243 episodes

Follow head gardeners Saul Walker and Lucy Chamberlain as they reveal exactly what it’s like to be professional horticulturists leading busy teams on large, private estates. Lucy and Saul have a decade of Head Gardening experience and it soon became clear to them both that life as a Head Gardener can be incredibly diverse, occasionally challenging and hugely rewarding and so 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 top right of this page.

Talking Heads - a Gardening Podcast Lucy Chamberlain and Saul Walker

    • Leisure
    • 4.5 • 22 Ratings

Follow head gardeners Saul Walker and Lucy Chamberlain as they reveal exactly what it’s like to be professional horticulturists leading busy teams on large, private estates. Lucy and Saul have a decade of Head Gardening experience and it soon became clear to them both that life as a Head Gardener can be incredibly diverse, occasionally challenging and hugely rewarding and so 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 top right of this page.

    Ep. 215 - Is it Spring, is it not spring - that's the question as Lucy and Saul continue to wrestle their wet gardens into fit shape, and one of the projects you can do is creating Raised Beds, the subject of this weeks guest David Hurrion's new book.

    Ep. 215 - Is it Spring, is it not spring - that's the question as Lucy and Saul continue to wrestle their wet gardens into fit shape, and one of the projects you can do is creating Raised Beds, the subject of this weeks guest David Hurrion's new book.

    Spring is the time of the gardening year where all gardeners sigh with relief, it's really time to get out and about and enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture.  A garden waking up and showing its early colour and form is a wonderful space to live and work in, an it's no exception that Lucy and Saul revel in this time of year, as their gardening lives start to get busier with sowing, planting, propagation, mowing, mulching and all other gardening tasks. Sprinkle in some early flower shows and the odd plant fair and our gardening life is complete, so thank god for Spring!

    Saul and Lucy are wrestling their gardens into some kind of shape, as the Spring weather stops and starts. Blossom is beginning to show and many task seem to be building up, so the gardening pair are feeling the pressure. But maybe the answer comes in the form of Raised Beds - the subject of our guest on this episode, David Hurrion, who's new book is the comprehensive guide on  a facet of our garden both practically and design-wise that we maybe overlooking a little too much!

    David's Book:
    The Raised Bed book

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul
    David @DavidHurrion

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc
    David davidhurrion

    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

    • 31 min
    Ep. 214 - Lack of gardening, the Eden Project and perennial vegetables - thats the kind of Horticultural waffle the Talking Heads pair like as they finally return to their usual format (oh and don't forget the weather!)

    Ep. 214 - Lack of gardening, the Eden Project and perennial vegetables - thats the kind of Horticultural waffle the Talking Heads pair like as they finally return to their usual format (oh and don't forget the weather!)

    Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens.

    Saul and Lucy return to their usual format of waffle, and with lots to catch up on they have a good chat about the weather (surprise, surprise), Lucy's lack of garden progress (Like us all), Saul's visit to the new 'Growing Point' nursery at the Eden Project, and a listener's question about perennial vegetables.  So a lot to cover in this new episode, as Spring (we hope) is slowly appearing on the horizon!

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc

    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

    • 46 min
    Ep. 213 - Join Lucy at the Garden Press Event - the starting herald to the gardening season where the horticultural media meet exhibitors with new products and new media campaigns, plus a small cameo from Saul!

    Ep. 213 - Join Lucy at the Garden Press Event - the starting herald to the gardening season where the horticultural media meet exhibitors with new products and new media campaigns, plus a small cameo from Saul!

    Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens.

    As the winter gloom gives way to (hopefully) more joyful spring brilliance, its time for the Talking Heads pair to start their busy calender of garden events all around the country, with the starting gun fired at the Garden Press Event at the Business Design Centre in London. Join Lucy as she takes a look at the plethora of new garden products, meets with fellow horti-friends and even has a sneaky interview with Saul, as he eulogises the Hardy Plant Society to the gather throng of press and influencers alike.

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc

    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

    • 38 min
    Ep. 212 - Saul enjoys some solo time in the garden, so come and join him at Stonelands, where he's dodging puddles, sorting out his greenhouse and attempts a live seed sowing demonstration (what could go wrong!)

    Ep. 212 - Saul enjoys some solo time in the garden, so come and join him at Stonelands, where he's dodging puddles, sorting out his greenhouse and attempts a live seed sowing demonstration (what could go wrong!)

    Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens.

    Winter is slowly dissolving into Spring - and especially this year where the mildness and wet has caused many plants to start their Spring early and the lawns are quite shaggy from continual growth. Saul has all these issues in abundance at Stonelands, so while dodging the downpours he is getting as much work done while things dry up. Join him as he takes a look around the greenhouse and then attempts a live seed sowing demonstration (fantastic for a purely audio medium!), as the growing season starter gun is fired.

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc

    Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
    "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
    License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b
    Support the show

    • 35 min
    Ep. 211 - An apprenticeship offers an excellent route into horticulture, so this week Lucy and Saul celebrate National Apprenticeship Week by looking at how one could springboard your horticultural career

    Ep. 211 - An apprenticeship offers an excellent route into horticulture, so this week Lucy and Saul celebrate National Apprenticeship Week by looking at how one could springboard your horticultural career

    Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens.

    It's a route many of us take when we embark upon our professional gardening journey, and so Saul and Lucy couldn't let National Apprenticeship Week pass without giving this method of training due appreciation. The range and reputation of venues offering such schemes is impressive, and the partnership of training whilst earning an income makes these on-the-job schemes a viable option for many. Plus, Lucy shares exciting composting news - hear her heave a huge sigh of relief!

    Details of, and links to, all the webinar recordings can be found here:
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/articles/horticulture-discovery-week

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc

    Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
    "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
    License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b
    Support the show

    • 32 min
    Ep. 210 - Embark upon your wonderful career in horticulture, courtesy of the RHS! This week, Saul and Lucy discuss the charity's Horticulture Career Discovery Week, which showcases the diversity of our wonderful industry.

    Ep. 210 - Embark upon your wonderful career in horticulture, courtesy of the RHS! This week, Saul and Lucy discuss the charity's Horticulture Career Discovery Week, which showcases the diversity of our wonderful industry.

    Winter in the UK is either mild and damp, or cold and windy - and who would want to be outside as a gardener at this time of year - well Saul and Lucy for one, as these months are some of the busiest in all of the 12. While the garden may be slumbering, Head Gardeners and their teams are beavering away on major jobs, garden renovations, cleaning and tidying the years clutter and making plans for 2024. So join us every week to see what we're up to in the cold months in our work and home gardens.

    Last week, Lucy was thrilled to be a key speaker for the RHS's Horticultural Careers Discovery Week, where industry ambassadors were asked to shine a spotlight on their chosen career paths. The 40-minute webinars covered a wide range of professions, from tree surgeons, plant health inspectors and horticultural advisors, to horticultural therapists, garden designers and even filmset dressers. So, whichever route into gardening may have piqued your interest, the duo hope that its led to a varied, fulfilling and thoroughly enjoyable career.

    Details of, and links to, all the webinar recordings can be found here:
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/articles/horticulture-discovery-week

    Instagram Links:
    Lucy headgardenerlc

    Twitter links:
    Saul @GardeningSaul

    Intro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io
    "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
    License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b
    Support the show

    • 33 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
22 Ratings

22 Ratings

Kurt in NWCT ,

One of the Best Gardening Podcasts!

Lucy and Saul feel like a pair of gardening friends who I haven’t met yet. They discuss the fascinating jobs and projects going on in the estate gardens they head. We also get a peek into Saul’s increasing mastery of exotic gardening at home and Lucy’s irrepressible zeal for home-grown vegetables and tomatoes! I love to listen to the podcast while I’m out in my own garden. (In Connecticut!) It keeps me company and reminds me that my hobby would make one heck of a hard job! It all makes me love gardening more. Thank you both for sharing a little piece of your gardening lives and a lot of useful wisdom.

oo em ,

Well Done!

I’m a Colorado gardener and love your show. Just found this and was led to Talking Dirty and Martin Fish (Pots and Trowles). Thank you for great information and a fun show!

Dr. JoyMama ,

Travel to another place with knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides

I live in Minnesota US, where the famous native son Prince warned gardeners, “sometimes it snows in April.” We snowshoe in February instead of seeing snowdrops. Hearing about professional estate gardens helps me travel to another place and imagine other lives and human tended landscapes. I listen to visit with my ears and soothe my nerves. A friend in lonely times.

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