Gardening with the RHS

Head to the bottom of the garden this month and you might end up with a face full of spiders’ webs. Before you run screaming into the house, RHS spider expert Ben Brough offers an insight into why an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare is a fantastic garden ally. Want more plants for next spring without the cost of buying? RHS Garden Wisley’s Sam Gallivan teaches us how to take root cuttings and instantly multiply your plants for free. Last week we ended our series looking at bulbs to plant now for spring interest, and today we begin a new series of serious jobs for serious gardeners throughout a busy autumn, beginning with autumn veg planting with Liz Mooney.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Ben Brough, Sam Gallivan, Liz Mooney, Melissa Mabbitt



Links:

Wildlife gardening advice

Plants for bugs

Taking root cuttings

Grow your own fruit and veg: September

Liz Mooney’s allotment life

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Many listeners’ turf will have taken a bashing over summer, and now is the time to glow-up the green. RHS Garden Wisley’s Jim Millward shares his tips on how to get your grass ready for autumn. The holiday is officially over for our houseplants, time to bring them back inside after enjoying a hot summer. RHS indoor plant specialist Freddy Fuller offers do’s and don’ts for seasonal houseplant success. And to round-off a month of spring bulb suggestions, RHS Wisley’s Jess Jansdotter offers her choice in the final 'Bulb of the Week' of September. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Jim Millward, Freddy Fuller, Jess Jansdotter, Melissa Mabbitt

Links:

Lawncare advice

Autumn houseplant advice:

Snowdrops

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Is it dead? Or is it just sulking? That’s what many listeners will be wondering after returning from their summer holidays to find many plants exhausted by hot and dry weather. Horticultural advisor Nick Turrell provides a dose of reality – and some much-needed hope – when it comes to saving, or binning, the hardest-hit perennials. Presenter Gareth Richards speaks to RHS science editor Olivia Drake about this month’s Wildlife Wonder plant - apples! There’s more to this popular fruit than meets the eye. September is the month for bulbs, and RHS Wisley’s James McDonnell offers his pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - Ipheion. Plus, we answer some of your gardening questions.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Nick Turrell, Olivia Drake, James McDonnell, Melissa Mabbitt

Links:

RHS Climate Change Survey

RHS Ipheion trials

Wildlife Wonder plant: Apple

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There’s a myriad of weird and wonderful beasties out there who feast on flowers, but all is not rosy inside the garden gate. Pollinators are in trouble, and Josie Stuart, RHS Senior Entomologist at RHS Garden Wisley shares some unexpected ways home gardeners can help pollinators thrive, no matter the size of your plot. Horticultural specialist Jim Arbury offers expert advice on a hot topic many RHS website visitors want to know more about: figs. Which variety should you choose? How do you get started? And how do you grow them successfully? As September brings cooler temperatures and an increasingly autumnal feel, RHS Wisley’s Claudia Connal offers her pick for the next instalment of our Bulb of the Week series - the mysterious and beautiful Turk’s cap or martagon lily. Plus, we answer your gardening questions on dealing with tomato gluts, growing echinaceas, and pruning hydrangeas and evergreens.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producer: Dan Cocker

Contributors: Josie Stuart, Jim Arbury, Claudia Connal

Plants mentioned: Turk’s cap lily (Lilium martagon); lilies 'Claude Shride’, ‘Golden Morning’, ‘Pink Morning’ and ‘Albi Morning’. Hoop petticoat daffodil (Narcissus bulbocodium), Crocus ‘Vanguard’. Figs ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Little Miss Figgy’ and ‘Brunswick'

Links:

Find information on all the topics covered at rhs.org.uk

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While many garden plants have struggled for survival this summer, one which has truly thrived is the lantana. Horticulturist David Hurrion was one of the judges of last year's lantana trial at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, and he joins us to share his takeaways of growing these eye-poppingly colourful bedding plants, and some of the standout cultivars.

Deadheading is a practice key to ensuring repeat blooms throughout the summer, and RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell shows us how to do it properly. And finally, as we enter autumn, we’re kickstarting our bulb of the week series with horticulturist Gemma Burr who shares some favourite coronet tulips from another recent RHS Plant Trial. Plus answers to listener questions on bay trees, lawns from seed and Salvia 'Hot Lips'.

Host: Gareth Richards

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Contributors: David Hurrion, Nick Turrell, Gemma Burr

Links:

Lantana trial results

Deadheading

Send your questions to podcasts@rhs.org.uk