In The Weeds With Anne Anne Unsworth

Welcome back to In The Weeds With Anne. In this episode I’m talking to Louise Elliott, the Head Gardener at Bignor Park Gardens, part of the privately owned Bignor Park Estate near Pulborough. Beautiful gardens in a wonderful setting. I know she’s really passionate about plants and gardening, and I’m looking forward to learning about her career path and how she developed an interest in horticulture.
For more information about Bignor Park House and Gardens, visit their website.
Bignor Park House, Bignor Park, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1HG
Opening times for the gardens as part of the National Gardens Scheme can be found here.
For Weddings, Events and Group Tour enquiries: please contact the Events Promoter, Louise Hartley: louise@bignorpark.co.uk
Instagram / Facebook

In this episode I'm talking with Professor Dave Goulson from the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex. He has had a life long fascination with insects, nature and wildlife in general. His academic speciality is the study of bees but he's also written a number of popular science books, the most recent being: The Garden Jungle. It's about gardening to save the planet; how small individual actions can make a big difference to our precious environment.
www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goulsonlab
d.goulson@sussex.ac.uk
Twitter: @davegoulson
Instagram: @dave.goulson & @intheweedswithanne

It's the end of February and I'm talking to Ray and Wendy Bates, who own and run Rotherview Nursery in Hastings and are also holders of one of the highest accolades in the horticultural world: gold medals from The Chelsea Flower Show.
https://shop.rotherview.com
Instagram: @rotherview & @intheweedswithanne

 

Approaching the end of 2019 and the beginning of a new decade, I was delighted to spend time talking to Claire Brown, the owner and energetic powerhouse behind Plantpassion - a fantastic cut flower farm based in the Surrey Hills. As you'll hear, Claire is a passionate advocate for British cut flowers - and so much more than just a flower farmer! I couldn't wait to find out more about her and the establishment and development of Plantpassion; now entering its eighth year as a cut flower farm.
www.plantpassion.co.uk
www.facebook.com/plantpassion
Contact: claire@plantpassion.co.uk
Instagram: @plantpassion & @intheweedswithanne
 

In this episode I talked to Paul Seaborne, a knowledgeable and experienced horticulturist, nurseryman and all round expert in the mysteries of plant propagation. I've met Paul at various plant fairs and at events at The Garden House in Brighton. I was so delighted to get, effectively, a one-on-one masterclass with a terrific plantsman.
Contact: pelhamplants@gmail.com
Instagram: @pelhamplants & @intheweedswithanne

This September, I was delighted to meet and talk with Jean Jackman, who gardens in the heart of the Sussex countryside and is someone who has long been a proponent of planting to attract wildlife into the garden (way back, before it became fashionable!) She's also the creator of the remarkable annual Floral Fringe Fair, organising it with her husband, Steve. It's become a much anticipated event in Sussex, the next one will be held at Leonardslee Gardens on the 30th and 31st of May 2020.
www.floralfringefair.co.uk
www.facebook.com/floralfringefair
Contact: jeanjackman@hotmail.com
Instagram: @floralfringefair & @intheweedswithanne
The soil improving recipe for clay, suggested by Sarah Raven, appeared in an article in The Telegraph in September 2007, and was along the lines of this:- 
Clay needs organic matter and grit in equal measure to make it work well: think of making apple-crumble topping on a large scale.  The soil is like butter, all sticky and smooth.  You want to add granulated sugar, coarse and sharp, to break it up: in the garden, that means horticultural grit.  You also need flour to bulk it out: the garden version is organic material, one barrow load to every 3 sq. metres.  So, when cultivating the ground, you spread barrow after barrow of grit and compost over the soil, then dig it in.
(Easier said than done, one suspects!)