Dan Cooper and Julia Parker present this podcast for fellow gardeners where they share their wealth of experience of growing and their passion for plants and gardens.
Dan is a hugely knowledgeable plants person with a jungle garden on the Kent coast, while Julia is a vegetable gardener who writes books and runs courses on the subject - look out for an episode on how they got into horticulture for a bit of background on the pair.
The third season starts this spring, but in the January episode - the most recent at the time of writing - they discuss some of the year’s highlights, including a trip to Cornwall and a rundown of all the fabulous gardens Dan’s visited for plant fairs such as Arundel Castle and the American Museum in Bath, which sounds amazing, Borde Hill, Sophie Conran’s magical romantic garden, Gilbert White’s house with wonderful meadows and Doddington Place with all its different styles of planting. Meanwhile Julia’s resolution is to visit a garden every month.
While wating for the new series, why not dip into last year’s spring edition where Julia’s account of her early spring jobs included putting out her potatoes, shallots, and sweet peas, cleaning her greenhouse and potting up tomatoes and chillies, acts as a timely reminder. Other suggestions include starting to mow the lawn, sow hardy annuals and stay on top of weeds. The presenters have much in common talking enthusiastically about shared passions such as foraging and cooking with wild garlic, but their different areas of expertise works perfectly. In a couple of episodes from last spring Julia discusses growing sweet peas including a good tip on pinching out the growing tips and creating new plants by letting them root in a glass of water, while Dan discusses how to grow dahlias from tubers and cuttings.
Each episode includes a hot topic, such as cautioning us about hardening off seedlings such as petunias that are being sold in garden centres around now and are very tempting but not ready to go outside until the frosts are gone. Another regular slot is ‘Pick of the bunch’ where the pair look at plants such daffodils discussing their preferred growing conditions. There are occasional guests including the pair catching up with the wonderful Fergus Garrett. It’s an excellent gardening podcast, full of inspiration and advice and ideal for those wanting to grow their own flowers, fruit, and vegetables.