National Trust Podcast

This week we’re at the uniquely exotic Mount Stewart, County Down. Described as the ‘scratch and sniff’ garden, Mount Stewart is a multi-sensory experience that is not to be missed. In this episode we explore the style, motivation and vision of the garden’s creator, Edith, Lady Londonderry, and learn about the ingenious techniques the Trust is using to keep her garden legacy alive today.

In this mini episode, we explore ‘The Sleeping Wood,’ a secluded, disorientating and illicit corner of the gardens at Stowe, Buckinghamshire. Listen and find out the secrets and mysteries that still linger in its winding paths today.

In this mini episode from Stowe, we meet Ranger Isabelle Thompson, to learn about the conservation and ecology of the grasslands within Stowe’s picturesque Grecian Valley.

In this episode of the National Trust Podcast, we’re at Stowe. We marvel at the unbroken views and ornate temples of this Capability Brown inspired landscape, while digging into the past to understand the people and the politics that have given Stowe its distinctive style and character

Do you know your buzzard from your blackbird or your bullfinch from your barn owl? Join Josh Turner, Cliveden’s resident birder, as he acquaints us with some of Cliveden’s feathered residents. In this mini episode from Cliveden, you’ll hear the sounds and learn about the sights that await you once you venture into some of the more secluded spots.

In this Cliveden mini episode, we learn of the mysteries and myths surrounding the world famous Sancy Diamond. This 55.23 carat diamond has travelled the world, passing through the hands of aristocrats, kings, queens and even the British Royal Family. The diamond also spent some time with the Astor family at Cliveden House.

In this episode of the National Trust Podcast we’re at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. Set high above the Thames, the grounds of Cliveden House are home to a world famous parterre, Japanese Garden and topiary-lined long walk. Around every corner you’ll find stories of mystery, decadence and the fame and misfortune of Britain’s political elite. We take you behind the scenes of the Trust and shed light on some of the techniques our staff and volunteers use to keep the gardens at Cliveden looking spectacular all year round. In our two Cliveden mini episodes we unlock the secrets of the Sancy diamond, and get you better acquainted with some of Cliveden’s feathered residents.

With tricky clay soil – our gardeners in the veg garden at Sissinghurst explain how no dig gardening has worked deliciously well to provide fresh vegetables to our restaurant… even when it’s snowing outside! We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey

Alan meets Josh Sparkes – one of our gardeners at Sissinghurst and self-proclaimed meadow obsessive. He explains how a return to traditional practises has revitalised the wildlife at Sissinghurst. Scythe at the ready! We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey PLANTS AND TREES IN ORDER OF REFERENCE Leucanthemum vulgare – Oxeye daisy Lychnis flos-cuculi – Ragged robin

Alan visits Sissinghurst in Kent, previously home to poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West and her husband, diplomat Harold Nicolson. Working from ruins, the couple’s personalities collided and combined to create this dramatic, world-renowned garden. It comes complete with 300 varieties of rose, an area that’s planted to sparkle at twilight, and a castle tower with views to take your breath away. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey PLANT LIST Sweet chestnut coppice woodland – Castanea sativa Azalea mollis The Himalayan blue poppy – Meconopsis betonicifolia Polyanthus – various Pleached lime trees - Tilia platyphyllos ‘Rubra’ Fritillaria imperialis Tulips – various Narcissus – various Alba rose – various Bourbon rose – Mme. Lauriol de Barny, Souvenir de la Malmaison Centifolia rose – various Damask rose – various Gallica rose – Tuscan

With Christmas on its merry way, we learn from the volunteers at Croome on how to make the perfect festive wreath from your own garden at home. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey PLANTS AND TREES IN ORDER OF REFERENCE Eucalyptus Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia Pyracantha Holly – Ilex aquifolium Yew – Taxus baccata

National Trust works in partnership with land owners and tenant farmers all round the country. Alan meets the owners of the walled garden at Croome Court who have turned this wild and derelict space into a beautiful and productive garden for us all to enjoy. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey

Alan visits Croome in Worcestershire – the first landscape that Capability Brown got his capable hands on. With a diverse history – from a secret RAF base, to a home for Hare Krishna devotees, Croome’s seen it all; and we hear about the challenge of restoring it back to Brown’s 18th century vision. How can you take inspiration from the evergreen shrubbery and transform your garden into a winter wonderland? And what is it about Croome that attracts all kinds of feathered friends? We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey PLANTS AND TREES IN ORDER OF REFERENCE Daphne – Daphne odora Portuguese laurel – Prunus lusitanica Common holly – Ilex aquifolium Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis Sage – Salvia officinalis Winter jasmine – Jasminum nudiflorum Guelder rose – Viburnum opulus Witch hazel – Hamamelis Heather – Erica Common broom – Cytisu

The walled garden at Stourhead is home to a superb collection of pelargoniums, from the geranium family. Alan Power and Emily Utgren discuss how they protect and manage these beautiful plants, and what they tell us about the estate’s history. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey GERANIUM CAKE RECIPE Serves: 8 Cook Time: 50 minutes Prep Time: 25 minutes Effort: easy INGREDIENTS 6-8 rose geranium leaves 240 g butter 240 g caster sugar 4 eggs 140 g self-raising flour, sieved 120 g semolina Caster sugar, for dusting Fresh cream and rose petals, to serve METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm spring-form cake tin with baking parchment. Lay the geranium leaves around the base of the tin, upside down, stalk-end pointing towards the centre of the tin. Cream together the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy, and then gradually be

The first of our little extra “Cuttings”. Autumn is the perfect time to build a compost heap. Join the staff at Stourhead to learn the science behind “cooking” the perfect organic compost. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey

Beginning the series on his home turf, Alan takes a walk around Stourhead in Wiltshire, one of England’s greatest landscape gardens. Its fabulous tree collection make autumn a favourite time of year for visitors, volunteers and staff alike. We find out what the walled garden tell us about life in the 18th century, and how dormice are thriving on the Stourhead Estate. We'd love to know what you thought of this series to help us make more of them in the future. Please let us know in our survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/gardens-survey PLANTS AND TREES IN ORDER OF REFERENCE Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia  Agapanthus africanus Variegated Tulip Tree – (Liriodendron tulipifera aureomarginata)  Poplar trees / Trembling Poplar – European Aspen) Birch – Betula Cherries – Prunus Taihaku Red Maple – Acer rubrum Willow – Salix alba ‘Britzensis’ Japanese Maple – Acer palmatum  Handkerchief tree – Davidia involucrata seedlings – for tree nursery  Katsura trees – Cercidiphyllum  Guelder Rose – Vibu