Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

What can one neglected patch of land grow beyond plants? This week, I'm joined by Shereen Chung-Blake, community gardener and programme coordinator at Bankside Open Spaces Trust, to hear how she turned an unused space in Camberwell into a thriving community garden, and why making horticulture accessible can transform both places and people. Benny's Insect of the Week: Heath Potter Wasp Links Shereen's Instagram LinkedIn Camberwell Triangle Gardeners Future Gardeners Course Incredible Edible London Right to Grow SLUG (Community Composting) Burgess Plant Nursery (Community Plants and Propagation) Walworth Community Gardening Network (WCGN) Walworth Road Retail Opportunity (Walworth Corners) Walworth Neighbourhood Food Model If you enjoyed this week's episode with Shereen, you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives: Episode 275: Community Gardening Vicky Chown, head gardener at OmVed Gardens, talks about the role of community gardens in bringing together food growing, creativity and wellbeing. It's a useful companion to Shereen's story of turning an unused patch of land into a thriving shared space. Episode 386: Walworth Garden – Rooted in Community Oliver Hayden of Walworth Garden discusses how a free community garden can support local people, encourage connections with nature and create meaningful social change. Like Shereen's work in Camberwell, it shows how gardens can offer far more than a place to grow plants. Please support the podcast on Patreon And follow Roots and All: On Instagram @rootsandallpod On Facebook @rootsandalluk On LinkedIn @rootsandall

What can 450 million years of plant evolution teach us about the world we live in today? This week, I'm joined by horticulturist and author Ben Dark to discuss his latest book, *Green Kingdom*, exploring the stories behind plant evolution, botanical classification and our changing understanding of the natural world. Benny's Insect of the Week: Field Digger Wasp Links Ben's Website The Garden Collective Green Kingdom by Ben Dark  Please support the podcast on Patreon And follow Roots and All: On Instagram @rootsandallpod On Facebook @rootsandalluk On LinkedIn @rootsandall If you enjoyed this week's episode with Ben, you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives: Episode 169: Darwin's Garden with Dr Jude Piesse Jude Piesse explores the largely forgotten garden of Charles Darwin's childhood home in Shrewsbury, revealing the people, stories and horticultural history that shaped this remarkable place. It's a fascinating companion to Ben's discussion of plant history, bringing together gardens, literature and the people behind our understanding of the natural world. Episode 164: By Any Other Name with Simon Morley Artist, art historian and rose gardener Simon Morley explores the cultural history of the rose, from its symbolism and origins to its enduring place in gardens and human society. Like Ben, Simon looks beyond the plants themselves to uncover the stories, ideas and cultural influences that shape how we understand and use them.  

What if the answer to seriously undesirable garden wildlife visitors isn't eradicating them, but learning to live alongside them? I'm joined by Kevin Newell, founder of Humane Wildlife Solutions, to explore humane ways to manage conflicts with species such as rats, mice, foxes, squirrels and badgers, and why changing our own behaviour can make all the difference. Benny's Insect of the Week: Long-winged conehead Links Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Please support the podcast on Patreon And follow Roots and All: On Instagram @rootsandallpod On Facebook @rootsandalluk On LinkedIn @rootsandall If you enjoyed this week's episode with Kevin, you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives: Episode 303: Slugs and Snails Jo Kirby explains why the usual methods of slug and snail control often don't work, what these creatures eat, and importantly, what eats them. It's a great companion to Kevin's advice on understanding wildlife and finding ways to manage garden conflicts without harming other species. Episode 17: Foxes in the Garden Animal behaviour expert Terry Woods explores the challenges of sharing our gardens with foxes, from digging up plants to common misconceptions about these often-maligned animals. Like Kevin, Terry offers a practical, humane perspective on living alongside wildlife.

Could feeding the birds in your garden actually be doing them more harm than good? This week I'm joined by Adrian Thomas from the RSPB to unpack the research behind the headlines, from declining greenfinches and chaffinches to bird feeding hygiene, trichomonosis and how we can help garden birds. Benny's Insect of the Week: Mexican Grass-Carrying Wasp sponsored by Kipos Kipos makes garden tracking social. We house your entire gardening journey in one spot, you can see your hard work, and you get to share the results with friends—real effort from real people. Use code 'ROOTSFORALL' during sign-up to gain a year of free access to Kipos.  Use code 'ROOTSFORALL' on Kipos for a year of free access - download the app HERE Links RSPB website  RSPB Instagram RSPB Facebook  RSPB X Twitter RSPB TikTok RSPB LinkedIn RSPB YouTube And follow Roots and All: On Instagram @rootsandallpod On Facebook @rootsandalluk On LinkedIn @rootsandall If you enjoyed this week's episode with Adrian, you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives: Episode 290: Saving Song Birds This episode looks at the pressures facing our songbirds and what we can do to support them, making it a natural companion to Adrian's discussion of declining greenfinches and chaffinches, and the role our gardens can play in helping struggling bird populations. Episode 244: The Biodiversity Gardener Paul Sterry explores how we can make our gardens better for wildlife by thinking beyond individual species and creating richer, more diverse habitats. It complements Adrian's advice on planting for birds, providing food and shelter, and making our gardens genuinely useful to wildlife.

Jon Davies and Steve Williams of Wild City Studio discuss their fresh, unconventional approach to urban horticulture, their collaborative design journey, their experimental playground at Markfield Park, and how embracing a lighter touch can transform rigid cityscapes into thriving ecological havens. Benny's Insect of the Week: The Small Copper Butterfly What You'll Learn Redefining Urban Wildness: How nature-connection and human culture intertwine to make modern cities far wilder than traditional notions suggest. Markfield Park Experiments: Insights into using crushed waste substrates, food forestry, and self-seeded corridors for resilient urban landscaping. Community-Led Design: Moving away from rigid, sterile design templates to allow local communities and natural processes to shape public spaces. Horticultural Rebellion: Why creative outsiders and designers find a new vehicle for expression and disruption through plants and landscape architecture. Episode 391: Letting the Wild In: This deep-dive archive episode looks closely at how natural ecological processes and spontaneous vegetation interact with modern design choices, matching Jon and Steve's focus on stepping back from rigid control and letting urban spaces breathe. Episode 179: Ecological Gardens with Sid Hill: An extensive look into building resilient, nature-led garden systems, directly echoing the punk horticulture ethos and practical structural approaches discussed in this episode.  Key Topics & Discussion Points What Does Wild Look Like in a City? Jon and Steve discuss the challenge of finding the right vocabulary to talk about nature connection when humans are inherently part of the ecosystem. Rather than viewing cities as static, controlled environments, they advocate for a light-touch approach that embraces dynamic ecological processes, like weeds breaking through concrete. Markfield Park: An Experimental Playground As a legacy project originating from the Chelsea Flower Show, Markfield Park serves as an ongoing test bed for substrate design and food forestry. The duo explains how stepping back from rigid control allowed self-seeders and the local community to collaboratively shape a more vibrant, dynamic landscape. Letting Go of Design Control Community engagement is rarely neat or predictable. Jon and Steve share how unexpected interactions with local residents and school groups transformed their original vision into something far more holistic and meaningful. They draw inspiration from international projects like the Groningen project and Paris's Jardin de Joyo, where self-sufficient natural spaces thrive with minimal human intervention. Horticultural Rebels and Changemakers Reflecting on their paths into horticulture from creative backgrounds like art and photography, Jon and Steve explore why landscape design attracts people looking to disrupt traditional systems. Rather than following strict red tape, they encourage gardeners to bring authenticity, passion, and their own unique perspectives to public spaces. Links & Resources Mentioned You can find more details and purchase the book via the Penguin Random House Wild City Book Page. Learn more about Markfield Park Community Garden: https://www.markfieldpark.org.uk/ Explore the Roots and All website and archive: https://rootsandall.co.uk/podcast/ Support the podcast via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall Connect with Roots and All on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsandall/ Connect with Roots and All on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/rootsandall Connect with Roots and All on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/