9: Well-Cultivated Words

Published: July 15, 2019, 9 a.m.

Gail, Hazel and host Philippa dig into the subject of garden writing with the journalist and social historian Ursula Buchan and Matt Collins, nature writer and Head Gardener at London’s Garden Museum. The conversation meanders convivially in the usual Slightly Foxed manner, via daredevil plant-hunters, early wild gardening advocates such as Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West, and the passing passions and fashions of garden design, with a peek over the hedge at Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter along the way. And there’s the usual round-up of the latest bookish harvest from the Slightly Foxed office and plenty of recommendations for reading off the beaten track too.

The digits in brackets following each listing refer to the minute and second they are mentioned. (Episode duration: 35 minutes; 50 seconds)

Books Mentioned

We may be able to get hold of second-hand copies of the out-of-print titles listed below. Please get in touch with Anna in the Slightly Foxed office for more information.

Related Slightly Foxed Articles & Illustrations

  • An article on Beth Chatto, The Dry Garden will be published in a forthcoming issue of Slightly Foxed (18:11)
  • A Well-tempered Gardener, Michael Leapman on the garden writings of Christopher Lloyd, Issue 59 (22:49)
Other Links

  • Ursula Buchan is an award-winning journalist, social historian and garden writer (3:50)
  • Matt Collins is a nature writer, and Head Gardener at the Garden Museum in Lambeth, London (6:02)
  • David Douglas (25 June 1799–12 July 1834) was a Scottish botanist, best known as the namesake of the Douglas-fir (10:08)
  • Hortus, a gardening journal (20:08)
  • All back issues of Slightly Foxed are available to browse and buy here (30:20)
Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by Bach
Sound effects:
An English Country Garden in July by Keith Selmes
Bees and bumblebees foraging by odilonmarcenaro
Thanks to www.freesound.org CC licence, attribution 

The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by Podcastable