The Garden Log: Recent Episodes
Ben Dark
The Garden Log is an award winning podcast from Ben Dark, Head Gardener at an English country estate. Episodes begin with a review of events in the flowerbeds, meadows and woodland, before moving on to discuss horticultural matters more generally.
Ben is an ever-curious host who does not take himself, his job or gardening too seriously. A half-hour spent in his company is a half-hour spent far away from the myriad concerns of modern life.
A fond farewell from Ben and directions to the new podcast Dear Gardener, where the Garden Log lives on in spirit.
I'm going to keep the Garden Log online for those who want to relisten or are finding it for the first time. I'm think ready to start again from the beginning!
Dear Gardener can be found on apple here: https://linktr.ee/deargardener
If you have enjoyed the Garden Log over the past 4 years or would like to contribute to its ongoing hosting fees consider buying me a digital coffee at https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In this excellent episode Ben finds roses like cats, lawns like dunes and flowers like clothes pegs. Also featuring a few simple tricks to stop things dying.
Its a sultry spring day on the Garden Log. We muse on the kindness of strangers, advise on planting for a rubble-strewn drive and yearn for romance.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
linktr.ee/bendark
In this recreation of a lost walk Ben visits the garden of G. N Brandt (deceased) who brought the arts and crafts movement to Denmark and whose modest orchard-watergarden-woodland survives in the suburbs north of Copenhagen.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
Its spring and Ben is gardening hard. In a special dispatch from the flowerbeds he reports on sparrows, cosmos and creeping jenny. Also featuring a trip to the fairground, tabloid libel and a woman named X
Ben discusses Ornithogolum, irises, poppies and golden fleece. Also featuring a trip to the Boboli gardens in Florence and a reading from The Grove: A Nature Odyssey in 19 1/2 Front Gardens - recently described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘the best gardening book of 2022’ and available to order from everywhere here: linktr.ee/bendark
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In this special episode of The Garden Log Ben walks out one mid-spring morning in search of beauty and blossom. The pavements brings him plants, thoughts, birdsong and some sort of helicopter, all of which are lovingly reported on.
For more of this sort of thing try The Grove: Available to order now:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-grove/ben-dark/9781784727383
The garden log comes out in favour of seed heads, weeds some beds, throws some droops, sees some shoots - you know, gardening stuff!
For events tickets go here - https://linktr.ee/bendark
What’s more tangled: a neglected climber or or human morality? The Garden Log sticks its head into thorns and finds out.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
http://linktr.ee/bendark
Ben takes to the seed compost, hunts cactus through the snow and talks about his new book, which, by the way, is available to buy here! https://linktr.ee/bendark
Celebrate the return of the Garden Log with some of your favourite shrubs!
Plus mulch shovelling, cotinus and some dodgey but lovable carex
In this starling-squalled episode of the Garden Log Ben is turned away from the botanic garden and makes his way to the mountains of Italy to talk about vegetables, olives and the Villa Cimbrone
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
Ben tours the fruit trees of Bernstorff Slotshave, discovers a nuttery and uses it to muse on pruning, ivy, bees, wasps, dogs, figs, cliffs and trees.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In Ben's first ever outdoor recording for the Garden Log he is driven from a historic kitchen garden to wander in search of euonymus, yew trees and friendly dogs.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In this northerly episode of The Garden Log Ben discusses lime trees, hollyhocks, hedge heights and salsify and is refreshed by the Scandinavian approach to Japanese Knotweed.
In the last episode of the Garden Log’s three-and-half-year ‘season 1’ Ben reflects on the garden and looks forward a new chapter…
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
Spring breezes blow the daffodils as Ben reports on the damage that winter hath wrought and the beauty of new growth
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
In this midwinter episode of the Garden Log Ben plays dice with the Gods of Winter, prunes ground cover roses and discusses the newty beauty of psuedopanax
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
Ben discusses snowdrop planting, creates a forget-me-not dream screen and warns of the dangers of the plum bun.
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
Hello! Ben here. It’s wet. The garden is half-flooded and really only good for eels and starfish. But never mind! We’re planting bright yellow achillea to cheer everybody up. All aboard for another voyage on H.M.S Horticulture.
In this season-straddling episode of the Garden Log Ben discusses the art of horticultural gossip, rides a new machine, names many beetles and get the business of bulb planting under way.
ko-fi.com/bendark
n this hot and humid episode of Britain’s Best Gardening Podcast Ben deals with a rambling rose, learns a new technique and tries to hide the damage of midsummer heat.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In this wind buffeted episode of the Garden Log Ben takes a risk in the compost heap, plants some very special trees and batters the hedges.
This week the gardeners spread outrageous herbaceous perennials to all corners of the garden and report from the meadow.
Ligularia 'Zepter'
Centranthus ruber 'Albus'
Rodgersia aesculifolia
Astrantia major 'Gill Richardson’
Iris 'Dusky Challenger'
Geranium 'Sirak'
Cynara cardunculus
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunray'
The Albertus Oak Mysteries:
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0871XW1HC
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B084TRFVNF
Ko-fi.com/bendark
In this daring episode of Britain’s favourite gardening podcast Ben comes up the wrong side of the weather, explains how to divide dahlias and encounters an exciting new plant.
www.ko-fi.com/bendark
In this episode of the Garden Log Ben returns after three weeks in lockdown to find the grounds more beautiful than ever. Also: aphids, cleomes and the hart’s tongue fern.
https://ko-fi.com/bendark
In this locked-down edition of the Garden Log Ben takes a horticultural stroll, makes a case for blowsy tulips and reconsiders the London amelanchier.
Soothing noises for troubled times
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
bendark.com
Ben modifies a large pinus sylvestris, plants green mondo grass and develops a nostalgic new form of gardening. All this and more in horticultures most discursive podcast.
In this blustery episode of the Garden Log Ben and the team carry out some subterranean demolition, find a tree corpse, and plant 458 herbaceous perennials
In this January episode of The Garden Log Ben ties in fruit trees, makes a bet on a daffodil and rescues some asters from a heap of dumped clay. Also, musings on the season to come, general plant chat and very nice sunrise. All this and more on England’s finest horticultural podcast!
In this episode of the Garden Log Ben celebrates very happy news, makes some awful horticultural mistakes, plants roses and talks of irrigation.
In this early December episode of the Garden Log Ben plants bulbs at three per second, worries about citrus trees, looks into the rooting capacity of autumn soil and encounters mob justice in Finsbury Park
In this November episode of the garden log Ben rescues a flopped wisteria, plants vast quantities of spring bulbs, starts the mulching and discusses the best technique for clearing leaves from saturated soil.
In this blazing autumnal episode of the Garden Log Ben takes a trip to Mottisfont Abbey and RHS Wisley. Also, hellebores, peonies, variegated yew, mud eating and much much more
Head Gardener Ben Dark considers the dock, rejects time travel, splits bananas and plants cyclamen
This week the Garden Log gets into the weeds. Barrowloads of brambles, some nettles, wood avens, ground elder, dandelions and purple cherry plum.
Also! Dog's tooth violets, camassias, water pipes and flooded lanes.
In this sun-kissed episode of the garden log we mix bedding plants with grasses, plant up an ancient stone trough and slander Edwardian sailors. A podcast for people who like gardens and the people who garden them.
In this episode of the Garden Log we scythe the last sweet grass of summer, spread fine mulch and sings a cricket’s song.
As mentioned on the podcast, to see me at the landscape show register here: http://www.landscapeshow.co.uk/register
In this episode of the Garden Log Ben summons the Elder Gods, meets a canary fancying diamond magnate and trims the wisteria.
Solomon Joel’s garden party - https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-foxhill-estate-1926-online
Hampton Court: Our growing year - https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/hampton-court-gardens/our-growing-year/#gs.xkd84m
Gherado Cibo’s plantain - https://www.moleiro.com/en/books-of-medicine/dioscorides-by-mattioli-and-cibo/miniatura/broadleaf-plantain-dioscorides
If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review and sharing on social media!
In liquidating heat Ben plants, digs, sweats and chops when he should be drinking in the shade - all in the name of Beauty! Also, how to look at a familiar garden in a totally new light. This and much more in episode 64 of the award winning Garden Log podcast.
Weeds take centre stage in high summer as Ben turns farmers wife and chops off their roots with a carving knife.
Thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
In this week’s heat-drenched episode of the Garden Log Ben makes a terrible mistake, battles powdery mildew and coats himself in a layer of thorns, twigs and earwigs. No other half-hour contains more gardening - fact!
Thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
Twitter: @bensgarden
Instagram: ben_dark_
Facebook: The Garden Log Podcast
In this episode of the Garden Log Ben cuts back the mint in preparation for mojito season, erects a rhomboid arch and talks extensively about stinging nettles. Enjoy!
In this weeks episode Ben ruins a York stone path, heaves some iron and reflects on horticultural lessons learned.
A full smorgasbord of horticulture - served rain-soaked and half-composted. In this episode we discuss when and why to cut back long-flowering perennials, look at some ferns and make preparations for the summer we wish we had. Enjoy!
This week Ben completes the woodland garden, rediscovers a gardening archive and sends the herbaceous borders off in a blaze of glory
Ben works on woods, weeds and walks. Also on his tan.
The Garden Log is an award winning podcast all about a head gardener and the plants he works with.
In this Episode of the Garden Log Ben talks tulips, talks with two lips, walks with two hips, speaks of new tips and cuts the grass.
Also, optical illusions for lawnmowers, the family Ranunculacea and seasonal weeding.
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
Welcome to Episode 55 of the garden log in which we shunt bulbs, buy trees and gossip about UK horticulture.
Feel free to email me about plants you have known: thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
The National Trust’s Sissinghurst video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbm14Q-teLo&feature=youtu.be
Sap rises in this long anticipated episode of the Garden Log. We take a trip to see the gurus of grass, move a statue without the help of helicopters and get excited about spring bulbs.
A podcast for people who like people who like plants!
Sarcococca scented signs of spring to come. This week verges are repaired, hedges replanted and strange sights spotted in the trees.
Very much a gardening podcast from the makers of the Garden Log episodes 1-52
This week snow melts and rain pelts, trees rise and deer subside and we find thorny new ways to ornament walls
Thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
@Bensgarden
Featured blog: https://www.oxoniangardener.co.uk
This week on the Log we bring order to thorny chaos, yearn for the perfect snowdrop and careen down hills in the snow.
Your money back if you find a more horticultural half hour!
For the Garden Log's half century we take a trip up a tree, visit Kew Gardens and look at the hosta bed. We also learn how prune fruit trees and how to live for ever. Happy listening!
In this brave new podcast we discuss grass, gravel and the gardens of Queen Anne. Also horticultural drunks, what and when to cut back and a bumblebee.
In this rain-drenched episode we discuss Arts and Crafts gardening, plant a happy-morning garden and plant a field of white camassia.
In this episode mulch is spread and coats are donned. Also, the philosophy of winter lawn care. Podcast best paired with some spiced herbal infusion.
In blazing autumn Ben plants an eccentric new foliage garden and worries if he has made a huge mistake. Also, massed ranks of hellebores, planting a hula-hedge and how to wrap your tree fern.
October 2018. A wet sunny week full of plants and talking about plants. We plan the new borders for 2019 and start sourcing herbaceous and woody material
Season two. The Garden Log celebrates its first birthday with wit, wisdom and a day trip to Hampton Court.
In this episode we cut back on the lavender, discuss favourite plants and tragically find out why its never a good idea to rush things in the garden.
September arrives with cold mornings and new smells. We start propagating next year's superstars, indulge in luxury weeding and discuss why now is the time for new gardening projects.
Thirty minutes of horticultural reflection and comment. Contentment guaranteed
In this literally groundbreaking episode of The Garden Log Ben experiments with home remedies for powdery mildew, cuts hedges, talks about flowers and drives into a fox hole.
The Garden Log. A podcast for people and plants
This week the Garden Log is infested. Not that we let it stop us creating a beautiful new border or taking a trip to Oxford. No crying please, lets all talk about flowers
In this episode of the Garden Log we drop in on a suave french landscape architect, rip out some grass, laugh in the face of ugliness and soak our eyes in beauty. Not since Eden have plants and people been in such perfect harmony.
In this episode wisteria is tamed, lawnmowers are ridden like chariots and rain falls like an upturned river. Also, advice on how to steal ideas and a discussion of the horticultural tasks that every good gardener should master
In this cheese-wine charmed episode of The Garden Log we talk meadows, short lived perennials, lilly-beetles, and acorns. We also pay a visit to a National Trust garden and travel back in time to meet a Victorian head gardener
This hottest day of the year coincides with the wildflower orchard's annual hay cut. I harvest dahlias for garish, smile-inducing vases of midsummer joy and we discuss whether its possible to imbue certain flower beds with a profound aura of cosmic dread.
All in a weeks work on The Garden Log!
In this episode we go garish for a garden fiesta, learn how to use ornamental grass to soften harsh borders and go scrumping for black mulberries. All this and more in the latest episode of Britain’s most addictive gardening podcast.
In hazy midsummer Ben Dark tells stories about trees and recommends some border-filling plants for mid-summer swaps
In this hot episode of Britain's favourite horticultural podcast we labour in desperate pursuit of beauty. Also, tips on how to NOT boil your plants, which bacopa is not worth the seed price and staying safe with cycads.
Have fun gardeners!
In this episode we learn the subtle art of deadheading, learn when not to weed and eat some wild carrot. All in a week's work for The Garden Log
Welcome to episode 31 of the garden log. This week we are firm but fair to wisteria, we are filling our boots with ants and we are dissing some bugle. An unmissable feast for your horticultural imagination
In this episode we visit a disgusting flower bed, learn how to start a hospital for orchids and wax on about oriental poppies.
Also, aphid control, plant buying and Derek Jarman
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode we lean how to pop lily beetles, prune box hedging and mix the perfect compost
Tonight I’m gonna garden like its 1979. We take a nostalgic tour of that decade's eccentric gardens and root up some tree stumps with a big digger
In this episode we reveal the scientific secrets of the perfect croquet lawn and chuck a load of plants in on the compost heap for being the wrong shade of white. Also, weeding, feeding, reading and seeding.
Spring is here. Gloves on, headphones in - time for another episode of The Garden Log!
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode we consider the daffodil munching meadow slug, contemplate the effects of house-fires on wisteria vines and try out new stripes for the lawn
It's a blazing bonanza of horticulture and anecdote!
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
In this episode we scoop holes in the mud and smear in fabulous summer bulbs
Also, how to pot nerines and writing better by knowing less
In this episode we do muddy battle with a pine tree, try some new shade lovers and take a trip to the nursery for coffee and carrot cake
In this episode we explore the art of shrubby bondage, get bold with big boulders, take a trip to Kew gardens and cut some turf
A momentous week for gardening and gardeners alike
In this episode we learn the arcane arts of the dahlia fancier, build a wall around the Malvern Hills and sow seeds of coming summer's army.
No podcast has muddier boots
In this episode we talk out pricking out, split a male fern, prepare for artic blasts and admire a mushroom cloud of hazel. Its just bursting with info-microbes!
A blue fingered tale of citrus pruning and acer potting. Featuring Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley and William 'Bury Me In My Tree' Lucombe
We’re getting shady with hakonechloa, geums and liriope. Also Nairn’s London, and a load of half eaten tulips
The important thing to remember about this episode is that every time I say Tangerine Dream I actually mean Totally Tangerine
In this week's episode we discuss the Felco fetish, winter prune wisteria, plant parrotia and have a seedy talk. All plants, all gardens, all recorded in a treehouse.
We go shopping for specimen trees, drink lots of tea and cut back epimediums. There’s also info on dividing hardy perennials and advice on how to stop gardeners destroying gardens.
In this episode of the gardening podcast Ben talks about worms, foxgloves and the art of the Japanese garden. A wriggly, wiggly horticultural treat.
In this episode we talk deadwood, Pope, bonsai and hope. With excitement and worry the ground is broken on a new area of the garden. Ben surveys the damage wrought by winter and fails to clean the greenhouse.
It's bare root hedges with Philip of Macedon and thick-headed gardeners with Mr Kipling in this barnstorming episode of The Garden Log
This wintery broadcast investigates how to put the garden to bed for winter and debunks some ancient Chinese wisdom. Also, green alkanet, blackbirds, foxgloves and hylotelephium.
Maybe a hot cup of tea would go well with this episode?
In this episode we take to the waves with a question from the canal-side. I’m talking the language of flowers and giving evergreen advice for early December.
Join me for another muddy-kneed tour of the English garden.
Thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
@bensgarden
This was a windy, thrifty, rotten sort of week. I'm talking medlars, erotic Persian gardening, phytophthora and robin training. Just November things.
@Bensgarden
thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
Now back in England, hands firmly in the soil, head high in the clouds.
Its time to talk compost. Also, I'll be flagging some issues with Iris pseudacorus and conducting a survey of the flowering plants still braving the November chill.
As always, questions and feedback to thegardenlogpodcast@gmail.com
@Bensgarden
Happy gardening!
This week’s special edition focuses on planting a spectacular, long flowering border to keep you radioactively warm all winter.
Plants used for this project:
Allium moly
Erigeron karvinskianus
x Heucherella ‘Kimono’
Hylotelephium spectabile 'Carl'
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Sparkle White’
Kniphofia ‘Toffee Nosed’
Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Sweet Winter
Sisyrinchium striatum
Another wander through the gardening week. In this episode it’s time to talk tulips. I tell the story of my Morning Glory and commiserate with a listener over his dismembered tiarella.
This week we focus on root-balled yew, how to get the best from your beautyberry and plan on transforming the garden into just the right sort of fiery hell-pit.
More gardens, gardening and horticultural advice from The Garden Log.
In this episode find out how to bring joy to bare flower beds and discover which common weed has clove flavoured roots. Also, seasonal advice on biannual bedding and how to plant bulbs on a grand scale.
This week focuses on mellow autumn tasks. I discuss moments of horticultural wonder and how give some tips on helping fruit trees 'capture' their space.
An introduction to The Garden Log
This episode focuses on the buttery tones of early autumn. Chestnut problems are solved and Ben discuses his ambivalent relationship with weeding.