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'

Anemone ranuculoides 'Prinz Eugen'

Anemone flaccida

Anemone ranuculoides 'Golden Dream'

Anemone nemorosa 'Explosion'

Anemone ranunculoides ‘Sirje’

Anemone ranuculoides 'Kreet'

Anemone ranuculoides 'Dagerōt'

Anemone ranuculoides 'Leida’

Anemone nemorosa 'Salt and Pepper'

Anemone nemorosa 'Thekla'

Anemone nemorosa 'Vestal'

Anemone nemorosa 'Flore Pleno'

Anemone nemorosa 'Jummer's Fienrood'

Anemone nemorosa 'Denmark'

Anemone nemorosa 'Virescens'

Anemone nemorosa 'Viridescens'

Iris 'Russian Kavelguard'

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'

Paulownia tomentosa

Cornus kousa 'Milky Way'

Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii

Dodecatheon meadia syn Primula meadia

Lonicera involucrata

Tulip bakerii 'Lilac Wonder'

Tulipa sylvestris

Lunaria annua 'Chedglow'

Lunaria annua 'Somerset Marble'

Smilacina racemosa syn Maianthemum racemosum

Arum italicum subsp. neglectum 'Monksilver'

Lamium orvala

Epimedium 'Amber Queen'

Epimedium 'Sphinx Twinkler'

Epimedium pubigerum

Omphalodes cappadocica 'Cherry Ingram'

Lamium orvala 'John Foster'

Lunaria annua 'Corfu Blue'

Digitalis purpurea 'Pam's Choice'

Taraxacum pseudoroseum

Crepis rubra

Toona sinensis 'Flamingo'

Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum'

Ficaria verna 'Brazen Hussy'

Ficaria verna 'Double Mud'

Helianthus annuus 'Teddy Bear'

Erysimum 'Parish's'

Erysimum 'Ruston Copper Knob'

Campanula medium

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 sprengeri

Amaranthus cruentus 'Hot Biscuits'

Amaranthus cruentus 'Velvet Curtains'

Anemone coronaria 'Bordeaux'

Smyrnium perfoliatum

Tropaeolum tricolor

Tropaeolum pentaphyllum

Tropaeolum hookerianum

Plumbago auriculata

Rosa 'Iceberg'

Rosa 'The Generous Gardener'

Abutilon vitifolium

Abutilon vitifolium 'Album'

Drimys winteri

Hyacinthoides non-scripta ‘Silver Cobalt’

Agapanthus 'Queen Mum'

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 for which to grow, and how. Plus stories of their latest adventures in Kyrgyzstan where they've been finding and protecting new varieties.

So join Alan Gray, Thordis and Simon Wallis and Kathryn Bray of the Botanics for a tantalising tour of their collection!

PLANT LIST

Tulipa sprengeri

Tulipa tschimghanica

Tulipa toktogulica

Tulipa greigii

Tulipa cretica

Tulipa 'Negrita'

Tulip bakerii 'Lilac Wonder'

Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii

Tulipa acuminata syn. Tulipa cornuta

Tulipa montana

Tulipa heweri

Tulipa biflora

Tulipa turkestanica

Tulipa regelii

Tulipa tarda

Tulipa saxatilis

Tulipa linifolia

Tulipa undulatifolia syn Tulipa eichleri

Tulipa clusiana

Tulipa clusiana 'Peppermint Stick'

Tulip clusiana var. chrysantha

Tulipa aucheriana

Tulipa sylvestris

Tulipa orphanidea

Tulipa kaufmanniana

Tulipa fosteriana

Tulipa praestans 'Shogun'

Tulipa 'Apeldoorn'

Tulipa 'Ballerina'

Tulipa 'Heart's Delight'

Trollius lilacinus

Iris acutiloba

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

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 Rector'

Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate'

Rosa 'Mme. Alfred Carrière'

Rosa 'A Shropshire Lad'

Dahlia 'Hollyhill Serenity'

Narcissus 'Jetfire'

Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'

Tulipa sprengeri

Tulipa orphanidea 'Flava'

Narcissus 'Turncoat'

Narcissus 'First Born'

Narcissus 'Actaea'

Hedychium 'Tara'

Narcissus 'Articol'

Narcissus 'Rataplan'

Narcissus 'Mrs Langtry'

Tropaeolum majus 'Gleam Salmon'

Tropaeolum tuberosum var. lineomaculatum 'Ken Aslet'

Syringa vulgaris 'Princess Sturdza'

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

Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'

Viola odorata 'Christie's Wedding'

Viola odorata 'Baroness Alice de Rothschild'

Viola odorata 'Sulphurea'

Helleborus argutifolius

Narcissus 'St Patricks Day'

Narcissus 'Golden Echo'

Narcissus 'Winter Waltz'

Narcissus 'Beryl'

Narcissus 'Beryl's Little Sister'

Tropaeolum hookerianum

Tropaeolum ciliatum

Trillium grandiflorum f. roseum

Trillium kurabayashii

Rosa 'The Generous Gardener'

Rosa 'Mrs. Honey Dyson'

Rosa 'Rosy Cushion'

Rosa x odorata 'Crimson Bengal'

Rosa 'Pompon de Paris'

Rosa 'You're Beautiful'

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 via a host of plants from Geums to Ferns.

Next week Roses, Trilliums and Violets...plus FLOMO*

*FLOMO = FLoral/plant-based fear Of Missing Out

PLANT LIST

Geum 'Totally Tangerine'

Geum 'Prinses Juliana'

Amsonia

Helenium 'Sahin's Early Flowerer'

Geum 'Bell Bank'

Geum 'Mai Tai'

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'

Galanthus plicatus 'E.A. Bowles'

Succisella inflexa 'Frosted Pearls'

Galanthus 'Marjorie Brown'

Hamamelis

Prunus mume 'Beni-chidori'

Prunus 'Kursar'

Prunus 'Okame'

Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai'

Prunus 'Tai-haku'

Prunus 'Chocolate Ice'

Scilla siberica

Scilla bifolia

Scilla bithynica

Allium triquetrum

Tulipa saxatilis (Bakeri Group) 'Lilac Wonder'

Adiantum

Anemonoides nemorosa

Polypodium

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 a garden situation) and discuss everything from botany to John's anecdotes from years tracking them down in the wild. And of course, we detour via several other plants as well. It wouldn't be Talking Dirty if we didn't do that!

PLANT LIST

Galanthus 'Veronica Cross'

Galanthus 'Wasp'

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. candida

Hepatica transsilvanica

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magna

Hepatica japonica var. pubescens

Hepatica japonica var. nipponica f. magna

Hepatica americana

Hepatica americana var. acuta (syn H. acutiloba)

Hepatica americana var. acuta x H. nobilis

Trillium nivale

Daphne laureola subsp. philippi

Hamamelis

Cyclamen coum

Miscanthus

Pennisetum

Lewisia cotyledon 'Harold Judd'

Hepatica 'Millstream Merlin'

Helleborus (Rodney Davey Marbled Group) 'Anna's Red'

Helleborus × ericsmithii

Hepatica maxima

Sorbus 'Olympic Flame'

Hepatica insularis

Hydrangea serrata

Hepatica x schlyteri (H. nobilis 'Stained Glass’ x H. maxima)

Macodes petola

Hepatica nobilis 'Stained Glass'

Hepatica 'Louise Koehler'

Anemonella thalictroides f. rosea 'Oscar Schoaf'

Hepatica japonica 'Mori'

Shortia

Hepatica 'Millstream Pink'

Prunus 'Kursar'

Polypodium