Avant Gardeners

Madeleine Gasparinatos & Emily Allen
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  • HOME & GARDEN
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

With lots of enthusiasm and very little know how, Emily and Maddie love chatting about gardening, often with a glass of wine or cocktail in hand. In each fortnightly episode, we speak to people who inspire us in the garden, in order to unearth some much needed knowledge.

  1. 5 HR AGO

    Rubie Gallagher // Gardening with a Disability, Starting a Micro Flower Farm, Dahlia Cuttings, Running Away From Home

    This week's guest is the delightful, talented Rubie Gallagher. Rubie is an illustrator and micro flower farmer, who met Emily when she and her husband Max took a Calm Birth class ahead of their first child. After an accident in 2019, Rubie she spent time in rehabilitation at the Royal Talbot Rehab Centre in Melbourne which our recent guest Steven Wells created. The two crossed paths there during Rubie's rehab.  Since her accident, Rubie and her husband, along with some very helpful friends, have worked together to create Rubie's Flower Farm, a micro farm growing flowers for florists, DIY buckets and edible flowers out of Mount Rumney just outside of Hobart. Rubie talks about memories from the rehab garden, what led her to create her farm, how gardening with a kid is bloody hard, and how she deals with the cold weather (hint: she draws). We talk about improving soil, taking cuttings, sneaking cuttings and not sweating the small stuff.  Before we get to this great chat with Rubie, we're talking about geraniums, using kids to get away with things, roses in abundance, Elephant Garlic, Helen Goh's Pear & Caramel Self Saucing Pudding in the Good Weekend.  Rubie recommends the following books during her chat: Phosphoresence, by Julia Baird If Women Rose Rooted, by Sharon Blackie "Grass is going to grass, and weeds are going to weed." - Rubie Gallagher

    44 min

  2. 14 APR

    A Hospital Stay, Writing Lists & South Sydney's Jacaranda History

    We are back, and we felt like drinking something tried and tested, so Emily's cracked a Sigurd, Chenin Blanc. Emily shares an unexpected stay in hospital, and she's got a lot of thoughts about the paediatric ward 'sgarden (very topical as we've recently spoken to Nurse and Therapeutic Horticulturalist Steven Wells - listen to that episode here). Maddie interogates how Emily gets so many things done, so we go deep on lists. Emily's planting garlic and spending time in her outdoor bath.  We're processing tomatoes. Maddie shares a story about South Sydney's jacaranda history, and a recent event at Longley Organic Farm that looked oh so wholesome.  Emily has got on board Tiny Farm Tas's CSA, and is growing Romanesco. Maddie has raspberry success, a scale scenario, and a twitch sitch.  Maddie is recommending the benchtop bin from Bokashi One (use AG15 at checkout for 5% off).

    42 min

  3. 24 MAR

    Jac Semmler // Flower Power, Pivoting to Horticulture, Super Bloom, Writing Books, Poppy Hacks

    We are the founding members of the Jac Semmler Fan Club. This is the second time we've been lucky enough to interview Jac, celebrating the launch of what will become an absolute gardening book staple, Flower Power. In this episode we answer a bunch of your questions, including  -How and should I pivot to horticulture -How do I get my poppies to germinate -What are some surprising performers in the garden We talk about changing climate, bogan pronounciation of plant names, the amazing work Jac's doing at Super Bloom, and so much more. Before we get to that: Maddie and Em are drinking a dirty cacao (cacao powder, maple syrup, cinnamon, sea salt, shot of coffee), we're talking agastache, liquorice plant, planting in pots (inspired by Connie Cao), Flannel Flower, Succulents, Mother in Law's Tongue. Thanks for being here.

    53 min

  4. 17 MAR

    Op Shops, Toilet Paper & Plums Galore

    Emily & Maddie are back with so much chat this week. We go a little off topic, but that's pretty standard...right? We cover: Philodendron Shrub (not of the plant variety!) Spent flowers are self seeding Ferment for Good - Sharon Flynn Justin O'Brien's self-seeding success Compost bins Proteas not opening Olive grove maintenance Drowning in Plums Different types of clematis - who knew! Emily is on the hunt for the perfect garden basket from op shops near and far.  Next week we're so excited to be releasing our chat with the amazing Jac Semmler of Super Bloom!

    36 min

  5. 10 MAR

    Steven Wells // Therapeutic Gardening, Downsizing, Churchill Fellowship, Gardener Folk

    Emily and Maddie were lucky enough to meet Steven in Victoria late last year, having followed his journey for a long time. Steven began his career as a nurse, before studying horticulture, with no intention of fusing the two. But he delved deeper into therapeutic gardens, gaining a Churchill Fellowship to help support research, and he started the Therapeutic Garden at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre nearly 20 years ago, providing immeasurable benefit to patients, their families, friends and staff. Steven recently downsized from a much-celebrated garden in the Melbourne suburbs, Steven now has a lush veranda in the clouds, overlooking Melbourne's CBD. This downsizing has given him time and space to focus on other passions and projects in his life. Steven lives, works and gardens in Naarm / Melbourne, on the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation.   Before we get to Steven's chat, Maddie and Emily are dreaming of fields of sunflowers - Emily is reminiscing about her time in Europe with sunflowers and cosmos all around. Maddie is reminiscing of her time on a farm stay in Portugal while staying in a yurt.  We ask Steven for his favourite Evergreen plants, which are: Agave Attenuata / Foxtail Agave Variegated aspidistra Bromeliads And his tips for Textural Plants in a Sensory garden include Lambs Ear or Kalanchoe 'Oak Leaf'.

    47 min

  6. 3 MAR

    Maddie + Em // Alpacas and New Neural Pathways

    It's a Maddie & Emily chat this week. Maddie is loving (despite calling the colour urine-esque) the White Gate Co White Blend and if you're in Tassie go book and wine shopping at Five Leaves Left.  Emily was creating new neural pathways and happened upon a great side-street garden stall. Win! We're lamenting the end of cherry season, but enjoying choc-covered cherries from a local stall. We're rolling (metaphorically, not literally) in peastraw and alpaca poo. Lettuce is ON! Emily has has success with a poppy (yes, just the one), and it's reminding her of her grandfather. Maddie's hollyhocks have popped and it's reminding her of her grandmother. Emily is recommending Death and the Gardener, and Maddie is recommending Recipe Tin Eats' scone recipe but a shout out to Lady Flo's Pumpkin Scones too.

    36 min

  7. 24 FEB

    Jo Thompson (UK) // Chelsea Flower Show, 6pm wines, Favourite Roses, Trypophobia

    Jo Thompson is one of the UK's most celebrated garden designers, known for creating deeply romantic, naturalistic gardens that feel timeless, layered and full of atmosphere.  Her projects span the UK and abroad - from wildflower meadows in the English countryside to rooftop terraces in New York and coastal gardens in Italy and Brazil.  She's a multiple award-winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with several Gold medals to her name, and her designs  - ranging from private landscapes to meaningful public projects - are widely admired.  Beyond her design practice, she's a respected teacher, author and voice in the gardening world, sharing her knowledge through books, lectures and her much-loved newsletter, The Gardening Mind. Jo's work reminds us that gardens can be both art and refuge – spaces that connect us to beauty, memory and the natural world. Before we get to Jo's chat, Maddie and Emily are talking about: Agapanthas (sorry!) Snakes Wildflower Meadows Emma Bowen of Rising Farm Sea salt and olive oil on vanilla icecream Then we get into glorious Jo's chat and we cover a lot. Highlights include: Glasshouse Project Women in horitculture / at the Chelsea Flower Show Designing a garden Trypophobia Damsen Cocktail Jo lists a bunch of her favourite roses: Wild Rover Meg - climber The Lark Ascending Felicite-Perpetue Adélaide d'Orléans Ghislaine de feligonde Blush Noisette Bengal Crimsen Mutablis  Gertrude JekyllMILsures Olivia Rose Austin Ispahan

    50 min

  8. 17 FEB

    A notebook full of failures - Maddie and Emily chat!

    We're baaaaaack! And with a slightly new format. We're trying out one week where we release our chat (longer version), and the following week we'll release our guest interview. It means we can get episodes out weekly. We'll trial it and see. We've missed the podcast so it's awesome to be back.  Emily has knocked it out of the park with a delicious mulberry bramble (gin, mulberry cordial from our friends' tree, blackberries, lime). Having taken more than two months off, we have so much to chat about.    Including, but not limited to: Seed saving - calendula and platypus spinach, Drying hydrangeas thanks to Anya The Garden Fairy We're talking about Moths - they need a rebrand. The Almanac, Cool Climate Sowing Guide Alnwick Garden and Millie Fleur's Poison Garden (by Christy Mandin). Aaaand lilacs, daphne, feverfew, calendula, compost bays.  Catch up next week when we interview (omg!) Jo Thompson!

    36 min
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About

With lots of enthusiasm and very little know how, Emily and Maddie love chatting about gardening, often with a glass of wine or cocktail in hand. In each fortnightly episode, we speak to people who inspire us in the garden, in order to unearth some much needed knowledge.

Information

  • Creator
    Madeleine Gasparinatos & Emily Allen
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Avant Gardeners

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