the happy garden podcast

It's that time! Let's throw toast at the trees and then drink a toast to the trees. It's all about the toast :0) Find out why and how you can join in. Lots of your January gardening questions answered too. Press play for some gardening giggles. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'd like to hear, or any garden relat...

A jolly podcast this week! We head down Darren's larder and get tips on cooking with your Christmas tree. It's a bit dank down there and the ceiling is still leaking but we make the best of a bad situation. Jobs for the week ahead, a couple your gardening questions answered, a few money saving tips....and all rounded off with a sing song. Hay nonny noo! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd lo...

Mollie and Darren are back for a brand new year and a very warm New Year welcome! Mollie chats with weatherman and author Jim Dale about the weather that gardeners have had to endure during 2025 and has a look ahead to the snow on the forecast. Always lovely to chat to Jim. Darren gives us top tips on disposing of your Christmas tree in an environmental way. As always, there are plenty of laughs a...

Well we couldn't not say a quick hello at Christmas! We hope you had a gorgeous day. Darren and I met up to exchange gifts and have a coffee on Christmas Eve. The only place we were both passing was Corley Services on the M6. Yes, there was a sing song! Merry Christmas. Mollie x Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'...

An hour of merriment! Mollie meets Dani from Bunches.co.uk and talks about festive flowers and the ethos of the business. We also find out why some roundabouts are called "A Titchmarsh". Darren teaches us how to propagate mistletoe, and we have a jolly good Christmas sing song and plenty of smiles along the way. Come and join us...x Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you t...

A festive catch up with Pete Waterman. Lots of tips for keeping poinsettia and a guide to extending the life of your Christmas tree once it's in your house too. Beer and vodka are both involved! Festival giggles and a sing song are a given. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'd like to hear, or any garden related q...

The fabulous Tony Hadley joins Mollie for a pre Christmas chat. Find out about his Christmas tree, his favourite flower and how much he loves his garden lights! What do you think about Tesco removing the work Christmas from some of their trees? Darren gives us his view. Darren also has his gardener's gift guide, which this week will leave you speechless... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd...

Back in the summer, lovely listener Coral won "An experience with Darren Rudge" on the podcast! Join us as Darren takes Coral, Leslie and Mollie on a guided tour of the fabulous Winterbourne gardens in Birmingham. Originally designed as a small country estate with rustic outbuildings and large gardens, Winterbourne followed the style of the Arts and Crafts movement with examples of local craf...

James May joins Mollie for a chat about his new TV series 'James May's shed load of ideas'. Darren explains the world of elecroculture and why some people interestingly think it's nonsense. Also, it's that time of year! We have the first instalment of Darrens crap Christmas present gift guide... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics...

An all sorted bag of topics on today's podcast! Are cyclamen indoor or outdoor? Can you use human ashes in the garden? Why did Darren get in from the Collegiate social club gardening evening at 2.30am? So many things to discuss! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'd like to hear, or any garden related questions you...

Lovely Fergus the forager joins Mollie for a cosy Autumn chat. Who would have thought acorn ASMR was a thing?! Paul from Buglife gives us our final chat of the year, looking at a bit of entomological news. Lots of advice from Darren about planning for spring and getting the garden ready for a winter nap. Oh, and of course, a ridiculous amount of laughter... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'...

Join us for Halloween garden giggles. Darren has lots of advice on putting the garden to bed for the Autumn and winter, along with making preparations for the Spring to come. Reality royalty Gemma Collins joins Mollie for a chat. She loves her garden! An inordinate amount of laughter comes as standard. Press play...if you dare... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too!...

Join us for a cosy Autumn podcast. If you have leaves everywhere, Darren gives us his composting guide as well as talking us through saving seed for next year. Mollie meets Eco Crops, an award winning company that offer a range of woodland management and perennial SRC Willow wood crop services & products throughout the UK. Laughing and singing is a given... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook....

We speak to the fabulous Kevin McCloud as Grand Designs Live came to Birmingham and this year there was a giant garden hub. Kevin himself loves his garden and he's a dab hand at jam making! Mollie went to both the National Hedge laying and the National Ploughing Championships, showcasing the best in vital country skills. Hear about both this week. As always there's a few giggles and a sing song al...

So much to cover this week! Darren reviews Genus gardening wear and Mollie talks to Sue O'Neil, founder of the company. Sue couldn't find decent gardening wear but instead of moaning, she started her own business! Buglife Paul joins us to talk about the insects we'll see in October both in the house and out in the garden. Darren looks at the pros and cons of robot lawn mowers and we have a jolly g...

It's a mast podcast! A super abundance of fascinating people. Our good friend Paul Woods AKA The Street Tree joins Mollie for a chat about 2025 being a mast year, especially for our oak trees. If you don't know why trees do it, listen in, you will be blown away by Mother Nature. Darren answers a bumper crop of your gardening questions and Mollie has lots of results from last week's giant veg shed...

Mollie has the pleasure of chatting to Neil Hands, a world champion giant vegetable grower. We get some tips and tricks should you want to have a go at it yourself! Jane Edwards from the three counties show ground also joins us as we look ahead to the Malvern Autumn Show. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'd like...

A really interesting episode this week - as always! We meet Adam who sells artificial grass. Many people hate the stuff, many people love it. We talk through some of the pros and cons. Darren brings us a bulb special, it's a great time to be planting them for spring colour. Mollie meets Leigh from the Bedworth seed swap. Oh and there's a great get together idea brewing... Follow us on Instagram an...

We forgot to celebrate last week, so here is to another year of hilarious horticultural podcasting! Buglife Paul joins us to talk about the abundance of wasps this year and the onward march of the Asian hornet. Another chat with Pickling Paul, this time about his cucumbers. Listener Dave asks about mood lifters and Darren talks us through how plants can help through sight, smell, touch and taste....

Join Mollie in the fruit basket of England. We head to Pershore to pick plums in a heritage fruit orchard with fabulous farmer Steve. Find out how independent fruit farmers cope in an ever changing world and hear about some of the old varieties and how they were used. The Shit Smock plum caused a few giggles! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggesti...

Gardener's World presenter Frances Tophill chats to Mollie about how the garden has coped with the weather so far this year and also looks ahead to the fabulous GWL event at Kew Gardens on the 6th September. Darren profiles 5 things to do with basil, should you have a glut on your hands. We also meet the lovely Anna who is head gardener at Weston Park in Staffordshire. What a passionate lady! Your...

Lots of bits on the podcast this week! One of our last conversations with the wonderful George Plumptre, CEO of the National Garden Scheme. (he steps down next month) He tells us all about applying for a community grant. Mollie met a lovely man at a boot sale we have loving called Pickling Paul, you can find out more about his pickles. Steve Backshall also has some advice on getting kids involved...

We had the pleasure of a lunch invite from Fothergill's. Fothergill's has become one of the most successful seed companies in the UK, known for the high quality of their seed and huge range of vegetables, herbs and Flowers. We were shown the trial fields and polytunnels where thousands of varies are grown and tested every year before coming to market. We also had the great pleasure of becoming fir...

The 100th episode of the podcast! We head down to Mollie's pickling parlour to discover what on earth to do if you have a glut of courgettes. Darrens answers lots of your gardening questions and we catch up with Keith from the botanic gardens in Gibraltar. Oh, and find out why Darren spent 6 hours in the local hospital the night before recording. Come and put on a party hat and join us... Follow u...

Another giveaway! The fabulous candle company Dark Foundry No.8 join Mollie for a chat about their new Garden Range. Four candles up for grabs too! We head down Darren's larder for a great recipe with blackberries which are just now coming in to season. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you too! If you have suggestions for topics or features you'd like to hear, or any gar...