At the time of the Summer Solstice, Nina and Jo chat with an actual Druid and discuss why, actually, it’s all logical. Celebrating trees, plants, stones and skies, Dan Lobb takes us along on a journey of reconnecting with the wisdom of our ancestors. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

Jo and Nina are back from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Listen in to hear their thoughts and reflections on one of the biggest weeks of the horticultural year. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

A little bit of sunshine does us all the world of good as Nina and Jo catch up on what’s going on in the garden. There’s a lucky dip of horticultural information this week: why not stick a hand in and rummage around? Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

Jo is back and gives Nina a whistlestop tour through San Francisco, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Connecticut. Motorcades and Gwyneth Paltrow, expensive dressing Succession-style, best bookshops and booknooks, and is there any point at all to a eucalyptus, which Nina feels fairly strongly about. There’s a visit to a super-whizz tech headquarters in Silicon Valley, an homage to the Tales of the City novels and a scoot around gardens both botanical and communal. Groundhogs make yet...

This week, the sap is rising in a pre-festive special. The Easter bunny and Gwyneth Paltrow, a new idea for a wellness book, and are Creme Eggs smaller than they used to be. Please do rate this podcast on Apple or Spotify. And…. follow now so that you never miss another episode!!! Next episode out at Easter. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Nina takes us to Alexandra Palace and live music, whilst Jo unpicks the rules of ice hockey and shares a secret never told before. The debate continues as to whether Alan Titchmarsh is a dog or cat person, and whether or not darts is a sport, while Nina indulges in a bit of Tom Cruise-manifesting and has a very peculiar feeling about her teeth. In the garden, beans in all their glory are the topic of the day, as Jo reveals her exciting new theory on the fountain of youth and the...

This week, Jo and Nina are joined by all-round good egg James Alexander-Sinclair. Big hugs and juggling, party tricks, taxidermy and truckloads of Jaffa cakes are just the tip of the iceberg. Is he a Renaissance man? Is it ok to make a garden out of rubber and chains? And why you should probably keep your dog on a lead in the middle of town. Listen to find out how James, the original biscuit blogger, went from being Father Christmas in Harrods to RHS Ambassador for garden design. There’s...

There’s excitement in the air as Nina is followed by a band of Morris dancers, whilst Jo is finally allowed to muse upon the Romans’ fondness for topiary. They have a look at the plans for the garden at Sandringham, going up a very royal garden path. Poetry plays a part again as they investigate whether ChatGPT can write a poem about Jo’s garden in the style of Pam Ayres. Why? Listen to find out, alongside the revelation of both the biscuit and role model of the week. Get full access to...

Welcome to this new episode of Rich Pickings. There’s yet more controversy, this time about worm-tickling and whether or not Nina’s biscuit choice actually is a biscuit. There’s a furry rodent theme (sorry in advance) with one-eyed squirrels and dubious groundhogs, and there’s even a short discussion about the dreaded pruning, in which we do acknowledge both the possible dullness of the debate and the over-complicatedness of the task itself. But never fear, we soon shake ourselves out...

This week, Nina takes a wander around a witchhazel and poses a controversial question about this winter beauty, whilst Jo delves into Venetian architecture and tries to explain the age-old question of how Venice stays up. There’s definitely an Italian theme, with the biscuit of the week taking a bit of a surprise turn. Listen in to find out Who We Should Be More, and why Brownies carry a piece of string. Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Renaissance Man Mark Diacono (writer, gardener, garden designer and most recently author of Spice) joins Nina and Jo on a journey though time and how the ****** we got anything done. Taking in a new twist on Brandy Alexanders and a quick dash around the mulberry tree, meeting film stars and whether or not it’s ok to tascalate, this episode meanders through gardening, recipes, the Beatles and yes, Duran Duran again, in the way that only it knows best. Join us for cocktails and plan...

More vehement opinions from Nina and Jo this week: a heated discussion on things that are ‘marmite’, including marmite, flirting with begonias, and why Rich Tea biscuits are the best. Listen to find out what other rich pickings are in this week’s podcast: whether gardening jobs are basically all a conspiracy, which reality TV show would they choose, and where is Pam Ayres actually from? Thank you for listening- please do rate and review on whichever platform you’re listening to it on. We...

This week, Jo and Nina find themselves back in the shed (or is it more of a ‘room’?) debating myrtle and Max Bygraves. There’s a muddle over cat psychiatry and a dubious daphne story, along with the results of the Christmas pudding poll. But, most intriguingly of all, whose face could be seen in the tea leaves? Get full access to The Gardening Mind at jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

This week, old friends Jo Thompson and Nina Baxter find themselves in the garden shed, their new weekly spot. Find out who wins the heated debate over the merits of cake for breakfast, and discover why a ballet-dancing hoover could be a very good thing indeed. And in response to all the weekend papers telling us what to do in the garden this week, they come up with their anti-to-do list! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this new book We Are the Ark by the inspirational Mary Reynolds - you can find out more about Mary here. I’d love to know your thoughts: whether you already know Mary’s work both in design and writing, or perhaps you’re a newcomer. Perhaps you’ve started to give over a portion of your garden to nature. Perhaps you’ve always gardened this way. I’m pretty sure there are lots of you here on The Gardening Mind who’ll be interested in this call to action. Thank you to...

A short podcast about how I’m feeling today - a few minutes of my thoughts on the book launch that is to take place this evening. Exciting, daunting, unbelievable - and I’d love you to be there, if you’re anywhere near London. Tickets to the launch of The Gardener’s Palette at the Garden Museum on Tuesday June 7th are available here. If you’re interested in the background reading for this book, or researching the research, you can find the bibliography here. This is a public episode. If...

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jothompson.substack.com/subscribe

Devorgilla Days, by Kathleen Hart. Landscape and life. The magic of nature; the magic of the world. Lobster fishermen and witches; wild swimming under a honey moon. A story about uncovering the things that really matter, and discovering what makes us feel alive. It is a story about finding that inner strength and resilience, and never giving up hope. There’s a cast of characters that weaves through this book; they ebb and flow to and from us, and you have a feeling that you might, just might,...

A very good morning to you all - it really was a real surprise to see so many new subscribers overnight and so as a thank you, here’s an unplanned ‘What I’m reading’. Quick housekeeping note that I don’t advertise - these are all genuine books I love, places I love, things I love. My own thoughts, thought by me. Over the last year or so, I’ve become a huge fan of Bloom magazine and their beautifully-produced items which I first saw in the shop at Water Lane. Bloom dream up and bring into the...

Oh I couldn’t resist it, could I? There I was, saying absolutely no more posts for a few days, but sorry, here’s a very quick one about The Almanac, as it may come in handy. I love, love, LOVE this book - it’s a brilliant Christmas present for anyone - and this isn’t a plug, by the way. I just need to share it with you to help out if you’re stuck for ideas or last-minuting. Remembering that today is the Winter Solstice, I quickly turned to her book for more information, and found this...

What a book. I’m always really interested in what other people are reading - and I must say that I’ve found it hard to concentrate on reading fiction over the last couple of years, and so the pile of non-fiction books by my bedside table has grown steadily. I say ‘by’, as there is no room left on the table itself, so there are piles of books, piles on piles actually, neatly stacked but just waiting for me to come and ruffle them up. I can feel it. What’s gripping me this week is the utterly...