Beyond peat

As the weather cools and birds flock back to gardens, many of us enjoy putting more food out for them. But have we been feeding birds all wrong? How can we help our feathered friends without inadvertently endangering them? RHS Senior Wildlife Specialist Helen Bostock tells us how to feed birds properly this winter. After an incredibly tough summer for turf, many domestic lawns are still feeling the effects of months without rain. It might be time for a reboot, so RHS turf and lawn care specialist Jim Millward talks us through how to turf properly and tells us about his team’s progress on returfing alongside Wisley’s famous Jellicoe Canal. It’s off to RHS Garden Hyde Hall to talk with Sarah Wilson Frost about mulch; what is it, why is it important, and what does it do? And we’ll round-off the episode with listener questions answered with Gareth and Melissa.

Meet one of our most loved and hated native plants. You might think of ivy as a destroyer of buildings or a nuisance weed, but it’s actually just been crowned the most popular flower with pollinating insects in an 8 year study by the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. It’s also the RHS Wildlife Wonder plant for October, so our Science and Horticulture editor Olivia Drake is here to explain what makes it so valuable, and worth including in your garden. Staying with plant wonders, did you know if you dream of cucumbers, it means you might speedily fall in love? RHS Head of Libraries and Exhibitions Fiona Davison offers fascinating tales of vegetable folklore for an upcoming online seminar. Hyde Hall’s Andy Tebbutt tells us why autumn is the best time of year for planting, but what’s happening to that plant when you put it in the ground? And Gareth Richards and Melissa Mabbitt answer your gardening questions.

A new season, and a new edition of The Plant Review, the quarterly magazine published by The RHS that delves a little deeper than the regular RHS Garden mag. If you prefer your plant stories and horticultural happenings that bit more detailed, The Plant Review is the publication for you. In this special programme, RHS plant pathologist Jassy Drakulic talks fungi in lawns, Plant Review editor James Armitage tells the story of Blanche Ada’s Thornycroft apples, and Gareth Richards and Melissa Mabbitt answer your gardening questions.

So many jobs to do at this time of year, but not enough time! As we rush to garden centres and nurseries, you can make it easier on yourself by narrowing down your new plant choices to those which are ultra wildlife friendly. Pollinators will always appreciate a helping hand, and a good place to start is with a new RHS guide, Plants for Pollinators. One of the authors, RHS entomologist Josie Stuart, is on the podcast to talk about what to plant now to boost wildlife diversity. If edibles are more your thing, Guy Barter offers sobering news on the future of Britain’s favourite brassicas – is it the end of the line for cauliflowers? And we continue our guide to essential jobs to do in autumn, this time it’s why and how to divide perennials.

Head to the bottom of the garden this month and you might end up with a face full of spiders’ webs. Before you run screaming into the house, RHS spider expert Ben Brough offers an insight into why an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare is a fantastic garden ally. Want more plants for next spring without the cost of buying? RHS Garden Wisley’s Sam Gallivan teaches us how to take root cuttings and instantly multiply your plants for free. Last week we ended our series looking at bulbs to plant now for spring interest, and today we begin a new series of serious jobs for serious gardeners throughout a busy autumn, beginning with autumn veg planting with Liz Mooney.