The Sentimental Gardener

What makes a cookbook so irresistible that a gardening guru finds himself buzzing towards it like a bee to a flower? When Costa Georgiadis (ABC TV Gardening Australia) rang Alice Zaslavsky to tell her he'd spotted her book in a bookshop, his description was hard to beat. But the story behind Alice's love of food goes much further back, to her childhood in Tbilisi, Georgia, where the garden and kitchen were part of the same story. Alice joins Cass to talk about the plants that carry memories of home, the Georgian tradition of using marigolds in food, and why we should look again at what's growing in our gardens — including the parts we might usually throw away. An award-winning cookbook author, food educator and television host, Alice is passionate about helping people discover the joy of food, from teaching children about seasonal eating to making everyday cooking more creative. We talk about her work creating Phenomenom, her book In Praise of Veg, and her latest cookbook, Weeknights with Alice. It's a conversation about culture, food, family and the unexpected stories held in the plants we grow, and how a little curiosity can change the way we see both our gardens and our dinner plates. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to The Sentimental Gardener 02:56 Alice Zaslavsky: Food and culture 06:00 Childhood memories of the garden 08:59 Food growing traditions in Georgia 12:04 Migration and food culture 14:56 Eating more of our plants 18:00 Food literacy in schools 20:58 Creating Phenomenom 23:51 Changing children's food choices 27:00 Writing about vegetables 27:30 From children's books to cookbooks 28:54 Designing a better cookbook 30:36 The global reach of In Praise of Veg 31:34 Teaching seasonal eating 33:50 Flavour and seasonality 35:00 Introducing Weeknights with Alice 39:16 Cooking by mood 42:46 Sentimental plants and their stories 45:36 Quick-fire questions Want to hear more? Find the bonus episodes and subscribe via The Sentimental Gardener on Substack or Apple Podcasts Follow Alice Zaslavsky at her website, Instagram , Facebook Follow Cass at The Sentimental Gardener Instagram or add your name to the list at Substack to get my emails in your inbox.  CREDITS: Music written and played by Hayden Schuler of Vereya Gardening Produced, edited and mixed by Cass Dowding

In this episode of The Sentimental Gardener, Cass chats with Jay Young, co-founder of Flinders Farmgate, a small-scale regenerative farm on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. Alongside her husband Nick, Jay grows garlic, sunflowers, dahlias and seasonal flowers, while finding ways to share their special patch of land with the local community. We talk about how a friend's suggestion to grow garlic set their farming journey in motion, how losing an entire garlic crop led them to diversify into flowers, and how a sunflower picking event grew into something much bigger than they expected. Jay also shares what she's learnt about regenerative farming, building healthy soil, working with nature rather than constantly intervening, and the realities of balancing a growing farm business with family life. And, of course, we talk about her sentimental plants: the climbing beans that take Jay back to her grandparent's garden, the winter-scented flowers that remind her of an early job at a flower shop, and the sunflowers that continue to bring her joy. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: Meet Jay Young of Flinders Farmgate 01:56 Childhood memories of a farm in South Africa 07:25 From city life to a life in Flinders 15:51 How growing garlic started it all 19:03 Losing a crop and finding a new direction 21:16 Sunflowers, dahlias and the farm shop 28:43 Farming, family and finding balance 33:03 What regenerative farming looks like in practice 42:08 Three sentimental plants: beans, winter flowers and sunflowers 51:06 Quick-fire questions from the farm 58:11 Cass's reflection: Listening to what draws us in Want to hear more? Jay and I also recorded a bonus conversation for The Sentimental Gardener Substack paid subscribers, where we spend another 20 minutes talking about the business side of running a flower and garlic farm. Find the bonus episode and subscribe via The Sentimental Gardener on Substack or Apple Podcasts Follow Flinders Farmgate at their website, Instagram or Facebook Follow Cass at The Sentimental Gardener Instagram or add your name to the list at Substack to get my emails in your inbox.  CREDITS: Music written and played by Hayden Schuler of Vereya Gardening Produced, edited and mixed by Cass Dowding

Deb Collett was a previous guest way back in Season One, and since then we've become great friends. So it was particularly lovely to sit down and catch up with her on this episode of Sentimental Friends - the subscriber only series where we cover news, updates and more from people in gardening world.  This episode is available for FREE FOR EVERYONE as a thank you for your patience while I paused releasing episodes for a few months! Earlier this year, Deb was involved in Australia Post's dahlia cultivar collection, released back in May 2026 — a particularly perfect partnership given that, alongside collecting dahlias, Deb is also a passionate philatelist (stamp collector). We chat about: 🌸 Which dahlias made their stamp debut 🌸 The story behind the breeders of the three different varieties 🌸 The dahlia trails at Cruden Farm 🌸 The National Dahlia Conference 🌸 What's been happening in Deb's own garden 🌸 And, importantly, I ask Deb how on earth I'm supposed to manage the old and new growth on my tree dahlia! You can also catch Deb's original Sentimental Gardener episode here. Follow Deb on Instagram @debsdahlias Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram @the_sentimental_gardener Subscribe to the mailing list here: https://thesentimentalgardener.substack.com/subscribe

Australian landscape architect and garden designer Timothy Mitchell joins Cass Dowding on The Sentimental Gardener podcast to talk about his early memories of plants, transforming tennis courts into a meadow of flowers and designing gardens en plein air.  They also dive into finding beauty in Australian native plants, building a dry climate garden that actually works, letting a garden evolve naturally over seasons, and why the most alive gardens are always being edited, observed and mulled over. They recorded this episode in Tim and his partner Lucy's backyard, surrounded by the antiquing of plants moving from summer to autumn and a view of Mt. William/ Wil-im-ee Moor-ring as the backdrop.  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Early memories of gardens and plants 05:00 Choosing a life in landscape design 09:00 Gardeners and landscape architects 13:45 Designing public places 16:00 Transforming a tennis court into a garden 18:30 Starting a garden from scratch 19:00 Finding beauty in Australian plants 22:40 Building a dry climate garden 27:45 Letting a garden grow naturally 32:00 Trees, time and looking after nature 38:30 What makes a garden feel alive 45:30 Learning by watching plants 49:45 Quick-fire garden questions 56:45 The gardens that stay with us 59:35 Final thoughts and outro Show notes: Follow Timothy Mitchell on Instagram or visit website Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram and Facebook Visit The Sentimental Gardener website Get Sentimental Gardener emails in your inbox Get bonus content + episodes on Sentimental Friends Original music: Hayden Schueler of Vereya Gardening Audio mix: Tom Dowding Producer and editor: Cass Dowding

Are you an Australian native plant fanatic? Well you're going to love this episode! Cass Dowding chats with Ben Clark, co-owner of Kuranga Native Nursery, about growing up surrounded by the bush in Warrandyte, followed by an early obsession with plants, to building a family business around Australian native plants. Ben shares how he first came to Kuranga as an apprentice, what happens behind the scenes in the nursery he now owns, and why the nursery has become such a loved destination for native plant buffs. They also talk about Kuranga's expansion to a second site at Warrandyte, running the business with his wife Alexa, raising kids around the nursery, and the joy of dispersing native plants into gardens across the state, and maybe Australia! Show notes: Follow Kuranga Native Nursery on Instagram and Facebook Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram and Facebook Get Sentimental Gardener emails Get bonus episodes on Sentimental Friends   Theme music: Hayden Schueler of Vereya Gardening Audio mix: Tom Dowding Producer and editor: Cass Dowding

Hannah Moloney was born for this! 'This' is creating what she calls "a good life for everybody": people, animals, ecosystems and communities alike. From climate-justice cabaret to gardening, activism, writing and community projects, Hannah's work is all about connection, resilience and finding better ways to live together. She's also a presenter on ABC TV's Gardening Australia and the bestselling author of the newly released Why We Garden — Even When We Don't Have To. In this episode, Cass and Hannah talk about early memories, sentimental plant stories, permaculture, activism and what Hannah discovered after interviewing thousands of gardeners about why we still feel drawn to plonk things in the ground and help them grow.  Host: Cass Dowding Guest: Hannah Moloney Episode show notes at The Sentimental Gardener Original Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening Audio Mixing: Tom Dowding Editing and Producer: Cass Dowding

Tim Pilgrim, garden designer and author of Wild by Design, joins Cass Dowding for a conversation about naturalistic gardening, learning through doing, and what it means to work with a place rather than trying to control it. Based in Central Victoria, Tim shares how his approach to garden design has evolved over time — shaped by observation, trial and error, and a deep connection to landscape. From early memories of planting and time spent in significant Australian gardens, to designing spaces that feel full, layered, and alive, this is a conversation about letting gardens find their own rhythm. Together, Cass and Tim explore how naturalistic gardens respond to climate, seasonality, and change — and how shifting away from control can open up something more meaningful, both in gardens and beyond. Tim also shares his three sentimental plants: osteospermum (daisy), paper daisy, and Nepeta 'Walker's Low'. Join other garden and plant lovers getting podcast updates in their inbox — join here Credits: Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening Audio support: Tom Dowding Produced and edited by Cass Dowding See https://libsyn.com/tos-policies/privacy-policy/ for privacy information

Award-winning production designer Fiona Crombie joins Cass Dowding for a conversation about memory, storytelling and the gardens that stay with us. Best known for her work on films including The Favourite, The King, Cruella, Mickey 17 and Hamnet, Fiona reflects on the gardens of her childhood, from Sydney bushland to her grandmother's garden in Brisbane, and the plants that still carry a deep sense of home. Together, Cass and Fiona explore how gardens helped shape the emotional world of Hamnet — from wild, useful planting to hidden foraging spaces, orchards and one unforgettable tree. It's a gentle conversation about beauty, atmosphere, creativity and the way nature helps us tell stories. Fiona also shares her three sentimental plants: wattle, gardenia and pawpaw. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:55 Earliest Garden Memories 07:33 What a Production Designer Does 10:34 Discovering the Gardens of Hamnet 14:27 Designing Through Collaboration and Discovery 16:24 Finding the Tree 21:44 Creating the Gardens of Hamnet 28:51 Building the Henley Street Garden 30:57 The Knot Garden and the New House 35:03 The Hidden Foraging Garden 35:58 Designing the Globe to Feel Like the Inside of a Tree 40:10 What Stayed With Fiona After Hamnet 42:51 Three Sentimental Plants 45:52 Quick Fire Questions 49:39 Cass' Reflection 51:43 Credits and What's Next Join other garden and plant lovers getting podcast updates in their inbox and Substack writing in regular newsletters — join here To become a financial supporter of the show and help us spread more stories of the joy of a life in gardens — join here Credits: Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening Audio support: Tom Dowding Produced and edited by Cass Dowding See https://libsyn.com/tos-policies/privacy-policy/ for privacy information

The story of The Sentimental Gardener. Cass Dowding swaps roles and takes the guest seat as is asked all the questions she asks her guests.  Guided by brilliant host Chloe Foster, author of The Rookie Gardener, host of 3CR Gardening Show and Horticulture educator, Cass opens up about starting a podcast, how gardens contained and plants helped her process her grief and what grew after.  From dreams of being a dancer, to finding a career in midwifery and nursing to how motherhood made her face what's really important, Cass' story is a winding journey of a life filled with finding the thing that brings life and joy ... which is now plants! And gardens. And people who garden!   00:00 Introduction 02:16 Childhood Garden Memories 08:29 Career Path: Ballet to Nursing 12:42 Covid, Motherhood and Change 18:44 Grief and Becoming a Sentimental Gardener 22:27 Cancer, Anxiety and the Garden 24:02 Writing and Discovering Garden Stories 27:39 How the Podcast Began 33:51 Finding Confidence and Voice 44:29 What Surprised Me About Gardeners 46:53 Three Sentimental Plants 55:37 What Gardens Teach Us About Life 1:00:29 Why Gardening Brings Belonging Other Sentimental Gardener podcat episodes mentioned in this episode: Fleur Flanery on what the landscape says about us, The Australian Landscape Conference and a million trees Sandra Schwartz on the study of greenspaces Hayden Schueler on being a closeted gardener, Japanese topiary and caring for other people's gardens Chloe Foster on her book The Rookie Gardener, prickly grevilleas and growing gardeners Join other garden and plants lovers getting podcast updates in their inbox and Substack writing in regular newsletters - join here To become a financial supporter of the show and help us spread more stories of the joy of a life in gardens - join here Credits: Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening Audio support: Tom Dowding Produced and edited by Cass Dowding See https://libsyn.com/tos-policies/privacy-policy/ for privacy information

Cass shares what's coming in Season 2 ... returning March 2026