I’m starting to take an inventory of the houseplants – what’s looking good, what’s looking less than happy after a gloomy winter getting frazzled by the central heating…
Read moreThe Gardens, weeds & words podcast, Series 2 Episode 6
The nature memoir is something of a publishing phenomenon just now – but I can’t imagine a time when I’ll weary of hearing about yet another book in which I get to read of another’s life experience set within the context of the natural world. In this episode, I talk to Alice Vincent about how she found the process of writing Rootbound. Rewilding a Life, and some of the key themes of the book.
Read moreRootbound. Rewilding a Life
Sometimes, good things have to fall apart, so that better things can fall together. Whether or not we can confidently attribute this insight to Marilyn Monroe, it’s particularly apt for this, the second book from Alice Vincent. Over the course of Rootbound, the life of the author unravels and then – to the rhythms of the natural world – knits back together, entirely stronger, stranger, and more wild.
Read moreDay 273: the Houseplant Festival
I’ve just been to a houseplant festival. It was billed in one of the London mags as one of the ten coolest things to do this weekend. But that’s not why I went…
Read moreThe Gardens, weeds & words podcast, Series 1 Episode 15
It’s wonderful that I can count old hands with green fingers among the podcast’s loyal listeners, but I’m always delighted when I get feedback from less experienced gardeners. In this episode I’m joined by writer and podcaster [Lucy Lucraft][1], who tells me about her experiences as a complete newcomer to the gardening scene over the course of a conversation that offers both encouragement and a few challenges.
Read moreThe Gardens, weeds & words podcast, Series 1 Episode 4
It’s not every day you get to share a podcast episode with a furry critter, which is probably what the Telegraph's Alice Vincent thought when I appeared in her Skype app. It’s definitely what I thought when squirrels began to throw themselves upon the plants on Alice’s balcony as we recorded – perfectly timed to demonstrate just some of the tribulations of gardening 60 feet up.
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