The Sentimental Gardener

Cass Dowding
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Join Cass Dowding, an enthusiastic everyday gardener, as she has conversations with fellow plant lovers about the gardens and plants that shape our stories and connect us to what matters most.

SENTIMENTAL FRIENDS

Chats with garden friends - just for subscribers

$2.99/mo or $29.99/yr after trial

  1. Oct 26

    Alice Zaslavsky on her new book 'Weeknights with Alice', veg-first recipes and marigolds

    What makes a cookbook so irresistible that a gardening guru finds himself buzzing towards it like a bee to a flower? When Costa Georgiadis (ABC TV Gardening Australia) rang Alice Zaslavsky to tell her he'd spotted her book in a bookshop, his description was hard to beat. But the story behind Alice's love of food goes much further back, to her childhood in Tbilisi, Georgia, where the garden and kitchen were part of the same story. Alice joins Cass to talk about the plants that carry memories of home, the Georgian tradition of using marigolds in food, and why we should look again at what's growing in our gardens — including the parts we might usually throw away. An award-winning cookbook author, food educator and television host, Alice is passionate about helping people discover the joy of food, from teaching children about seasonal eating to making everyday cooking more creative. We talk about her work creating Phenomenom, her book In Praise of Veg, and her latest cookbook, Weeknights with Alice. It's a conversation about culture, food, family and the unexpected stories held in the plants we grow, and how a little curiosity can change the way we see both our gardens and our dinner plates. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to The Sentimental Gardener 02:56 Alice Zaslavsky: Food and culture 06:00 Childhood memories of the garden 08:59 Food growing traditions in Georgia 12:04 Migration and food culture 14:56 Eating more of our plants 18:00 Food literacy in schools 20:58 Creating Phenomenom 23:51 Changing children's food choices 27:00 Writing about vegetables 27:30 From children's books to cookbooks 28:54 Designing a better cookbook 30:36 The global reach of In Praise of Veg 31:34 Teaching seasonal eating 33:50 Flavour and seasonality 35:00 Introducing Weeknights with Alice 39:16 Cooking by mood 42:46 Sentimental plants and their stories 45:36 Quick-fire questions Want to hear more? Find the bonus episodes and subscribe via The Sentimental Gardener on Substack or Apple Podcasts Follow Alice Zaslavsky at her website, Instagram , Facebook Follow Cass at The Sentimental Gardener Instagram or add your name to the list at Substack to get my emails in your inbox.  CREDITS: Music written and played by Hayden Schuler of Vereya Gardening Produced, edited and mixed by Cass Dowding

  2. Oct 14 ·  Bonus · Subscribers Only

    Jay Young on the business of flower farming in Australia

    Join host Cass Dowding and Jay from Flinders Farm Gate in this bonus subscriber episode where they get into the nitty gritty of what it takes to turn growing flowers from a hubby into a sustainable business. Jay generously shares lessons learnt along the way, the best support group she's ever had and what she'd do differently if she was starting out again as a new flower farmer. Follow Jay on Instagram @flindersfarmgate or head to the website flindersfarmgate.com Follow Cass on Instagram @the_sentimental_gardener

  3. Oct 13

    Jay Young from Flinders Farm Gate on regenerative farming, garlic and a paddock full of sunflowers

    In this episode of The Sentimental Gardener, Cass chats with Jay Young, co-founder of Flinders Farmgate, a small-scale regenerative farm on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. Alongside her husband Nick, Jay grows garlic, sunflowers, dahlias and seasonal flowers, while finding ways to share their special patch of land with the local community. We talk about how a friend's suggestion to grow garlic set their farming journey in motion, how losing an entire garlic crop led them to diversify into flowers, and how a sunflower picking event grew into something much bigger than they expected. Jay also shares what she's learnt about regenerative farming, building healthy soil, working with nature rather than constantly intervening, and the realities of balancing a growing farm business with family life. And, of course, we talk about her sentimental plants: the climbing beans that take Jay back to her grandparent's garden, the winter-scented flowers that remind her of an early job at a flower shop, and the sunflowers that continue to bring her joy. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: Meet Jay Young of Flinders Farmgate 01:56 Childhood memories of a farm in South Africa 07:25 From city life to a life in Flinders 15:51 How growing garlic started it all 19:03 Losing a crop and finding a new direction 21:16 Sunflowers, dahlias and the farm shop 28:43 Farming, family and finding balance 33:03 What regenerative farming looks like in practice 42:08 Three sentimental plants: beans, winter flowers and sunflowers 51:06 Quick-fire questions from the farm 58:11 Cass's reflection: Listening to what draws us in Want to hear more? Jay and I also recorded a bonus conversation for The Sentimental Gardener Substack paid subscribers, where we spend another 20 minutes talking about the business side of running a flower and garlic farm. Find the bonus episode and subscribe via The Sentimental Gardener on Substack or Apple Podcasts Follow Flinders Farmgate at their website, Instagram or Facebook Follow Cass at The Sentimental Gardener Instagram or add your name to the list at Substack to get my emails in your inbox.  CREDITS: Music written and played by Hayden Schuler of Vereya Gardening Produced, edited and mixed by Cass Dowding

  4. Sep 16 ·  Bonus Video

    Deb Collett on Australia Post's new dahlia stamp collection plus dahlia trials program at Cruden Farm

    Deb Collett was a previous guest way back in Season One, and since then we've become great friends. So it was particularly lovely to sit down and catch up with her on this episode of Sentimental Friends - the subscriber only series where we cover news, updates and more from people in gardening world.  This episode is available for FREE FOR EVERYONE as a thank you for your patience while I paused releasing episodes for a few months! Earlier this year, Deb was involved in Australia Post's dahlia cultivar collection, released back in May 2026 — a particularly perfect partnership given that, alongside collecting dahlias, Deb is also a passionate philatelist (stamp collector). We chat about: 🌸 Which dahlias made their stamp debut 🌸 The story behind the breeders of the three different varieties 🌸 The dahlia trails at Cruden Farm 🌸 The National Dahlia Conference 🌸 What's been happening in Deb's own garden 🌸 And, importantly, I ask Deb how on earth I'm supposed to manage the old and new growth on my tree dahlia! You can also catch Deb's original Sentimental Gardener episode here. Follow Deb on Instagram @debsdahlias Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram @the_sentimental_gardener Subscribe to the mailing list here: https://thesentimentalgardener.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Jul 27

    Timothy Mitchell on tomatoes, transforming tennis courts and designing en plein air

    Australian landscape architect and garden designer Timothy Mitchell joins Cass Dowding on The Sentimental Gardener podcast to talk about his early memories of plants, transforming tennis courts into a meadow of flowers and designing gardens en plein air.  They also dive into finding beauty in Australian native plants, building a dry climate garden that actually works, letting a garden evolve naturally over seasons, and why the most alive gardens are always being edited, observed and mulled over. They recorded this episode in Tim and his partner Lucy's backyard, surrounded by the antiquing of plants moving from summer to autumn and a view of Mt. William/ Wil-im-ee Moor-ring as the backdrop.  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:35 Early memories of gardens and plants 05:00 Choosing a life in landscape design 09:00 Gardeners and landscape architects 13:45 Designing public places 16:00 Transforming a tennis court into a garden 18:30 Starting a garden from scratch 19:00 Finding beauty in Australian plants 22:40 Building a dry climate garden 27:45 Letting a garden grow naturally 32:00 Trees, time and looking after nature 38:30 What makes a garden feel alive 45:30 Learning by watching plants 49:45 Quick-fire garden questions 56:45 The gardens that stay with us 59:35 Final thoughts and outro Show notes: Follow Timothy Mitchell on Instagram or visit website Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram and Facebook Visit The Sentimental Gardener website Get Sentimental Gardener emails in your inbox Get bonus content + episodes on Sentimental Friends Original music: Hayden Schueler of Vereya Gardening Audio mix: Tom Dowding Producer and editor: Cass Dowding

  6. Jun 12

    Ben Clark on growing Kuranga Native Nursery, and building a family life around plants

    Are you an Australian native plant fanatic? Well you're going to love this episode! Cass Dowding chats with Ben Clark, co-owner of Kuranga Native Nursery, about growing up surrounded by the bush in Warrandyte, followed by an early obsession with plants, to building a family business around Australian native plants. Ben shares how he first came to Kuranga as an apprentice, what happens behind the scenes in the nursery he now owns, and why the nursery has become such a loved destination for native plant buffs. They also talk about Kuranga's expansion to a second site at Warrandyte, running the business with his wife Alexa, raising kids around the nursery, and the joy of dispersing native plants into gardens across the state, and maybe Australia! Show notes: Follow Kuranga Native Nursery on Instagram and Facebook Follow The Sentimental Gardener on Instagram and Facebook Get Sentimental Gardener emails Get bonus episodes on Sentimental Friends   Theme music: Hayden Schueler of Vereya Gardening Audio mix: Tom Dowding Producer and editor: Cass Dowding

  7. May 20

    Hannah Moloney on her book 'Why We Garden', activism and a good life for everybody

    Hannah Moloney was born for this! 'This' is creating what she calls "a good life for everybody": people, animals, ecosystems and communities alike. From climate-justice cabaret to gardening, activism, writing and community projects, Hannah's work is all about connection, resilience and finding better ways to live together. She's also a presenter on ABC TV's Gardening Australia and the bestselling author of the newly released Why We Garden — Even When We Don't Have To. In this episode, Cass and Hannah talk about early memories, sentimental plant stories, permaculture, activism and what Hannah discovered after interviewing thousands of gardeners about why we still feel drawn to plonk things in the ground and help them grow.  Host: Cass Dowding Guest: Hannah Moloney Episode show notes at The Sentimental Gardener Original Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening Audio Mixing: Tom Dowding Editing and Producer: Cass Dowding

  8. May 19 · Subscribers Only

    Hannah Moloney on self-doubt, PMDD and social media

    Subscriber question: does Hannah struggle with self-doubt and how does she manage social media being such a public person? The answer takes us down the road of mindsets, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) , getting support and how social media helps spread the word. Hannah Moloney is a host on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia and best-selling author. She's spent the past two decades getting her hands dirty in the garden, through activism, and in creative community projects that build connection and resilience. She is fully pumped to spend the rest of her life helping to grow a good life for all - including performing her climate-justice cabaret, gardening, and writing books that highlight connection, resilience and love. Do you have a question for a previous guest? Send them through the contact form at www.thesentimentalgardener.com Host: Cass Dowding Guest: Hannah Moloney Produced and edited: Cass Dowding Audio Mixing: Tom Dowding

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Trailer

About

Join Cass Dowding, an enthusiastic everyday gardener, as she has conversations with fellow plant lovers about the gardens and plants that shape our stories and connect us to what matters most.

Information

  • Creator
    Cass Dowding
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Sentimental Gardener
  • Provider
    Cassie Dowding

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