grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

The first hard frost of the year signals a time to prepare for the winter ahead, and there are a few essential steps you can take to protect your bulbs and encourage tender perennials to become hardy. From spotting which varieties need to be brought inside first, to using bubble wrap, burlap or fleece to wrap larger pots, Sarah brings us a step by step guide to beating the hard frost in this bonus...

With a new year comes boundless possibilities for your veg garden, and there are so many vegetables that truly thrive in cold, wet conditions which are often overlooked. We’re just a few weeks away from the release of Sarah’s new book, aptly named ‘A Year Full of Veg’, which makes this an ideal point to look at the inspiration behind the book, and of course share some essential edibles for the yea...

The size of a garden need not limit its impact, and in this week’s podcast we hear from award-winning garden designer Butter Wakefield as she shares how to bring a spark of inspiration to small spaces. Whether you’re looking to rethink scale, scent, lighting or layout, Butter brings us a dizzying array of tips for bringing a garden to life. In this episode, discover: Marvellous ideas to bring scal...

Not all of us are afforded the space to plant everything our heart desires, so we’ve brought our wonderful Head Horticultural Buyer, Gary Newell, onto the podcast to share the best flowers for compact spaces. There’s a choice in this episode for everything one might need, whether it’s to bathe your space in scent, long-flowering bee magnets, or simply the most extravagant standout Dahlia for its s...

2022 is finally drawing to a close, and as many begin their list of new year’s resolutions we’re making our own commitments at Perch Hill, especially around our exciting carbon and biodiversity research. Sarah Raven & Adam Nicolson share the findings, bring us some enlightening tips on how we can all reduce carbon emissions in our own gardens, pick out top garden-worthy plants to provide seeds...

In each of our gardens resides such potential to create a haven for all-important pollinators, and there’s no stronger advocate than the wonderful Dave Goulson. A returning guest on the podcast, this week we hear from Dave as he and Sarah run through the 12 most magnificent plants for pollinators, whether you’re seeking compact varieties or an extravagant, long-lasting pollen cafe. In this episode...

Whether your idea of the perfect Rose is a prolific climber like Scent from Heaven, or a compact burst of colour like Josie Lewis’ favourite Hot Chocolate, no garden is complete without a Rose. This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ signals the start of a new format highlighting the floral flag bearers of each family, starting with Sarah & Josie’s top Roses, and a number of upcoming standouts...

Gardening sustainably with consideration for the world around us needn’t be a chore - there’s so much opportunity to be creative when you ditch floral foam and embrace natural design. Well Shane Connolly is no stranger to naturalising his arrangements, nor is he a stranger to the podcast! Shane returns to share his highlights of 2022, how you can add some sustainable flair to your Christmas table...

For 20% off your order at https://www.sarahraven.com/ , use the code ‘PODCAST20I’ at checkout before 9th December. There’s an endearingly nostalgic aspect of growing Sweet Peas that makes them a lovely addition to a garden, and rarely are they found to be so intoxicating as they are at Easton Walled Garden in Sweet Pea Season. The myriad of varieties are among the many lovely aspects of the stagge...

For 20% off your order at https://www.sarahraven.com/ , use the code ‘PODCAST20H’ at checkout before 2nd December. There are certainly many who wish they could have a bustling garden, but lack the time for constant upkeep and maintenance. That’s where self-seeding perennials shine… Achieving a beautiful, long-lasting border doesn’t have to take a world of effort with varieties like the gorgeous Ja...

With plenty of rain forecast and the threat of storms being a blight for gardening, there are a few things you can do to firm up against the threat of extreme rain and winds. In this bonus episode of the podcast, Sarah shares a few garden-saving tips, from choosing the right flowers that thrive in moisture for the right place in your garden, using bales and hedges to break up harsh winds, and more...

While the smaller, delicate beds can often top off a lovely garden, it’s shrubs, trees and climbers which can often add the most architectural structure and a real sense of scale. Some are great for reaching staggering heights, others for their role as a prolific perfume factory - join Sarah and Arthur as they share their pick of shrubs, trees and the climbers that can often intersperse them for a...

For those trying to encourage kids to appreciate and embrace nature, grow their own fruits and vegetables, and learn to use them in simple recipes, Julia Parker is nothing short of an absolute authority. The co-author of The Little Grower’s Handbook joins Sarah on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share her exciting journey, the inspirations behind many of the book’s staggering recipes, and easy tips...

For 20% off any Christmas order, be sure to use the special offer code ‘XMAS22MINI’ before the 30th November at https://www.sarahraven.com/ . The best part of Christmas might be the presents, but in close second is the mouth-watering prospect of an extravagant Christmas dinner. Rounding off the Christmas Mini Series of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with a smorgasbord of festive recipes, Sarah’s joine...

For 20% off any Christmas order, be sure to use the special offer code ‘XMAS22MINI’ before the 30th November at https://www.sarahraven.com/ . Christmas tree decoration is an annual event in which your efforts can elevate the charm of your lounge, and what better way to decorate than with nature’s finest floral offerings. Whether you prefer staggering Alliums or the standout beauty of Strawflower,...

For 20% off any Christmas order, be sure to use the special offer code ‘XMAS22MINI’ before the 30th November at https://www.sarahraven.com/ . At Christmas, every single surface presents an opportunity for creativity and decoration, and the Christmas table is no exception. From the subtle, sophisticated beauty of dried Honesty to more inventive combinations of flowers and fairy lights for more flai...

For 20% off any Christmas order, be sure to use the special offer code ‘XMAS22MINI’ before the 30th November at https://www.sarahraven.com/ . Welcome to the ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Christmas Mini Series, a series of episodes to inspire your festive season with ideas to bring the outdoor garden glamour into your celebrations. Sarah & Arthur kick off with an episode around something which com...

Since we’ve had such a hot, drought-ridden summer, the value of a pond is greater now than ever - perhaps even more valuable for plants and wildlife than a wildflower meadow. Between the lovely beaches from which insects and mammals can safely drink, the rich colour of moisture-loving plants, and the universal charm of Water Lilies, there are so many reasons to create a lovely water feature in you...

Christmas is nearly upon us, and within our winter catalogue lies a myriad of heart-warming gifts and superlative decorations, whether given to loved ones or a present to yourself. Sitting down with the Christmas Catalogue for 2022, Sarah & Arthur pick out their favourite decorations, the most exquisite lights, and a few stellar potted plants to fully embrace the Christmas spirit this year. In...

There’s almost nothing better to battle the bleakness of winter than forcing bulbs indoors - it brings us such vigour and colour, and it’s far simpler than one might expect.  Whether you’re looking to force bulbs in the home or the greenhouse, West Dean’s Head Gardener, Tom Brown, is a font of knowledge on the subject.  It’s a delight to hear from him again on the podcast, this time around his exc...

While the concept of a bulb lasagne is straightforward enough - simply planting layers of bulbs in a single pot - a thoughtful composition of colours in such proximity can be truly rousing. Now is the ideal time to get planting, and if you’re looking for inspiration then this week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Sarah & Arthur share the standout bulbs they’ll be planting in their recipes, what m...

You’d be hard pressed to find a name more iconic in the gardening world than the incredible Alan Titchmarsh, so it’s an honour and a privilege to host him on this week’s delightful episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’. We’re focusing this episode around Alan’s love of Tulips and their sculptural purity, divulging varieties from the naturalised to the bombastic, and touch on some other absolute mu...

When the petals are urging to fall off the flowers that have brought your garden colour for so long, they’re perfectly poised to bring a new lease of life to fabrics as dye. Finding this new use for plants has given the act of gardening a renewed lease of life for Tania Compton - the renowned garden designer joins Sarah on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share the joys of dyeing fabric with plants,...

There’s a long road before we bring our favourite Dahlias to the catalogue, and having just returned from the Netherlands it’s a lovely time to delve into how we pick the finest Dahlias we trial. Sarah’s joined once again by her husband, writer Adam Nicolson, to share the journey, characteristics we’re breeding for, and some stunning new varieties that we’re preparing for the Spring 2024 catalogue...

The sheer beauty of Heckfield Place’s gorgeous luxury accommodation is matched by their dedication to the inspiring biodynamic farm, managed wonderfully by Head Market Gardener David Rowley. As we look ahead to the winter months, David shares the tastiest vegetables they’ll be sowing in the next month, which ornamentals’ growth is spurred on by autumn sowing, and the marvellous biodynamic ethos th...