Our Plant Stories

• Lucy and The Weed Trust

  One Summer Lucy Houliston, aged just 6, set herself the mission of raising awareness of weeds as plants that deserve love and attention, just like everything else. And so The Weed Trust was born. She also had a passion for insects, she remembers having pockets full of woodlice! Adult Lucy is now working in urban ecology and she shares the story of The Weed Trust and where it has led her. We went together to the Eden Nature Garden to meet Benny Hawkesbee, who describes himself as a wildlife gardener, he greeted us wearing his favourite dandelion teeshirt! There will be bees, beetles and frogs along the way! Independent podcasts like Our Plant Stories depend on their listeners for help with the costs of making the podcast such as the hosting platform and the editing programme.Using the Buy Me A Coffee platform you can make a one off online donation of £5 and that money will go towards making more episodes. Everyone who buys a 'virtual coffee' will get a shout out on the podcast. The support of listeners means a lot to me. Buy Me A Coffee Every month I will make a plant story but stories often lead to more stories and I end up publishing Offshoot episodes. So if you 'Follow' the podcast on your podcast app you will never miss an episode.It also makes a real difference if you can spare the time to rate and/or review an episode after you have listened. Spotify and Apple look at these ratings and it helps to get the podcast promoted to other plant lovers. Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally FlatmanThe music is Fade to Black by Howard LevyMentioned in this episode:A trailer to the next episode of Our Plant StoriesIn the next Offshoot episode I'll be chatting to Kathy Slack, food writer, cook and veg grower, about her new book 'Rough Patch - How a year in the garden brought me back to life'. You can of course also hear her Plant Story episode called Kathy's Radishes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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• Emma Thick - A Snowdrop Shepherd

  Imagine 1500 different snowdrops, roaming around an arboretum. Sometimes a new one joins, sometimes a group is divided, sometimes one just wanders off on its own. You need a snowdrop shepherd and at Thenford Arboretum that is Emma Thick.This is the perfect time to grow our knowledge about snowdrops and I think I have found the perfect person, a galanthophile, to help us. If you know the podcast well, you won't be surprised that I am drawn to an expert because in my experience their passion for the plant can prove contagious. So if you want to know which snowdrop to buy, when or where to plant it, how they spread and why they can sometimes be miffy - well you have come to the right podcast!My guests are Emma Thick, a gardener and Rupert Heseltine whose parents developed this garden and I met them both at Thenford Arboretum.The book I mention is called Thenford - The Creation of an English Garden by Michael & Anne HeseltineOur Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally FlatmanThe music is Fade to Black by Howard LevyIndependent podcasts like Our Plant Stories depend on their listeners for help with the costs of making the podcast such as the hosting platform and the editing programme.Using the Buy Me A Coffee platform you can make a one off online donation of £5 and that money will go towards making more episodes. Everyone who buys a 'virtual coffee' will get a shout out on the podcast. The support of listeners means a lot to me. Buy Me A Coffee Mentioned in this episode:A trailer to the next episode of Our Plant StoriesIn the next Offshoot episode I'll be chatting to Kathy Slack, food writer, cook and veg grower, about her new book 'Rough Patch - How a year in the garden brought me back to life'. You can of course also hear her Plant Story episode called Kathy's Radishes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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  32:58
• Constance and the 9/11 Daffodils

  This podcast episode delves into the inspiring story behind the Daffodil Project, a community-driven initiative that has resulted in the planting of over 12 million daffodil bulbs across New York City since its inception in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy.Sally Flatman speaks with Constance Casey who was working for the New York Parks Department when the gift of one million daffodil bulbs , was given to the city by Hans van Waardenburg and the city of Rotterdam following on from the attack on the World Trade Centre. That Autumn as the community took on the task of planting the bulbs, they were creating "a ribbon of yellow around the island of Manhattan" that would bloom the following Spring.Adam Ganser, the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, joins the conversation to discuss the ongoing efforts to maintain and expand this initiative, emphasising the importance of community involvement and equitable access to parks. The episode highlights not only the significance of the daffodil project as a living memorial but also the broader impact of green spaces on public health and community wellbeing. Of course we also learn how to grow the plant ourselves though as Adam assures us: "its hard to screw it up"!Our Plant Stories is back and once again we will be sharing stories about plants. Independent podcasts like Our Plant Stories depend on their listeners for help with the costs of making the podcast such as the hosting platform and the editing programme.Using the Buy Me A Coffee platform you can make a one off online donation of £5 and that money will go towards making more episodes. Everyone who buys a 'virtual coffee' will get a shout out on the podcast. The support of listeners means a lot to me. Buy Me A Coffee Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally FlatmanThe music is Fade to Black by Howard LevyTakeaways: The Daffodil Project began as a response to the tragedy of 9/11, aiming to bring beauty and hope to New York City. Every fall, thousands of volunteers participate in planting daffodil bulbs. The project has distributed around 12 to 13 million daffodil bulbs over 23 years, making it a significant and beloved initiative. Daffodils are hardy and easy to grow, making them accessible for both new and experienced gardeners alike. The initiative highlights the importance of parks and open spaces in urban areas, fostering a sense of community. New Yorkers for Parks advocates for equitable funding for parks, ensuring all neighbourhoods have access to green spaces. Mentioned in this episode:A trailer to the next episode of Our Plant StoriesIn the next Offshoot episode I'll be chatting to Kathy Slack, food writer, cook and veg grower, about her new book 'Rough Patch - How a year in the garden brought me back to life'. You can of course also hear her Plant Story episode called Kathy's Radishes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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• Trailer for series 3 of Our Plant Stories

  Season 3 of Our Plant Stories will be starting on the 4th February 2025. These plant stories will once again take us all over the world. We'll be meeting gardeners, botanists and historians and along the way of course we will all learn how to grow the plants.If you have a story that you would like me to follow up in this new series you can email me - [email protected] find out about the plants featured in all the episodes just go to the websiteOur Plant Stories website where you can also subscribe to the blog Our Plant Stories blog which will mean you'll be first to hear about upcoming episodes. The series is presented and produced by Sally Flatman. Follow podcast Buy Me A Coffee Instagram This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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• The Camden Highline

  You may well have heard about the New York High Line but did you know that there are plans afoot for a Highline in London? It has got the same design team as the NY one and Piet Oudolf will be doing the planting but before we get to the plants - there's a 'bit of treacle' to wade through.Take this audio tour so you can start to become familiar with this incredibly exciting venture and hear about seeing 'trains in the wild'! I hope in the podcast we will follow its progress. There's plenty of imagination and tenacity at work here and we as plant lovers, can get on board too.Simon Pitkeathley, the CEO of the Camden Highline is our guide.Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally FlatmanThe music is Fade to Black by Howard LevyMentioned in this episode:A trailer to the next episode of Our Plant StoriesIn the next Offshoot episode I'll be chatting to Kathy Slack, food writer, cook and veg grower, about her new book 'Rough Patch - How a year in the garden brought me back to life'. You can of course also hear her Plant Story episode called Kathy's Radishes. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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