Better Gardening tips in 2025...With Two Badly Disguised Santas

Autumn has arrived - and there’s plenty to be getting on with in the garden. Rod Whiting is joined by Loving Your Garden and Boom Radio’s resident horticulturist John Stirland for a practical guide to making the most of this special time of year. They look at how to help lawns recover after a long, hot summer, why now is such a good time for sowing grass seed, which spring bulbs should be planted now, and which are better left until later - plus autumn care for roses, climbers and shrubs. Joh...

How can gardeners make a real difference for wildlife? Rod Whiting is joined by Boom Radio’s nature expert Mary Porter and resident horticulturist John Stirland to explore simple, practical ways to turn your garden into a haven for birds, bees, butterflies, hedgehogs, and countless other creatures. Following one of the hottest, driest summers in recent years, they discuss how wildlife is adapting, the plants that provide food when it’s needed most, why ponds are such valuable habitats, and ho...

Hotter summers, wetter winters and increasingly unpredictable weather are changing the way we garden. So how should we adapt? Horticulturist Alison Marsden, who divides her time between Britain and a Mediterranean garden in France, joins Rod Whiting and resident expert John Stirland to explore practical ways of making our gardens more resilient. They discuss healthier soils, smarter planting, water management, Mediterranean-inspired ideas that work in Britain, and how to create gard...

Food prices may be rising, but growing your own needn’t be difficult. In this episode of the Loving Your Garden podcast, Rod Whiting and horticulturist John Stirland are joined by kitchen gardener and food writer Stephanie Hafferty, author of The Productive Garden. Stephanie shares her advice on getting started with growing your own food, the easiest crops for beginners, why mistakes are part of the learning process, and how to make the most of even the smallest growing spaces. The discussion...

Dahlias are bold, flamboyant, sometimes slightly outrageous - and one of the great stars of the late summer garden. But they can also feel a little intimidating. When do you plant them? Which varieties are easiest to grow? Do you have to lift the tubers every winter? How do you support them, feed them, protect them from pests, and keep them flowering into autumn? In this episode, Rod Whiting is joined by Dahlia expert Kim O’Brien - Head Gardener at an RHS-funded garden in Cambridgeshire, flow...