Coriander, Dill, Chives, Seed Potatoes to provide a crop for Christmas. Good varieties to consider include Charlotte, Desiree, Maris Piper and Maris Peer. Horse Chestnut and Lime trees. Take cuttings of Mint, Rosemary, and Sage. Products mentioned: Blagdon Fresh Start Pond (removes Chlorine so makes tap water safe for pond fish, Straw, Barley Straw, Bamboo canes, Plant pots, Peat-Free Seed & Cutting Compost, Perlite, Green Up Enhance Liquid Lawn Feed (it has added seaweed and a turf wetting agent which helps reduce grass stress and improves root growth), Taylors Bulbs, Tomato Feed, Nematodes to treat lawn leatherjackets, lawn edging tool, Vitax Citrus Summer Food and Water Butts. Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy [https://www.chilternmusictherapy.co.uk/] for supplying the music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

In this edition of DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with renowned Welsh vegetable grower and exhibitor Medwyn Williams, MBE and FNVS. A hobby that went completely out of control is how Medwyn describes his journey to growing amazing vegetables and a modest humble beginning saving seeds from leeks and carrots in the 1970s to his prolific online business today. Medwyn has won 13 Gold medals through the years at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, so he certainly knows his onions! Plants mentioned: Beetroot, Broad beans, Carrots (‘Sweet Candle’, a Japanese bred variety being one of Medwyn’s favourites for flavour and ‘New Red Intermediates' for length on the staging bench), Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Kohl Rabi, Leek, Lettuce, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Swedes, Tomatoes, and Turnips. Product mentioned: Become a member of the National Vegetable Society for advice, encouragement and to engage with keen growers. Coco fibre, Cocktail sticks for staging veg, Levingtons Composts, Perlite and Tozers Seeds. Medwin’s Desert Island Tool and favourite Veg: Trowel and Brussel Sprouts. Horticultural heroes: Edwin Beckett was head-gardener for Lord Aldenham at Aldenham House in Hertfordshire. Edwin has been Medwyn’s motivator in staging displays as he used to win with large stands of vegetables at London shows around the 1920s - 30s. Martin Robinson, one of the members of the famous Robinson family who introduced the world to their famous Mammoth Onions gave Medwyn advice and guidance. Places: Royal Welsh Show, Anglesey Flower Show, Ayr Flower Show, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show (Gold Medal and the RHS Tudor Rose for Best Display), RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Medwyn grew his exhibits in the research establishment greenhouse at Bangor University allowing him to start his Chelsea plants with additional light, and it’s also the original home of the wheelie bin carrots and parsnips grown in pipes. Medwyn is an avid user of social media sharing his growing trials and tribulations with his followers. You can follow Medwyn on X: medwynsofangles. For seeds visit his website [http://www.medwynsofanglesey.co.uk]. Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy [https://www.chilternmusictherapy.co.uk/] for supplying the music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Our gardens are growing apace this month and there's plenty to be getting on with as Dig It's Peter Brown and Chris Day tackle those essential tasks, plus a round-up of July’s events and garden news stories from around the UK. What’s on 1st - 6th July: RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, Hampton Court Palace, London. 11th - 13th July: The Norfolk Garden Show, Norfolk Showground, New Costessey, Norwich. 16th - 20th July: RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire. On the 17th July Chris Baines will be giving a talk - Wildlife gardening past, present and future at the show at 11am. 21st - 24th July Royal Welsh Show, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. 26th - 27th July: The National Gardening & Outdoor Living Show, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh. Until 14th September: Seedscape, the art of the seed at the Kew Garden’ wild botanical garden at Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, Sussex. Until 21st September: Cecil Beaton’s Garden Party exhibition at the Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, London. News Fraudster, Thomas Robinson conned luxury hotels and retailers out of £580k by selling fake Scottish-grown tea is jailed for three-and-a-half years. Blue Diamond in exclusive talks to purchase Barton Grange Garden Centre. Improving plant health through voluntary collaboration is the way forward. Famous East Lambrook Manor is in new hands. Campaign to stop trees from being strangled by abandoned tree ties and rabbit guards. Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time to be recorded on 2nd August during the RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show. Pershore College Garden Centre and Wholesale Plant Nursery to close. Roof garden at the Open University to help scientist study on the impact of growing plants on top of buildings. UK heatwave results in the 1,000 year old Robin Hood Oak receiving emergency watering. Dahlia Gardinetta ® Velvet Crush named Best New plant at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Frank Matthews launches new Apple Rainbow and collects Best in Show for Prunus sumaura Fugenzo Japanese Lantern at the HTA’s National Plant Show. Welsh apple register is launched. Rare Hong Kong orchid – Bulbophyllum bicolor - saved from extinction. A UK first – Baobab tree in bloom at the Eden Project. GP Richard Claxton becomes NGS Chief Executive following George Plumptre, who steps down after 15 years this Autumn. Former garden centre owner and QVC gardening channel champion Richard Jackson is awarded the MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to Children’s Hospices (Greenfingers). Wincey Willis, ITVs first female weather presenter, local radio show host and gardening expert and columnist, has died. M&S introduce Red Diamonds Strawberry and Creme in a sandwich. DIG IT Top 5: Top cakes for the summer 5th position Raspberry & Coconut Sponge, 4th Carrot Cake, 3rd Coffee & Walnut, 2nd Chocolate Sponge with Victoria Sponge at the top spot. Plant mentions: Tomatoes, Runner Beans, Cherries, Bearded Iris, Petunia, Million Bells, Pelargoniums (cutting), Wallflowers, Sweet Williams, Foxgloves, Wisteria (pruning), Jasmine, Lavender, Bergamot, Clover, Gaillardia, Cosmos, and Egyptian Onions. Product mentions: Sprayer for misting, Solar fountain, bird bath, BBQ, and cocoon / egg chair. Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy [https://www.chilternmusictherapy.co.uk/] for supplying the music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

In this edition of DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Chris Baines who is recognised as one of the UK's leading independent environmentalists and greatest pioneers in wildlife gardening. His best-selling book, How To Make A Wildlife Garden was published back in 1985 and has been in print continually ever since. Chris’s ethos is simply to encourage us all to think more about wildlife and give it a helping hand in our gardens! People and places: Key Inspiration from Christopher Lloyd (Great Dixter Garden) and Dame Miriam Rothschild (passionate about getting wildflowers on motorway verges and attracting butterflies). War hero General Oliver Leese (a bonsai and cacti grower, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 1984, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Kent apple Orchards, Wind in the Willows Books (Mr Toad reference). Wye College Agricultural and Horticulture Facility, Garden Organic, Sheffield Parks Department. Wildlife and Wetlands Trust created London Wetlands Centre, one of the most successful stories in Europe. English Nature, The Wildlife Trust and Wild Ken Hill, Norfolk featured on BBC Springwatch Plant mentions: Cowslip, Crocus, Bolted Kale with flower buds, Daisies, Foxgloves, Grape hyacinths, Horse chestnut, Ivy, Michaelmas daisies, Runner beans, Silver Birch, and Saxifraga. Animal mentions: Blue Tits, Skylarks, Lapwings, Curlews, Robins, Swallows, Starlings, Swifts, Slugs, Caterpillars, Bats, Sparrow Hawks, Red Kites, Peregrine Falcons, Magpies, Foxes, Toads, Hedgehogs, Moths, Butterflies, Cabbage White Butterflies, Newts, Damsel flies, Wasps, Leatherjackets, and Woodcock. Product mentions: Bee hotels, Clay pots, Compost bins, Flexible Pond liners, and Nest boxes. Chris’s garden with a large pond: Leyland Cypress, Holly, Yew, Crab Apple, Native Honeysuckle, Bird Cherry (Prunus padus), Rosa banksia, Pink Campion, Lily of the Valley, Meadow Cranesbill / non-native Geraniums, Pulmonaria (lungwort) and Wayfaring tree. Desert island must-haves: Hand lens / Macro lens binoculars and Secateurs. Media highlights: Pebble Mill at One (1989 - 92), Rich Habitat Garden created for Gardeners’ World with Peter Seabrook. Blue Tits and Bumblebees (1985) one 40-minute programme, The Wildside of Town, and Countryfile one of the original presenters from 1989 - 92. The Thames Estuary Partnership: The Living Thames film won the 2019 UK Charity Film Award and has won prizes and awards on four continents. It has an introduction by Sir David Attenborough and is available worldwide through Amazon. Chris is currently working on the sequel, The Historic Thames, which is scheduled for autumn release. Chris’s books: The Wild Side of Town, The RHS Companion to Wildlife Gardening (originally titled How to Make a Wildlife Garden), and A Guide to Habitat Creation. Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy [https://www.chilternmusictherapy.co.uk/] for supplying the music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.