grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

Biennials – plants which flower in their second year – may often be overlooked by us gardeners, but between their value for money, wonderful scent, and versatility they’re among the best plants to sow and grow in any garden.
Sarah makes the case for brilliant biennials in this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, exploring how she came to appreciate their beauty, and which varieties are best for all aspects of your space.
In this episode, discover:
How the right mix of biennials can fill the awkward May gap with prolific blooms, all for the price of a seed packet
The best early-flowering biennials, from fragrant wallflowers to the scented sweet rocket, Hesperis matronalis
Moth-pollinated varieties with rich fragrance and velvety textures to create a pollinator paradise
Products mentioned:
Digitalis purpurea 'Sutton's Apricot'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-suttons-apricot
Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-alba
Malope trifida 'Vulcan'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/malope-trifida-vulcan
Lunaria annua
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lunaria-annua
Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/papaver-nudicaule-champagne-bubbles-mix-f1
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Every garden space deserves a chance to be transformed into a beautiful space which breathes, rather than constricts, and Pollyanna Wilkinson is a master of such designs.
Polly joins Sarah this week to share her no‑nonsense methods for transforming everything from boxy new‑build plots to tired, inherited gardens into layered, soulful spaces. 
In this episode, discover:
How to think like a garden designer, surveying, shaping and structuring spaces before you plant
Practical ways to transform new‑build and small gardens, or refresh an existing garden
Guidance on choosing materials and finishes that feel good underfoot, are easy to maintain, and will age beautifully over time.
How to use colour and planting layers to create a soulful, wildlife‑friendly garden with interest through the seasons
Products mentioned:
Amelanchier lamarckii:
sarahraven.com/products/amelanchier-lamarckii
Lavender ‘Munstead’: 
sarahraven.com/products/lavender-munstead
Nepeta x faassenii 'Kit Kat':
sarahraven.com/products/nepeta-x-faassenii-kit-kat
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Chelsea is upon us, and among the beauty of all the show gardens lies a very special offering from Arit Anderson and Parkinson’s UK.
She’s planting with purpose in a garden which promises to reflect every Parkinson’s journey in a beautifully poignant way, and on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, she walks us through the planting ethos and careful design behind one of Main Avenue’s great sights for 2026.
In this episode, discover:
How Arit is reflecting her sister Julie’s Parkinson’s journey in a meaningful Chelsea Flower Show garden for Parkinson’s UK
What Parkinson’s really is beyond the stereotypes, and why it’s so often misunderstood
How thoughtful garden design can respond to real medical challenges
Practical ideas for making any garden more accessible, sensory and restorative, whether or not you’re living with Parkinson’s
The garden’s relocation to the John Radcliffe Hospital, and how it will serve the Parkinson’s community long after Chelsea
Products mentioned:
Digitalis purpurea ‘Alba’ (White Foxglove): sarahraven.com/products/digitalis-purpurea-alba
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah Raven welcomes renowned garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith to uncover his visionary new garden for Tate Britain and how he’s reimagining it for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 
They explore his bold, foliage-rich planting, ingenious water features, and a remarkable new memorial garden at Badminton that promises to be one of the RHS’s most ambitious show gardens yet.
In this episode, discover:
How Tom Stuart-Smith is transforming a neglected, concrete-dominated acre at Tate Britain into a biodiverse, exotic garden
The creative and practical challenge of turning that large-scale design into a Chelsea Flower Show garden where every element is destined to be reused at Tate
The bold, foliage-led planting palette Tom has chosen – from cycads and Persian lilac to euphorbias, aspidistras and shade-loving exotics
How water, sculpture and planting come together, including a finely engineered water feature and a Barbara Hepworth sculpture from a national collection
Episode Cover Photo Credit: Eva Nemeth.
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Watch the full video episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/_T97COq6blM
Throughout Mary Berry's life, the garden has played a charming role, from her wartime childhood plot to a brand-new garden started in her 80s - it’s an essential ingredient in her life.
This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Mary kindly joins us to explore a lifetime of gardening, how it’s inspired her new book, and how gardening can bring joy, structure and wellbeing at every stage of life.
In this episode, discover:
How Mary’s lifelong love of gardening began in her childhood and continues to shape her daily life
Practical, gentle tips for spring gardening and successional planting
How Mary approaches designing and maintaining a garden later in life, using evergreens, hedges and topiary for structure
Everyday good habits in the garden, such as watering, deadheading, and keeping lawns neat
Order Mary’s Book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Gardening-Life-Mary-Berry/dp/0241726654
Products mentioned: 
Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-rijnvelds-early-sensation
Narcissus ‘Silver Chimes’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-silver-chimes
Narcissus ‘February Gold’: sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-february-gold
Phlox drummondii ‘Blushing Bride’: sarahraven.com/products/phlox-drummondii-blushing-bride
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest