Talking Heads - a Gardening Podcast

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!This week, your favourite professional gardening duo ponder some key horticultural questions: why does Saul feel able to 'top' the grass in winter but not cut it, why did Lucy's 30,000 hydrostatic head waterproof coat fail her miserably (luckily her trousers didn't), does Saul sneakily line-dance around Stonelands when the owners are out, and why are tripod ladders so incredibly useful? Saul and Lucy also answer listener queries on what are the best gardening shows to visit in 2025, and Lucy concludes that Saul may not be completely convinced by her 'yogardening' concept....Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!Lucy on other podcasts!! The shame of it, well on Lucy's last ever podcast episode (not really!?!) the Talking Heads pair talk up another storm (literally) about their lives in Gardening. Including the RHS Rosemoor Houseplant Weekend, Lucy's attempt at making purple ice-cream with basil and what do do with all that Bamboo.  The gardening year is barrelling on at such a pace how do we ever keep up.Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!Wow - 250 episodes of the Talking Heads podcast and you're still reading our accompanying blurb? You deserve a medal! Once we pick ourselves up off the floor, Saul and Lucy celebrate with a look at our professional gardening lives for the week (after all, that is our USP). Saul and his team have been busy de-ivying Stoneland's trees, whilst Lucy has been busy with her topiary shears (well, battery trimmers because she's not a fan of RSI). The duo also ponder why on earth could Saul have been lured to his talk this week? And Lucy looks forward to day on her hands and knees in the name of tulip aesthetics.Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!Anything that stands still runs the risk of being overtaken, so the Royal Horticultural Society is sprinting forth in its plans for 2025 to lead our industry through excellent research, communication and garden development. Lucy and Saul have been privy to these details this week, and the duo are also deliberating their own horticultural activities, too. Does Lucy think her begonias will see the light of day in 2025, and is Saul right to embrace his present 'benign' Devonshire weather? Instagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!Happy New Year to all our listeners, old and new, it's amazing how time flies especially when your out in the garden - and 6 years of podcasting seems pretty wild but the horti-waffle never ends and Saul and Lucy have a brand new garden season to sink their teeth into - as the first green shots make an appearance along with the erratic, and pretty cold, weather we're experiencing. So lets look forward to what our green spaces have in store, and take this years ride together in our gardening lives!Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!With a grey, long 2024 now fading into the past, and a few milestone achievements under their collective belts, Lucy and Saul chat about their views of 2024, and what it held for them. But also, looking forward the pair discuss the health of the industry, social media and their personal objectives. This is a time to assess, make plans and stride forward into the New Year. We wish out listeners a very merry Christmas and thank you hugely for your loyalty.Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!In the wake of storm Darragh Stonelands is mourning the loss of some sizeable trees, and Saul has been navigating his chainsaw trousers for the big clear up. It left the two podcast hosts pondering what would be their favourite trees if the time ever came to replace veteran specimens. Plus, Saul and Lucy share their experiences of shredder joy - and disappointment. Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

Well winter is on our doorsteps, and for the general population any thoughts of gardening stops, as the common thought is the 'garden has gone to sleep'...Well nothing could be farther from the truth, as the season of shorter days and chilly weather could be one of the most important and busy in the yearly life of your garden. Join Lucy and Saul every week as they show you exactly how busy they are, whether getting everything festive for Xmas, clearing up after the latest storm, enjoying the emergent shoots of early flowering plants or getting ready for spring and a return to the start of the great garden cycle!Many might think that Saul and Lucy are always gardening - and in the main that could be true - but there are periods where not much outside work gets done, or the great spectre of 'life' gets in the way. This week that the Talking Heads pair seem to have coincided in their lack of anything horticultural, and so in todays episode we learn exactly what they both do when they haven't really done that much! Instagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With winter on the horizon, it's time to say a fond farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy has been revelling in her Fruit and Veg with Autumn being the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul willed an Indian Summer so his last few exotics could flower before being tucked away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be raked and a lot of planning for 2025!This week, the duo turn their heads towards garden clothing, by deliberating whether or not it's possible to turn off your professional gardening head when at home in your own garden (Lucy reveals that it is, but only Ursula Andress reveals herself in a bikini, on a beach, in Dr No - we promise, that WILL make sense). Lucy does sharpen up her look, temporarily, by donning her gladrags for the Garden Media Guild Awards, at the Savoy, no less. She sups sparkling wine, basks in the glory of her gardening friends, and generally has a jolly good time. Saul, in the meantime, is fending off vast Dutch flights of pigeons... Instagram links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensBluesky links:Lucy @lucycgardens.bsky.socialTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy has been revelling in her Fruit and Veg with Autumn being the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul willed an Indian Summer so his last few exotics could flower before being tucked away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be raked and a lot of planning for 2025!BRRRRRR! This week saw a northerly, artic blast hit the UK, and for lots of people their gardens got covered in Snow. Lucy and Saul weren't the only ones donning their thermals, mittens and garden jumpers, as conditions outside turned decidedly wintery. But what do gardeners get up to when it's cold and many jobs are impractical? Well in fact there is quite a lot to be getting on with as we get ready for the warmer dreams of Spring. Pruning, greenhouse work, collecting seed and maybe an extra cup of tea or two, all feature as the Talking Heads pair thoroughly prepare themselves for a few months of less clement weather.  Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy has been revelling in her Fruit and Veg with Autumn being the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul willed an Indian Summer so his last few exotics could flower before being tucked away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be raked and a lot of planning for 2025!Saul and Lucy treat you to weather chat PLUS conifer chat in the opening to this week's episode, and with that horticultural scene set to whet your appetite, we feel this is the perfect time to exclusively announce why Lucy's custard cream intake has rocketed over the past two years - she's written a new book! No surprises for assuming that it's grow your own related -  and in this episode she explains exactly what's in it. Entitled Grow Food Anywhere, Lucy aim's to allow everyone and anyone to experience the unadulterated joy of growing their own food, whether they live in arid Essex, soggy Devon, or, indeed, the windblown hilltops of bonny Scotland.  Book link: Click HereTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!The final half term of the year is over, with weather that seems to have lost the fact that it's meant to be 'changeable' - a grey, murky sheet of cloud seems to have descended on the UK and it's not budging. But at least it's been dry and that means the Talking Heads pair can get out and start the Autumn clear-up, mow those ever-growing lawns, plant garlic, sow seeds and take cuttings - it's that time of year where one garden season collides with another. Also Lucy takes us back to her trip north of the border and a visit to Benmore Gardens, whereas the least said about Saul's half-term experience the better!Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!Is Autumn all it's cracked up to be - well Saul doesn't think so, but mainly because he's constantly wet. The rain is continuous in the west, so Lucy tries to tempt him into a move East where the sun is always shining. That doesn't mean the gardening is put on hold as the Talking Heads Pair continue with the tasks of winterising the garden, clean those corners of the greenhouse (a good umbrella on rainy days!) and slowly getting on top of all the yearly growth that now needs removing. Also some sad news about the death of Jim Mcoll - a titan of Scottish horticulture - and Saul gets chased by Wasps. It's never dull in the life of a Modern Professional Gardener!Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!Well - it's been a while, gremlins and bugs have laid the Talking Heads pair low for a while, but nought can keep the Horti-waffle down for long, so we are back and just when Autumn is finally (we think) starting to kick-in! We've been busy when not being afflicted, and our main focus for the past few days has been in the greenhouse (dodging the rain mostly) to get them ready for their winter 'cost' of overwintering, propagating and protecting us poor gardeners. Lucy also revels in her trip to the Great Dixter Autumn Plant Fair, and we look at some of the work we've both being doing on our respective RHS Plant Committees.Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!This week Saul and Lucy catch up with some of our loyal listeners' questions - there are plenty to get through! Sian in Ireland has bindweed in her beds, Andrew and Dee want to establish a mini meadow in their garden, Ben's raspberry beds need a re-vamp and Matt's looking for a compact tomato variety for his greenhouse pots. On top of all that, Lucy reports back on her recent RHS committees study tour of the South West, where she found it incredible who you could bump into on a sunny garden bench... Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

With Summer behind us and the touch of Autumn on the horizon, it's time to say a fond and lengthy farewell to the 2024 garden season. But that's not to say there is still a tremendous amount of gardening to be done. Lucy will be revelling in her Fruit and Veg as Autumn is the crescendo of harvest time, and Saul will be willing an Indian Summer so his last few exotics can flower before tucking them away for some well deserved winter rest. Otherwise there are still lawns to cut, leaves to be racked and a lot of planning for 2025!Lucy and Saul have had a very busy couple weeks, mostly away from home, while visiting gardens, attending trails of Tomatoes, PSB and spuds, and meeting up with fellow RHS committees for various study trips and meetings. That means the pair haven't really got on with much gardening - but they have still be indulging in the world of horticulture and seeing it's breadth and diversity throughout the UK! Instagram Links:Lucy lucychamberlaingardensTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

The Summer season has come full circle again, that time of year where everyone enjoys being outside, especially in their gardens on a long, sunny day. Gardeners are still in full flow - planting out new beds, mowing their lawns and cajoling their vegetable gardens into burgeoning yields. It's a great time to be alive in horticulture as the show season reaches a crescendo, plant fairs almost every weekend threaten to empty your savings and open gardens throughout the UK inspire that next bit of work you will be doing in your own plot. As ever Lucy and Saul will bring you tales (and waffle) from their gardens, so join us every week for more horticultural high-jinx on Talking Heads.BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair brings a nice closing curtain on Lucy and Saul's flower show circuit for the year, as the Talking Heads Pair sing the praises of the Walled Garden and the English Heritage team's Vegetable and Fruit Growing. The show itself is a delightful show case of late-summer colour, bulb planting and ideas to take away and extend your garden season into the Autumn. We also catch up with 'friend of the podcast' David Hurrion who's new book 'The Raised Bed Book' is translated into a wonderful garden showing the versatility and beauty of using raised beds in your garden.Instagram Links:Lucy headgardenerlcTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

The Summer season has come full circle again, that time of year where everyone enjoys being outside, especially in their gardens on a long, sunny day. Gardeners are still in full flow - planting out new beds, mowing their lawns and cajoling their vegetable gardens into burgeoning yields. It's a great time to be alive in horticulture as the show season reaches a crescendo, plant fairs almost every weekend threaten to empty your savings and open gardens throughout the UK inspire that next bit of work you will be doing in your own plot. As ever Lucy and Saul will bring you tales (and waffle) from their gardens, so join us every week for more horticultural high-jinx on Talking Heads.Help Lucy commiserate/celebrate/mark her milestone birthday by, what else? By gardening, of course! With Saul taking a well deserved holiday in Scotland, Lucy describes how many gardeners are working hard - or are we? To show to the masses that, rather than hammocking with a Pimms gardeners love to keep busy at all times of year, she runs through her late August jobs list. From tying in camellias and deadheading dahlias in her own garden, to pruning hedges and collecting meadow seeds in others, is she in denial by implying she's barely got time for candles and cake? (Yes).Instagram Links:Lucy headgardenerlcTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

The Summer season has come full circle again, that time of year where everyone enjoys being outside, especially in their gardens on a long, sunny day. Gardeners are still in full flow - planting out new beds, mowing their lawns and cajoling their vegetable gardens into burgeoning yields. It's a great time to be alive in horticulture as the show season reaches a crescendo, plant fairs almost every weekend threaten to empty your savings and open gardens throughout the UK inspire that next bit of work you will be doing in your own plot. As ever Lucy and Saul will bring you tales (and waffle) from their gardens, so join us every week for more horticultural high-jinx on Talking Heads.With Saul in Devon wrapped up in his autumn clothing, and Lucy barely wearing much due to the Essex heat, the Talking Heads duo are made well aware of the UK's differences in weather patterns. Teetering on the political, the duo talk, too, about the impact leaving Europe is having on UK seed supplies, and Lucy reports back on a pepper trial thus far. With Saul off to Rosemoor, then Scotland, then ultimately Audley End in the next two weeks, Lucy takes up the reins for next week's episode. Instagram Links:Lucy headgardenerlcTwitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show

The Summer season has come full circle again, that time of year where everyone enjoys being outside, especially in their gardens on a long, sunny day. Gardeners are still in full flow - planting out new beds, mowing their lawns and cajoling their vegetable gardens into burgeoning yields. It's a great time to be alive in horticulture as the show season reaches a crescendo, plant fairs almost every weekend threaten to empty your savings and open gardens throughout the UK inspire that next bit of work you will be doing in your own plot. As ever Lucy and Saul will bring you tales (and waffle) from their gardens, so join us every week for more horticultural high-jinx on Talking Heads.Summer continues, although for some it's also been Autumn, Spring and Winter in one week, but is August all it's cracked up to be. Lucy and Saul discuss whether Saul's thought that August is his least favourite garden month is valid. Plus Lucy has been out helping her folks with the garden, we have a listener question on what to do with all those dangly bits on our vegetable climbers and are you thinking about doing a little Garden writing, Lucy gives you a few hints and tips of how to break into the world of horticultural journalism. Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulInstagram Links:Lucy headgardenerlcIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Support the show