The James & Joe Garden Show

Scribehound
  • 4.6 (55)
  • HOME & GARDEN

Welcome to The James & Joe Garden Show - the podcast that rips up the horticultural rulebook and plants something far more entertaining. Join James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift every week where they tackle a garden topic, from the sensible to the completely ridiculous, armed with sharp opinions, 40 years’ worth of stories and a habit of wandering wildly off-topic. Listeners can also send in their weird and wonderful garden questions for the chance to win our treasured mascot - the Scribehound gnome, Jekyll. Our only two rules? No dead plants and no dull questions. As part of The Garden Collective - a place where leading experts share unfiltered gardening wisdom every single day - you can subscribe to get ad-free listening, bonus episodes, special access to live events, written articles from garden experts and so much more. Got a burning garden question, or a bizarre problem you just need to share? Email us at gardening@scribehound.com and we’ll get stuck in. Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram.⁠⁠

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Are Robotic Mowers the Future?

    James and Joe are digging into the future of horticulture - or at least the part where we can sit in a hammock while a machine does the "bloody" mowing. From Joe’s "Doofy" the robot mop to James’ beloved "Kressida" the mower, the boys explore whether technology is a blessing or a way to distance ourselves from the soul of our gardens. Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more. It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min

  2. 21 APR

    Question Time: The Great Horticultural Royal Rumble - who wins in a fight?

    Welcome back to the James & Joe Garden Show, where the rules are made up and the singing is (mostly) banned by court order of James’ wife. This week, we’re answering your questions with our trademark blend of dapper charm and "bloody" bad advice. From the hidden paths of York Gate to the sewers of London, we’re digging deep. In this episode: The York Gate Connection: James admits to "stealing" path designs from the legendary Perennial garden, York Gate. Plus, the rise of the "Sand Garden" trend—is it a revolution or just a weed-filled sandpit? The Traveling Gnome: Kathy from Yorkshire wants to send her gnome on an Amélie-style world tour. James suggests Machu Picchu; Joe suggests a plumbing-challenged rocket to the moon. The Mystery of the Drowning Worms: Andrea from Lancashire has a pond full of stinking, dead worms. Joe thinks they’re stupid; James thinks there’s a bird "refrigerator" conspiracy or a child with a fishing rod involved. A Canadian Winter: Jackie from Ontario asks if she’s "naughty" for gardening after four months of snow. The boys discuss "snuggling" as a winter hobby and the mental health cost of being snowbound. The Main Event: A Royal Rumble of gardening legends. Can Charlie Dimmock take down Christine Walkden? Is Carol Klein the ultimate cage fighter? And why is Tommy Walsh disqualified for dirty goalkeeping? Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min

  3. 14 APR

    Who decides what makes a truly great garden?

    James and Joe are back, and per James’ wife’s instructions, the singing has been (mostly) binned. This week, the boys tackle a thorny question: Who actually has the rubber stamp that declares a garden "Great"? Is it a committee over a long lunch, or is it the snogging teenagers behind the topiary at Sissinghurst? Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min

  4. 7 APR

    Question Time: Is Gardening by the Moon Total Lunacy or the Future of Garden Trends?

    This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe now⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow James & Joe on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min

  5. 31 MAR

    The Rise & Power of Healing Gardens

    This week, James and Joe park the "least sensible" chat for a moment (mostly) to dig into something weightier: the profound, life-altering power of Healing Gardens. Fresh from a judging stint in Japan—where the judges are strict and the cherry blossoms are fashionably late—James joins Joe to discuss why gardens are becoming the frontline of 2026 healthcare. From the monastic medicinal plots of the Middle Ages to the cutting-edge spinal injury centers of today, the boys explore why nature is the ultimate bridge to recovery. Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe now⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 ⁠⁠⁠ Follow James & Joe on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/⁠ ⁠⁠ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/⁠⁠⁠ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    37 min

  6. 24 MAR

    Question Time: Killing Expensive Plants, Black Fences & Garden Guilt

    Question Time returns! This week James and Joe open the mailbag and tackle your gardening dilemmas — from expensive plant regrets to sisterly garden turf wars. Along the way they debate whether the price of a plant predicts its survival (spoiler: apparently it does… but not in the way you’d hope), discuss the curious rise of charred timber in garden design, and confess to killing some truly eye-wateringly expensive specimens. There’s also talk of gardening journals, YouTube garden diaries, and the eternal question: is it okay to completely ignore your garden in winter? Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, the global leaders in robotic lawn mowing. Learn more here: ⁠https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ ⁠ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe now⁠: ⁠⁠https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 ⁠⁠ Follow James & Joe on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/⁠ ⁠ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/⁠⁠ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min

  7. 17 MAR

    Do Garden Trends Make Sense Anymore?

    Are garden trends actually useful… or are they just nonsense invented to fill magazine pages? This week, James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift take a rebellious look at the whole idea of “trends” in gardening — from the ridiculous to the genuinely transformative. Because every year, somewhere in a slightly dreadful publication, a journalist phones a garden designer and asks the same question: “What are the garden trends for 2026?” Cue a deep sigh. In this episode the pair explore whether trends even make sense anymore — and if they ever did in the first place. Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, the global leaders in robotic lawn mowing. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe now⁠: ⁠https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 ⁠ Follow James & Joe on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/⁠ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/⁠ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min

  8. 10 MAR

    Question Time: Slugs, Gobstoppers & Illegal Knives

    This week, it’s your turn. James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift open the floor to your weird, wonderful and occasionally completely unhinged gardening questions — all in the noble pursuit of winning the most coveted prize in horticulture. No, not a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We’re talking about Jekyll, the Garden Collective gnome. As ever, there are just two rules: – No dead plants – No dull questions Follow, rate and subscribe on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is sponsored by Kress, the global leaders in robotic lawn mowing. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ About our hosts James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular. Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain). You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0 Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/ Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/ Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min
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Trailer

4.6
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

Welcome to The James & Joe Garden Show - the podcast that rips up the horticultural rulebook and plants something far more entertaining. Join James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift every week where they tackle a garden topic, from the sensible to the completely ridiculous, armed with sharp opinions, 40 years’ worth of stories and a habit of wandering wildly off-topic. Listeners can also send in their weird and wonderful garden questions for the chance to win our treasured mascot - the Scribehound gnome, Jekyll. Our only two rules? No dead plants and no dull questions. As part of The Garden Collective - a place where leading experts share unfiltered gardening wisdom every single day - you can subscribe to get ad-free listening, bonus episodes, special access to live events, written articles from garden experts and so much more. Got a burning garden question, or a bizarre problem you just need to share? Email us at gardening@scribehound.com and we’ll get stuck in. Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram.⁠⁠

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