The Elixir of Life

This episode - The Archers, scrumgeing and hedgehogs, and the hunt for a very rare daffodil. The Rich Pickings duo are out and about. They go on a visit to the wonderful Badminton estate to check out how the land is lying for The Archers show garden at this years Royal Horticultural Society’s show there. Badminton leads to Tiddlywink(s), scrumgeing and scrimgeing, and the hunt for a very rare daffodil. Jo gets her Emma Stones and her Margot Robbies mixed up, while Nina narrowly avoids a slander case from Helena Bonham Carter.Roses are on the menu once more, including the very fragrant appeal of Sir David Beckham. And the sun is out! Could it really be that spring is here?! It turns out that hedgehogs are like dolphins, AND: how DO bumblebees take off? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo and Nina are back to light up your February days. There's a lot about gardening and a little bit about the Winter Olympics. Will Jo bite the bullet with slugs, and is Nina really a garden ghoul magnet? And a new RHS Flower Show at Badminton...at Badminton... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where have they been? Where will they go? It's as if they've never been away. Jo and Nina are back with the real gardening news - from Chelsea Flower Show Gold to funny foxgloves and a revolting cat story. Also, why we should bring back island beds, crazy paving and Bergenia (with a hard 'g').Show notesMore about Jo's Glasshouse garden at Chelsea Flower Show - https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/chelsea-2025/More about the Butler and Parker garden - https://www.butlerandparker.com/garden-of-the-future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo and Nina are back with a vengeance as they take stock of this year's RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. A pottering through gardens swerves into a conversation about manservants, the gowns of academics and the sleep-inducing qualities of The Lord of the Rings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the time of the Summer Solstice, Nina and Jo chat with an actual Druid and discuss why, actually, it’s all logical. Celebrating trees, plants, stones and skies, Dan Lobb takes us along on a journey of reconnecting with the wisdom of our ancestors. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo and Nina are back from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Listen in to hear their thoughts and reflections on one of the biggest weeks of the horticultural year. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A little bit of sunshine does us all the world of good as Nina and Jo catch up on what’s going on in the garden. There’s a lucky dip of horticultural information this week: why not stick a hand in and rummage around? Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jo is back and gives Nina a whistlestop tour through San Francisco, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Connecticut. Motorcades and Gwyneth Paltrow, expensive dressing Succession-style, best bookshops and booknooks, and is there any point at all to a eucalyptus, which Nina feels fairly strongly about.There’s a visit to a super-whizz tech headquarters in Silicon Valley, an homage to the Tales of the City novels and a scoot around gardens both botanical and communal. Groundhogs make yet another appearance, and Jo reveals why you don’t want to be standing behind her on an escalator on the Tube. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the sap is rising in a pre-festive special. The Easter bunny and Gwyneth Paltrow, a new idea for a wellness book, and are Creme Eggs smaller than they used to be. Please do rate this podcast on Apple or Spotify. And…. follow now so that you never miss another episode!!! Next episode out at Easter. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Nina takes us to Alexandra Palace and live music, whilst Jo unpicks the rules of ice hockey and shares a secret never told before. The debate continues as to whether Alan Titchmarsh is a dog or cat person, and whether or not darts is a sport, while Nina indulges in a bit of Tom Cruise-manifesting and has a very peculiar feeling about her teeth. In the garden, beans in all their glory are the topic of the day, as Jo reveals her exciting new theory on the fountain of youth and the elixir of life. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.