Flowerpot

Ellyn Baker, Conservation Engagement Officer, chats with Bruce Langridge, former Head of Interpretation at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Delve into the the fascinating world of fungi in celebration of UK Fungus Day on the 5th of October. The National Botanic Garden of Wales is supported by Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Fund, funding work to deliver infrastructure improvements on Waun Las NNR, allowing us to manage the site for improved biodiversity and engage with visitors on our natural heritage. https://botanicgarden.wales/visit/whats-on/event/uk-national-fungus-day/ Credits: https://freesound.org/people/szegvari/sounds/577893/ https://freesound.org/people/naturenotesuk/sounds/741931/

Bruce Langridge chats to Bath University's Remy Wood who spent a placement year at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. He talks about his experiences of working with horticulturists, educators and scientists, as well as the perils of seed collecting while wearing shorts.

The new Director of the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Dr Lucy Sutherland, provides a fascinating perspective on the changing role of botanic gardens across the world

Environmental sound artist Cheryl Beer talks to Bruce Langridge about how her overnight hearing loss led her to listen to trees. Using sound recording from the 5 fragile pockets of Celtic Rainforest left in Wales, Cheryl created Cân y Coed / Song of the Trees Rainforest Symphony. Hear a sample of this work and listen to Cheryl’s observations about how loud noises can affect the ecology of these ancient woodlands.

Bruce Langridge discusses how artists can help Botanic Garden visitors create an emotional connection with plants. He is joined by multidisciplinary artist Caroline Vitzthum who has been examining the Sphagnum moss collection of the National Botanic Garden of Wales. The episode ends with a piece of music by John Howes based on the DNA barcode of the Welsh Poppy. 

Bruce Langridge chats to Patrick Daniell about his support for the Horticultural Apprentice Scheme at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Patrick talks about his motivations for setting up the scheme, his rich connection to Wales, how he developed a love for gardening and his hopes for the future of the apprentice scheme. 

Bruce Langridge chats to National Botanic Garden of Wales horticulturist Carly Green. They talk about the ethics of using the term 'native plants' and Carly's skills in growing wild Welsh plants, including one of the rarest plants on Earth, the Welsh cotoneaster.  Carly highlights the benefits of having been the Garden's first horticultural apprentice and how the whole Welsh wildflower collection is being moved to a more prominent display area. 

Bruce Langridge chats to the new curator of the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Alex Summers. Alex talks about his background, the role of a curator, the people and places he has to work with, and the plans he has for moving and developing the horticultural collections. 

Bruce Langridge chats to Huw Jones, farmer at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.  They talk about how Huw manages the organic working farm on the Garden's Waun Las National Nature Reserve. His passion for Welsh Black cattle is clear as he talks about stock levels, markets, breeding and meat quality. Huw's openness to new ideas about encouraging biodiversity on farmland is also inspirational, at a time when farm payments in Wales are likely to become more focussed on public goods.    

Bruce Langridge chats to Bob Edwards about the fun he's had volunteering in the Apothecary's Hall at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. We hear about the creative ways he's used the collections from old chemist shops to grab the interest of Garden visitors, be it through the poisons used in Agatha Christie novels, Harry Potter's mandrake, blood sucking leeches, the scent of frankincense, the vomit of whales or the soothing effect of asthma cigarettes. Bob even plays us a parting tune.