In this weeks episode of the Mic the Gardener – Gardening Podcast, I chat to YPHA committee member, Sarah Want. The YPHA is the Young People in Horticulture Association and is a fantastic initiative for anybody in gardening or horticulture under the age of 35.  In this episode, I chat to Sarah about: What the YPHA is? Who it's for? What its objectives are? How it helps its members? And lots, lots more. To join the YPHA, or get more information tap this link. The YPHA can be found on Instagram and LinkedIn by tapping these links. Thanks for listening, as always, and please don't forget to FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE, and if you are able, please do leave a review. I will see you next week. Mike

In this week's episode of the Mic The Gardener - Gardening Podcast, I take you all to the Chelsea Flower Show Press Day. I'm very lucky to be invited to this, and decided it would be great if I could share some of the atmosphere of the day with you here on the podcast. Celebrities and gardening personalities wander up and down Main Avenue and around the Great Pavilion. It's the place to be seen on Press Day. In this episode, I speak to the following people: Rossana Porta: I was lucky enough to work alongside Rossana, who worked alongside Manoj Malde, to orchestrate the planting of his beautiful Garden of Unity. Rossana tells us all about her career and her role in making this beautiful garden. Sienna Hosta (Chris): Chris and Ollie have both been previous guests on the podcast, and I catch up with Chris to see how their Chelsea journey has been. And it certainly hasn't been without a few problems along the way. Lincolnshire Pond Plants (Dawn): I chat to Chelsea first timers, Leicestershire Pond Plants, and Dawn tells me all about their experience of exhibiting in the Great Pavilion for the very first time.  Steph Hafferty & Kim Stoddart: Kim has been a recent guest on the podcast when she chatted about climate change gardening. I caught Steph and Kim shortly after they entered Chelsea to find out what they were hoping to get from the day. Michael Perry a.k.a. Mr Plant Geek, and Ellen Mary: Again two lovely people have been guests on the podcast previously. I bumped into Michael in the Great Pavilion, and, as he was sharing his Chelsea experience, we were joined by the lovely Ellen Mary. Tom and Jenny Williams (The Laundry Garden): I visited Tom and Jenny last year at the beautiful Laundry Garden, which was a very popular episode on the podcast. I caught up with them in the Great Pavilion as they shared their plans for the day and their plans for the future. Thanks for listening as always, and don't forget to follow/subscribe. As always, if you are able to leave a review that would be great. See you next week, as usual. Mike

In this week's, episode, I chat to gardener, cook, writer and author, Mark Diacono.  We talk about Mark's career and how he first got into gardening and became a foodie. We also chat about music, which is a strong theme in Mark's life, photography and Mark’s love of the written word and of course lots lots more.  You can find out more about Mark by heading to his Instagram page or website and you must read his brilliant, Mark Diacono's Imperfect Umbrella Substack page which can be accessed via this link.  You can also follow me on my Instagram account by clicking here. Thank you so much for listening, and if you are able, please do subscribe/follow and if you are able please leave a review. See you next week. Mike

In this week's episode of the In this week's episode of the Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast, I chat to climate change gardening expert, Kim Stoddart.  Kim's new book, ‘The Climate Change Garden', which she co-authored alongside Sally Morgan gives us a fascinating insight into climate change, and how we as gardeners need to adapt our working practices to achieve bountiful and productive gardens in a world, where the weather patterns are constantly changing and are at times becoming extremely challenging Kim tells us about: How the changing weather patterns impact how we garden How it climate change is impacting the timing of the arrival and types of pests we find in our gardens How looking at the gardening practices and approaches of yesteryear and embracing thrift and connection, could actually lead us to better resilience in our own green spaces, and much, much more We also chat about how it's important for us as gardeners to adapt to the changing climate with some helpful and handy tips on things we can incorporate in our own green spaces to make positive changes. It's a fascinating and timely chat about a subject that we will all have questions and concerns about.   To buy a copy of ‘The Climate Change Garden’ click here. To find out more about Kim visit her website by clicking here, and you can follow her on her Instagram account by clicking here. You can also follow me on my Instagram account by clicking here. Thanks for listening and don't forget to follow/subscribe and, if you are able, please do leave a review.  See you next week. Mike 

In this week's, episode of the Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast I chat with gardener, writer, podcaster, garden coach, and now author, Andrew Timothy O’Brien. In his own words, Andrew says he is the owner of a too-loud laugh. I disagree, it’s great to hear the sound of people laughing in a world where there’s too much sadness and bad news, don’t you think? I chat to Andrew about his new book 'to stand and stare' published by DK books. There's a lot of gardening advice out there. But none that invites you to think about how to be while you're in your garden. With increasingly busy lives, yet another list of chores seems like the last thing we need when it comes to our own practice of self-care and relaxation. After all, aren't these the things we wanted to escape to the garden for in the first place? What if there was a more low-intervention way to garden, some reciprocal arrangement through which both you and your soil get fed - with minimum fuss, effort and guilt on your part, and the maximum measure of healthy, organic growth for your garden? We chat about:  How the book came about Andrew’s love of the writer and spoken word Andrew’s podcast, Garden Weeds & Words, Our thoughts on gardening on social media and of course, lots more You can buy a copy of 'to stand and stare' by clicking this link. You can get more information about Andrew by visiting his website, and you can follow him on his Instagram account by clicking here. You can also follow me on my Instagram account by clicking here. Thanks for listening and please don't forget to follow/subscribe as there are more episodes to come. And, if you are able, please leave a review with your preferred podcast provider. Thank you! See you next week. Mike