The Gardener Ben Podcast

S4E9 of The Gardener Ben Podcast is streaming now. This week is a very special episode, not featuring very much of me. In fact, the episode has been brought together by some of you who visited the garden during our open weekend a few weeks ago. The episode has been recorded by my husband, Mark, and captures some of your thoughts and impressions of the garden here at North Lodge, featuring: And others. The podcast will be taking a short break but will be back with you on Monday, 6th July. The Gardener Ben Podcast is proudly brought to you in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 31 Chelsea Gold Medals and creators of timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com, and make sure you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #listennow #gardener

S4E8 of The Gardener Ben Podcast is streaming now. On this week’s episode, I talk you through deadheading your roses and how to deal with pest and disease problems after the recent huge amount of cold and wet weather we’ve had here in the UK. It also features a personal chat with @hoover_who_better, who, after the sad loss of his mother Joan, decided to mark her passing and celebrate her life by naming a brand-new rose after her. Launched at the Chelsea Flower Show, the rose has recently gone through a small and intimate naming ceremony at the @peterbealesroses show gardens in Attleborough. I wanted to catch up with Dave and ask him why he chose his particular rose and what drew him to it. This beautiful new variety will be going through my personal growing review process here at North Lodge over the next 12 months, and I’ll have the pleasure of bringing you my first impressions of this very pretty and very fragrant rose over the next few weeks. ‘Joan Darwent’ is available for you to pre-order for bare-root season now directly from @peterbealesroses. Next week, after our open garden event, we will be bringing you an open garden special. Having welcomed simply hundreds of you through the gate to the North Lodge Cottage Garden, my husband Mark thought it would be a really lovely idea to capture some of your thoughts and impressions as you left the garden space and ask you what you were taking away from our garden to maybe recreate or change in your own. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you proudly in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 31 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. Until next week, happy gardening.

S4E7 of the Gardener Ben podcast is streaming now This week I have the absolute pleasure in bringing you a conversation with husband and wife gardening duo Bryony and Jonathan from @dakicgardendesign. After the huge success at BBC Gardeners’ Spring Fair in Hampshire in 2025, this year they’re undertaking a massive project with a huge exciting garden installation at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, which takes place between the 18th and 21st of June. Their design is packed full of tropical foliage, texture and bold colours, and I’ve been following along closely on social media to see how they’re getting on ahead of the show. All three of us are neuro spicy, so to say that I enjoyed our conversation is an understatement. Finding myself on a call with two other like-minded people was an absolute pleasure, so I hope that you listen to the conversation and enjoy it just as much as I did. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you proudly in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 31 Chelsea gold medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and on TikTok. Ahead of the @peterbealesroses rose festival, which takes place at their show garden in Norfolk between the 20th and 21st of June next week, I am joined by Dave @hoover_who_better, who after the sad loss of his mother decided to commemorate her life by naming a Peter Beales Rose after her. ‘Joan Derwent’ was launched at the Chelsea Flower Show and will have an official name day very soon at Peter Beales. Dave joins me next week on the podcast, so tune in then to find out more. The Gardener Ben podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. Until then, happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcast #listennow #gardeningpodcast

This week on The Gardner Ben Podcast, you will have to excuse my slightly hoarse and snotty tones, having had the garden here at North Lodge open to the public over the weekend. I’ve spoken to quite literally hundreds of people and wanted to extend my personal thanks to absolutely everybody who made the trip out to support our local good causes and look around the garden. On The Gardner Ben Podcast this week, I have the pleasure of bringing you a conversation with Thomas and Bailey from @, who supply cut flower farmers and home gardeners with cut flower plug plants. It’s an account I’ve been following for some time on Instagram, and I really hope that you enjoy our conversation. The Gardner Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 31 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com The Gardner Ben Podcast is edited by @ Next week I’m joined by my husband-and-wife garden designer and construction duo Bryony and Jonathan from @, who are making their final preparations for BBC Gardeners’ World Live from the 18th to the 21st of June. They join me to tell me all about their new design concept and everything that’s going on behind the scenes ahead of the show. Three autistic gardeners on one call — what could possibly go wrong? Haha, so I hope you join me again next week. Until then, happy gardening.

S4E5 of The Gardener Ben Podcast has lots of details about the new plants launched at the Chelsea Flower Show 2026 and features Kate @themessyallotmenteer, who from the 18th to the 21st of June can be found exhibiting her brand-new garden concept at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Kate joined me for a relaxed conversation about the garden just a few weeks ago, and I really hope that you enjoy hearing all about it. The Gardener Ben Podcast is proudly brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 31 Chelsea Gold Medals and creators of timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. The podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. Next week, I’m joined by Bailey and Thomas from @farmerbaileyplugs, so until then, happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow

S4 E4 of the Gardener Ben Podcast features a conversation with Gwen Hines, CEO of @plantheritage. Together with @theplantingdesigncollective, they are creating a garden for the very first time at RHS Chelsea 2026 called ‘The Missing Collector’s Garden’. Plant Heritage are responsible for managing the UK’s plant collections, and if you would like to get involved in any aspect with regards to the National Collections of Plants, please do make sure you get in touch with them or take a look at their website. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you proudly in association with @peterbealesroses, winners of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creators of timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbeales.com. Next week, I have the pleasure of bringing you a conversation with Kate 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚, who is off to BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC, which takes place between the 18th and 21st of June, and is creating a garden called ‘The Folklorians Garden’. So join me next week when Kate gets to share more about her exciting upcoming project. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #listennow #gardener

S4E3 of the Gardener Ben podcast features @neilduncan40roseking, who is a real champion amongst rose growers. He’s been growing and exhibiting for many years and, alongside his wife, travels the length and breadth of the UK showing his beautiful roses. So, if you have an interest in how you can become involved in exhibiting your roses, take a listen to the conversation I recorded with Neil just a few weeks ago. The Gardener Ben podcast is proudly brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. Ahead of the Chelsea Flower Show next week, I have the pleasure of bringing you a conversation with Gwen Hines, CEO of @plantheritage. Gwen and her team work behind the scenes to look after our national collections of plants, making sure that we’re safeguarding as many beautiful varieties as possible for future generations. For the very first time, Plant Heritage will be showcasing their first garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2026, and I’m really excited to see what they bring together. So, if you have a passion for a particular plant or a large collection, make sure that you tune in next week to find out how you can get involved. The Gardener Ben podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar. Until next week, happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #growwithme

This week on the Gardener Ben Podcast, I’m joined by Andy and Richard, team members from Chestnut Nurseries, along with their sister site, Cherry Tree Nurseries, based in Bournemouth, and Paul. They are run and operated by the charity Plants and Minds. Through horticulture, they offer meaningful occupation and employment to people who have suffered long-term mental health problems, using the therapeutic benefits of gardening in a safe and encouraging environment. Set up years before its time, it’s a really interesting and inspiring story behind two nurseries in Dorset that both offer good-quality, value-for-money plants, pots, and even compost. I hope that you enjoy the conversation I had with Andy and Richard. The Gardener Ben Podcast is proudly brought to you in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 30 Chelsea gold medals and creators of timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.atpeterbealsroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. Next week, I have the absolute pleasure of sharing with you a conversation with @neilduncan40roseking, a rose-growing and exhibiting champion, racking up dozens of medals and awards up and down the UK. So, if you’re interested in growing flowers to exhibit in your garden, make sure that you tune into our conversation next week. Until then, happy gardening. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @my_home_is_my_altar #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow

Welcome back to the @the_gardenerben_podcast. It only feels like about five minutes since we wrapped up season three, but welcome along to season four. We are out the gate with a really interesting and wonderful conversation recorded with @thatglasgowwitch just a few weeks ago. Geo started sharing her craft on TikTok and Instagram as a way of connecting with her daughter remotely, by creating a video library of mindful practices, grounding techniques, and rituals which could be referred back to and used at any time. It’s evident that the world really needed a window into what Geo shared, as within just a small period of time, tens of thousands of people were watching along, me included. I hope that you enjoy the conversation with Geo and head over to her accounts on either TikTok or Instagram to get involved by liking, following, and sharing. Next week, I’m going to be sharing a horticultural story surrounding a local business in Dorset run by the charity Plants and Minds, who operate @cherrytreenurserybmth and @chestnut_nursery, providing therapeutic horticulture and meaningful occupation in a supportive environment, aiming to restore wellbeing to people experiencing life-impacting mental health conditions. So join me again next week, and until then, happy gardening. The Gardener Ben Podcast is proudly brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea gold medals and creators of timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #growwithme

And just like that, season three of The Gardener Ben Podcast is all wrapped up, concluding with what has now become a tradition: a conversation between myself and @mark_hamilton_anderson. There are now 55 episodes for you to catch up on and listen to at any time. You can stream the podcast on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, and Amazon Music. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you proudly in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea gold medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.atpeterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. I want to thank all of my guests this season for making it such a wonderful, dynamic, inclusive, and interesting set of conversations, and each and every one of them for being so generous with their time. @jen_flourishnutrition @heirloomroses @ann.russell.3958 @raybould_and_wild @mat.nicholas.9 @ethan__mi @goldcoastrosesociety @childrensallergy @peatfreepartnership @sally.nex @harknessroses1879 @david_long_garden_design @thatbotanicguy @buildingafoodforest_scotland @soulfulwisdomacademy @hilliergardencentres @honestcomms @seed_ball @richardgrows @national_chrysanthemum_society The Gardener Ben Podcast will return to your ears on Monday, 27 April. Until then, happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcaster #thatsawrap #gardeningpodcast

S3E19 of The Gardner Ben Podcast sees me sharing with you not only a very personal and relatable conversation with Paige (not her real name), but also some incredibly personal and painful parts of my own journey. Paige is a recovering alcoholic and, in the hope of reaching just one pair of ears that may need to hear her story, wanted to share her journey to recovery with you all. Personally, I wanted to leave the episode completely unedited, intact, and exactly as it was recorded, so I confess it’s not my most tidy or polished episode, but its integrity was more important than its finish. If you or anybody that you know is struggling with anything that we discuss in this episode, please do either seek, or help them seek, the help you may need. I will make sure there are a few points of contact in the comment section below. The Gardner Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 30 Chelsea gold medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.atpeterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. Next week, to conclude this current season, I’ll be joined once again by my husband, Mark, for a completely unscripted and informal conversation, discussing the highlights and lowlights of season three. Don’t worry, season four is already being recorded and is well underway. We also have some very exciting news to share with you next week, so keep your ears peeled for that. The podcast is edited by Home - Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain Use our tools and get help for your mental health | Mind Overview – Eating disorders - NHS GambleAware®️: Gambling Help & Gambling Addiction

S3E18 of The Gardener Ben Podcast features a conversation with Neil from @national_chrysanthemum_society. Neil shares how his passion for chrysanthemums started at a very young age, how the gifting of just a few plants sparked a lifelong love of growing, and how it led to his involvement with the National Chrysanthemum Society. This is a group of plants I have tried growing in the past with limited success. Still making up one of the largest cut flower crops grown worldwide, I’ve decided to give this lovely group of plants another go and was inspired by my conversation with Neil to order myself some rooted cuttings, which should arrive over the next couple of months. They will add a nice late splash of colour to the garden and hopefully be ready to cut and bring into the house in October and November. In my own garden, I’ve been processing that huge pile of weeping willow cuttings, creating dead hedges in organic spiral forms and cutting the excess up for firewood. The weather is still being incredibly unkind to us, so it’s hard to really get on with much in the garden. If you find yourself falling behind, please be kind to yourself — the task will still be there when the weather clears. There are now just two episodes left in Season Three. Next week’s episode is very long indeed. I have taken the decision to leave the conversation entirely intact and put it through absolutely no editing or post-production whatsoever. The share from Paige (not her real name) is incredibly personal and will resonate on such a relatable level with so many of you. She is a recovering alcoholic and wanted to share her story in the hope of touching just one person who may be in need of a helping hand. Tune in next week to listen to the full conversation. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.atpeterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. #gardenerben #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow #podcast

S3E17 of The Gardener Ben Podcast is available for you to listen to and download now. This week, I have the pleasure of being joined by one of my all-time favourite Instagram accounts I’ve been following, @richardgrows, for a very long time now. His passion for plants simply oozes from his account. He has absolutely massive collections of weird and wonderful-looking carnivorous and tropical plants, which is not a subject I know a massive amount about. I hope that you enjoy our conversation and that you show his account on Instagram and TikTok some love. 💚 The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. Join me again next week when I get to talk to Neil from @national_chrysanthemum_society. This is a group of plants that I’ve barely explored but absolutely adore, and guided by Neil’s advice, I’ve gone ahead and ordered myself a collection of plants which will be delivered in the coming months. Catch us next week. Until then, I hope that you stay dry, safe, and happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcast #gardeningpodcast #listennow #podcaster

Episode 16 of season three of The Gardener Ben Podcast is available for you to listen to now. This week, I’m joined by Ana, co-founder of @seed_ball. With a love of wildflowers and a background firmly set in conservation, Seedball set out to make wildflowers easy to grow and have since diversified into herbs and salads, wrapping seeds in a mixture of clay infused with chilli to protect them from insect damage and make them easy to grow just about anywhere. Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or my YouTube channel now, and make sure that you head to their account and show them some love 💚 The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com, and make sure that you’re following along on Instagram and TikTok. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. Next week, I’m joined by one of my personal gardening accounts on Instagram, @richardgrows, sharing with us his passion for rare, unusual, and different plants. #gardenerben #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow #growgram

On S3E15 of The Gardener Ben Podcast, I get to speak to Charles Carr, Head of Production at @hilliergardencentres. Home-growing all of their stock, supplying 22 garden centres and their online store with peat-free grown stock 50 weeks of the year, Charles and I explored his journey into the world of horticulture and the challenges faced by the garden centre group going fully peat-free. We discussed how some plants that we have been used to purchasing have really struggled with the changeover, while others, such as ferns, have become much easier to produce and therefore more readily available. If you haven’t yet registered your vote to lobby the UK government into taking action and banning the use of peat in the horticultural industry — which sees enough peat removed from the environment to fill 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools each and every year — head over to @peatfreepartnership now and make your voice heard. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. The podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. Next week, I have the pleasure of being joined by Anna from @seed_ball. So until then, happy gardening! #gardenerben #podcast #gardeningpodcast #listennow #podcaster

S3E 14 of the Gardener Ben Podcast is about mindfulness, self, and the quest to be present. It features a conversation with Nicola from @soulfulwisdomacademy. Nicola is a shamanic dragon priestess who I have visited several times for Reiki healing. It’s no coincidence that this particular podcast episode is scheduled, as it marks one year exactly since I visited Nicola for the first time. At the end of 2024 into 2025, I was really struggling with my mental health. I was incredibly depressed, lost, and weighed down, carrying pain, grief, and anxiety that I didn’t know how to let go of. I had lost the ability to hear the voice in my head. I couldn’t decipher which way was up or which way to turn next. Luckily, I had people around me to guide and help me, and although I had started personal therapy, I was determined to do as many things as possible to make myself feel as well as I could. One of these things was to try Reiki healing. The experience was beyond moving, and even if you’re sceptical, as I was when I first visited Nicola, the experience could not be doubted. So, at a time of year which is traditionally dark, depressing, and challenging for many of us that struggle with mental health issues, I wanted to bring you this personal conversation with Nicola, who shares with us the gifts that she has and her journey into using those gifts to help others like me. I really hope that you enjoy the conversation, and if there’s something that you’re struggling with, you reach out and ask for the help that you need. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. Next week, we’re swinging back to the topic of horticulture and gardening, and I’m joined by Charles Carr from @hilliergardencentres. Until then, happy gardening. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #mindfulness #wellbeing

S3E13 this week, I’m rejoined by the amazing Katrina from @buildingafoodforest_scotland. We spoke last year on season two but had so much to catch up on. I thought it would be wonderful to invite them back to the podcast to see how the 2025 growing season ended and see how Clayton and the rest of the family were getting on. Katrina juggles a busy family life while wearing many different hats, including homeschooling Clayton, who has severe autism and has found a real passion for gardening and being outside with his mum. She also manages, unbelievably, to squeeze in a little time for some crochet every now and then, and has also written a few books. Please do head over to her channels, either on Instagram or on YouTube, and show the account some love, especially if you have a young person in your life who has expressed an interest in gardening. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, creating timeless roses since 1968 and winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. Next week, I’m excited to bring you a conversation with @soulfulwisdomacademy, who I’ve visited for Reiki therapy several times, which I have found really helps with my overall well-being, mindfulness, and mental health issues over the last 15 months. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #listennow #gardeningpodcast

After a short festive break, the Gardener Ben Podcast is back with season three and episode 12. I would like to stress there is absolutely no pressure and no rush to be getting on with tasks in the garden whatsoever at this time of year. The garden is slumbering quietly, and winter is doing its thing, breaking organic matter down and cleansing the garden of harmful fungal spores, pathogens, and disease problems. There’s no rush to be getting seeds sown, pots washed, or to rush out and start clearing the beds, borders, or doing your winter pruning. I’ll be touring you through my schedule in the weeks to come, so I hope if you take nothing else away from this week’s episode whatsoever, it’s someone else giving you the permission to take things easy, slowly and gently, for the beginning parts of the year. This week on the podcast, I have the pleasure of talking to Conrad, the name behind @thatbotanicguy, an account I followed on Instagram for a very long time, coveting his large collection of tree ferns and tropical plants he gets to grow outside in his garden. I hope that you enjoy our conversation. Next week, I’m catching up once again with @buildingafoodforest_scotland. We had so much to talk about on our first episode together that I wanted just to touch base and catch up to see how the growing season of 2025 turned out in the end. The Gardener Ben Podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. The Gardener Ben Podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow

S2E11 of the GardenerBen Podcast features @david_long_gardens. As I’ve been doing lots of shuffling about and redesigning here at North Lodge, and after meeting David at the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, I thought who better to catch up with and talk us through his design process when he takes on a professional garden project. David covers all areas of Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire in his work, so please do head to his page and show his account some 💚 The GardenerBen Podcast will return on Monday 5th of January after a belief festive holiday, when I’ll be joined by Conrad, known as @thatbotanicguy. The GardenerBen Podcast is brought to you in association with Peter Beales Roses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com Edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson #gardenerben #podcast #podcaster #gardeningpodcast #listennow

S3E11 of the Gardener Ben podcast features an in-person informal conversation with Philip Harkness from @harknessroses1879. Philip is the fifth generation of his family to be at the helm of the Harkness rose company, and it was a real honour to get to know him properly, away from the hustle and bustle of the floral marquees of show season. During our conversation, Philip shares his thoughts and opinions about organic gardening, the environment, his love of dogs, and a few details of some new upcoming releases which are becoming available over the next few months. Head to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or my YouTube channel to listen now! I hope that you enjoy listening to our conversation and join me again next week for one more episode before Christmas, featuring @david_long_gardens. The Gardener Ben podcast is brought to you in association with @peterbealesroses, winner of 30 Chelsea Gold Medals and creating timeless roses since 1968. Go online and shop at www.peterbealesroses.com. The Gardener Ben podcast is edited by @mark_hamilton_anderson. #gardenerben #podcaster #gardener #gardenpodcast #streamingnow