Garden Gab Podcast

Welcome to Part 1 of our three-part Summer Series on English Gardens!

Cheers Garden Gabbers! What is it about English gardens that captivates gardeners around the world? Is it the romance, the history, the overflowing borders... or something deeper?

In this first installment, Molly and Tessa explore why England has become one of the world's great gardening destinations and why its influence can still be found in gardens across America. Molly also shares the remarkable story of her ten-month Royal Horticultural Society Interchange Fellowship, where she trained at some of Britain's most iconic gardens—including RHS Wisley, Great Dixter, the Eden Project, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Kew Gardens, and more—and how that experience completely changed the course of her career.

Along the way, we chat about the unique culture of gardening in England, what makes English gardens feel so magical, and why understanding their history can make us all better gardeners.

This episode is the first stop on our summer journey across England. In the coming weeks, we'll head deeper into some of our favorite gardens, share stories from behind the scenes, and explore the people and ideas that continue to shape the way we garden today.

Put the kettle on, settle into your favorite garden chair, and join us for the first chapter of our English garden adventure. 🇬🇧🌿

If you want to stay in the know with all things Garden Gab Club, be sure to subscribe to our Substack HERE! And if you feel so inclined, we would love for you to share Garden Gab with someone you think would like to be a part of the club!

 

CLUB NOTES:

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

+ If you are a garden history dork like Molly and Tessa, you might enjoy dipping into “Landscape Design : A Cultural and Architectural History."

+ Today’s final quote is from our boy Humphrey. Molly had the chance to see some of his infamous Red Books at the Garden Museum in London, who put together this amazing video of his process!

+ The lion’s share of this episode is Molly gabbing about her experience as the RHS Interchange Fellow where she had the opportunity to work in some dreamy British gardens. If Her gabbing wasn’t enough you can read her final report from the fellowship HERE

Grab your sparklers, pour yourself something fizzy, and report to the backyard—because this year's Fourth of July celebration comes with a guest list straight out of American history. While we go hard for America’s 250th birthday, make sure you stick around for an exciting chance to get more info on joining us for our first Garden Gab Club Field Trip, perhaps across the pond to the Motherland?!

In this delightfully unhinged episode, we're hosting the ultimate patriotic garden party and inviting George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Ben Franklin (every party needs some fun uncle energy), and a few fabulous First Ladies to join us around the table. Naturally, the conversation quickly turns to the important questions: Which Founding Father is bringing heirloom tomatoes? Who shows up with hard cider? Which one quietly judges your vegetable garden? And who is absolutely giving the children ice cream before dinner despite Abigail Adams' best efforts?

Along the way, we're dreaming up a red, white, and bloom tablescape using flowers fresh from the garden, sharing stories from Tessa's beautiful cottage garden workshop, surviving the Great Southern Heat Dome of 2026, swapping tomato triumphs and tragedies, and closing with a few gardening quotes from America's founding gardeners themselves.

So raise a sparkling lavender lemonade (or perhaps something a little stronger…. Right Ben?!), ring the Liberty Bell, and join us for an episode that's equal parts history lesson, garden party, and backyard barbecue.

Because nothing says "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"... quite like fresh tomatoes, flower arrangements, and Ben Franklin causing just a tiny bit of chaos.

Happy (belated) Fourth from Tessa and Molly Garden Gabbers! 🇺🇸🌿

**and Happy ninth Birthday Lady *Liberty* Belle!!!

 

Show Notes:

Do you want to register your interest in a Garden Gab England Garden Tour FIELD TRIIIIP for Summer 2027?? Great, we have an interest form!!

Be sure to subscribe to our show Substack HERE to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab (including field trips to far flung places!)

Welcome back to the Garden Gab Club people! It's the lazy, hazy days of summer... and we are loving it. The garden has entered that glorious, slightly chaotic point in the season where the zucchini won’t stop coming, the weeds are winning (until they’re not), and every day seems to hold a small excuse to stay outside just a little longer.

In this episode, we’re settling into the rhythms of midsummer—celebrating the summer solstice, sharing simple adventures close to home, and talking about the gardens that are teaching us patience, abundance, and joy. From Cahaba lilies blooming in Alabama rivers to neighborhood dinners, overflowing vegetable beds, and the plants quietly carrying our gardens through the hottest days of the year, we’re reflecting on why the simplest moments often become the ones we remember most.

We also wander into a conversation about beauty (you’ll need to check out this wedding of the century!) that can’t be manufactured, why real experiences matter more than perfect pictures, and how gardens continue to offer hope—even in the hardest places.

So grab something cold to drink, find a shady spot, and come spend an hour in the garden with us!

 

Links:

Subscribe to the show Substack HERE to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab!

This book might sounds like a downer, but wow… War Gardens is filled with such HOPE!

Molly’s BF introduced her to the magic of… Mater Magic! And let’s just say… her raised beds be lovin’ it!

The girls popped a cold one today because the pod is officially 21 people! They are settling into summer with a proper catch-up episode, or should we say… just a good ole fashioned gab!

This week, Tessa shares what she's learned from opening her own garden for workshops. They discuss why waiting for the "perfect" space might be keeping us from doing the things we dream of right now. What if people were invited into imperfect and personal gardens?? Down home is filled with the surprising questions visitors ask, meadow updates, goldfinches, and the simple joy of homemade cake shared under a garden pavilion.

Then the girls head out and about as Tessa recounts a whirlwind trip to New York City, from wandering Central Park with a stroller to dining at the legendary Blue Hill at Stone Barns and exploring the ever-evolving plantings of the High Line. Along the way, they reflect on Frederick Law Olmsted's vision for public green spaces, the restorative power of landscapes, and why travel is almost always money well spent!

Pour yourself something cold, pull up a chair on the porch, and join us for a midsummer Garden Gab!!

Don't forget to subscribe to stay in the know on our show Substack, leave a review, and share the show with your favorite garden friend!

 

Show Notes:

+ Tessa might call this Italian Lemon Olive Oil Cake a peasant cake after her illustrious career as a wedding cake designer, but you will feel rich the second it hits your tongue!!

+ Molly's life (and the lives of those who she has shared these with) has been deeply altered by this Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! And they really are that easy.

+ If the girls were emphatic enough about watching Chef's Table on the episode, take this as another nudge to do yourself a favor and at least watch Dan Barber's episode!

+ Check out Experiencing Olmsted: The Enduring Legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted's North American Landscapes, the book that started Tessa's Central Park curiousity!

Welcome back, garden gabbers. This episode is a little more reflective as Molly and Tessa remember Nigel Dunnett who was a giant in ecological planting design and someone whose work deeply shaped both of their own work as designers. In the wake of his passing at the end of April, it only feels fitting to pay tribute to a man who deeply influenced so many. 

Molly shares stories from her time working with Nigel in Sheffield, and together the girls unpack what made his work so powerful... planting that brings the feeling of wild, immersive, and living landscapes into urban spaces—for people!

From Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the Barbican in London to countless other project across the UK and the world, Nigel’s legacy is everywhere. In light of his passing, the conversation turns a bit deeper... why does this work matter? And can we do it here, where we are?

It also only feels fitting to wrap the episode with a bit of Garden Busts, noting that sometimes we hold the weight of hope of where we want to go and what we are still learning with joy.

Thanks for joining the gab! Don’t forget to subscribe to the show Substack HERE and share the show with a garden friend!

 

Show Notes:

+ Gardens Illustrated Talking Gardens interview with Nigel

+ To read more in depth about Nigels work, check out his books The Dynamic Landscape (written with James!) and Naturalistic Planting Design. 

+ Read more about the Heemparks in the Netherlands that Nigel discusses in the podcast linked above.