Dig It

Spreading the gardening word with Dave The Plantman DIG IT hosts Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with top all-round horticulturalist and internet sensation Dave The Plantman. Dave has been creating daily 90 second videos since April 2023 and has a huge 360k following, including a younger gardening audience on TikTok hungry for advice. Dave shares his knowledge in a unique style with his signature t...

Summer gardening reaches it’s peak this month as Peter Brown and Chris Day discuss the latest stories in the world of horticulture, must-visit events and a run-down of those essential tasks to keep your garden productive and colourful in the weeks to come.   What’s on   31st July - 4th August: RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show, Essex. 2 - 3rd August: Taunton Flower Show, Somerset. Until 4...

In this edition of DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with special guest Andrew Mikolajski. Andrew, a well-known horticulturalist, and prolific author of over 40 gardening books, including his latest, ‘Who Ate My Plants’. Andrew discusses the ongoing battle gardeners have with garden pests and diseases. Plant mentions: Grow as many varieties and species – native and non-native from the Northern...

This month on DIG IT Peter Brown and Chris Day discuss the latest gardening news, what’s on’s and as the peak gardening season is well underway, a look at those tasks to keep your garden looking its best this month and beyond. What’s on 2 – 7th July: RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is held in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, Richmond. 12th July and 4th August: The Big Butterfly Count...

Flowers are big business in Britain over 50% of British households bought cut flowers in 2022. However, according to Defra, only 14% of cut flowers sold in the UK are grown in Britain. In this edition of Dig it Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Jessica Naish who runs a successful local flower farm in Buckingham. In the podcast we discover how Jess has developed her flower farm, plus the practica...

June is here and with it brings the sun and fun in the garden! In this month’s Dig It, Peter Brown and Chris Day discuss the latest gardening news stories, events, and those all-important gardening tasks, plus celebrating DIG IT’s inclusion into the Rephonic top 15 gardening podcasts! What’s On 3 - 9th June British Flowers Week celebrating the variety and skills of the nation’s flower growers. 8th...

In this episode of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Huw Richards. Huw’s mission is simple - to help as many people as possible to grow their own food. He documents his productive garden through his hugely popular YouTube Channel . He’s just published a new book with Sam Cooper, The Self-Sufficiency Garden book, which focuses on the growing and cooking side of grow your own. Plants mentio...

May is the month our beds, allotments and containers explode with colour and energy. What’s on 3rd - 4th May Toby’s Garden Festival at Powderham Castle, Kenton. 3rd - 5th May BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. 9 – 12th May RHS Malvern Spring Festival, Three Counties Showground, Malvern. 12th May Borde Hill Specialist Spring Plant Fair, Haywards Heath. 17th - 2...

In this edition of Dig It, Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Barry Smith, Head Gardener at the National Trust’s Stowe Landscape Gardens, near Buckingham. Barry has been at Stowe for over 40 years and head gardener for over 25 so he knows this garden with immense passion and understanding. Stowe, a world-famous 18th century garden was created by such luminaries as Charles Bridgeman, William Kent...

Many of our gardens are enjoying much earlier blooms this spring due to the mild and damp weather conditions. Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest gardening news, what’s on’s and topical gardening advice for the busy month of April. What’s on 6th -7th April: Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Royal Cornwall Show Ground near Wadebridge, features a Grow Your Own space and Tipi Ta...

The temperature rises in this edition of Dig It as Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with passionate chilli grower Jason Breed. Jason, a seed specialist from Moles Seeds, gives a full rundown of the growing of these popular fiery fruits, a look at what makes chillies so hot, plus some insightful advice on getting the best from your plants and using them in the kitchen.   Chilli peppers are varie...

The traditional starting point for many gardeners - Easter - falls early this year, so there’s much to be getting on with. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest events, news and topical advice for the month. Plants mentioned: Forsythia, Snowdrops, Winter Aconites, Narcissi, Ulmus wredei, Buxus, Euonymus Jean Hugues and Green Spire, Daffodils, Dahlias, Gladioli, Freesia, Tuberous b...

In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with orchid supremo Peter White. Peter began growing orchids in 1980 and he has received many awards including RHS Gold medals for his orchid displays at RHS shows and he is a qualified judge of the RHS Orchid Committee. He is currently involved in the breeding of miniature Cymbidium and miniature Phalaenopsis. Peter White is a popular speake...

It’s February and the garden is starting to awake. In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us the latest events, plants and people making the headlines as well as some topical advice on getting the best from your garden this month. What’s on 1st - 29th February: Snowdrop season at Waterperry Gardens featuring over 60 different snowdrop varieties. Gardens open 10am - 5pm. 3rd Febr...

In this episode of Dig It Chris Day and Peter Brown chat with Val Bourne - a lifelong gardener and award-winning garden writer whose name will be familiar to readers of The Telegraph, Country Life, Gardens Illustrated, Amateur Gardening and Saga magazine amongst others. As well as writing and lecturing, Val is an organic hands-on gardener and by her own admission a committed plantaholic. Plants me...

The month of resolutions, new starts, and big dreams for the coming year. Peter Brown and Chris Day take time to delve into some of the talked about trends of 2024, plus the usual mix of gardening news, events, and gardening advice for the month ahead. What’s on Monday 1st January Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Guided Tour. Romsey, Hampshire. Thursday 18th January: Rose Pruning Masterclass with Michae...

In this edition of Dig It we chat with multi-award-winning Garden Designer and Landscape Contractor Alan Sargent, a Fellow of The Institute of Horticulture and Founder of The Association of Professional Landscapers. Alan Sargent is a proper landscape gardener who over the past five decades has won countless awards, including over sixty Royal Horticultural Society Show Garden medals at Chelsea, Ham...

Dig It hosts Peter Brown and Chris Day look at the latest news, views, and gardening tasks to keep you busy, plus the Dig it top 5, and some ideas for getting out and about this month. What’s on 7 – 11 December Winter Flower Week at the Garden Museum, London. Five floral designers transform the Garden Museum into an environmentally friendly floral winter wonderland. Friday 8th December, 12 noon –...

The trend for terrarium gardening grows each year, with more people than ever creating miniature enclosed indoor growing spaces to enjoy at home. Terrariums are simple to make, easy to care for and rewarding to have. In this episode Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Dr Manos Kanellos who takes us through the history, the selection of plants and planting to create your own display. Main pointers:...

After an incredibly wet, windy and mild autumn in many parts of the UK, November beckons with a hope of more settled conditions. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day bring us up to date with the latest gardening news, a couple of events celebrating apples, and the joy of garden visiting, as well as plenty of gardening tasks to be getting on with, plus the return of a very special guest to Dig It, ho...

In this month’s Dig It, Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with Adrian Bloom about his iconic Garden – Foggy Bottom in Diss, Norfolk. Adrian tells the story behind the garden and how he’s captured it for his new book, Foggy Bottom - A Garden to Share. In the podcast we discover how the Bloom brand developed over the years and the influences of Adrian’s father, plantsman Alan Bloom.   Plant mentio...

There’s plenty to be getting on with this month in the garden, despite the clocks going back in the UK. Dig It’s Peter Brown and Chris Day help to put some of the garden to bed, plant spring bulbs and get border prepared. There’s the usual round-up of topical news from the world of gardening as well as a few important diary dates if you’re planning to get out and about this month. What’s on Sunday...

In this edition of Dig It, Peter Brown, and Chris Day chat with winemaker / vintner Tim Chafor, who runs the 8-acre Chafor Wine Estate featuring over 10,000 grape vines, set in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside and just a stone’s throw from the Garden Centre. Grapes grown at Chafor Wine Estate are Champagne varieties of ‘Chardonnay’ (white), ‘Pinot Noir’ (red) and ‘Pinot Meunier’, (red)...

After a soggy July and mixed fortunes weather wise in August, Peter Brown and Chris Day look forward to the prospect of an Indian summer in this month’s Dig It. A pick of the best events, news, and garden trade stories, plus those essential gardening tasks for the month ahead. What’s on 1st- 30th September Garden Organic are promoting 30 thrifty biodiversity projects, one for each day of the month...

Chris Collins is a gardening legend – winning a legion of fans from his early days working in amenity horticulture to his big break on Blue Peter, presenting on the QVC shopping channel and being the ambassador to the national charity Garden Organic . In this edition of Dig It Peter Brown and Chris Day chat to Chris - the globetrotting author; TV broadcaster; lecturer and horticultural consultant....