Garden Gab Podcast

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!

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!