Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture. A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring! Rain strikes again! So far 80% of the days in the Westcountry this year have been washouts, and when drier, sunny days arrive the ground is so boggy gardening outside is proving tricky! But never fear because gardening indoors is still an option, whether in the greenhouse sowing seeds, potting plants on and gearing up for drier days ahead (hopefully) or in the house with your burgeoning houseplant collection. Houseplants are probably the biggest growth section of horticulture at the moment, with the fashion for a small (or large) collection fuelled by social media, new greenfingered gardeners and a lack of gardening space. Saul is no different having grown and collected many indoor plants since his youth - so join him as he talks everything houseplant from the comfort and 'dry' of his living room! Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture. A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring! Most outdoor gardening is on hold until we finally dry out - especially in Devon where Saul has received roughly two and a half times the average rainfall over March! But that doesn't mean Lucy and him have to put the horticultural waffle on hold, as we answer listeners questions on Grow Lights and where the professional gardener can go to find advertised jobs. We also talk about Alpine plants with Saul's first flower show of the year - though the weather may not be playing ball, there's still plenty of gardening going on! Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture. A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring! As the Talking Heads pair beaver away in their garden, meeting up to have a good waffle has been delayed - but never fear both have taken sometime out of their busy horticultural schedules to take you along into their personal slice of garden heaven and give a spring report on the blossom in Devon and the vigorous, vegetable seedlings of Essex. It truly is a wonderful time of year to be outside and the garden is living up to the hype, so wherever you are in the world, get out and enjoy your garden! Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture. A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring! Saul and Lucy are wrestling their gardens into some kind of shape, as the Spring weather stops and starts. Blossom is beginning to show and many task seem to be building up, so the gardening pair are feeling the pressure. But maybe the answer comes in the form of Raised Beds - the subject of our guest on this episode, David Hurrion, who's new book is the comprehensive guide on a facet of our garden both practically and design-wise that we maybe overlooking a little too much! David's Book: The Raised Bed book Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul David @DavidHurrion Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc David davidhurrion Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. Saul and Lucy return to their usual format of waffle, and with lots to catch up on they have a good chat about the weather (surprise, surprise), Lucy's lack of garden progress (Like us all), Saul's visit to the new 'Growing Point' nursery at the Eden Project, and a listener's question about perennial vegetables. So a lot to cover in this new episode, as Spring (we hope) is slowly appearing on the horizon! Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. As the winter gloom gives way to (hopefully) more joyful spring brilliance, its time for the Talking Heads pair to start their busy calender of garden events all around the country, with the starting gun fired at the Garden Press Event at the Business Design Centre in London. Join Lucy as she takes a look at the plethora of new garden products, meets with fellow horti-friends and even has a sneaky interview with Saul, as he eulogises the Hardy Plant Society to the gather throng of press and influencers alike. Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. Winter is slowly dissolving into Spring - and especially this year where the mildness and wet has caused many plants to start their Spring early and the lawns are quite shaggy from continual growth. Saul has all these issues in abundance at Stonelands, so while dodging the downpours he is getting as much work done while things dry up. Join him as he takes a look around the greenhouse and then attempts a live seed sowing demonstration (fantastic for a purely audio medium!), as the growing season starter gun is fired. Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. It's a route many of us take when we embark upon our professional gardening journey, and so Saul and Lucy couldn't let National Apprenticeship Week pass without giving this method of training due appreciation. The range and reputation of venues offering such schemes is impressive, and the partnership of training whilst earning an income makes these on-the-job schemes a viable option for many. Plus, Lucy shares exciting composting news - hear her heave a huge sigh of relief! Details of, and links to, all the webinar recordings can be found here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/articles/horticulture-discovery-week Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. Last week, Lucy was thrilled to be a key speaker for the RHS's Horticultural Careers Discovery Week, where industry ambassadors were asked to shine a spotlight on their chosen career paths. The 40-minute webinars covered a wide range of professions, from tree surgeons, plant health inspectors and horticultural advisors, to horticultural therapists, garden designers and even filmset dressers. So, whichever route into gardening may have piqued your interest, the duo hope that its led to a varied, fulfilling and thoroughly enjoyable career. Details of, and links to, all the webinar recordings can be found here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/articles/horticulture-discovery-week Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. Saul and Lucy return to their usual format, as Lucy's jetlag and holiday tan start to fade. Luckily, the duo have plenty to get their teeth into this week as RHS Chief Horticulturist and podcast friend, Guy Barter, reveals his plant trend predictions for 2024. We can expect grow your own, wildlife gardening, exotic fruits, purple veg, houseplants and succulents to all keep us company on the plot in the year ahead, according to Guy - and we don't doubt him! Whether we all plant up survivalist gardens, only time will tell... (Please donate to your local Air Ambulance, in Devon visit https://www.daat.org/) Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as this time of year is some of the busiest in all the 12 months. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. One of the drawbacks of any holiday is returning home, and with Lucy its no different as the combined Time zone difference and temperature shock means she taking a little time to recover. So Saul takes the opportunity to bring the listeners to Stonelands where the mercury bottoms out at -4C, so work is constrained to those areas of the garden where a deep frost isn't too prevalent. Rose pruning is the main the aim while he waits for the thaw, but expect a number of warm cups of tea, that is until the Devon Air Ambulance drops in! Please donate to your local Air Ambulance, in Devon visit https://www.daat.org/ Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as this time of year is some of the busiest in all the 12 months. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. If there was any sign that Lucy was at the opposite ends of the earth then the weather (in true Talking Heads style) would be it. While Saul has put on the extra layers and woolly hat due to winter finally catching up with the UK, Lucy is sunbathing in +25C heat in the Australian summer. But the pair are still enjoying their gardens and plants - as dry weather means pruning is Saul's main focus and the beauty of the Hunters Valley means wine, chocolate and cheese is Lucy's! Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as this time of year is some of the busiest in all the 12 months. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. Happy New Year to all our listeners - another turn around the sun is in order, and the Talking Heads Podcast continues into its fifth year (madness I tell you!). So to celebrate what better than sending the Veg and Fruit queen down under. Lucy (with family in tow) have headed to the land of Vegemite and Roos to enjoy some winter time sun (or is that summer!?) and lets us into what she has been admiring in the gardens she has seen, her visits to the local garden centre and her battles with some of the local bird population. Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as this time of year is some of the busiest in all the 12 months. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. The final episode of 2023 is here - and to describe the year in one sentence - indescribable! Lucy and Saul take a look over what has been and what might happen next year, we get into a discussion about the competitive Christmas garden lighting that seems to be sweeping the country and also take a look at our favourite Xmas plants. Talking Heads is now 4 years old and with over 200 episodes in the bag we are always so grateful to have our listeners join us every week - so Merry Christmas to you all, have a wonderful New Year and you will hear the Talking Heads duo once more in 2024! Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as this time of year is some of the busiest in all the 12 months. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens. It's the episode you've all been waiting for (well at least three of you anyway) - yes the answers to the fiendishly cryptic 200th anniversary quiz - if you didn't enter but still gave it a go a month back see how you've done. Lucy and Saul also talk Poinsettia - a stable of the UK Christmas decorations - but remember its not just a plant for Christmas! Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4 Support the show

Autumn signals the slow descent into slumber for another year - but not before the fireworks of the late flowering perennials, exotics and bulbs, the harvest of the last of the beautiful summer veg and finally the firework bank of the tree's as they turn there annual colours of orange, reds and yellows. Its time to switch up the usual gardening to get on with some bigger jobs and also dust off the longer trousers, thermals and the rain coat as moisture levels increase and the temperatures go down. Autumn is always a time for both reflection and planning as the previous growing season and next collide in the Head Gardeners mind - so join Lucy and Saul every week as they bring you more tales from their gardening lives! Never mind Autumn - Winter is here! (And apologies, because it's Lucy's fault - and NOT Tomasz Schafernaker's - if you're experiencing dank, mild conditions this week.) With the drop in temperatures comes a switching of seasons, so Saul and Lucy look this week at what can be achieved in their gardens. Actually, it's quite a lot! So, whether you want to thwart weeds, knock pests on the head, renovate your compost heap, check in on your pelargoniums, cut back your tender plants, or sit by the fireside with a tempting seed catalogue, there's still plenty to be completed on the plot. And if you do stumble across an impressively long iris rhizome, you know who to tell... Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4 Support the show

Autumn signals the slow descent into slumber for another year - but not before the fireworks of the late flowering perennials, exotics and bulbs, the harvest of the last of the beautiful summer veg and finally the firework bank of the tree's as they turn there annual colours of orange, reds and yellows. Its time to switch up the usual gardening to get on with some bigger jobs and also dust off the longer trousers, thermals and the rain coat as moisture levels increase and the temperatures go down. Autumn is always a time for both reflection and planning as the previous growing season and next collide in the Head Gardeners mind - so join Lucy and Saul every week as they bring you more tales from their gardening lives! Saul is in full recovery, and returning to Stonelands for a full weeks gardening was just the tonic - and with the frigid and dry days of winter finally here it means we can get stuck into some 'proper' gardening. Lucy has a lovely listeners question about pruning Witch-hazel, which gets the gardening pair thinking about winter flowers, and she also relives here Garden Media Guild Award experience where the great and good meet to celebrate their achievements in the world of Gardening in the press, podcasts and photography. Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Autumn signals the slow descent into slumber for another year - but not before the fireworks of the late flowering perennials, exotics and bulbs, the harvest of the last of the beautiful summer veg and finally the firework bank of the tree's as they turn there annual colours of orange, reds and yellows. Its time to switch up the usual gardening to get on with some bigger jobs and also dust off the longer trousers, thermals and the rain coat as moisture levels increase and the temperatures go down. Autumn is always a time for both reflection and planning as the previous growing season and next collide in the Head Gardeners mind - so join Lucy and Saul every week as they bring you more tales from their gardening lives! With rainfall and storms still dominating the news, Lucy and Saul open this episode with a look at the monthly rainfall for (usually) dry Essex. There are also listener questions on pelargonium overwintering and green manure management, along with a little insight into the workings of RHS committees. The duo also look at jobs for early winter, as Lucy delves into her 'Donyland Diaries' (Saul is hastily finding a suitable jingle...). Leaf gathering, bulb planting and hardy veg sowing are just a few of the tasks that she and her team were completing. Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Autumn signals the slow descent into slumber for another year - but not before the fireworks of the late flowering perennials, exotics and bulbs, the harvest of the last of the beautiful summer veg and finally the firework bank of the tree's as they turn there annual colours of orange, reds and yellows. Its time to switch up the usual gardening to get on with some bigger jobs and also dust off the longer trousers, thermals and the rain coat as moisture levels increase and the temperatures go down. Autumn is always a time for both reflection and planning as the previous growing season and next collide in the Head Gardeners mind - so join Lucy and Saul every week as they bring you more tales from their gardening lives! Well - who would have thought 4 (ish) years ago when Lucy and Saul tried to record their wafflings it would lead to 200 episodes of the Talking Heads Podcast. The Gardening pair are more than humble and slightly bemused with it all, but so incredibly thankful to all the loyal and soon-to-be loyal listeners that have joined us over the timespan of this venture. So what better way to celebrate then to set a simple (Saul) and cryptic (Lucy) quiz - and remember best answers to us through our social media wins! Here's to another 200 (or at least another 20) episodes - CHEERS! Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

Autumn signals the slow descent into slumber for another year - but not before the fireworks of the late flowering perennials, exotics and bulbs, the harvest of the last of the beautiful summer veg and finally the firework bank of the tree's as they turn there annual colours of orange, reds and yellows. Its time to switch up the usual gardening to get on with some bigger jobs and also dust off the longer trousers, thermals and the rain coat as moisture levels increase and the temperatures go down. Autumn is always a time for both reflection and planning as the previous growing season and next collide in the Head Gardeners mind - so join Lucy and Saul every week as they bring you more tales from their gardening lives! Saul is hunkering down on the Devonshire estate of Stonelands, as yet more rain and accompanying high winds, in the form of storm Ciaran, hits our shores. In Essex, Lucy will be less affected by storms but this week she admits to feeling melancholy as she says goodbye to the gardens at East Donyland Hall. Regular listener, Tufty, poses a question about hedge trimmers, which gets the duo thinking about harnesses, back safety, petrol, electric and battery operated models. As ever, there's a lot to discuss! Instagram Links: Lucy headgardenerlc Twitter links: Saul @GardeningSaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show