There's been some exciting breeding and hybridising using species tulips - those closely related to wild tulips - in recent years, which has made them perfect plants for withstanding tulip fire.

Species tulips are a newfound favourite for Josie and Sarah at Perch Hill, and in this episode we’ll hear why they’re a must-have for pots in particular, and which incredible varieties have captured their attention.

In this episode, discover:

• The remarkable resilience of species tulips to wetter springs and fungal disease
• A vibrant world of unique tulip varieties, from the flame-like Tulip acuminata, to Cretan natives like Hilde
• Tips for naturalising species tulips in grass and growing in pots for decades of stunning blooms
• How species tulips are the ultimate breakfast buffet for early pollinators and emerging bumblebee queens

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Bees are an absolute passion for us at Perch Hill, not just for their pollination and presence in the garden, but for their delicious and nutritious produce too.

The same can be said for award-winning author and fermentation expert, Rachel de Thample, who joins Sarah this week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share delicious honey-inspired recipes from her new book, her pick of the best bee-friendly plants, and much more besides.

In this episode, discover:

• Rachel’s journey to writing her latest book, working at River Cottage and being introduced to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
• The incredible and industrious world of bees, and how it takes 12 bees a lifetime to create a single teaspoon of honey
• Bee-friendly herbs that are not just beautiful, but useful to bees and humans alike
• A reimagined view of honey in cooking with Rachel's spectacular recipes

Products mentioned:

Common Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/thyme-common

Summer Savory (Satureja hortensis)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/summer-savory

Oregano 'Hot and Spicy'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/oregano-hot-and-spicy

Artichoke 'Violet de Provence'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/artichoke-violet-de-provence

Borago officinalis (Borage)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/borago-officinalis

Allium siculum (syn. Nectaroscordum)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nectaroscordum-siculum

Discover Rachel’s new book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bees--honey-9781526625465/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

There’s a rich, complex, and utterly rewarding natural world that co-exists alongside ours, and relies on our gardens for food and safety – the often surprising world of small garden birds.

This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Adam Nicolson shares insights from his new book, Bird School, which explores the secret life of these tiny avian visitors, so often unfurling right under our noses in our gardens and green spaces.

In this episode, discover:

• The true reasons behind the dawn chorus, its unique sound and timing
• What inspired Adam to immerse himself in the world of small birds
• How birds perceive the world so intricately, in a way that we’re yet to fully understand
• What we as gardeners can do to help protect our British bird species

Order Adam’s new book, Bird School:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bird-School-Beginner-Adam-Nicolson/dp/000849083X

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salix-gracilistyla-mount-aso

Goat willow hedging

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/goat-willow-hedging

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Spring is here in all its glory, and with it comes the perfect moment to plant and sow. This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ we’ve compiled our top tips and growing inspiration from not one, but seven of Sarah’s all-time favourite guests.

From Knepp’s Charlie Harpur on his favourite plants for pollinators, to the veg varieties Jess Gough is growing at home, revisit some of Sarah’s greatest guests and their timely recommendations for gardens large and small. Sarah also shares five fresh ideas for what to plant into your garden right now.

In this episode, discover:

• Top growing tips from seven of Sarah’s most illustrious gardening guests
• Inspiration on plants for perfume, pollinators and punchy colour combinations in your garden
• Sarah’s top five flowers to plant now with springtime in mind

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Charles Dowding is world-renowned as a pioneer of no dig growing, and while it’s great for saving time and effort, it’s also proven to be more productive and better for the environment, and the soil, too.

Who better to hear from on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ than the pioneer himself, as Charles joins Sarah and Josie to share his decades of experience with no dig, tips on creating your own fertile garden compost at home, and inspiring ideas for what to sow in late-March.

In this episode, discover:

• Charles’ experience with the no dig ethos in different soil types around the world
• How switching to no dig has made his crops consistently more productive across many years
• How to convert your own organic waste into fertile compost for successful growing and improve the long-term health of your soil

Discover Charles Dowding’s latest book:

https://shop.charlesdowding.co.uk/products/compost-transform-waste-into-new-life

Products mentioned:

Chervil 'Vertissimo'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/chervil-vertissimo

Coriander 'Leisure'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/coriander-leaf-form-leisure

Mustard 'Red Frills'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/mustard-red-frills

Winter purslane (Claytonia)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/winter-purslane

Wild Rocket

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-rocket

Salad Rocket 'Serrata'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salad-rocket-serrata

Mustard 'Red Frills'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/mustard-red-frills

Broad Bean 'Superaguadulce'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/broad-bean-superaguadulce

Lettuce Oak Leaf Collection

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/organic-lettuce-seed-collection

Pea ‘Hurst Green Shaft’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/peas-hurst-green-shaft

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Like many gardeners, Joe Clark was captivated by the magic of growing his own food at a young age, and now inspires millions more to be enthralled by the same fascinating process via his popular social media channels.

Joe is an advocate for planting fruit, veg and flowers that you may not ordinarily encounter in the supermarket, and on this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ he shares his favourite varieties for every taste, space, and type of garden.

In this episode, discover:

• Joe’s favourite varieties to grow for a simple, rewarding crop
• Hardy veg perfect for growing without a greenhouse
• A number of tasty varieties of lesser-known fruit and veg rarely found in the shops

Order Joe’s book ‘Garden To Save The World’:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garden-Save-World-Feel-Good-Yourself/dp/1035032317/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Products mentioned:

Tomato 'Costoluto Fiorentino'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tomato-costoluto-fiorentino

Dill (Anethum graveolens)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/anethum-graveolens-dill

Pea ‘Blauwschokker’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pea-blauwschokker

Pea ‘Nairobi’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pea-nairobi

Kohlrabi 'Kolibri' F1 (Gongylodes Group)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/kohlrabi-kolibri-f1

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Lighter, longer days signal the start of a joyous season for gardeners, and March is the perfect month to plan for the highlights of your spring and summer garden.

Arthur Parkinson returns to ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this week to share the plants that brought him the most joy last year, the trials he’ll be undertaking in his own compact garden at home, and his personal pick of long-flowering varieties for successional colour and pollinator appeal, no matter the size of your plot.

In this episode, discover:

• How to care for Arthur’s favourite China rose ‘Mutabilis’ so that it flowers for longer in your garden
• Standout geums for a spectacle that lasts from May right through to October
• The narcissi varieties that Arthur looks forward to trialling this year
• Standout dahlia varieties for summer pots, from last year’s favourite ‘Tartan’ to classics like ‘Blue Bayou’

Products mentioned:

Liriope muscari

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/liriope-muscari

Rosa x odorata 'Mutabilis'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rosa-x-oderata-mutabilis

Rosa × odorata 'Bengal Crimson' (China)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rosa-x-odorata-bengal-crimson

Geum 'Totally Tangerine'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/geum-totally-tangerine

Narcissus 'Cragford' (Forcing)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-cragford-for-forcing

Dahlia 'Tartan'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-tartan

Dahlia 'Waltzing Mathilda'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-waltzing-mathilda

Dahlia 'Blue Bayou'

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-blue-bayou

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Bees are one of the most essential species in our ecosystem, and all of our gardens play a vital role in providing food and shelter for them to thrive.

Beekeeper, gardener and writer Richard Rickitt’s passion for these particular pollinators is utterly infectious. In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Richard shares what inspired him to start keeping bees at an early age, his fascination with the many species of wild bees in the UK, and the small but important changes we as gardeners can make to help protect their dwindling populations.

In this episode, discover:

• The best bee-friendly flowers and shrubs to provide early pollen and nectar
• How to create habitat for wild bees in your borders and lawn
• Ways to make your own fantastic, affordable bee hotel
• The dangers of chemicals for pollinators in modern agriculture

Products mentioned:

Eryngium bourgatii ‘Picos Blue’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/eryngium-bourgatii

Galanthus nivalis (Common Snowdrop)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/galanthus-nivalis

Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non scripta)

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-bluebells

Salix gracilistyla ‘Mount Aso’

https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salix-gracilistyla-mount-aso

Order Beekeeping for Gardeners:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beekeeping-for-gardeners-9781399404846/

Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/

Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest