For many, the garden should be a peaceful place where its colours invite you in and envelop you in their earthy tones, and that’s the role of Sarah Raven’s velvet palette.

In this episode of the Colour Guide Mini Series, Sarah moves us to her next, and perhaps favourite palette of the four. She talks through their calming colours, and the flower families that help keep that tranquility in your garden through a reliable planting succession.

In this episode, discover:

• How to create a velvet colour palette in your garden using deep crimsons, golds, bronzes and inky purples that feel cosy and enveloping
• Which reliable plant families and standout varieties deliver these rich, velvety tones
• How to plan succession planting so the velvet palette runs from late winter and early spring right through to autumn
• Practical ideas from Sarah’s own garden on combining colour and texture to create a sense of haven, enclosure and warmth outdoors

Products mentioned:

Tulip ‘Palmyra’: 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-palmyra

Tulip ‘Ridgedale’: 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-ridgedale

Tulip ‘Hermitage’: 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-hermitage

Tulip ‘Cairo’ (Copex Cairo): 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-copex-cairo

Tulip ‘Belleville’ (Bellville): 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-bellville

Tulip ‘Dom Pedro’: 

sarahraven.com/products/tulip-dom-pedro

Amaranthus ‘Coral Fountain’: sarahraven.com/products/amaranthus-caudatus-coral-fountain

Dahlia ‘Verrone's Obsidian’ (Veronese Obsidian): sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-verrones-obsidian

Dahlia ‘Rip City’: 

sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-rip-city

Dahlia ‘Sarah Raven’: 

sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-sarah-raven

Dahlia ‘Molly Raven’: 

sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-molly-raven

Dahlia ‘Schipper's Bronze’: 

sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-schippers-bronze

Antirrhinum ‘Liberty Classic Crimson’: sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-f1-liberty-classic-crimson

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Seeds sown in March are the great givers of colour and fragrance in a cutting garden or container, from spring right through to autumn.

This week, Sarah is joined by Josie Lewis to walk through 12 of the most trusted plants to sow now, how to fill your beds, pots and vases, and feed the birds from a single month’s sowing.

In this episode, discover:

• Practical techniques for handling both big and dust-fine seeds, including when to sow in trays and when to direct sow
• Specific tips for making the most of tricky or easily-flopped favourites like cerinthe, amaranth and poppies, so they thrive both in the garden and in the vase
• How to get more from each plant – from cut-and-come-again grasses to edible flowers and home-made calendula remedies
• How to plan your March sowing so it supports wildlife, with seed heads that feed birds well into winter

Products mentioned:

Cerinthe major 'Kiwi Blue' https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cerinthe-major-kiwi-blue

Amaranthus ‘Hot Biscuits’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/amaranthus-hot-biscuits

Amaranthus ‘Coral Fountain’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/amaranthus-caudatus-coral-fountain

Moluccella / Bells of Ireland https://www.sarahraven.com/products/moluccella-laevis

Antirrhinum ‘Giant White’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-giant-white

Antirrhinum ‘Liberty Crimson’ (Liberty Classic Crimson F1) https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-f1-liberty-classic-crimson

Antirrhinum ‘Apple Blossom’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-majus-appleblossom

Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Burgundy' F1

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-sonnet-burgundy

Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Orange Scarlet' F1

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-sonnet-orange-scarlet

Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Carmine' F1

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/antirrhinum-sonnet-carmine

Cobaea (Cup-and-saucer vine) https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cobaea-scandens-purple

Poppy ‘Amazing Grey’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/papaver-rhoeas-amazing-grey

Poppy ‘Mother of Pearl’ https://www.sarahraven.com/products/papaver-rhoeas-mother-of-pearl

Black Single Papaver somniferum (Opium Poppy) https://www.sarahraven.com/products/papaver-somniferum-black-single

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

The garden is a welcoming place for all, particularly for newcomers when guided by the gentle eye of Milli Proust, and under the instruction of her calming new book.

Milli joins us once again, this time to share the inspiring journey that’s led up to her most approachable book to date, and some of the easy-to-understand frameworks to create an effortlessly beautiful garden.

In this episode, discover:

• How Milli Proust found floristry, and began creating a deeply loved, biodiverse garden in West Sussex
• A gentle but practical way to think about why we garden focused around connection, memory, and belonging to nature
• Milli’s “plant pyramid” and other simple frameworks for beginner gardeners planning borders 
• Ideas for low-maintenance but beautiful gardens, including orchards underplanted with bulbs, and using local materials

Milli’s taster course at Perch Hill on Wednesday 6th May 2026:

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/milli-proust-taster-course-beginner-gardeners?srsltid=AfmBOopaQgpAKlaAx724RwtbLXGrmm_NkyOCTWu2N42YnAOUzRlu--wl

Order Milli’s Book, ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Does-Your-Garden-Grow/dp/1837832250

Products mentioned:

Aquilegia Vulgaris 'Hensol Harebell'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/aquilegia-hensol-harebell

Galanthus nivalis (Common Snowdrop)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/galanthus-nivalis

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-marjoram

Syringa meyeri 'Flowerfesta Pink'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/syringa-meyeri-flowerfesta-pink

Viburnum tinus

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/viburnum-tinus

Daphne 'Perfume Princess'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/daphne-perfume-princess

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

The luminous palette - a rich, stained glass collection of citrus, scarlet and pinky-purples - is the first of Sarah’s colour combinations that we’ll walk through in depth for this episode of the Colour Guide Mini Series.

Sarah explains the six key colours, which ones to use together throughout the year, and the flower families which she considers the most prominent and productive as they pass the colour baton through the year.

In this episode, discover:

• How to use Sarah’s luminous palette without overwhelming your garden
• The key plant families and varieties that reliably deliver bold, stained‑glass colour
• Sarah’s favourite colour combinations and how to place ‘shouty’ colours so they look intentional
• A simple season‑by‑season planning method using two‑month blocks and the ‘bride, bridesmaid, gatecrasher’ idea to keep colour going from March to October

Products mentioned:

Euphorbia ceratocarpa

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/euphorbia-ceratocarpa

Tulip 'Ballerina'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-ballerina

Tulip 'Black Parrot'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-black-parrot

Tulip 'Rococo'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-rococo

Tulip 'Go Go Red'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-go-go-red

Tulip 'Mariette'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-mariette

Tulip 'Purple Heart'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-purple-heart

Lunaria annua

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lunaria-annua

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/crocosmia-lucifer

Phlox paniculata 'Blue Paradise'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-blue-paradise

Dahlia 'Thomas A. Edison'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-thomas-a-edison

Sweet Pea 'Blue Velvet'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/sweet-pea-blue-velvet

Sweet Pea 'King Edward VII'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lathyrus-odoratus-king-edward-vii

Sweet Pea 'Matucana'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lathyrus-odoratus-matucana

Salvia 'Jezebel'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-jezebel

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Colour is best when it’s tangible, and if you’re planning a patch in your garden then this episode of the Mini Series is perfect to help you bring your plans to life.

In this episode of the Colour Guide Mini Series, Sarah dives into the practical side of using colour as the backbone of your garden design - from using candles to visualise colour combinations, to the ‘bride, bridesmaid, gate crasher’ structure that’ll help guide you towards an ensemble that works in harmony.

In this episode, discover:

• How to choose a garden colour palette based on the feeling you want to create (washed, velvet, comforting or luminous)
• A simple “bride, bridesmaid, gate crasher” recipe for combining plants in harmonious yet lively colour schemes
• Practical ways to test and refine palettes using coloured candles, mood boards and real flowers in your hand or in a vase
• How to plan colour in succession by breaking the year into seasonal chunks and identifying plants that “carry the baton” across months
• Real planting examples and border ideas drawn from Sarah’s own garden, including her vase-to-border comforting palette scheme

Products mentioned:

Nepeta x faassenii 'Kit Kat'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nepeta-x-faassenii-kit-kat

Alchemilla mollis

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/alchemilla-mollis

Clematis viticella 'Etoile Violette'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/clematis-viticella-etoile-violette

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Sonata Carmine'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-sonata-carmine

Salvia viridis 'Blue Monday'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-viridis-blue

Dahlia 'Peaches'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-peaches

Campsis x tagliabuana 'Indian Summer'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/campsis-x-tagliabuana-indian-summer

Phlox drummondii 'Blushing Bride'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-drummondii-blushing-bride

Abelia x grandiflora

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/abelia-x-grandiflora

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' AGM

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-paniculata-limelight

Stipa gigantea

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/stipa-gigantea

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Each colour palette in the garden creates a unique atmosphere, and you don’t need intricate knowledge of the colour wheel to combine them cohesively in the garden.

In this episode of the Colour Guide Mini Series, Sarah talks us through why her colour palette system works to create stunning arrangements which work with each other, rather than against each other, and how to transition between palettes within neighbouring spaces.

In this episode, discover:

• How Sarah’s four core colour palettes each create a distinct mood in the garden
• Where each palette works best at Perch Hill, and where they might be most suited in your own space
• How to avoid a cluttered, chaotic feeling by thinking of colour palettes in ‘visual fields’
• How to use bridge plants and universal colours to link different palettes seamlessly
• Ways to work with trickier colours so that they enhance your space, rather than overwhelm it

Products mentioned:

Dahlia 'Molly Raven': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-molly-raven

Tulip 'Slawa': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-slawa

Tulip 'Apricot Foxx': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-apricot-foxx

Phlox paniculata 'David': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-david

Erysimum 'Winter Orchid': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/erysimum-winter-orchid

Phlox drummondii grandiflora 'Cherry Caramel': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-drummondii-cherry-caramel

Tulip 'Dom Pedro': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-dom-pedro

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Welcome to the first in a brand new miniseries of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, as Sarah delves into the world of colour, and how to use each colour palette to its absolute maximum potential in the garden.

In this week’s first episode, Sarah shares how the colour system used at Perch Hill came to be, the theories behind mixing certain palettes, and the difference between calm and chaos when combining colours.

In this episode, discover:

• How Sarah’s experiences as a florist, gardener and colour-obsessed child shaped her approach to garden colour
• How the colour palettes underpin every border at Perch Hill
• Why misuse of colour can make some gardens feel chaotic 
• The six key colours within each palette, from citrus brights and Venetian velvets to café-au-lait pastels and cool silvers
• Why no colour is truly “wrong” in a garden, and how the right combinations and contrasts can make even challenging shades sing

Products mentioned:

Tulip 'Mariette': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-mariette

Tulip 'Sarah Raven': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-sarah-raven

Tulip 'Slawa': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-slawa

Tulip 'Dom Pedro': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-dom-pedro

Tulip 'Copex Cairo': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-copex-cairo

Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-waltzing-mathilda

Dahlia 'Schipper’s Bronze’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-schippers-bronze

Dahlia 'Tom's Choice': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-toms-choice

Dahlia 'Molly Raven': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-molly-raven

Dahlia 'Perch Hill': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-perch-hill

Dahlia 'Lou Farman': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-lou-farman

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Rubenza': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-rubenza

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Dazzler': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-dazzler

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Xanthos': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-xanthos

Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot': https://www.sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-suttons-apricot

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

In this episode, Sarah is joined by YouTube phenomenon Huw Richards to talk about his journey from smallholding childhood to seven-acre experimental plot, and the ideas behind his hit book Veg in One Bed. 

They’ll also cover exactly what to sow in late winter, and what’ll perform best when sown later – from chillies and aubergines to peas, onions and tomatoes. 

In this episode, discover:

• How Huw Richards went from helping on his parents’ Welsh smallholding to building a seven-acre experimental food-growing site
• The story behind Huw’s first book, Veg in One Bed, and the sheer potential in a single 10x4ft bed
• How Huw blends creativity with just enough science to keep things productive
• Exactly what Huw is sowing in late winter, and why timing matters
• How Huw’s now using his land to grow for education, biodiversity and food

Episode Cover Photo Credit: Dorling Kindersley: Jason Ingram

Products mentioned:

Pepper 'Padron'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pepper-padron

Courgette 'Black Beauty'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/courgette-black-beauty

Aubergine 'Slim Jim'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/aubergine-slim-jim

Spring Onion 'North Holland Blood Red'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/spring-onion-north-holland-blood-red

Tomato 'Sungold'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tomato-sungold

Tomato 'Tigerella'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tomato-tigarella

Tomato 'Honeycomb' F1

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tomato-honeycomb-f1

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

From their resistance to deep snow and hard frosts, to long-flowering habits, hellebores are quietly spectacular plants that earn their keep in pots, borders and shady corners.

This week we’re diving into one of the true stars of the winter garden, focusing on the new varieties that bring a renewed perspective on one of the winter garden’s most generous providers, and how to keep them looking their best in the garden or in a vase.

In this episode, discover:

• How to choose hellebore varieties for pots, borders and different garden conditions, from shade to full sun with Corsican types
• The best new and classic hellebores for long winter colour, including Maestro, Merlin, Strawberry Moon, Bijou and the Pretty Ellen series
• How to cut, condition and arrange hellebores so they stand proud in a vase for two weeks
• Practical ways to prevent and deal with pests and diseases like aphids, mice damage, leaf miner and black spot
• Tips on soil, compost, potting and feeding so hellebores thrive as long-lived, reliable perennials

Products mentioned:

Helleborus niger

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-niger

Helleborus argutifolius

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-argutifolius

Helleborus x ballardiae 'Merlin'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-x-ballardiae-merlin

Helleborus x 'Bijoux'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-bijoux

Helleborus x 'Guess'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-guess

Helleborus orientalis 'Pretty Ellen Red'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-pretty-ellen-red

Helleborus orientalis 'Pretty Ellen Spotted'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helleborus-orientalis-pretty-ellen-spotted

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

March 2026 marks the release of perhaps Sarah’s most personal book to date, drawing from childhood love, family influence, and the evolution of one’s own gardening tastes.

In this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Milli Proust joins us to discuss Sarah's new book, ‘A Year of Cut Flowers’, blending the memoir and the method to trace her family’s historic love of flora, and how it drew Sarah into the world of cut flowers.

In this episode, discover:

• How childhood wildflower hunts with Sarah’s father and her life with Adam shaped her lifetime love of cut flowers
• How even a small, carefully planned patch of cut flowers can fill your home with abundant, seasonal blooms
• The surprisingly powerful impact of spacing and pinching on plant health, vase life and stem production
• Why gardening, and especially growing for the vase, can become such a life‑enhancing practice which evolves with you

Products mentioned:

Abelia x grandiflora

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/abelia-x-grandiflora

Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cerinthe-major-purpurascens

Euphorbia oblongata

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/euphorbia-oblongata

Salvia viridis 'Blue Monday'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-viridis-blue

Helianthus annuus 'ProCut Plum' (Sunflower)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/helianthus-annuus-procut-plum

Ammi majus

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/ammi-majus

Phlox drummondii 'Blushing Bride'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-drummondii-blushing-bride

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

The dream garden of low‑maintenance abundance is all about picking the plants that need hardly any input, just the lightest touch of editing, and they’ll give you months of shifting colour.

In the third episode in this theme with Arthur, we dive into the self-seeding annuals and biennials that bring abundant colour to the garden with very little effort. 

From forget-me-nots and violas to cerinthe, cosmos and quaking grasses, they share their favourite ‘volunteer’ plants, how to manage them, and simple ways to use them in borders and cut-flower arrangements for a truly low-maintenance, flower-filled garden.

In this episode, discover:

• How to use self-seeding annuals and biennials to create a low‑maintenance, flower‑filled garden that largely looks after itself
• Inspired plant recommendations, from forget‑me‑nots and violas, to grasses, nasturtiums and Californian poppies 
• Practical tips on managing self‑sowers - when to let them run, and when to thin them out
• Ways to weave self‑seeders into borders, pots and even cracks in paving for long‑season colour, movement and structure

Products mentioned:

Cerinthe major 'Kiwi Blue'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cerinthe-major-kiwi-blue

Heart's Ease (Viola tricolor)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/viola-heartsease

Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/anthriscus-sylvestris-ravenswing

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Dazzler'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-dazzler

Ammi majus

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/ammi-majus

Panicum miliaceum 'Violaceum'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/panicum-violaceum

Briza maxima (Greater Quaking Grass)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/briza-maxima-greater-quaking-grass

Nicandra physalodes

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nicandra-physalodes

Persicaria orientalis

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/persicaria-orientalis

Nasturtium 'Ladybird Rose' (Tropaeolum minus)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nasturtium-ladybird-rose

Nasturtium 'Bloody Mary' (Tropaeolum minus)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nasturtium-bloody-mary

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest