Rethinking rose pruning, self-sufficiency, and ornamental grasses

This week, we’re leafing through the pages of The Plant Review to explore a simple question: what can we learn from the wild? American plantsman Daniel J. Hinkley reflects on a lifetime of exploration that has taken him to some of the wildest places on Earth in search of plants. Yet in his article he turns his attention to a small, unassuming genus growing close to home in Washington State: Coptis. Next, David Pearce, curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, transports us to the cloud-shrouded mountains of Madeira to meet a striking architectural plant found nowhere else in the wild, and one that he’s been successfully cultivating on the Dorset coast. And finally, Sacchi Parasrampuria and James Miller take us to Poon Hill in Nepal, reflecting on a recent plant observation trip and the lessons they brought back from the Himalayas. Hosts: James Armitage and Gareth Richards Contributors: Daniel J Hinkley, David Pearce, Saachi Parasrampuria, James Miller Links: The Plant Review Heronswood Gardens Abbotsbury subtropical gardens Musschia wollastonii

This week we join gardener and biologist Benny Hawksbee in his rose beds to find out how one small adjustment to the traditional rose pruning method can create vital habitat for a key aphid predator. RHS Garden Wisley’s Liz Mooney tells us about her journey to self-sufficiency, and horticulturist Rose Holman guides us through how to cut back your ornamental grasses before the new growth comes through. Host: Josie Harris Contributors: Benny Hawksbee, Liz Mooney, Rose Holman Links: Benny’s video on pruning roses RHS guidance on pruning roses Become a member of the RHS  Ornamental grasses

This week, we’re heading to RHS Garden Wisley to discover how its horticulturists are turning one of the wettest starts to the year on record into a garden that’s primed for spring. Team leader Helen Bensted-Smith shares some top tips for gardening in persistently soggy conditions, and explains why increasingly wet winters and dry summers are challenges we need to adapt to rather than battle against. Guy Barter takes us on a seasonal stroll through Oakwood, which is coming into its own at this time of year, and has plenty of take-home ideas for gardening in damp shade. And finally, we popped in to see Liam Anderson, who’s hard at work pruning the 75m Wisteria Walk. In just a few months, it will be transformed into a spectacular tunnel of cascading purple and white blooms. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Helen Bensted-Smith, Guy Barter, Liam Anderson Links: How to choose plants for seasonally wet and dry soils RHS daffodil diaries Sarcococca Wisteria pruning video Wisteria at Wisley

This week, as its delicate catkins unfurl on bare branches, Digital Science Editor Olivia Drake introduces this month’s RHS Wildlife Wonder plant — the hazel – which not only supplies queen bumblebees with much needed early pollen, but also provides tasty nuts and abundant leaves to support a huge range of wildlife throughout the year. And while it may still be a little early to sow most crops directly outdoors, if you’ve got a greenhouse or warm windowsill you can get a head start on the growing season. Down at RHS Garden Wisley, Liz Mooney is busy sowing aubergines, sweet peppers and chillies, and she’ll be sharing her top tips for getting the best from these heat-loving crops. Finally, Professor Ross Cameron from the University of Sheffield – author of Plants Can Save Your Life – joins us to explore the science of plants and wellbeing, and how indoor gardening can play a powerful role in boosting our health. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Olivia Drake, Liz Mooney, Ross Cameron, Gareth Richards Links: RHS Plants Can Save Your Life: How to live healthier and happier with plants Wildlife wonder - hazel RHS Grow Your Own

Now is a great time to start planning what to grow, and this week, we’re diving headfirst into the seed catalogues for inspiration! We’re exploring some of the tastiest, and most eye catching, additions to the veg patch: heirlooms! We also take a deep dive into tomato cultivars, as Liz Mooney shares her top picks from last years 'tomato extravaganza’ which saw her grow more than 50 varieties at RHS Wisley's world food garden. And finally, let's get back to basics with the foundation of any abundant veg plot: the soil! Nick Turrell and Jenny Laville dig into the ins and outs of how to care for earth beneath your feet. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Lucy Hutchings and Kate Cotterill from She Grows Veg, Liz Mooney, Jenny Laville and Nick Turrell Links: Mangelwurzel Tomato Black Beauty 1,500 Year Old Cave Bean Chicory Rose of Venice Beetroot Red Toad How to grow tomatoes

This week we’re telling the story of peat: from the value of this amazing otherworldly habitat, to the threats facing these rare landscapes and work being done to protect them, and how growers and horticulturists are adapting to a peat-free future. We’ll be speaking to Beth Thomas from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts, RHS Peat-Free Research Technician Scott Spriggs, and plantsperson Mairi Longdon from Tissington Nursery. HOST:  Jenny Laville CONTRIBUTORS: Beth Thomas, Scott Spriggs, Mairi Longdon LINKS: Yorkshire Peat Partnership RHS Soil analysis service RHS Gardening Advice service RHS peat hub RHS peat petition Tissington nursery

This week we’re rolling up our sleeves to look at how we can support our garden visitors, while also preparing for the burst of life that spring will bring. The RSPB’s Emma Marsh is back to share how monitoring projects like the Big Garden Bird Watch can make a real difference when it comes to helping our declining species. Gareth Richards pops in with his top tips for growing one of his allotment favourites (and a firm favourite with bumblebees too) the humble raspberry. And Olivia Drake shines a spotlight on the RHS Wildlife Wonders plant for January: the shrubby honeysuckle. Host: Nick Turrell Contributors: Emma Marsh, Gareth Richards, Olivia Drake Links: Sign up to the Big Garden Bird Watch RSPB free guide and ID chart How to grow raspberries Why you need a shrubby honeysuckle in your garden

Today, we’re joined by the RSPB’s Emma Marsh, who shares how she has made her garden into a haven for birds. We’ll also conclude Nick Turrell’s countdown of the most influential plants that have shaped human culture, and history around the globe. Plus, now is the best time to get outside and prune your freestanding apples and pears. The RHS’s Jim Arbury gives us a masterclass on exactly what you need to do to keep your trees productive and in shape for the year ahead. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Emma Marsh, Nick Turrell, Jim Arbury Links: Plants for birds Apples and pears: winter pruning

The new year has arrived with an Arctic blast, and so it feels like the perfect moment to retreat indoors and let the garden live in our imaginations for a while. Nick Turrell joins us to continue his countdown of the most influential plants that have shaped human history. Guy Barter shares his practical ideas for making the most of your Christmas tree in the garden, and Pru Murray takes us through some of the new partner gardens RHS members can enjoy visiting in 2026. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Nick Turrell, Guy Barter, Pru Murray Links: Nick Turrell's most influential plants part 1, and part 2 Visit rhs.org.uk/partnergardens to search for Partner Gardens to visit local to you and find out their opening times for members.  If you want to suggest a garden to join the scheme or have any other feedback you can email the team on: [email protected]

As 2025 comes to a close, host Nick Turrell looks back on a year of discovery in this special end-of-year edition of Gardening with the RHS. From the quiet resilience of winter-flowering hellebores with plantsman John Grimshaw, to the gentle industry of hoverflies with RHS entomologist Josie Stuart, and a summer journey into Britain’s rare temperate rainforests with designer Zoe Claymore, this reflective episode revisits three listener favourites that reveal how even the smallest patches of nature can support a much wider living network.