If you’re going away this summer and are worried about your garden RHS Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter shares some top hacks for ensuring your plants survive the heatwaves while you’re away. But if you’re staying at home and feel inspired to give your garden a revamp for all those summer BBQs, RHS Horticultural Advisor Nick Turrell explains what you can still plant in high summer for maximum impact. If you’re entertaining children this summer – or you’re still full of wonder for the natural world – David Wembridge from The People's Trust for Endangered Species’ talks about a nationwide search for the gentle giants - stag beetles. And finally, the jobs – we’ll share key things you can do in the next week in the garden.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Guy Barter, Nick Turrell, David Wembridge

Producers: Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Links:

PTES the Great Stag Beetle Hunt

Info on powdery mildew

Drought resistant gardening

The team head to North Norfolk to fill their boots with inspiration from the show gardens, floral exhibits, specialist growers, and innovative designs on display at RHS Sandringham Flower Show. Gareth Richards speaks with Catherine MacDonald, who designed The RHS Royal Legacy Garden in collaboration with King Charles III, with a special focus on climate resilient trees. Jenny Laville catches up with designers Joe and Laura Carey in their playful Pollywiggle Garden, designed for amphibians. And producers Poppy and Dan glean some top tips from the growers and nurseries in the Floral Marquee.

Hosts: Gareth Richards, Jenny Laville

Contributors: Catherine MacDonald, Laura Carey, Joe Carey, John Cullen, Louise Batchelor, David Reynolds, Paul Dibley, Dan Cocker, Poppy Waring

Links:

RHS Sandringham Flower Show

Plants:

Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Rubylace' Gleditsia triacanthos 'Rubylace' | thorny locust 'Rubylace'

Aeonium ‘Pink Witch’ Aeonium 'Pink Witch' (v)

Rosemary-leaf willow - Salix rosmarinifolia Salix rosmarinifolia L. | rosemary-leaved willow

Achillea ptarmica ‘Peter Cottontail’ Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail'PBR | sneezewort 'Peter Cottontail'

It’s time to recuperate and relish one of the best times in the gardening calendar. Taking inspiration from some of the Pocket Planting gardens at RHS Badminton Flower Show, we’re celebrating plants for pollinators as part of Bees’ Needs Week. Ahead of an elm-themed exhibit at the Sandringham Flower Show next week Jenny Laville meets David Shreeve MBE, who in the late 1970s arranged for the first disease resistant elm cultivars to be brought to the UK. And RHS Wisley’s Liz Mooney spills the beans on edimentals - what are they and how do they benefit us?

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Liz Mooney, Jenny Laville, David Shreeve MBE, Alison Johnston, Darren Gillingham, Natalya Scott, Lucie Dannemann-Scott, Michael Leech, Gavin Moth

Links:

RHS Sandringham Flower Show

Explore the RHS Badminton pocket planting gardens

If you have a question you’d like answered on the podcast, write in to us at [email protected]

Join us at the inaugural RHS Flower Show at Badminton in Gloucestershire! It’s a brand-new addition to the gardening calendar, the next in a massive year of RHS events that celebrate the greatest shows in earth, and Gardening with the RHS is here to take listeners on a journey through some of the show’s highlights. Size matters, and we speak with renowned designer Tom Stuart-Smith about one of his most ambitious undertakings ever: designing and building the biggest show garden in the history of the RHS. We learn about another RHS first, the introduction of the Young Designer Gardens, giving early-career designers a major national platform. Plus, we meet the world’s leading growers and nursery experts exhibiting at Badminton, for some take-home tips and vegetal inspiration.

Host: Gareth Richards & Melissa Mabbitt

Contributors: Tom Stuart-Smith, RHS Young Designers Abigail Stoyle, Sophie Sturgeon, Sophie Leo,

And from the Floral Marquee: Rachel from The Tetbury Flower Company, Lee from sedum specialist Plants Let's Grow, Colin from Roualeyn Fuchsias, Luke from D'Arcy & Everest

This week we’re recovering from extreme heat to get back to what we love best: celebrating the joy of plants, how to grow them, and some tips for doing more in our gardens. Guy Barter emerges from the heat dome with some lessons learned from inside the furnace, and our science editor Olivia Drake shares an RHS Wildlife Wonder Plant for July that’s a hit with pollinators and people - bronze fennel. Horticulturist Oliver Ongley looks after the rose garden at RHS Garden Wisley, and he offers on successfully growing roses at home, with a nod to RHS Garden Rosemoor’s current Festival of Roses.

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Guy Barter, Olivia Drake, Oliver Ongley

Insects are vital ecosystem engineers in our gardens. Small but mighty, they help create healthy, balanced environments where plants can thrive. Of course, not all insects are flying or scuttling above ground all the time, so to mark Insect Week, we’re going underground with RHS Principal Entomologist Dr Hayley Jones to explore the beetle larvae living in our soils. We’ll learn how to identify the species that benefit our gardens, and what to do about those that can cause problems.

Bee expert Rachel Richards from conservation charity Buglife joins us to reveal the remarkable diversity of solitary bees that may be nesting right outside your door, and share simple ways to support these important pollinators.

And finally, as the heatwave continues, we turn our attention to a seasonal favourite: strawberries. RHS Horticultural Advisor Chris Taylor shares his top tips for growing healthy, productive plants and getting the very best harvest. Plus a roundup of top tips based on the latest enquiries on rhs.org.uk

Email your questions to [email protected]

Host: Gareth Richards

Contributors: Hayley Jones, Rachel Richards, Chris Taylor

Links:

How to help hoverflies

Vine weevil 

Chafers in garden borders

Ground beetle larvae and other predatory gardener allies

More in depth ID features for chafers and stag beetles

Previous episode on Hoverfly Heroes with Josie Stuart

How to help hoverflies

Strawberries

Insects are drawn to them, poets and artists are inspired by them, and without them, much of our agriculture simply wouldn’t exist. Flowers are one of nature’s most remarkable inventions, and in honour of British Flowers Week, we’ve got three fantastic floral stories. Georgie Newbery, artisan flower farmer and passionate advocate for the British cut flower industry, joins us to share how years of campaigning is giving flower growers a stronger voice and greater visibility at a national level. We explore the sweet pea extravaganza at RHS Garden Wisley this week with National Sweet Pea Society President Roger Parsons. And finally we tackle one of the biggest challenges facing gardens: aphids. Josie Stuart from the RHS Plant Health Team explains how to keep these sap-sucking squatters under control using flowers, while maintaining the natural balance of the garden.

Host: Nick Turrell

Contributors: Georgie Newbery, Roger Parsons, Josie Stuart

Links:

National Sweet Pea Society 

Aphids advice

In this summer edition of the Plant Review podcast special, we get stuck into the plants which love to bask in the sun. Journalist Phil Clayton shares his tips for success with bearded irises, and tackles one of the conundrums associated with this antisocial plant – what to grow them with! Taxonomist Julian Shaw introduces us to a striking new Arum hybrid that's been causing quite a stir among plant enthusiasts. And we dissect what lessons we can learn from mediterranean gardens.

Hosts: Gareth Richards and James Armitage

Contributors: Phil Clayton, Julian Shaw

June is when many kitchen gardens begin to hit their stride. Horticulturist, author, and YouTuber Huw Richards joins us to explore the joys of growing your own food, the benefits of self-sufficiency, and why gardens of every size can have a big impact on people, communities and wildlife. Huw also shares details of the Top of the Plots competition, celebrating inspiring growers across the UK. RHS Wisley's Liz Mooney reveals what you can still sow this June, from reliable favourites to more unusual edible crops. And as gardens buzz into early summer, RHS Science and Horticulture Editor Olivia Drake investigates lavender, our Wildlife Wonder Plant for June, and reveals which varieties prove most irresistible to bumblebees.

Host: Jenny Laville

Contributors: Huw Richards, Liz Mooney, Olivia Drake

Links:

Top of the Plots competition

Lavender Wildlife Wonder plant of the month

As the UK experiences some of the hottest May weather on record, we share practical tips for helping your garden cope during heatwaves. And if the soaring temperatures have you seeking shade indoors, we’ll hear from houseplant experts about their favourite indoor plants and their advice for tackling common houseplant problems. We also catch up with Chris Potts from Sienna Hostas to discover a breakthrough in hosta breeding that has produced the first truly red-leaved cultivar Hosta RED NINJA in the genus. And with the warm weather set to continue, why not visit an RHS Garden this weekend? We head to RHS Garden Bridgewater, where curator Tracy Snell tells us more about the transformation of this remarkable historic garden as it celebrates its fifth birthday this month. Plus a tribute to horticultural legend Matt Biggs, who sadly died last week. 

Host: Gareth Richards 

Contributors: Natalia (Conservatory Archives), John (Hugo & Green), Alice (Botanica Studios), Chris Potts (Sienna Hosta), Tracy Snell, Tim Upson

The highlight of the horticultural calendar is back. This week, we’re bringing you the very best of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

We speak to designer Darren Hawkes about The Lady Garden Foundation’s 'Silent No More' garden, and how outdoor spaces can be designed to encourage conversation and connection. Growers and exhibitors from the Great Pavilion share their favourite plants, must-see showstoppers, and expert tips on everything from getting the most out of your hostas to creating natural dyes at home.

We also meet Joe and Laura Carey, designers of Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City, to explore London’s rich botanical history and discover how even the smallest urban gardens can become truly striking spaces. Plus, we take a look at the cutting-edge horticultural science showcased at the GreenSTEM exhibit.

Whether you’re heading to Chelsea this year or simply looking for expert growing advice and fresh inspiration from some of the world’s leading designers and growers, there’s something here for everyone.

Hosts: Jenny Laville, Tom Howard, Gareth Richards

Links:

RHS Chelsea Flower Show