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

While the lovely Arthur Parkinson has been away writing and illustrating, both he and Sarah Raven have had a number of green-fingered revelations that are just too good not to share. From a newfound love for the fern Metallicum (best seen at sunrise or sunset), to a new, pollinator-friendly concoction that keeps mildew at bay, this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ is an absolute grab bag of i...

A big thank you all of the listeners of the grow, cook, eat, arrange podcast, which has just hit the incredible milestone of 3 million downloads!  See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/ Follow Sarah: https://www.insta...

Hosting a party is made magnitudes more rewarding when you grow the food and decorations yourself, and the Booth sisters joining us this week on the podcast have mastered that art. Jessie and Con Booth share, between their specialities of decorative floral plants and delicious edibles respectively, their 12 top additions to any garden, such that you can grow your own party. In this episode, discov...

In Olia Hercules’ book title, she describes the power of food to comfort and connect, and nobody exhibits it in such a captivating way as Olia does. Be inspired by the wonders of world food as one of Ukraine’s most moving and emotive cooks and writers joins Sarah on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, sharing the delights of Ukrainian recipes. In this episode, discover: Olia’s background and journey to di...

Behind every Dahlia’s watercolour beauty is a mind-boggling scientific world of floral possibility - who better to share the joys of Dahlia breeding than our very own Josie Lewis. This week we break down the biology behind the beauty, how to germinate your own seeds, and breeding for the perfect Dahlia with stunning colour and fantastic vase life. In this episode, discover: The startling science b...

With names like Jamie Oliver under tutorship, Jekka McVicar’s word is gospel when it comes to growing herbs for your own culinary masterpieces. For those of us looking for the simplest start to a herb garden, even in the smallest of spaces, Jekka is a font of knowledge, sharing her 12 best beginner-friendly herbs in this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’. In this episode, discover: How to combine...

Almost every day of Sarah Raven’s life involves harvesting, so over the last 30 years or so, she’s worked out the most efficient way to harvest plants and edibles for extraordinary results. Join us on this solo episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ as Sarah shares how to pick salads for remarkably productive edibles, her flower conditioning advice for a long-lasting harvest, and why you should avo...

Sustainable gardening is an essential endeavour in modern horticulture, as we learned with Arit Anderson in episode 119, and one of the easiest ways to create a sustainable garden is through perennializing your bulbs. Sarah Raven takes this week’s solo episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to dive into the beautiful bulbs that can be made perennial, with a particular passion for the high glamour o...

Few people are more passionate about the plight of our precious pollinators than the marvellous Arthur Parkinson, and National Bee Day poses a perfect time to consider how we can all care for them. In this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, we’re taking you through the entire year and which are the finest, nectar-rich flowers to bring a lively buzz to the garden throughout every season. In this ep...

Arit Anderson is an award winning garden designer, TV presenter, and an unrelenting wave of joy who shares Sarah Raven’s love of Chelsea Flower Show. With the show next week, who better to join us on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ for a Chelsea special than a woman whose history of design in fashion and gardening has drawn from the gorgeous annual displays of chromatic wonder. In this episode, discove...

Tricia Guild is a name needing little introduction, her Designers Guild brand being an ensemble of aesthetic delights akin to that of the fast-approaching Chelsea Flower Show. Sharing her love of the show, and design ethos both in her work and the garden, Tricia joins us for an episode of the podcast laden with tips to bring your space to life through a lens of selective beauty and impact. In this...

The connection between art and the natural world is utterly entwined, and seldom is it seen more beautifully in the craft of block printing than through Molly Mahon’s eyes. Her gorgeous designs draw upon the inherent beauty of flowers, particularly dazzling, bold Dahlias - an inspiration which Molly will soon bring to Perch Hill with an exciting course in June. Until then, enjoy a heartwarming cha...

Not every garden is bathed in sunlight at all hours of the day, so finding shade-loving flowers is a must for anyone looking to illuminate their shaded areas with a splash of colour. Josie Lewis returns once again to the podcast, this week sharing her love of flowers and ferns that thrive with little light, from the cool, composed beauty of Frosted Ferns to the must-have Sarcococca. In this episod...

The King's coronation will soon be upon us, and given his love of nature, it seems apt to consider the flowers that might best commemorate the occasion. Returning to the podcast with a spectacular selection of plants in regal colours aplenty is our Senior Horticultural Buyer, Gary Newell. Join us for our 12 best Flowers fit for a King's coronation. In this episode, discover: Glamourous g...

The utterly wonderful, incomparable Arthur Parkinson has been away writing his new book, so it's a delight to have him return to the podcast to tell us all about it!  The original ‘co-conspirator’ of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ joins Sarah once more to detail the heartfelt inspiration behind Chicken Boy, how he found the inspiration to form a bond with hens, the dangers to look out for if you’...

One of the greatest treasures that a garden can bring us is the cut flower, and with a fine selection of perennials and woody plants, that treat returns to us year after year. That’s why this week’s podcast guest, the wonderful Rachel Siegfried, shares her penchant for perennials throughout her work, and in her new book - The Cut Flower Sourcebook. Tune into this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’...

The limit to your imagination extends far beyond the size of one’s garden, particularly with the cut flowers that award-winning garden designer Butter Wakefield adores most. Butter returns to the podcast with more than a smorgasbord of stunning flowers compact enough to fit in the smallest of gardens, but captivating enough to make the most monumental impact as a cut flower. In this episode, disco...

Our olfactory system elicits some of the strongest emotions we can feel, so the scent of a garden should be at the forefront of your mind when planning your garden - as it is for the wonderful Jo Fairley. Jo edits The Scented Letter, a quarterly magazine focused on fragrance, which makes her a perfect guest on the podcast to share the 12 most evocatively scented plants, from the strong fragrance o...

Sowing tomatoes should be right at the top of your list for the month ahead, with the joy they bring to a garden and the remarkable variety in taste. Whether it’s the small and mighty Noire de Crimee or the ever-reliable flavour of Sungold, this week’s episode of the podcast brings a wealth of advice for growing your own.  In this episode, discover: The standout tomatoes that’ll bring joy to your...

Wood is wonderful in the garden, and can be both beautiful and useful to create fencing, arches and posts in such a way that cares for the environment around us. If you’re still using the likes of imported bamboo in your space and need inspiration for alternatives, Adam Nicolson joins Sarah once again on the podcast to share how locally grown, coppiced wood can be so fantastic for you and for the...

Beside the visual splendour of a thriving vegetable garden, there’s such joy to be had from picking your own delicious ingredients. At a perfect time to coincide with Sarah’s new book, she takes this solo episode to share a fantastic list of the 12 absolute best vegetables, from flavoursome essentials to the simplest, most cut-and-come-again veg for all seasons. In this episode, discover: Several...

Gardening is for everyone, even the busiest among us. That’s why we’re focusing on the very best plants that’ll not only look after themselves, but truly thrive by doing so. Sarah is once again joined on the podcast by Gary Newell, our Senior Horticultural Buyer, this time to discuss the lowest maintenance plants, from the ground cover of Geranium Rozanne to the pot-worthy Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’....

There’s nothing quite like finding a perfect companion, and in the plant world, companion planting could be the difference between aphid-affliction and the healthiest horticulture. Our Head Gardener at Perch Hill, Josie Lewis, joins Sarah once again on the podcast to share the essential flowers to underplant for thriving Roses, a garden full of pollinators, and wonderful performing Tomatoes. In th...

The beauty of floristry is its ever-moving, transient nature, and that makes your philosophy around flower growing and arranging all the more impactful. As Anna Potter knows better than anyone, that philosophy can evolve, expand, and lead you to some fantastical floral discoveries. Returning to the podcast this week, Anna shares some of the projects within her new book that can spark inspiration i...

Returning to the podcast this week is the wonderful Jane Scotter from Fern Verrow, as we set our sights on the turn of spring and which edibles you can sow soon to bring incredible taste into your garden. Whether it’s the reliable flavours of Tomatoes like Gardener’s Delight, or rich taste of Cima di Rapa, you’re bound to be inspired with edible plants perfect to start planting right now. In this...