Talking Heads - a Gardening Podcast

Lucy Chamberlain and Saul Walker
  • 4.6 (27)
  • Home & Garden
  • Weekly

Follow professional gardeners Saul Walker and Lucy Chamberlain as they reveal exactly what it’s like to be horticulturists in the diverse and exciting world of gardening . Lucy and Saul have 40 years of gardening experience between them and it soon became clear to them both that this fulfilling vocation can be incredibly diverse, occasionally challenging and hugely rewarding. On the podcast they regularly discuss horticultural topics close to their hearts and give you an insight into their lives as gardeners. If you wish to support the podcast you can via our BuyMeACoffee page - just click the link at the end of the podcast description or the donate button found at the bottom of this page. 

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 328 - As Storm Austen and Boelo subside, Lucy and Saul reflect on how the gardeners are ever more in the laps of the weather gods, and how adapation will be a key part of our gardening future, and also reflect on the untimely death of Richard Baines

    Its been a long old summer of heat and drought - and although that may be great for those of us visiting the beach, our gardens (especially in the south) have taken a hammering. Gardening hasn't been much fun either. So its nice to get to the cooler and moister end of the year and enjoy the 'mellow fruitfulness' that will surround us for a few months. And as we prepare for the winter, its a lovely time of year just to take a stroll onto the plot, cup of tea in hand and revel in the the changing angle of the sun and the light that just makes the garden seem so magical at this time of year. But as a dedicated gardener don't spend to long dawdling - there still plenty of work to be done and time waits for no person! The storms may have blown through like any other, but the weather in this country becomes more and more a subject for discussion in this country with sever drought declared in parts of Devon and large amounts of rain falling, its hard to know what to plan for in the garden. The storms also cauded the tragic death of Richard Baines, curator at Logan Botanic Gardens and Saul's friend, so he pays tribute to an amazingly knowledgeable and generous man, and big loss to the gardening world. Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  2. Oct 24

    Ep. 327 - In this week's episode, Lucy pays tribute to garden writer Ruth Hayes, who sadly passed away in September. She also talks about storm Austen and what gardening tasks this is prompting her to complete

    Its been a long old summer of heat and drought - and although that may be great for those of us visiting the beach, our gardens (especially in the south) have taken a hammering. Gardening hasn't been much fun either. So its nice to get to the cooler and moister end of the year and enjoy the 'mellow fruitfulness' that will surround us for a few months. And as we prepare for the winter, its a lovely time of year just to take a stroll onto the plot, cup of tea in hand and revel in the the changing angle of the sun and the light that just makes the garden seem so magical at this time of year. But as a dedicated gardener don't spend to long dawdling - there still plenty of work to be done and time waits for no person! In this episode we pay tribute to the energy, passion, knowledge and warmth that encapsulated Ruth Hayes - Amateur Gardening magazine's gardening editor, who passed away this autumn. We hope that gardening brings you some comfort at these times of great sadness. With Storm Austen approaching, Lucy also reminds us that we need to take action if we own any tender plants - winter cold AND wet is not their friend. Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  3. Oct 17

    Ep. 326 - Rain, rain, come to Essex - where squirrels, walnuts and peaches are in abundance. Whilst Saul's beloved Devon has had some welcome autumn rain, Lucy is still much in need of it in North Essex

    Ah, Autumn Bliss. Its been a long old summer of heat and drought - and though that may be great for those of us visiting the beach, our gardens (especially in the south) have taken a hammering. Gardening hasn't been much fun either. So its nice to get to the cooler and moister end of the year and enjoy the 'mellow fruitfulness' that will surround us for a few months. And as gardens we prepare for the winter, its a lovely time of year just to take a stroll into the garden, cup of tea in hand and revel in the the changing angle of the sun and the light that just makes the garden seem so magical at this time of year. But as a dedicated gardener don't spend to long dawdling - there still plenty of work to be done in the garden and time waits for no person! Weather - and its effect on the garden - is the main topic of conversation for this episode. Lawns, trees, shrubs and perennials are all in various stages of recovery (or not) since the UK's drought this summer, so gardeners are waiting to see what happens. But luckily they're not being idle with their time: tidying, edging and (especially for Lucy) mulch making have brought the smiles back to their faces - thank goodness for that. Instagram links: Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Saul plantsmansaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  4. Oct 12

    Ep. 325 - The #TalkingHeads podcast is a bit at 6s and 7s at the moment, so bear with us, and in the meantime a little catch-up with Saul and some Apple(y) action!

    h Autumn Bliss. Its been a long old summer of heat and drought - and though that may be great for those of us visiting the beach, our gardens (especially in the south) have taken a hammering. Gardening hasn't been much fun either. So its nice to get to the cooler and moister end of the year and enjoy the 'mellow fruitfulness' that will surround us for a few months. And as gardens we prepare for the winter, its a lovely time of year just to take a stroll into the garden, cup of tea in hand and revel in the the changing angle of the sun and the light that just makes the garden seem so magical at this time of year. But as a dedicated gardener don't spend to long dawdling - there still plenty of work to be done in the garden and time waits for no person! Many apologies dear listeners - everytime Lucy and Saul beleive their gardening lives have got a bit quieter the amount they have to do just increases - so episodes at the moment are a little delayed and unorganised but never fear we'll keep the #HortiWaffle going somehow. So Saul just checks in with the you all to fill in what he has been up to recently including the end of the Hedychium Trial at East Ruston Garden and the amazing EuroPom - a celebration of apples (and other fruit) from around Europe, and the most mind blowing experience!  Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  5. Sep 26

    Ep. 324 - Finally two #TalkingHeads in the same room - as September brings a little (if not busy) normality back to Saul and Lucy's gardening lives...

    Ah Autumn Bliss. Its been a long old summer of heat and drought - and though that may be great for those of us visiting the beach, our gardens (especially in the south) have taken a hammering. Gardening hasn't been much fun either. So its nice to get to the cooler and moister end of the year and enjoy the 'mellow fruitfulness' that will surround us for a few months. And as gardens we prepare for the winter, its a lovely time of year just to take a stroll into the garden, cup of tea in hand and revel in the the changing angle of the sun and the light that just makes the garden seem so magical at this time of year. But as a dedicated gardener don't spend to long dawdling - there still plenty of work to be done in the garden and time waits for no person! Finally Lucy and Saul are in the same room, if not in the correct counties to snatch a bit of time together to catch up and resume the #HortiWaffle. Saul has still be on his travels catching up on Hedychium trials, Plant Heritage work and enjoying the countryside of the British Isles from various train windows. Lucy has been enjoying a little more of the normal 'local' work with plenty of Autumn mulch to prepare and Chocolate Custard Creams to consume - isn't it nice to have a little normality back! Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  6. Sep 20

    Ep. 323 - What exactly has Saul been up to while away from Talking Heads land - well dashing across most of the Southern Counties of Britain enjoying his gardening life it seems.

    Summer is here - we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious - but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardener's tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after their planty spaces, as well as enjoying their gardens at home. Saul returns to the Talking Heads Podcast after a small sabbatical travelling up and down the M4, M5 and A303 taking in the many landscapes of Southern Britain while visiting many a garden, plant paradise and the occasion flower show. His gardening life is a busy one especially this year, but the fact that he gets to see so many wonderful floral delights plus meet the gardeners and growers behind them makes the every increasing fuel bill bearable! Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  7. Sep 15

    Ep. 322 - It's the BBC Gardeners' World Fair at Audley End! Lucy has been busy putting a border together with De-Graft Mensah for the Make a Metre Matter campaign - so listen in to get a behind the scenes talk about its concept

    Summer is here - we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious - but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardener's tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after their planty spaces, as well as enjoying their gardens at home. Whist Saul is busy gathering up his braincells for the walled kitchen garden tours at Audley End, Lucy talks you through her Make a Metre Matter commitments for the BBC Gardeners' World Fair. There have been metres, they have ALL mattered - and if you are able to pledge one of yours to support this campaign Lucy and De-Graft will both be eternally grateful. Bring on the sausages!! Instagram links: Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Saul plantsmansaul Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

  8. Aug 29

    Ep. 321 - Last week we talked about the issues in the present, well this episode is about the solutions for the future in gardening - Lucy 'Nostradamus' Chamberlain looks into her crystal ball....

    Summer is here - we enter the long days and sultry nights with the garden looking glorious - but always looking to the horizon for a little bit of rain to keep things looking green and lush. Herbaceous borders are set to maximum colour, vegetable beds seem to multiply in growth weekly and the gardener's tan is ever present. So enjoy the long summer days, take some time to appreciate time in your garden and join the Talking Heads pair as they continue to look after their planty spaces, as well as enjoying their gardens at home. The end of summer drought doesn't mean that we aren't still to face the real consequences of this years weather - there's much more weather to come. But what does the future hold for gardening? Well Saul and Lucy get the grey matter working to bring you some of their future predictions of what gardeners maybe doing in the next decade to start adapting to what the weather throws at us - much of it means evolving how we garden and what our gardens may look like - but if there is one thing for certain we'll still be gardening a lot (maybe more in Winter!?) Instagram links: Saul plantsmansaul Lucy lucychamberlaingardens Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the show

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4.6
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

Follow professional gardeners Saul Walker and Lucy Chamberlain as they reveal exactly what it’s like to be horticulturists in the diverse and exciting world of gardening . Lucy and Saul have 40 years of gardening experience between them and it soon became clear to them both that this fulfilling vocation can be incredibly diverse, occasionally challenging and hugely rewarding. On the podcast they regularly discuss horticultural topics close to their hearts and give you an insight into their lives as gardeners. If you wish to support the podcast you can via our BuyMeACoffee page - just click the link at the end of the podcast description or the donate button found at the bottom of this page. 

Information

  • Creator
    Lucy Chamberlain and Saul Walker
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    358
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Talking Heads - a Gardening Podcast
  • Show Website
    Talking Heads - a Gardening Podcast

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