Joined-up gardening
with Jo Thompson
Beginning with a kleptomaniac fox, I’m taking a look at how the wildlife that we find in our gardens fails to recognise the distinctions between properties which we humans are so keen to enforce. There’s a reading from Kate Bradbury’s The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, where Kate considers how, in spite of this, we can still get in the way. It’s a powerful passage from a wonderful book, beautifully read by Rachel Coldbreath.
And then, of course, the interview with Jo. I’m always hugely grateful for folk making time to come and talk to me on the podcast, particularly when they’re in the middle of several projects, and having the opportunity to talk about the Springwatch garden just as Hampton Court began was a bonus. We manage to cover gardening with neighbours, rewilding, whether or not a wildlife garden has to look messy and – no surprise for anyone who knows Jo’s work – roses!
I hope you enjoy this episode – please continue to share the podcast on social media, and if you’d really like to brighten my day, leave a review on iTunes or your podcast app of choice. Or drop me a note in the comments section below, having listened on the embedded player on this page.
Gardens, weeds and words podcast, S01E12show 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
The fox who ate my socks.
Joined-up gardens
Micro book review
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Kate Bradbury, published by Bloomsbury 2018
Full review https://gardensweedsandwords.com/gwwblog/the-bumblebee-flies-anyway
Extract read by Rachel Coldbreath
Interview with Jo Thompson 07:46
08:27 The BBC Springwatch garden at RHS Hampton Court Flower show
17:05 Talking to the neighbours
17:44 Does a wildlife garden have to look messy?
21:45 Letting nature find its balance
22:46 A conversation with nature – a cooperative way to garden
26:12 An ongoing relationship between a designer and her gardens
30:42 The concept of “rewilding” in garden design
34:08 Jo’s planting style
38:21 Jo’s love for roses: what’s the attraction of roses?
Arne Maynard’s head gardener Steve Lannin on roses
http://arnemaynard.com/journal/garden-diary/a-good-year-for-the-roses/#.XRt2zJNKjJw
An article by Sarah Raven in the Telegraph on growing roses at Sissinghurst
https://www.gardensillustrated.com/plants/15-roses-from-sissinghurst-castle/
A huge thank you to Jo for joining me on this episode. You can find her here:
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jothompsongarden/
website: http://jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/
Light touch gardening – a winning situation for all
Thanks also to Rachel Coldbreath for reading the extract from The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. You can find Rachel on Twitter at https://twitter.com/chiller.
And I’m indebted as ever to Richard Chivers, for giving voice to the Garden Jargon Buster. You can find Richard’s blog here http://sharpenyourspades.co.uk/, or seek him out on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharpenyourspades/ or Twitter https://twitter.com/spadesharp.
website: gardensweedsandwords.com
email: gardensweedsandwords@gmail.com
Instagram: instagram.com/AndrewTimothyOB
Twitter: twitter.com/AndrewTimothyOB
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.