Episodes

  • S03 Episode 10: Rosemary for remembrance. With Maya Thomas

    S03 Episode 10: Rosemary for remembrance. With Maya Thomas
    Feb 8 2024
    Gardens, weeds and words podcast, S03E10 show notes

    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.

    These notes may contain affiliate links. 

    Garden soundtrack

    February; the natural world waking up; the bossiness of raised beds

    2:00 Reading from I was right all along, on my Substack, Bramble & Briar

    3:41 the resilience of the purple sage

     

    4:45 Interview with Maya Thomas

    Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Diploma in Herbology

    Ballymaloe Cookery School at Ballymaloe House in Cork, Ireland

    Elisabeth Luard, author, journalist and broadcaster

    Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka, where Maya’s great uncle used to work

    Rewilding the Kitchen, Toast 2021, Maya Thomas

    Returning to the Urban Wilderness, Toast 2021, Maya Thomas

    Grow Easy: Organic crops for pots and small plots, Anna Greeland, Mitchell Beazley 2021

     

    57:01 To Stand and Stare turns one year old

    ***

    Thank you to Maya Thomas for joining me on this episode of the Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast.

    You can find Maya on Instagram, and also on the web at The Modern Herbal

    My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here

    I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees. 


    website: gardensweedsandwords.com
    email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com
    Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB
    Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 

     
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    1 hr
  • S03 Episode 09: Gardens for Good Causes. With Hattie Ghaui

    S03 Episode 09: Gardens for Good Causes. With Hattie Ghaui
    Oct 10 2023
    Gardens for Good Causes, with Hattie Ghaui   A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.      Garden soundtrack   The glory of October   3:25 Reading from Kew Gardens, by Virginia Woolf. Written in 1919, available in hardback from Kew Publications, 2018 Read by Milli Proust   8:19 Interview with Hattie Ghaui   9:00 A summary of Project Giving Back’s work...  10:56 … and how Hattie became involved  11:25 How PGB is funded 12:13 The original goal 12:30 Me, failing to get Hattie to preempt the announcement (made in late September) about the extension of the original remit 14:35 Hattie, repping the business world on Gardens, Weeds & Words! 15:00 Hattie’s own childhood memories of plants and gardens 22:20 Hattie’s present garden and gardening style 24:29 An unexpected plug for To Stand and Stare 25:15 Hacking Big Money for charities at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Can philanthropy really help? 31:02 PGB's due diligence process for charities and corporate partners 34:45 What kind of difference can Chelsea make to a charity?           Gardens for good causes, the PGB podcast https://www.givingback.org.uk/podcasts 40:27 The variety of different charities supported 41:36 Sustainability at Chelsea, and the legacy of a PGB show garden 45:23 Keep asking the questions, PGB and the RHS 47:20 A few stand out PGB projects 50:09 The long term impact of the gardens     53:41 Book writing – To Stand and Stare, and what comes next from me     ***   Thank you to Hattie Ghaui for joining me on this episode of the Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast.   You can find Hattie on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hghaui/ and Project Giving Back here https://www.instagram.com/project.giving.back/ and on the web here https://www.givingback.org.uk/   With thanks once again to Milli Proust for this episode’s reading. Milli’s beautiful instagram is here https://www.instagram.com/milliproust/     My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here https://geni.us/Qs2d       I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up after Christmas, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. http://www.andrewtimothyobrien.com     website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    57 mins
  • S03 Episode 8: Designing with flowers. With Hazel Gardiner

    S03 Episode 8: Designing with flowers. With Hazel Gardiner
    Aug 8 2023
    Designing with flowers. With Hazel Gardiner   A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.      Garden soundtrack   Over the hump of the year   1:56 Vita Sackville west struggling with summer   Readings from In Your Garden, Vita Sackville West. Oxenwood Press, 1996 Read by Andrew Timothy O'Brien   5:30 Interview with Hazel Gardiner 5:55 Creating in relationship with others – elevating and encouraging. 8:25 Hazel’s career path. Dealing with burnout and serious illness 13:11 Retraining in floristry. Transferable skills. 18:50 Choosing the floristry path, rather than gardening or garden design 21:50 The through-line in a varied career 24:00 Fearless. A parental gift of confidence 27:10 Building a team 29:23 A typical week 30:45 Incorporating artificial flowers 33:15 Hazel’s early gardening memories 40:46 Creating installations that flummox – Hazel’s ideal brief 43:12 A ‘chewy’ style – texture, layer and story 46:15 How people interract with the work 48:00 The place of sustainability, seasonality and a responsive approach 51:28 Natural mechanics 52:22 Hazel’s own garden   56:38 Bramble & Briar, the Substack for the more confessional side of my gardening content. Sign up at https://andrewtimothyobrien.substack.com/   57:28 An extract from my book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, DK Life,  https://geni.us/Qs2d       ***   Thank you to Hazel Gardiner for joining me on this episode of the Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast.   You can find Hazel on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hazelgardinerdesign/ and on the web here https://www.hazelgardinerdesign.com/studio       My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here https://geni.us/Qs2d       I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up in September 2023, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. http://www.andrewtimothyobrien.com     website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • S03 Episode 7: To Stand and Stare. With Andrew Timothy O'Brien

    S03 Episode 7: To Stand and Stare. With Andrew Timothy O'Brien
    Feb 16 2023
    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.      Garden soundtrack   Cracking ice while walking through the fields – is it too soon to say, or is winter beginning to think about handing over to spring?   A great time for mulching.     Reading from To stand and stare 3:02 Read by Andrew Timothy O'Brien   To stand and stare: how to garden while doing next to nothing, by Andrew Timothy O'Brien. DK Life, 2023. https://geni.us/Qs2d     05:47  Interview with Andrew, by Alice Vincent   06:40 role reversal   07:35 Introducing the book – Andrew   09:14 Introducing the book – Alice   10:00 A book that grants permission   11:12 on the plus side of getting it wrong   11:46 jumping to the book's Acknowledgements   14:00 how the book came to be   17:56 Alice on 'looking'   20:48 Alice on gardening as 'a tiny altering'   21:52 being empowered to garden the way you want to, rather than the way you feel you *should*   22:33 Andrew on the pros and cons of lists   26:08 Pottering   A breath from elsewhere, by Mirabel Osler. Bloomsbury, 1997. https://amzn.to/3Stlvr9   28: 41 How much the soil holds – memories, stories, our selves   33:15 Bill's place in the book   38:15 The 'how to' sections   43:19 The research – the 'science stuff'   46:30 Andrew's recent standing and staring – and Andrew answer to an Alice question       ***   Thank you to Alice Vincent for her table-turning stint in coming to interview me on my own podcast! Keep an eye out for Alice's upcoming book, Why Women Grow: stories of soil, sisterhood and survival, published by Canongate on 2 March 2023. https://amzn.to/3k6yu75   You can find Alice on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/noughticulture/ and the Why Women Grow podcast here https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why-women-grow/id1659885168       My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, is published by DK Life, and is available here https://geni.us/Qs2d       I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up in spring 2023, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. http://www.andrewtimothyobrien.com     website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    52 mins
  • S03 Episode 6: Flower & Story. With Milli Proust

    S03 Episode 6: Flower & Story. With Milli Proust
    Dec 17 2022
    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.        Garden soundtrack   Winter bringing new and rare experiences – December snow in Kent, and recording the audio version of my new book.     Reading from To stand and stare 2:10 Read by Andrew Timothy O'Brien   To stand and stare: how to garden while doing next to nothing, by Andrew Timothy O'Brien. DK Life, 2023. https://geni.us/Qs2d     04:35  An introduction to From Seed to Bloom: a year of growing and designing with seasonal flowers, by Milli Proust. Quadrille, 2022 https://amzn.to/3hGlcNg     Reading from From Seed to Bloom 5:15 Read by Milli Proust     09:29  Interview with Milli Proust   10:55 The original plan   12:45 Working with intention – Milli loves a strategy     13:45 The other aspect of Milli's professional life!   Molly Wansell, 42 Management & Production https://www.42mp.com/     15:18 A sustainable business   Paris Alma Flowers https://parisalmaflowers.com/     17:08 Working as part of a team   On the business with Paris, on the book with photographer Éva Németh https://www.evanemeth.com/     18:54 The visual aspects of the book   Theatre, storytelling, atmosphere.   The human experience of connecting with nature.     23:03 Milli's earliest plants and gardens memories     26:53 A gardening (self)education     29:00 Why grow your own floristry supplies?     30:43 Using foliage, and the stories of plants in weather     34:00 Design principles in floral arrangement     38:00 From Seed to Bloom:     40:51 How becoming a mother might impact Milli's creative practice – new perspectives and opportunites     45:45 A seasonal perspective     48:30 Grower, or gardener? What's the difference?   ***   Thank you to Milli Proust for giving up her time to talk to me about the beautiful work she brings into the world from her patch of land in West Sussex.   You can find Milli on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/milliproust/ Or on her website: https://www.milliproust.com/     My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, will be published by DK Life on Feb 2, 2023, and is available to preorder here https://geni.us/Qs2d       I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up in spring 2023n, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. http://www.andrewtimothyobrien.com     website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    58 mins
  • S03 Episode 5: Where the sun don't shine. With Susanna Grant

    S03 Episode 5: Where the sun don't shine. With Susanna Grant
    Oct 26 2022
    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.        Garden soundtrack   The joys of October in the garden.     Reading from A breath from elsewhere, by Mirabel Osler 4:28 Read by Jemma Cooper   A breath from elsewhere, by Mirabel Osler. Bloomsbury, 1997. https://amzn.to/3Stlvr9     06:52 Gardening in the shade       08:10 Interview with Susanna Grant   08:20 First encounters   Wild about Weeds, by Jack Wallington https://amzn.to/3FbVU31   09:17 Sharing weeds (and weeds)   10:48 How the name – and the business – 'Linda' came about   12:35 A Jack of All Trades – Susanna's other work   16:11 A Fair Weather Shop   19:26 Susanna's childhood memories of plants and the natural world   Flower Fairy books, by Cicely Mary Barker https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09PGM2YBD?binding=hardcover&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_bs_series_rwt_thcv&qid=1666786266&sr=1-19   Observer Book of Wild Flowers https://amzn.to/3SxxWCo   21:26 Arnold Circus and the Boundary Estate – the community garden   Radicle, edited by Sui Searle aka @decolonisethegarden https://radicle.substack.com   Volunteering: a problem and an opportunity? by Joanna Pidcock https://radicle.substack.com/p/volunteering-a-problem-and-an-opportunity   29:49 From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, by Susanna Grant and Rowan Spray, published by Rough Trade Books and The Garden Museum https://amzn.to/3Dpdrn4   35:31 Practicalities of window box gardening with perennials       ***   Thank you to Susanna Grant for giving up her time to talk to me about her creative nature-inspired practice.   Susanna's book Shade is published by Bloom, 2022, and is available here https://amzn.to/3F6eGsu   The Rough Trade/Garden Museum pamphlet by Susanna, with photography by Rowan Spray is From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, and is available here https://amzn.to/3Dpdrn4   Pamphlets in the same series, such as Horticultural Appropriation by Claire Ratinon and Sam Ayre, are also available here https://roughtradebooks.com/collections/editions   You can find Susanna on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hellotherelinda Or on her website: https://www.hellotherelinda.com/     My own book, To Stand and Stare; how to garden by doing next to nothing, will be published by DK Life on Feb 2, 2023, and is available to preorder here https://geni.us/Qs2d     I'm so grateful to Jemma Cooper for lending us her lovely tones for the reading from Mirabel Osler's A breath from elsewhere. You can find Jem on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/thecountrynurse_   I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up early in the new year, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. https://www.gardensweedsandwords.com/garden-coaching       website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    50 mins
  • S03 Episode 4: Ready for the weather. With Hannah McDonald

    S03 Episode 4: Ready for the weather. With Hannah McDonald
    Nov 29 2021
    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing.   These notes may contain affiliate links.     Garden soundtrack   The last days of autumn, winter blowing in on the back of Storm Arwen.   Coping with post-COP26 despair and overwhelm.     Reading, 'Sudden Shower', by John Clare 03:22 Read by Lulu Peddar     Interview with Hannah McDonald, Illustrator 6:47 I chat to Hannah about her nature inspired illustration practice from her home and studio in Amsterdam, how life there compares to life in London, and whether the Dutch or the English are better at coping with what the weather has to throw at them. Work/life balance, slow living, and having a garden room on the Dutch equivalent of an allotment are all covered, together with how Hannah decides exactly what to draw, and the character of her own particular lines and dots.   We get through all of this without mentioning Hygge once, though we're deeply in cosy, homely territory throughout, while always bearing in mind the importance of our connection to the natural world outside, both for our own mental health, and that of the planet. I hope you enjoy listening!     ***   Thank you to Hannah McDonald for giving up her time to talk to me about her creative nature-inspired practice. You can find Hannah on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/hannah.mcdonald.illustration/ Or on her website: https://www.hannahmcdonald.co/   And bouquets of gratitude due to Lulu Peddar for providing the reading from John Clare's poetry. I particularly loved the bit about "patted on my hat" – thanks Lulu, please come again!     I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.    A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. There will be a few spaces opening up early in the new year, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. https://www.gardensweedsandwords.com/garden-coaching       website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    52 mins
  • S03 Episode 3: Writing with trees. With Jackee Holder

    S03 Episode 3: Writing with trees. With Jackee Holder
    Jan 31 2021
    A blend of slow radio, gardening advice and conversation, and readings from the best garden and wildlife writing. These notes may contain affiliate links.    Garden soundtrack Dawn breaking in the garden Trees in the landscape Reading from Wildwood, A Journey Through Trees, by Roger Deakin  2:25 https://amzn.to/3r6geIJ Read by Richard Chivers   Interview with Jackee Holder 4:54 05:13 'Coach and author and cultural creative' – the scope of Jackee's work, and how it came about 7:57 The path to being a cultural creative – Jackee's career choices, and the common thread 8:43 What is a cultural creative? 10:52 Jackee's South London background 11:26 Avoiding restrictive labels 12:49 'Jack of all trades'. Ouch. 14:25 Drawing influences widely 15:49 A deep connection with nature 17:45 Something bigger. The wonder of it all. 19:24 The parks of London 19:54 The loneliness of the long distance runner 21:05 Making friends with trees Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer "I understood at a very early age that in nature, I felt everything I should feel in church but never did." Alice Walker 22:33 Jackee's tamarind tree in Barbados 24:14 Dressing the trees at Christmas in the Carribean 27:54 Tree books. Tree Wisdom by Jacqueline Memory Paterson https://amzn.to/3csqx5Z 32:07 Jackee's connection to to the elder tree 39:35 The trees in Jackee's city garden 41:30 Listening to nature, mindfulness and being in 'receive mode'. 46:59 Solitude 48:33 Joy in the context of 2021. COVID, BLM. 49:26 Unapologetically celebrating nature. Charlotte Delbo, Auschwitz and After 50:55 Sorrow and joy interwoven An account of Milton Erickson and the African Violet Lady https://danielkarim.com/the-african-violet-a-teaching-tale-of-milton-h-erickson/ 55:24 "Nature was our first mother" Tina Welling "Nature is not a place to visit. It is home." Gary Snyder 55:36 Being rooted. 57:46 Trees and writing. Jackee's writing map "Writing with Fabulous Trees" http://www.jackeeholder.com/tree/writing-with-fabulous-trees-writing-map-for-parks-gardens-and-green-spaces/ 59:22 Journal writing (and being a stationery addict!) 101:30 The practice of writing. Using the 'Morning Pages' technique from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way https://amzn.to/3pErewE 103:00 Making space for mindful practices 104:32 Jackee's mission to connect people with the urban forest ***   Thank you to Jackee Holder for giving up her time to talk to me about her creative plant-inspired practice. You can find Jackee on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/jackeeholderinspires/ – please note Jackee's Instagram handle has changed since the interview in this episode! Or on her website: http://www.jackeeholder.com/ Grateful wotnots to Richard Chivers for stepping forward with his usual patient and willing response to my last-minute plea for a reading! I’m ever appreciative of all my listeners for your continued support and reviews, I really do appreciate them. You can support the podcast by buying its producer a virtual cup of coffee for three quid, at https://ko-fi.com/andrewtimothyOB. Proceeds will go towards equipment, software and the monthly podcast hosting fees.  A year of garden coaching If you'd like to find out more about my my 12 month online garden coaching programme, please visit the website, where you can read more details. Enrolment will open towards the middle of February for one last time at the introductory price, so do sign up to be the first to hear when you can book. https://www.gardensweedsandwords.com/garden-coaching   website: gardensweedsandwords.com email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB 
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    1 hr and 7 mins