Roots and All - Gardening Podcast

What happens when the garden you love starts demanding more than you can give? In today's episode of Roots and All, I'm joined by garden writer Rhonda Fleming Hayes to explore how gardening changes as we age — from adapting high-maintenance spaces to embracing balcony gardens, community plots and slower, more meaningful ways of connecting with nature.
Benny's Insect of the Week: Rose Chafer Beetle
Links
Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age by Rhonda Fleming Hayes
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If you enjoyed this week's episode with Rhonda, you might also like these conversations from the archives:
Episode 366: Universal Qualities of Healing Gardens
Benjamin Vogt explores the restorative power of gardens and the ways thoughtfully designed spaces can support wellbeing, connection and healing throughout our lives — a fitting companion to today's discussion on gardening as we age.
Episode 325: Growing in the Garden
Emma O'Neill reflects on personal growth through gardening and the many ways our outdoor spaces evolve alongside us, echoing today's conversation about adapting gardens to changing needs and lifestyles.

This episode might just change the way you grow, shop, cook, and eat. Today I'm joined by returning guest Dave Goulson to talk about his new book, Eat the Planet Well, a practical guide to eating in a way that's healthy, affordable, and better for the planet. Even if you think you know the basics — and are wondering about Dave's shift from his usual nature writing — there's plenty here that will surprise you.
Benny's Insect of the Week: Dark-edged Bee-fly
With thanks to our sponsor  - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
Dave Goulson on instagram 
Eat the Planet Well by Dave Goulson
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
On Facebook @rootsandalluk
On LinkedIn @rootsandall
If you enjoyed this week's episode with Dave, you might also like these conversations from the archives:
Episode 334: Food Farming Revolutionary
Joshua Sparkes shares a regenerative, soil-first approach to growing food that challenges conventional farming — a natural companion to today's discussion on rethinking how we produce and consume what we eat.
Episode 328: Soil, Health & Nutrition
Sam Hamrebtan explores the vital link between soil health and the nutritional value of our food, reinforcing the idea that what's good for the planet is also good for us.

What happens when you follow a decades-long love affair with a place all the way to its shores? Victoria Bennett did exactly that, uprooting her life in Cumbria to start afresh on the windswept islands of Orkney — new garden, new climate, and an inspiring vision for a community apothecary space rooted in creativity, care, and the land itself.
Benny's Insect of the Week: Orange-tip Butterly
With thanks to our sponsor  - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
Author Website Victoria Bennett — Official Author Site 
Books
The Apothecary by the Sea — Waterstones 
All My Wild Mothers — Amazon author page
Instagram — @beewyld
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
On Facebook @rootsandalluk
On LinkedIn @rootsandall
If you enjoyed this week's episode with Victoria, you might also like these conversations from the archives:
Episode 370: Remembering Our Nature Brigit Anna McNeill explores healing through plants, herbalism, folklore and ancestral connection — a beautiful companion to today's conversation about finding yourself through the natural world and the restorative power of putting down new roots. 
Episode 368: Rooted In Purpose Robin Singh's journey from corporate life to growing his own food and living more intentionally echoes Victoria's themes of caregiving, community and choosing a life shaped by purpose rather than habit.

What if gardening doesn't make you happy? Gardening isn't always the simple "cure-all" it's often made out to be. We get into the realities behind the wellbeing narrative — from overwhelm and pressure to the deeper emotional connections we form with our outdoor spaces. It's a thoughtful, honest conversation about what gardens really give us… and what they sometimes don't.
Benny's Insect of the Week: Gooden's Nomad Bee
With thanks to our sponsor  - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
The Psychology of Gardening (The Psychology of Everything) - Harriet Gross
Garden Lovers Reading Retreat
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
On Facebook @rootsandalluk
On LinkedIn @rootsandall
If you enjoyed this week's episode with Harriet, you might also like these conversations from the archives:
Episode 314: Nurturing Growth, Inside and Out
In this episode, Sarah looks at the emotional side of gardening and how our outdoor spaces can shape identity, wellbeing, and resilience — a thoughtful companion to today's discussion about the psychological weight and reward of tending a garden.
Episode 286: Natural Happiness
This episode explores the relationship between nature and wellbeing, questioning what we really mean when we say gardens make us "happy," and how that experience varies from person to person — closely linked to today's reflections on the limits of gardening as a cure-all.

Rebecca Wynn Kelly works at the intersection of sculpture, ecology, and myth as a "species architect" exploring how we might reimagine our relationship with the land. Rooted in West Wales, her work blends habitat creation with storytelling and folklore to ask who—and what—we build the landscape for.
Benny's Insect of the Week: The Batman Overfly
Please support our sponsors - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout. 
Links
Rebecca Wynn Kelly – Artist
Instagram – Rebecca Wynn Kelly
Please support the podcast on Patreon
And follow Roots and All:
On Instagram @rootsandallpod
On Facebook @rootsandalluk
On LinkedIn @rootsandall
If you liked this week's episode with Rebecca Wynn Kelly, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:
Episode 53: Garden Design for Every Species
In this episode, John Little explores how gardens can be designed with wildlife at the centre, creating layered habitats that support a wide range of species. It's a natural companion to today's conversation about building for more than just human needs and thinking like a "species architect."
Episode 301: The Wheel of the Year
In this episode, Rebecca Beattie discusses seasonal cycles, folklore and ritual, and how reconnecting with the rhythms of the year can deepen our relationship with the land. It offers a thoughtful extension of today's themes around story, place and ecological connection.