Rekha Mistry on Favourite Allotment Varieties and Her New Book!

Time to return to one of our happy places. The garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage on the Norfolk coast is bursting with plants at every time of year, but in April seed-sowing is underway in earnest and there are treasures to behold everywhere you look! In this week's episode the garden's owner Alan Gray shares just some of what's going on with Thordis.PLANT LISTTulipa 'Yellow Crown'Tulipa sprengeriAmaranthus cruentus 'Hot Biscuits'Amaranthus cruentus 'Velvet Curtains'Anemone coronaria 'Bordeaux'Smyrnium perfoliatumTropaeolum tricolorTropaeolum pentaphyllumTropaeolum hookerianumPlumbago auriculataRosa 'Iceberg'Rosa 'The Generous Gardener'Abutilon vitifoliumAbutilon vitifolium 'Album'Drimys winteriHyacinthoides non-scripta ‘Silver Cobalt’Agapanthus 'Queen Mum'

Our gardens are full of them at this time of year, but the Tulip actually originates in Central Asia. These species Tulips are varied in height, colour, foliage and the ease with which we can grow them at home and so this week on Talking Dirty, Cambridge University Botanic Garden - who hold the National Collection of Species Tulips - are along to share some of their favourites and recommendations for which to grow, and how. Plus stories of their latest adventures in Kyrgyzstan where they've been finding and protecting new varieties.So join Alan Gray, Thordis and Simon Wallis and Kathryn Bray of the Botanics for a tantalising tour of their collection!PLANT LISTTulipa sprengeriTulipa tschimghanicaTulipa toktogulicaTulipa greigiiTulipa creticaTulipa 'Negrita'Tulip bakerii 'Lilac Wonder'Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfeniiTulipa acuminata syn. Tulipa cornutaTulipa montanaTulipa heweriTulipa bifloraTulipa turkestanicaTulipa regeliiTulipa tardaTulipa saxatilisTulipa linifoliaTulipa undulatifolia syn Tulipa eichleri Tulipa clusianaTulipa clusiana 'Peppermint Stick'Tulip clusiana var. chrysanthaTulipa aucherianaTulipa sylvestrisTulipa orphanideaTulipa kaufmannianaTulipa fosterianaTulipa praestans 'Shogun'Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'Tulipa 'Ballerina'Tulipa 'Heart's Delight'Trollius lilacinusIris acutilobaTulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

With a spring in our step we bring you the March Special of our Talking Dirty series on the garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage. From the Magnolias Alan Gray wakes to see out of his bedroom window, to the Tulips he's been spending a pretty penny on, here are some of the highlights from the garden this month.PLANT LISTMagnolia 'Caerhays Belle'Magnolia 'Genie'Magnolia × soulangeanaRosa 'Rambling Rector'Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate' Rosa 'Mme. Alfred Carrière' Rosa 'A Shropshire Lad'Dahlia 'Hollyhill Serenity'Narcissus 'Jetfire'Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'Tulipa sprengeriTulipa orphanidea 'Flava'Narcissus 'Turncoat'Narcissus 'First Born'Narcissus 'Actaea'Hedychium 'Tara'Narcissus 'Articol'Narcissus 'Rataplan'Narcissus 'Mrs Langtry'Tropaeolum majus 'Gleam Salmon'Tropaeolum tuberosum var. lineomaculatum 'Ken Aslet'Syringa vulgaris 'Princess Sturdza'

Time for Part Two of our latest episode with Talking Dirty favourite Val Bourne. The award-winning garden writer has alredy shared some of her favourite Prunus varieties. This week it's all about spring plants like Pulmonarias and Violets, plus a bit of rose inspiration...and Trillium chat to boot!PLANT LISTPulmonaria 'Shrimps on the Barbie' Pulmonaria saccharata 'Leopard'Pulmonaria rubra Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'Viola odorata 'Christie's Wedding'Viola odorata 'Baroness Alice de Rothschild'Viola odorata 'Sulphurea'Helleborus argutifoliusNarcissus 'St Patricks Day'Narcissus 'Golden Echo' Narcissus 'Winter Waltz'Narcissus 'Beryl'Narcissus 'Beryl's Little Sister'Tropaeolum hookerianumTropaeolum ciliatumTrillium grandiflorum f. roseumTrillium kurabayashiiRosa 'The Generous Gardener'Rosa 'Mrs. Honey Dyson'Rosa 'Rosy Cushion'Rosa x odorata 'Crimson Bengal'Rosa 'Pompon de Paris'Rosa 'You're Beautiful'

This week one of our Talking Dirty favourites is back! Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer and grows all manner of treasures in her 1/3 acre Cotswolds plot. This week - in part one of her latest appearance - she shares some of her favourites Prunus and the Scilla you must grow, plus those to avoid! And as usual her coversation with Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis meanders via a host of plants from Geums to Ferns.Next week Roses, Trilliums and Violets...plus FLOMO**FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LISTGeum 'Totally Tangerine'Geum 'Prinses Juliana'AmsoniaHelenium 'Sahin's Early Flowerer'Geum 'Bell Bank' Geum 'Mai Tai'Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'Galanthus plicatus 'E.A. Bowles'Succisella inflexa 'Frosted Pearls'Galanthus 'Marjorie Brown'HamamelisPrunus mume 'Beni-chidori'Prunus 'Kursar'Prunus 'Okame'Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai'Prunus 'Tai-haku'Prunus 'Chocolate Ice'Scilla sibericaScilla bifoliaScilla bithynicaAllium triquetrumTulipa saxatilis (Bakeri Group) 'Lilac Wonder'AdiantumAnemonoides nemorosaPolypodium

This week Alan and Thordis are excited to bring you a joyful special focussing on Hepaticas with their chief cheerleader, John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries. His book, 'My World of Hepaticas' (with Tomoo Mabuchi), is a veritable treasure trove of information (and downright divine photographs!) In this episode of Talking Dirty, we meander through the different species (including which should tolerate a garden situation) and discuss everything from botany to John's anecdotes from years tracking them down in the wild. And of course, we detour via several other plants as well. It wouldn't be Talking Dirty if we didn't do that!PLANT LISTGalanthus 'Veronica Cross'Galanthus 'Wasp'Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. candidaHepatica transsilvanicaHepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magnaHepatica japonica var. pubescensHepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magnaHepatica americanaHepatica americana var. acuta (syn H. acutiloba)Hepatica americana var. acuta x H. nobilisTrillium nivaleDaphne laureola subsp. philippi Hamamelis Cyclamen coumMiscanthusPennisetum Lewisia cotyledon 'Harold Judd'Hepatica 'Millstream Merlin'Helleborus (Rodney Davey Marbled Group) 'Anna's Red'Helleborus × ericsmithiiHepatica maximaSorbus 'Olympic Flame'Hepatica insularisHydrangea serrataHepatica x schlyteri (H. nobilis 'Stained Glass’ x H. maxima) Macodes petolaHepatica nobilis 'Stained Glass'Hepatica 'Louise Koehler'Anemonella thalictroides f. rosea 'Oscar Schoaf'Hepatica japonica 'Mori'ShortiaHepatica 'Millstream Pink' Prunus 'Kursar'Polypodium

In the latest of our series looking at Alan's garden - East Ruston Old Vicarage - month-by-month, we're focussing on some fab February plants. From the Edgeworthia hardly any one can grow to Alan's latest purchases and plans for the shade planting around his north-facing front door. This is an episode packed with plants and plans!PLANT LISTEdgeworthia chrysanthaEdgeworthia chrysantha 'Red Dragon'Galanthus 'Alan Gray'Polystichum setiferum ‘Green Lace’ Eranthis hyemalis 'Dooze'Galanthus elwesii 'Daphne's Scissors'Tulipa sprengeri Tulipa orphanidea 'Flava'Galanthus plicatus 'EA Bowles'Galanthus elwesii 'Claud Biddulph'Galanthus 'Fieldgate Forte'Galanthus nivalis 'Anglesey Abbey'Galanthus woronowiiDelphinium 'Alice Artindale'Prunus mume 'Beni-chidori'Camellia × williamsii 'Saint Ewe' Dahlia 'Brown Sugar'Dahlia 'Creme De Cassis'Tithonia rotundifoliaOrlaya grandifloraDaphne bholua 'Mary Rose'Acer 'Red Flamingo'Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'Narcissus 'St Patrick's Day'Buxus sempervirens 'Aurea Pendula'PhillyreaGriselinia BrugmansiaDaphne odora 'Aureomarginata'Daphne odora 'Rebecca'Galanthus 'Trumps'Galanthus 'Cowhouse Green'Galanthus 'Trumpolute'Galanthus 'Princess Bennie'Cotoneaster horizontalis

Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference returns with beautiful flowers, fab foliage and serious FLOMO*!*FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing OutPLANT LISTBuxus sempervirens 'Elegantissima'Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty'Buxus sempervirens 'Aurea Pendula'Gaultheria mucronata syn. Pernettya mucronataIlex aquifolium 'East Ruston Gold'Vinca minorVinca minor 'Azurea Flore Pleno'Vinca minor 'Multiplex'Vinca minor 'Blue and Gold'Vinca minor 'Aureovariegata'Vinca difformis Greystone formVinca majorVinca difformis subsp. sardoa Cyclamen ciliciumIpheion 'Rygel'Ipheion uniflorum 'Dusky Pink'Ipheion uniflorum ssp. tandilienseIris unguicularisGeranium libaniGeranium peloponnesiacumLamium galeobdolonLamium galeobdolon 'Kirkcudbright Dwarf'Setaria palmifoliaSaxifraga stolonifera 'Nezu Jinja'Saxifraga stolonifera 'Hsitou Silver'Euonymus myrianthus (ogisu 93309)Hydrangea aspera subsp. strigosa

This week Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference stuns with some inspiring Ivies, plus Primulas, Snowdrops and more!PLANT LISTSalvia nemorosaSalvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'Galanthus nivalis 'Alan's Treat'Galanthus 'Mother Goose'Galanthus 'Treasure Island'Galanthus plicatus 'Golden Fleece'Galanthus 'Wandlebury Ring'Galanthus 'Günter Waldorf'Galanthus gracilisMuscari filiformeArum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum'Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Tiny'Arum pictum 'Primrose Warburg'Arum italicum subsp. neglectum 'Monksilver'Arum 'Curtis Giant'Pulmonaria mollisPulmonaria 'Shrimps on the Barbie'Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'Pulmonaria rubraPrimula 'Lady Greer' Primula 'David Valentine'Primula 'Garnet Cowichan'Hedera helix 'Ceridwen'Hedera helix 'Heise'Hedera helix 'Kaleidoscope'Narcissus 'Candlepower'Hedera helix 'Buttercup'Hedera rhombea 'Variegata'Euonymus fortuneiHedera helix 'Goldfinch'Hedera rhombea 'Variegata'Hedera hibernica

This week Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis chat to Anya Lautenbach AKA Anya, The Garden Fairy. A passionate propagator, Anya is famous for making her garden from seeds and cuttings, and sharing her propagation tips with her million followers on social media. And now those skills are being captured in her new book 'The Money-Saving Gardener'.From the healing power of gardening to the plant which has her captivated at the moment, this is a feel-good look at the power of plants.PLANT LISTMeconopsis betonicifolia (syn. Meconopsis baileyi)Myosotidium hortensiaZaluzianskya ovataDianthus caryophyllus 'Chomley Ferran'Nicotiana alataDaphne bholuaSarcococca confusaXerochrysum bracteatumTiarella 'Spring Symphony'Aristolochia macrophyllaHosta 'Empress Wu'Hosta 'Wu-La-La' Dahlia 'Night Silence'Jasminum sambacTolmiea menziesii