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Gardens, weeds and wordsAuthor: Andrew O'Brien: gardener, blogger, podcaster
A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. With Andrew O'Brien. Language: en Genres: Home & Garden, Leisure, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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S03.5 Episode 4: What your garden wants from you
Episode 504
Tuesday, 15 April, 2025
Gardens, weeds and words podcast, S03.5 E04 show notes 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 00:40 spring settling in, and it’s been a warm, dry start 02:34 what your garden wants from you, the last in my series of readings on how to find yourself in a state of harmony with your garden reading 08:00 ‘Cow Parsley’ from Jack Wallington’s Wild About Weeds, read by Milli Proust interview 10:52 Jack joins us to talk about the impact of his book five (now six!) years on, how practical it really is to incorporate weeds purposefully into our gardens, and whether a gentler, more natural approach to planting has any cut through beyond the garden media. 12:08 Did Jack’s pro-weed stance feel like a lonely position to be adopting back in 2019? 13:28 The effect on Jack’s garden design practice 13:54 The manifesto approach to writing your first book 14:42 Has there been a noticeable change in the attitude of gardeners towards weeds since the publication of the book? 17:50 Has there been any trickle down to the general public from a wilder look embraced by top garden designers at shows like Chelsea? 22:54 A plant in the wrong place? Weren’t they here first? But gardening is largely about declaring what we want to grow and where. How does Jack find a middle ground? 25:25 Managing a weedy population – regular culling 26:22 Jack’s wildflower meadow and help with weeding 27:15 Practical steps with embracing weeds – where do you start with becoming wild about weeds? 29:22 A weedy through-line – how weeds flow through all of Jack’s work *** Thank you to Milli Proust for her delightful reading from Jack’s book, Wild About Weeds, published by Lawrence King in 2019. 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. substack: Bramble & Briar website: www.andrewtimothyobrien.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB
