Talking Gardens

Our guest this week is Matthew Pottage, who became RHS Wisley’s youngest-ever curator aged 29 and is now head of horticulture and landscape strategy at London’s Royal Parks. He reveals his love for Chilean plants and why monkey puzzle trees often struggle in the UK, as well as the controversial return of conifers and pampas grass in our gardens. We discuss why many people are afraid to plant tall trees, and Matthew talks about being challenged as a gardener, how to create a fabulous garden in a rented home, and his own striking houseplant collection. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei joins host Steph to reveal all about his dream garden. He describes growing up in Italy, his own landscape inspirations, including Villa Gamberaia in Florence and Rousham in Oxfordshire, and his own new landscape project at The Field in Mallorca.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest is the award-winning garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson. She reveals her ‘uncool’ love of romantic planting and the literary gardens she’s always admired, and discusses finding space for veg beds, chickens and a football pitch in her small suburban plot. Plus, Polly tells us the one plant she avoids putting in client gardens, and asks: do we actually need our sheds?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gardener, designer and TV presenter Adam Frost talks to host Stephanie about growing up with two very different gardening grandmothers, the advice Terence Conran once gave him at Chelsea and how his world fell apart during Covid. Find out about his new dog-friendly garden he is creating with his wife, his favourite multi-purpose gardening tool and the dangerous TV show he’d make if he had his way.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Talking Gardens is back this spring with Stephanie Mahon, and all-new brilliant guests from the world of gardening. 

We’ve got TV presenter Adam Frost singing Steph happy birthday; and Insta star Pollyanna Wilkinson on loving deeply uncool cottage gardens. Matthew Wilson will be telling us what on earth hydroseeding is and designer Luciano Giubbilei tells us all about how he found his own magical garden; plus there is geranium joy with British designer Cath Kidston and plant perfection with gardeners Matt Pottage and Midori Shintani. 

Discover what they would all like to include in their dream gardens, from people to places, what they can’t stand and anything else along the way.

New episodes drop every Tuesday. Hit follow now so you never miss an episode and don’t miss our extra episodes dropping every day of the Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices