Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

This week, we dive into the hidden world of water with author Stephen Rutt, exploring the landscapes we so often overlook. From chalk streams to peat bogs, we trace water's strange and vital journey through our environment—and why it deserves far more of our attention.
Benny's Insect of the Week: The Yellow-Legged Mining Bee
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Links
The Waterlands - Stephen Rutt
Stephen Rutt on Instagram
https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall
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If you liked this week's episode with Stephen, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:

Episode 352: Peat, Politics and Horticulture
In this episode, Sarah explores the importance of peatlands, from their role in carbon storage to their impact on water systems, making it a natural companion to today's conversation about wetlands and the movement of water through the landscape.
Episode 322: Garden Wildlife Ponds
This episode looks at how introducing water into the garden can support biodiversity, offering practical insights into creating and maintaining ponds — an ideal follow-on from today's discussion on the value of water in both wild and cultivated spaces.

Horticultural legend Pam Lewis began her garden at Sticky Wicket in Dorset decades ago, and revisiting her early writing shows just how ahead of the curve—and fearless—she was in championing wildlife-friendly, sustainable gardening. We sat down to reflect on her years in the garden and how the horticultural world has changed along the way.
Benny's Insect of the Week: Asiraca clavicornis
Please support our sponsors - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Books
Sticky Wicket: Gardening in Tune With Nature - Pam Lewis, 2007
Making a Wildflower Meadow - Pam Lewis, 2015
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
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If you liked this week's episode with Pam, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:
Episode 194: Gardening for Wildlife
In this episode, Sarah explores how gardeners can better support biodiversity, sharing practical ways to create spaces that welcome and sustain wildlife — making it a natural companion to today's conversation about gardening in harmony with nature.
Episode 285: No Mow May
This episode looks at the impact of letting lawns grow wild through May, highlighting how small changes in garden management can have big benefits for pollinators and biodiversity — an ideal follow-on from today's discussion on working with, rather than against, the natural world.

What does it really take to run a small, sustainable nursery? This week on Roots and All, I'm joined by nurseryman and designer Ben Preston of Cliff Bank Nursery for an honest conversation about the realities of the job—from growing in sand and selling bare root plants to why local nurseries matter more than ever, and why it's truly a labour of love.
Benny's Insect of the Week: The Orange Ladybird
Please support our sponsors - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
Cliff Bank Nursery
Instagram: @cliff_bank_nursery
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
On Facebook @rootsandalluk
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If you liked this week's episode with Ben, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:
Episode 284: The Organic Nursery
In this episode, Sarah speaks with Sam Frings about building and running an organic nursery, exploring the challenges of growing plants sustainably, maintaining ethical practices, and creating a resilient small business — making it a perfect companion to today's discussion on the realities of nursery life.
Episode 175: Seeking Rare Plants
Nick Macer of Pan Global Plants joins Sarah to share his passion for unusual and hard-to-find plants, discussing plant sourcing, selection, and what it takes to run a specialist nursery — an ideal follow-on from today's conversation about plant choice, diversity, and the role of small growers.

What if Britain's fields were hiding a secret psychedelic past in plain sight? In this episode of Roots and All, I'm joined by historian and publisher Robert Dickins to explore the surprising story of our native mushrooms—from how they grow to the cultural and legal forces that have shaped our relationship with them. It's a fascinating glimpse into a little-known side of Britain's natural and social history.
Benny's Insect of the Week: The Orange Ladybird
Please support our sponsors - roastinghouse.co.uk and get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
Psilocybe Pickers by Robert Dickins - Psychedelic Press, 2025
About: Robert Dickins, PhD, is a historian and publisher, whose works examines the social and literary history of psychoactive substances and altered states of experience. He is the author of Cobweb of Trips: A Literary History of Psychedelics (2024) and Psilocybe Pickers: A Short History of Bemushroomed Britons (2025), and is currently researching the connection between tripping and gardens for a forthcoming project. He is on the steering committee for Breaking Convention, Europe's largest psychedelic conference, and has been publishing in the psychedelic space for almost 20 years. He lives in the Vale of Pewsey, Wiltshire.
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
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If you liked this week's episode with Robert, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:
Episode 371: Wild Edibles
In this episode, Sarah explores the world of foraging and our relationship with wild food — from what's safe and sustainable to pick, to the deeper cultural connections we have with the plants and fungi around us, making it a perfect companion to today's discussion of Britain's overlooked natural history.
Episode 136: In Search of Mycotopia with Doug Bierend
Doug Bierend joins Sarah to delve into the rich cultural and historical world of fungi, exploring how mushrooms have shaped human societies and imaginations — an ideal follow-on from today's episode on the hidden stories and significance of psychedelic species.

Small spaces, big wildlife. Writer James Canton joins me to discuss his book Renaturing and his two-acre North Essex project, showing how subtle, thoughtful interventions can revive biodiversity — a great companion episode to Randal Plunkett's conversation about large-scale "V-wilding."
Benny's Insect of the Week: European Orchard Bee
Links
www.essex.ac.uk
Renaturing: Small Ways to Wild the World by James Canton
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
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If you liked this week's episode with James, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:
Episode 373: V‑Wilding with Randal Plunkett
Randal Plunkett joins Sarah to explore his large‑scale "V‑wilding" project at Dunsany Nature Reserve, where a hands‑off approach lets ecosystems recover and challenges mainstream ideas about restoration — a great complement to today's discussion on working with nature at different scales.
Episode 322: Garden Wildlife Ponds with Pete Case
Freshwater Habitats Trust expert Pete Case dives into the world of garden ponds — why they matter for wildlife, how to create and maintain them, and how even modest water features can support biodiversity, making this a practical and inspiring complement to today's episode about working with the land you have.