Perhaps nowhere do we face the realities of life and death more frequently and intimately than we do within the garden. We witness a cycle of growth, dieback, and rebirth on a seasonal, weekly, and even daily basis. And so, as we once again inch closer to a new season – to autumn, a time of abundance, growth, but also, let’s face it, decay – we’ve decided to take a deeper look at what gardens and our beloved flora can reveal about both life and death. We’ll hear from Dr. Ross Cameron about his 2023 release How Plants Can Save Your Life, get a behind-the-scenes peek at the field of forensic botany, travel to The Poison Garden in Alnwick to learn about their pernicious new addition, and finally, take a second look at the life cycle of wasps.
Warning: This episode contains a story about police investigations into death, murder and suicide. Listener discretion is advised.
Links:
Gardening for Health and Wellbeing
How Plants Can Save Your Life
Murder Most Florid: Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist
Mark Spencer's Lindley Late Lecture
The Alnwick Garden
Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps
From towering blooms to tiny microbes
Take-home ideas from RHS Flower Show Tatton Park
Creating healthy gardens for people and planet
Money saving tips, moss magic, and awesome Asteraceae at Hampton 2024!
From Botanic Gardens to Insect Studies; the Secrets to Thriving Ecosystems
Critter camaraderie: Slugs, Snails, and Guerilla Gardening Tales
Early Summer at Wisley
The Enchanting World of Herbs
Squashes, Hebes, and the new RHS patron is announced!
It's RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024!
The Season of Colour
Topiary, lilacs and Chelsea judging
Cucumbers, peonies and houseplant propagation
Highlights from the RHS Urban Show 2024
Single-colour planting, GYO tips (for radishes, peas, cardoons), and a floating greenhouse
GYO tips from Rosemoor, plant hybrids, and shrubscapes
Sustainable plant combos, GYO tips (for tomatoes, beetroot, squash), flowering shrubs
The Piet Oudolf Landscape, Bumbles on Blooms, Plant Propagation
Greener Containers, Plant Name Changes, and Chaenomeles
Garden Carbon Footprints, Wasps in Springtime, and Pruning Shrubby Hydrangeas
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Happy Mum Happy Baby
Michael Calvin’s Football People
Open Mind with Frankie Bridge
The RHS Gardening Podcast
Squiggly Careers