Garden Gab Podcast

Fall is officially in the air, and the Garden Gab girls are gathering all sorts of good things! 🍂

This week, we're continuing our Harvest season with a conversation about gathering from the garden—and we're taking that idea well beyond the flower basket.

First up, we've got BIG news! Our very first Garden Gab trip to England is officially open for booking, and we're giving you a little taste of two extraordinary gardens on the itinerary: Gravetye Manor and Knepp Estate. From William Robinson's Wild Garden to the modern rewilding movement, we're dreaming of all the things we can learn across the pond.

Then we're heading Down Home to Birmingham, where Tessa came to celebrate her birthday at Antiques at the Gardens. There were fabulous lectures, plenty of creative inspiration, and one rather unfortunate near-miss involving Molly's car and design royalty Bunny Williams. (Everyone survived. Praise be.)

For Motions from the Floor, we're asking: What can we gather from our gardens, and what can we gather from one another? We're talking cut flowers, foraged foliage, pass-along plants, and the art of planning ahead for the things we want to enjoy in seasons to come. But we're also talking about gathering ideas, cultivating creativity, learning from other gardeners, and the beauty of starting small. Because you don't need Martha Stewart's bulb budget to be a real gardener!

Plus, we're tackling a listener's Garden Dilemma about those awkward holes in a young garden, sharing a gorgeous new book that has us both swooning, and reminding you that a little patience (and perhaps a little resourcefulness) goes a long way.

So pour yourself something cozy, grab your garden notebook, and come gab with us. There's always something worth gathering. 🌿

P.S. Don't forget to leave us a comment on Substack to enter our fall giveaway, and send us your Garden Dilemmas. We love hearing from our fellow garden club members!

 

Show Notes:

COME TO THE MOTHERLAND WITH US! Garden Gab's 2027 England Garden Tour is filling and we want Garden Gabbers there! Visit our show Substack to download the trip PDF with all the deets!

Past Forward by Barbara Adkins – both Tessa and Molly had this bought for them from someone else and we are in love with this book!

Garden Gab's Substack — leave us a comment to enter yourself in the giveaway! And be sure to send us your gardener dilemma!!

Books we can’t stop talking about this episode!

The Wild Garden by William Robinson

Wilding by Isabella Tree — Written by the owners of Knepp Castle, another stop on our Garden Gab Tour!

Decoration by Bunny Williams and Elizabeth Lawrence

Life in the Garden by Bunny Williams

Well hello there Garden Gabbers! Welcome to the very first episode of Garden Gab’s fall season, where we’re spending six episodes digging into one big theme: HARVEST.

But before we get philosophical, Molly is fresh off the plane from Bergamo, Italy, with plenty to report which included but was not limited to canoes, a very moving tribute to Nigel Dunnett, an appropriate amount of tiramisu, and a newfound obsession with… gravel. Yes, gravel. Stay with us.

Then we’re asking: what does it actually mean to harvest a garden? Because here in the South, harvest isn’t necessarily one grand, pumpkin-filled finale. It’s more of a loop. The zucchini comes, the peonies bloom, the tomatoes ripen, the asters finally save the crispy September meadow… and all the while, we’re observing, experimenting, editing, failing, trying again, and already plotting what we’ll do differently next year.

We’re talking about designing for those little moments of payoff throughout the year, learning to notice the gaps in our gardens, and becoming more confident creative decision-makers instead of waiting for someone to hand us the perfect gardening formula.

Plus: Tessa is sowing seeds (perhaps recklessly), Molly’s meadow is a little crispy (but we press on!). They've both bought themselves new gardening books, a listener introduces them to the concept of cozy botany, and they tackle their first Garden Dilemma: What if your entire garden feels like a dilemma and you have absolutely no idea where to start?

Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and come gab with us. The Harvest season has officially begun. 🌾

If you are loving Garden Gab we would love for you to leave us a review and share the pod with another green loving friend! And be sure to subscribe to the show Substack to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab (like our first club field trip to ENGLAND!!!)

 

Show Notes:

We kicked off the show with Molly recapping her third year in Bergamo at the International Garden Festival! If you would like to hear about Molly’s time last year at the conference, check out her interview on the Plantastic Podcast with Jared Barnes HERE!

In Bergamo Molly  learned lots about gravel and you can buy the Gravel Garden book she bought herself HERE.

If you are intrigued by the work of James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett as much as the girls are, might we recommend their new edition of The Dynamic Landscape!

Tessa bought herself a book as well… and Molly has now followed her lead and ordered so we thought you might like to as well! Check out The Creative Gardener by Stephanie Mahon HERE!

While we are on a book kick, one of our listeners (THANKS ANNA!!) recommended A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari. Can we make cozy botany a thing?! Tessa will have it cued to listen on her drive to Bham to see Molly and shall report back!

Thanks for joining the Gab!

Garden Gab is entering its seasonal era! 🍂

Just like the garden, we’re leaning into a new rhythm around here. Instead of popping in with whatever happens to be on our minds (don’t worry, there will still be plenty of that), Garden Gab is moving to six-episode seasons built around one big theme.

And for our very first fall season, we’re talking HARVEST.

But we’re not just talking tomatoes, pumpkins, and what’s coming out of the kitchen garden. This season, we’re asking what it really means to harvest from a garden—the flowers we cut, the seeds we save, the lessons we learn, the things that made it through a Southern summer, and all the little ways a garden gives something back.

We’re also inviting YOU further into the Garden Gab Club. All season long, we want to know: What did your garden give you this year? Plus, send us your real-life garden and design dilemmas, and Molly and Tessa just might hash them out on the show.

There will still be plenty of Down Home, Out & About, motions from the floor, garden brags and busts, things we bought ourselves, and whatever else gets us off track along the way. Same Garden Gab, just with a little more seasonal rhythm.

So grab your tote, start manifesting fall (even if it is still 95 degrees), and meet us back here in two weeks for the first episode of Garden Gab: Harvest. 🍎🌾✂️

 

** Final Call for those wanting to register interest for our June 2027 Tour of English Gardens!!! Our first Garden Gab field trip... if you will. We have a finalized itinerary, cost, and many more details ready to hit your inbox! Register your interest HERE, we would love to have your join the gab as we head over the pond!

Welcome back Garden Gabbers!! Today we are wrapping up our English Gardens Summer Series with a proper treat... and our very first Garden Gab guest! The one, the only… DEAN CHARLTON!🇬🇧🌿

Pull up a chair (preferably with a mug of Yorkshire Tea) as we catch up with our dear friend Dean—gardener, printmaker, plant propagator, and all-around delight. Molly and Tessa first met Dean while working with him at the legendary Great Dixter, where Dean was a gardener for 6 years. Dean was Molly’s housemate and Tessa’s garden “handler”... and alongside Dean the girls learned everything from dividing perennials... to the sheer panic of accidentally over-pruning one of the most famous hollies  in England. 😅✂️

Dean now runs Hooton’s Walled Nursery in his hometown of Rotherham, England in Yorkshire with his dad, Glenn. In this episode we're chatting about what it really takes to grow a nursery from the ground up, why some of the best plants come with the best stories, and why the world could use a few more mad keen gardeners.

As the girls chat with Dean they wander through Great Dixter memories, British folklore, the yearly flow of nursery work, old-school growing techniques, the beauty of slowing down, and why gardening stubbornly demands time and attention in an instant gratification world.

Whether you have an interest in growing some plants yourself, or just want to be transported over the pond for a bit… pop the kettle on. This one's for you. 💚

Thanks for joining the Gab! Be sure to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab by subscribing to our show Substack HERE! 

 

SHOW NOTES

Shout it from the rooftops… Tessa and Molly are planning their first Garden Gab field trip to MOTHER ENGLAND! If you are interested we would love for you to read through the FAQ and register your interest HERE!

Check out more about the story of Hooton’s Walled Nursery and read all the press Dean has received for all the waves his nursery is making in the THE NORTH!!

If all our chat about Dean’s art background perked up your ears, look no further than his lovely Etsy shop. You can join Molly and Tessa in collecting the complete Dean Charlton Garden collection!

What happens when you spend a month gardening at one of the world's most celebrated gardens... and then come home to the heat, humidity, clay soil, and deer of the American South?

In Part 2 of our Summer Series on English Gardens, Tessa takes us behind the scenes at Great Dixter, where every morning begins with a broom, every planting is a thoughtful experiment, and being called "a dinosaur in the beds" is about the worst thing that can happen to a gardener.

But this episode isn't really about England.

It's about what happens when those lessons come home.

We unpack how working at Great Dixter changed the way we both garden in the South—not by copying English gardens plant-for-plant, but by embracing the posture behind them. We talk about creating gardens that are always evolving, learning to observe before acting, taking creative risks, developing your own style instead of chasing the safest landscape, and discovering that the real art of gardening doesn't end when the design is installed... it begins.

Along the way we chat about succession planting, tea breaks, sweeping paths, why "low maintenance" might actually mean "low brain-tenance," and how curiosity and experimentation can transform even the most ordinary backyard into something deeply personal.

We also squeeze in a classic Garden Gab round of Brag or Bust (RIP to one vintage terracotta pot), celebrate some long-awaited wins in the garden, compare Bobo and Little Lime hydrangeas, check in on Molly's bees, and admire a brand-new pair of glasses.

Whether you're dreaming of visiting Great Dixter one day or simply wondering how to create a more joyful, creative garden right where you are, we hope this conversation inspires you to garden a little more courageously—and to remember that a beautiful garden isn't about recreating someone else's masterpiece. It's about cultivating one that's uniquely your own.

In this episode, we chat about:

What Great Dixter taught us that translates surprisingly well to Southern gardens

Why gardening is an ongoing creative act and not just maintenance

Observing before acting and learning to "read" a garden

Finding your own gardening style instead of playing it safe

Succession planting, experimentation, and thoughtful risk-taking

Garden Brag or Bust

Hydrangeas, honey, new glasses, and a tragic terracotta casualty

Plus, we share more about our upcoming Garden Gab England Tour, where we'll be taking listeners behind the scenes of some of our favorite gardens—including Great Dixter itself. Register your interest HERE!!

And be sure to subscribe to the show Substack HERE to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab!