Pots & Trowels The Gardening Podcast7 Dec 2025

Winterize Your Garden, Plus: Climate-Proof Gardening & Growing Tropicals in the UK with Lucy Chamberlain & Saul Walker

This week we're joined by Lucy Chamberlain and Saul Walker from the popular Talking Heads gardening podcast to discuss how UK gardens are adapting to changing weather patterns.

Lucy gardens on sandy soil in dry Essex, while Saul works with clay soil in wet Devon - their contrasting experiences offer fascinating insights into regional gardening challenges and opportunities. They share how they're both experimenting with more exotic, tropical-looking plants as our climate shifts.

In This Episode:

How different UK regions are experiencing climate change and what it means for your garden
Drought-tolerant edibles: amaranth, tree spinach, globe artichokes and more
The rise of hardy tropical plants - creating exotic gardens that survive UK winters
Lucy and Saul's journey creating the Talking Heads podcast (now over 300 episodes!)
Their work with RHS expert groups on fruit, vegetables and tender ornamentals
Saul's exciting plans for a national collection of hardy gingers

Listener Questions:

What to do next with successfully rooted pelargonium cuttings
How to water houseplants during winter when central heating is on

Seasonal Tips:

Collecting and using leaf mold as mulch
Ornamental water storage solutions
Winterizing your garden: protecting taps, tender plants and repairing lawns

Featured Guests: Lucy Chamberlain - Trained at Writtle and Wisley, head gardener in Essex, RHS Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Expert Group member, author of "Grow Food Anywhere"

Saul Walker - Former National Trust, Kew and RHS gardener, now head gardener at Stoneland's House, Devon, RHS Tender Ornamental Expert Group member

Got a gardening question? Email us at info@potsandtrowels.com

Find more gardening videos and advice at potsandtrowels.com

Sponsors: Plantgrow - creating organic, sustainable compost, mulch and soil conditioners from green electricity by-products in Norfolk.

Videos Mentioned:

Pelargonium Cuttings: https://youtu.be/P-B7UUiV90g

Secret Garden of Louth: https://youtu.be/QSH_GO96-kQ

Visit potsandtrowels.com for links to all the videos & podcast episodes

For a discount on PlantGrow products, UK followers can enter the code PT2026 at checkout (terms and conditions apply)

Email Questions to info@potsandtrowels.com

Our weekly YouTube videos are here: Pots & Trowels YouTube

The Pots & Trowels team:
Martin Fish
Jill Fish
Sean Riley

Find out more about Martin & Jill at martinfish.com
Find out more about Sean at boardie.com

Podcast produced by the team, edited by Sean, hosted by buzzsprout.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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