The Nature Garden: gardening, wildlife and nature notes

Send us Fan Mail It’s time to tiptoe through the tulips and yes, we’re mad about them but not quite the way that people were in the seventeenth century… Tom’s looking back at ‘tulipmania' and has some tips on how to grow terrific tulips. We’re down by the river Coquet with Steve Lowe from the Northumberland Rivers Trust. And Tom Cadwallender from the British Trust for Ornithology is looking i...

Send us Fan Mail A bonny wee wander down the garden path and country lane with the birds and the bees and the flowers and trees…  and an opportunity to hear stories from the past and present… In this episode…  You say potato and I say tomato… and Tom Pattinson’s looking at both and at peppers sweet and hot… We’re down by the river Coquet with Steve Lowe from the Northumberland Rivers Trust… And To...

Send us Fan Mail Easter gardening without the full-on lockdown, oh yes… and it seems that many of us are up with the larks...  Tom Pattinson is getting set to enjoy the garden and the bursting buds and blossom this bank holiday …  We go Fulmar spotting and beach cleaning with Steve Lowe… Some are little, some are tawny, but whatever their size or colour, we adore and revere owls, the magical birds...

Send us Fan Mail Happy spring!  The times they are a-changing in a most glorious and beautiful way… and our correspondents are here to celebrate all the joys of spring… Tom’s giving ‘thanks for the plants’ and the colours, scents and joy that they have brought through winter and here now to the exciting eve of the new season…  Steve Lowe from the Northumberland Rivers Trust has been busy here on a...

Send us Fan Mail We look back at was has been a topsy-turvy 2020 and look ahead with positive thoughts about the New Year …  Tom Pattinson reflects on a very unusual gardening year … and has some wonderful apple scented seasonal tips on yule logs Steve Lowe, Northumberland Rivers Trust, is out and about with nature on a wander along a hidden jewel of a river...  Tom Cadwallender is celebrating fes...

Send us Fan Mail Tree planting and Christmas trees with Tom and how you can help save the planet with a tree or two no matter how small it is…  Steve Lowe is out and about with nature on a classic countryside walk beside and across the River Aln - watch out Steve! Tom Cadwallander is celebrating the birds of Christmas and the ornithological story behind the popular song… The Twelve Days of Christm...

Send us Fan Mail Tom’s here with some colourful cures for seasonal blues… a planting antidote to disappearing flowers and foliage... Steve Lowe is out and about with the National Trust at the magnificent Wallington Estate in Northumberland…  Tom Cadwallander is continuing his autumn diary and celebrating a champion of murmurations… the spectacular starling… Did you know… the world’s biggest ever s...

Send us Fan Mail Tom Pattinson’s looking at gardening and how it can save the day again during lockdown 2 and he’s full of beans... growing great things in pots for the kitchen... Steve Lowe wants us all to do our bit to help save the hedgehog and he has some practical advice on how you can help... (there are lots of things you can do : ) ).... Tom Cadwallender is continuing his autumn diary and t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode… we’re looking at the beauty of ‘growing your own’ and the treats of October Tom Pattinson’s waxing lyrical about the benefits of growing a little bit of fruit and veg and how it helps to save the planet… Tom Cadwallender is continuing his autumn diary and tracking the amazing arrivals of birds from all over the world to our coast and fields... and we’ll take a tri...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode… we’re looking at the wonders of October: Tom Pattinson’s here to explain the chemistry that creates the colours of autumn and the fall of leaves…  Tom Cadwallander, British Trust for Ornithology, has been tracking the amazing arrivals of birds from all over the world to our coast and we take a countryside walk with him… And happy fish reports from the rivers of No...

Send us Fan Mail We’re marking the change of the season from summer into autumn and catching up on seasonal reports from our correspondents…  Tom Pattinson is looking at the importance of short and long day flowering and how the light affects our plants…  We’re catching up on many of the comings and goings of birds over the recent weeks with Tom Cadwallander, British Trust for Ornithology, who als...

Send us Fan Mail E verything’s rosy in the magical gardens at Alnwick and Howick, and there is great news for fans of Earl Grey tea...  The magnificent Union chain suspension bridge over the River Tweed between Scotland and England is 200 years old and we’re celebrating its beauty and wonderful engineering... Steve Lowe is walking the south Northumberland coast and looking out for dolphins, sea gl...

Send us Fan Mail T he coronavirus has caused a lot of disruption to all of us but where have all the flower shows gone? Tom Pattinson is here with some good news…  You may have noticed more butterflies than ever in your garden, yard or favourite park and you can help our understanding of butterflies by taking part in an exciting nationwide survey…  And we’ll be hearing more from Zoe from the Big B...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode… if you fancy taking up gardening or restarting a garden project, … from pots to plots and veg patches to allotments… Tom is here to inspire you It’s one of our most recognisable birds… whose image is found on seaside souvenirs and we just love them and their colours… Tom Cadwallander is joining the circus of puffins…  And Ratty is back… Kelly Hollings from the Res...

Send us Fan Mail Foliar feeding and watering techniques to help you grow terrific tomatoes… Is it a cloud, is it a swarm… no, it’s a murmuration, Tom Cawallander’s a huge fan of the starling and will tell us more about ‘the little druid’ … and we’ll be down among the curlews on the beautiful Aln Estuary in Northumberland.. And we've got some top tips from Tom for growing the perfect potato cr...

Send us Fan Mail We’re reflecting on the lockdown and celebrating the unlocking of gardens and nature with Tom Pattinson; Tom goes visiting a couple of gardens taking part in the National Garden Scheme.  Tom Cadwallander is celebrating the curlew’s call and the maritime delights of the kittiwake... And more celebration as the Northumberland Wildlife Trust prepares to reopen a wildlife centre on th...

Send us Fan Mail What a joy the garden is at this time of the year, but please do ‘take care’… Tom’s got a timely reminder for us all… The Dipper is one of our cleverest birds and we’ll find out all about their magical eyelids…  Ponds can make a huge difference to our garden spaces and to the environment… and Jack is back to tell us about his wildlife-friendly creation… Plus, the team behind a wal...

Send us Fan Mail Gardening delights :  You say potarto and I say potaytoe..well actually we say tettie around here… Tom Pattinson has been digging around to enlighten us about our spuds (potatoes!) and tomaytoes… I mean tomatoes!…  Hydro heritage can help wildlife and tourism Steve Lowe from the Northumberland Rivers Trust has found a link between pioneering hydro-electric schemes in the USA and U...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re like me and get a bit confused about pruning… Tom Pattinson has a brief guide on why, how and when to trim your shrubs and bushes …  Steve Lowe from the Rivers Trust is on ‘top of the world’ on a fifteenth century Pele Tower that’s being restored… And if you’d like the lowdown on eider ducks… Tom Cadwallender’s here to tell us all about one of our most distinctive soundi...

Send us Fan Mail From scented wonders to hybrid teas, we adore roses and Tom Pattinson’s looking through rose-tinted spectacles…  Steve Lowe from the Northumbria Rivers Trust is working on a ladder for fish…. Tom Cadwallender’s is here to tell us about one of our large and colourful residents, the shelduck… And, Beekeepers are bracing themselves for a new threat to colonies, the Asian hornet, we’l...

Send us Fan Mail Herby tales and a potted history of herbalism with Tom Pattinson…from Morpeth naturalist, William Turner, to the Chelsea Flower Show and Jekka's herb farm, and this week's garden tips...   Our 'H ow to identify birds' (part two)  feature and a focus on sparrows with birder Tom Cadwallender (British Trust for Ornithology)... And Jack Hills from Holy Island talks...

Send us Fan Mail From ‘Dig for Victory’ to 'Pick for Britain', Tom Pattinson takes us on a potted history of compost and how a special recipe (John Innes) helped win the day… Steve Lowe’s keeping an eye on river levels and the future is looking brighter in Northumberland for crayfish thanks to a project with Northumberland Zoo…  Could Beavers be coming to Northumberland? Mike Pratt, CEO,...

Send us Fan Mail T he Nature Garden Podcast team take a wander down the garden path and country lane… with stories from the past and present… In this episode...Sweet scents and bright new stars in the garden with, writer and broadcaster, Tom Pattinson... Tom Cadwallender’s delighted that House Martins are nest building… and is looking out for the flashing white dive bombers… here come the terns… ...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a special episode of the Nature Garden podcast… it’s something a little different: a calming nature meditation to help you to relax and to be mindful.   Meditation can help us at any time in life and, like any exercise, it isn’t always easy at first... but it can bring great rewards. Kris Kitchun (Kiczun), a specialist occupational therapist working for the NHS, is here...

Send us Fan Mail A weekly wander along nature paths, river banks and beaches, through woods and wetlands, parks and gardens... and a chance to look at all things Northumbrian, gardening and nature. On today's show: Plants for free and surprises in the garden... the beautiful and amazing story of swifts... silty streams and willowy solutions... and the first cuckoo of spring. Join: gardening w...