HortWeek Podcast

HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby, senior reporter Rachael Forsyth and technical editor Sally Drury share their top horticulture stories of 2025.JUMP TO...00:00:43 - horticulture and peat-free00:04:10 - developments in Biodiversity Net Gain00:07:26 - remote mowers, new technology and implications00:13:13 - loss of horticulture colleges and new learning options00:17:54 - the impact of drought in 2025 going into 202600:21:30 - how horticulture is turning to battery-powered kit00:26:20 - diversity, inclustion and equity in horticulture00:30:34 - border inspections - imports, exports and an SPS agreement for 202600:36:42 - what are the team looking forward to in 2026?Do check out our huge archive of HortWeek Podcast interviews with an unrivalled selection of prominent and fascinating figures from all corners of the horticulture sector.Podcast presenters: Matthew Appleby, Rachael Forsyth and Sally DruryPodcast producer: Christina TaylorMake sure you never miss a HortWeek podcast! Subscribe to or Follow HortWeek podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast platform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Garden Trust's Linden Groves is campaigning against a proposal to end the organisation's role as a planning statutory consultee.She robustly contests the proposal to remove the statutory consultee role and disagrees that it would improve the planning system. Instead, precious parks and gardens, hard won over many centuries, would be lost to communities both now and in future.“We are passionate about the role that the UK’s world-famous historic parks and gardens can play in supporting positive economic growth and healthy cohesive societies, and eager to continue helping this in our role as statutory consultee. We encourage supporters to respond to the consultation and will publish our response as soon as possible.”In March, the Government decided to ditch planning consultancy from bodies including The Gardens Trust, to speed up the planning system. “We are seeking views on reforming the role of statutory consultees in the planning system in England,” it said. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 13 January 2026.The consultation can be accessed here.Make sure you never miss a HortWeek podcast! Subscribe to or Follow HortWeek podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast platform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Kirkham has a mission, one that will resonate with many arborists across the UK: "I'd like to get rid of the term 'tree planting'".The former Kew arboretum head says: "Our success rate of establishing trees isn't good in this country... I'd sooner see less trees planted and established rather than planting big numbers that fail to establish." In his conversation with HortWeek editor Matthew Appleby, Kirkham gives his thoughts on the "exotics" versus "natives" debate and reveals his "top future trees" which include his favourite "hard-working trees".On pest and disease threats to trees, Kirkham issues a stark warning. Experts say it is a case of "not if but when" Xylella enters the UK, and Kirkham says, with more than 400 host plants identified so far: "I think every woody plant is vulnerable. We really need to crank up our biosecurity."Other than Xylella, his the top concern is plane wilt, which "is spread by arborists" via tools, machinery, PPE and clothing, and which is "coming towards us pretty quick...we need to keep that out at ALL costs".He also talks about how arborists can handle the rising frequency and intensity of storms, recalling how he got Kew back up and running in the wake of the storm of 1987 that brought down so many trees that he considered "old friends".But despite the devastation that took three years to clear, he now says it is "the best thing that could have happened" - getting rid of unsafe trees, giving the Kew team a chance to replant and refresh the arboretum, revolutionising tree-planting practice. Make sure you never miss a HortWeek podcast! Subscribe to or Follow HortWeek podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your preferred podcast platform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the second special podcast with an arboriculture focus produced as part of ArbWeek, HortWeek's deep dive into all things arb held from 24 - 30 November.Listen to Jeremy Barrell on how 'Failing clients deserve failing trees', plus tree growing, procurement, planting and establishmentThis week's guests bring their distinct perspectives on the arb sector - but also bring a holistic perspective having worked together for many years on fascinating and crucial research projects.Kevin Martin, head of tree collections at RBG Kew and Adam Dunnett, production and amenity director for Hillier Nurseries are thought leaders in their fields and bring fascinating insights and forthright opinions to their discussion with Rachael Forsyth.They discuss tree planting and establishment, ground breaking research with "remarkable" results that is transforming tree selection and understanding of how to grow and in particular, water, trees.Skip to...00:00:49 How Kevin and Adam began their careers in horticulture00:05:45 Kevin Martin on his research into resiliant trees sourced from around the world00:09:53 Trees we should be planting to weather the future00:14:40 Hillier's 'Streetwise' range of trees for urban environments00:17.39 Peat-free growing and trees00:20:48 Groundbreaking research into irrigation for trees at Hillier00:30:13 The importance of grants, continuity in Government support and business certainty00:40:39 Adam Dunnett on seeing changes in the school curriculum making a difference to hort00:50:40 The latest on Resistor elms00:52:43 Kevin and Adam's 'dream' pieces of research topicsOn the topic of encouraging young people into horticulture, Adam Dunnett relates a "chink of light" following a visit to a secondary school where as part of their work on the "2050 project" they are looking at what trees will be thriving in 25 year's time. "That's just one school, but actually that could be really quite transformational if that's happening in other schools!"Kevin says: "Horticulture and growing plants is an applied science, and it's one fo the most important applied sciences we do and it's so overlooked...it's always been seen as suitable for someone who's not academic, and that's not the case."We need some of the brightest people to solve some of the biggest questions...we need to work on that narrative."In this episode the Victorians get a couple of name-checks and we also get some top tips on which tree to go to to get unbeatable conkers.Podcast presenter: Rachael ForsythPodcast producer: Christina Taylor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chloe Whiteside, ICL’s technical area sales manager covering Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire – has spoken on the HortWeek podcast about the highs and lows of the 2025 spring bedding season and what the strong start and weaker finish mean for the 2026 bedding plant season.She talks about what bedding growers should be doing in the lead-up to the spring season and gives advice about watering, nutrition and storage regimes for peat-reduced and peat-free growing media.On nutrition, she talks about using controlled release fertiliser and water solubles, as well as which biocontrol, biopesticide and biostimulant products are at the grower’s disposal and, as a BASIS qualified adviser, what she recommends.Before joining ICL, Whiteside spent 10 years in horticultural research at ADAS, delivering research projects on a wide range of ornamental and edible crops. She managed the AHDB funded Bedding and Pot Plant Centre trials, as well as the AHDB, Defra and industry-funded project on Transition to Responsibly Sourced Growing Media Use in UK Horticulture. The project ran for five years and covered all sectors of horticulture, from bedding propagation right through to container grown trees and soft fruit production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.