Talking Dirty

Last week he wowed us with Anemones! Now Ben Preston shows us some of the other treasures he's stocking up at Cliff Bank Nursery, from Luzula to Euphorbia to Paris. PLANT LIST Delphinium requienii Luzula pilosa 'Igel' Primula vulgaris subsp. sibthorpii Hakonechloa macra Viola hederacea Viola 'Molly Sanderson' Euphorbia rigida 'Sardis' Euphorbia myrsinites Euphorbia epithymoides Crocus tommasinianu...

He's back! The last time we caught up with Ben Preston he was departing York Gate Garden (where he was Head Gardener) and heading for his own nursery. Now Cliff Bank is up and running and selling a crop of exquisite plants! This week we take a look at the Anemones he's been building a collection of. Next week more planty treats in part two! PLANT LIST Agrostemma githago Anemone ranunculoides 'Kai'...

This week one of the nicest men in horticulture is back on The Talking Dirty Podcast. Joe Whitehead is Head Gardener at Burghley House on the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire border. He talks Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis through some of the changes which have been going on in the garden, and shares his favourite shade plants of the moment. PLANT LIST Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea' Pau...

Time to return to one of our happy places. The garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage on the Norfolk coast is bursting with plants at every time of year, but in April seed-sowing is underway in earnest and there are treasures to behold everywhere you look! In this week's episode the garden's owner Alan Gray shares just some of what's going on with Thordis. PLANT LIST Tulipa 'Yellow Crown' Tulipa spren...

Our gardens are full of them at this time of year, but the Tulip actually originates in Central Asia. These species Tulips are varied in height, colour, foliage and the ease with which we can grow them at home and so this week on Talking Dirty, Cambridge University Botanic Garden - who hold the National Collection of Species Tulips - are along to share some of their favourites and recommendations...

With a spring in our step we bring you the March Special of our Talking Dirty series on the garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage. From the Magnolias Alan Gray wakes to see out of his bedroom window, to the Tulips he's been spending a pretty penny on, here are some of the highlights from the garden this month. PLANT LIST Magnolia 'Caerhays Belle' Magnolia 'Genie' Magnolia × soulangeana Rosa 'Rambling...

Time for Part Two of our latest episode with Talking Dirty favourite Val Bourne. The award-winning garden writer has alredy shared some of her favourite Prunus varieties. This week it's all about spring plants like Pulmonarias and Violets, plus a bit of rose inspiration...and Trillium chat to boot! PLANT LIST Pulmonaria 'Shrimps on the Barbie' Pulmonaria saccharata 'Leopard' Pulmonaria rubra Pulmo...

This week one of our Talking Dirty favourites is back! Val Bourne is an award-winning garden writer and grows all manner of treasures in her 1/3 acre Cotswolds plot. This week - in part one of her latest appearance - she shares some of her favourites Prunus and the Scilla you must grow, plus those to avoid! And as usual her coversation with Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis meanders...

This week Alan and Thordis are excited to bring you a joyful special focussing on Hepaticas with their chief cheerleader, John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries. His book, 'My World of Hepaticas' (with Tomoo Mabuchi), is a veritable treasure trove of information (and downright divine photographs!) In this episode of Talking Dirty, we meander through the different species (including which should tolerate...

In the latest of our series looking at Alan's garden - East Ruston Old Vicarage - month-by-month, we're focussing on some fab February plants. From the Edgeworthia hardly any one can grow to Alan's latest purchases and plans for the shade planting around his north-facing front door. This is an episode packed with plants and plans! PLANT LIST Edgeworthia chrysantha Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Red Drago...

Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference returns with beautiful flowers, fab foliage and serious FLOMO*! *FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LIST Buxus sempervirens 'Elegantissima' Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty' Buxus sempervirens 'Aurea Pendula' Gaultheria mucronata syn. Pernettya mucronata Ilex aquifolium 'East Ruston Gold' Vinca minor Vinca minor 'Azurea Flor...

This week Tim Fuller of Norfolk nursery The Plantsman's Preference stuns with some inspiring Ivies, plus Primulas, Snowdrops and more! PLANT LIST Salvia nemorosa Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' Galanthus nivalis 'Alan's Treat' Galanthus 'Mother Goose' Galanthus 'Treasure Island' Galanthus plicatus 'Golden Fleece' Galanthus 'Wandlebury Ring' Galanthus 'Günter Waldorf' Galanthus gracilis Muscari filifor...

This week Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis chat to Anya Lautenbach AKA Anya, The Garden Fairy. A passionate propagator, Anya is famous for making her garden from seeds and cuttings, and sharing her propagation tips with her million followers on social media. And now those skills are being captured in her new book 'The Money-Saving Gardener'. From the healing power of gardening to t...

It's Happy New Year from Alan Gray and Thordis as they continue their series looking at Alan's garden, East Ruston Old Vicarage, month-by-month. From the Camellias lighting up winter to the Ferns catching their fancy and some seasonal FLOMO* *FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LIST Haworthia limifolia f. variegata Echeveria peacockii Camellia Forsythia Eucalyptus Woodwardia fimbr...

The latest in our series on the plants at East Ruston Old Vicarage sees Alan share some Show and Tell from his 32-acre garden on the Norfolk coast. And there's more than a little festive flair as he takes in a Christmassy Snowdrop and some top Holly varieties. PLANT LIST Osteospermum Musa basjoo Viburnum tinus Morus alba Morus nigra Trachycarpus fortunei Galanthus 'Santa Claus' Arum pictum 'Primro...

Time for Part Two of our chat with HORTUS Editor David Wheeler. This week we discuss not only how the quarterly gardening journal started life in 1987, but delve into the world of David's FLOMO* and some of the plants which will be appearing in his garden come spring. *FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LIST Lindera Erythronium Iris sibirica Parrotia persica 'Bella' Acer palmatum...

If you're a fan of this podcast then you won't need telling that HORTUS is a quarterly gardening journal of the utmost quality. Its Editor, David Wheeler, founded the publication in 1987 and next week (in Part Two) we'll get stuck into its creation and what makes it so special. This week we're 'leaf peeping' as David shares varieties he's selected for his new garden at Upland in Camarthenshire, pl...

We're well stuck into the darker months now and, if you're looking for some plants to brighten up your plot, look no further than this podcast! In his garden at East Ruston Old Vicarage on the Norfolk coast, Alan Gray has amassed an almost technicolour array of foliage and flower no matter the time of year. From Chrysanthemums to Salvias, Tropaeolums to Nerines, he and Thordis talk through some of...

Episode 113 of Talking Dirty sees Eucomis National Collection holder Richard Clark of Panache Plants join Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis. In Part One they got slightly sidetracked by the breeding work Richard's been doing with Roscoeas in particular. But this week we explore Eucomis in earnest, plus lots of FLOMO* *FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LIST Eucomis bicolor...

This week on Talking Dirty, Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis are taking inspiration from their most recent episode, where they touched upon the Eucomis National Collection. This week the collection holder, Richard Clark of Panache Plants, joins them. But before the trio can discuss the Pineapple Lily, they get stuck into Richard's plant breeding past and the progress he's been maki...

This week on Talking Dirty, Alan Gray (East Ruston Old Vicarage) and Thordis catch up with a regular nurseryman on their local plant fair circuit, Richard Clark of Panache Plants. Richard holds the National Collection of Eucomis and we'll have more about the Pineapple Lily next week. But he's also got a background in plant breeding and has been using his expertise to select some very interesting n...

As the nights draw in and the days get colder, our gardens can seem a little drab. So Alan Gray is here to share his top plants at East Ruston Old Vicarage this October, many of them specimens he's been propagating. Get ready for plenty of plant inspiration and serious FLOMO*. *FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out PLANT LIST Hardenbergia violacea Dahlia 'Sam Hopkins' Ricinus communis Eucomis pal...

Time for Part Two of our latest apperance by Talking Dirty favourite Dan Cooper AKA The Furstrated Gardener. This week he continues with some of the plants adding colour to his shady containers, from Coleus to Oxalis. Plus a few special Christmas decorations from Dan Cooper Garden! PLANT LIST Oxalis 'Plum Crazy' Oxalis spiralis vulcanicola 'Sunset Velvet' Coleus 'Lord Falmouth' Coleus 'Burgundy We...

This week Talking Dirty favourite Dan Cooper returns to the podcast with some of the top performers in his garden this year, including some great choices for shade and container planting. PLANT LIST Dahlia 'Ryecroft Blackberry' Dahlia 'Night Silence' Dahlia 'Sam Hopkins' Dahlia 'Christopher Taylor' Persicaria 'Painter's Palette' Boehmeria sieboldiana Boehmeria macrophylla var. rotundifolia Canna x...

This week Steve Edney returns with a special treat - a tour of the jungle garden he's created with fellow plant lover, Louise Dowle. Their plot is packed with inspiration and some very special plants! PLANT LIST Clerodendrum trichotomum Eucalyptus pauciflora Betula utilis var. jacquemontii Pseudosasa japonica Euphorbia stygiana Griselinia littoralis Begonia luxurians Euphorbia x pasteurii Eup...