A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.

These notes may contain affiliate links. 

Autumn is settling in and, if we’re honest, we start to spend less time actively gardening. More time for the soil to grow what it really wants, more time for us to start dreaming next year’s garden into being. In this episode, we hear how weeds have evolved to depend upon us making room for them to exploit, with another reading form Jack Wallington’s Wild About Weeds. And I bring you the second instalment of my series on easing into harmony with your garden.

Garden soundtrack

00:40 How we could use our gardens more all year round

02:00 Essential kit for experiencing a soggy garden

03:20 Assessing the garden in autumn, and making a habit of showing up

04:20 What the weeds are getting up to, and how humans and weeds go hand in hand 

reading

05:55 from Jack Wallington's Wild About Weeds, read by Rose White

08:29 Purpose and intention in the garden – weedy, or not so weedy? It's up to you!

09:23 What do you want from your garden? The second instalment of my series on easing into harmony with your garden.

18:48 A special quality to gardening at this time of year – read more on Bramble & Briar, my publication on Substack (you can listen there, too)

On lazy clouds, and the softness of November, Andrew O'Brien, on Bramble & Briar

***

Thank you to Rose White for reading so beautifully from Jack's book, Wild About Weeds, published by Lawrence King in 2019.

(You can order Rose’s own book of her poetry, Songbird, here. 10% of all proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the charity BEAT Eating Disorders).

My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here

I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees. 

website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: [email protected] Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.

These notes may contain affiliate links. 

Garden soundtrack

Shamelessly pinching the title from Jack Wallington’s fabulous 2019 book for this episode – which is only fair, as it’s the jumping off point for this whole mini season. We’re looking at how we can understand our gardens – even enter into a state of harmony with this space around our homes – but I don’t think we can even begin without getting to grips with the whole subject of weeds, what they’re trying to tell us about our soil, and how we can learn from them. We salute summer as it reaches its peak and, just as quickly, begins to pass the baton on to the next season, and enjoy a reading from the introduction to Jack’s book.

05:14 What I love about the garden in summer

10:59 A reading from the introduction to Wild About Weeds, by Jack Wallington

15:20 The first in my series of readings on understanding your garden

***

Thank you to Milli Proust for reading so beautifully from Jack's book, Wild About Weeds, published by Lawrence King in 2019.

(Milli's own book, the wonderful From Seed to Bloom (Quadrille, 2022) is available here).

My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here

I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees. 

website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: [email protected] Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB

This is a little bit of a teaser. Series 4 of the Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast is starting to come together, but you know how long it takes for things to assemble inside my head. And, from there, to make the journey through all the twigs, and moss, and soil and stuff, into the editing software and out into the real world in a state I can share it with you. So I thought, while I’m working away on that, I’d put a little something out in the meantime. So here comes season three and a half, a short series on the subject of weeds, what they’re trying to tell us, and how they can lead us to a beter understanding of our gardens. Listen to the trailer for an idea of what’s in store...

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.

These notes may contain affiliate links. 

Garden soundtrack

February; the natural world waking up; the bossiness of raised beds

2:00 Reading from I was right all along, on my Substack, Bramble & Briar

3:41 the resilience of the purple sage

4:45 Interview with Maya Thomas

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Diploma in Herbology

Ballymaloe Cookery School at Ballymaloe House in Cork, Ireland

Elisabeth Luard, author, journalist and broadcaster

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka, where Maya’s great uncle used to work

Rewilding the Kitchen, Toast 2021, Maya Thomas

Returning to the Urban Wilderness, Toast 2021, Maya Thomas

Grow Easy: Organic crops for pots and small plots, Anna Greeland, Mitchell Beazley 2021

57:01 To Stand and Stare turns one year old

***

Thank you to Maya Thomas for joining me on this episode of the Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast.

You can find Maya on Instagram, and also on the web at The Modern Herbal

My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here

I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees. 

website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: [email protected] Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 

A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.

These notes may contain affiliate links. 

Garden soundtrack

Dawn breaking in the garden

Trees in the landscape

Reading from Wildwood, A Journey Through Trees, by Roger Deakin  2:25

https://amzn.to/3r6geIJ

Read by Richard Chivers

Interview with Jackee Holder 4:54

05:13 'Coach and author and cultural creative' – the scope of Jackee's work, and how it came about

7:57 The path to being a cultural creative – Jackee's career choices, and the common thread

8:43 What is a cultural creative?

10:52 Jackee's South London background

11:26 Avoiding restrictive labels

12:49 'Jack of all trades'. Ouch.

14:25 Drawing influences widely

15:49 A deep connection with nature

17:45 Something bigger. The wonder of it all.

19:24 The parks of London

19:54 The loneliness of the long distance runner

21:05 Making friends with trees

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

"I understood at a very early age that in nature, I felt everything I should feel in church but never did." Alice Walker

22:33 Jackee's tamarind tree in Barbados

24:14 Dressing the trees at Christmas in the Carribean

27:54 Tree books. Tree Wisdom by Jacqueline Memory Paterson https://amzn.to/3csqx5Z

32:07 Jackee's connection to to the elder tree

39:35 The trees in Jackee's city garden

41:30 Listening to nature, mindfulness and being in 'receive mode'.

46:59 Solitude

48:33 Joy in the context of 2021. COVID, BLM.

49:26 Unapologetically celebrating nature.

Charlotte Delbo, Auschwitz and After

50:55 Sorrow and joy interwoven

An account of Milton Erickson and the African Violet Lady

https://danielkarim.com/the-african-violet-a-teaching-tale-of-milton-h-erickson/

55:24 "Nature was our first mother" Tina Welling

"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home." Gary Snyder

55:36 Being rooted.

57:46 Trees and writing.

Jackee's writing map "Writing with Fabulous Trees"

http://www.jackeeholder.com/tree/writing-with-fabulous-trees-writing-map-for-parks-gardens-and-green-spaces/

59:22 Journal writing (and being a stationery addict!)

101:30 The practice of writing. Using the 'Morning Pages' technique from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way https://amzn.to/3pErewE

103:00 Making space for mindful practices

104:32 Jackee's mission to connect people with the urban forest

***

Thank you to Jackee Holder for giving up her time to talk to me about her creative plant-inspired practice.

You can find Jackee on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/jackeeholderinspires/ – please note Jackee's Instagram handle has changed since the interview in this episode!

Or on her website: http://www.jackeeholder.com/

Grateful wotnots to Richard Chivers for stepping forward with his usual patient and willing response to my last-minute plea for a reading!

I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees. 

A year of garden coaching

If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. Enrolment will open towards the middle of February for one last time at the introductory price, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book.

https://www.gardensweedsandwords.com/garden-coaching

website: gardensweedsandwords.com

email: [email protected]

Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB

Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB