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. 

The time has finally come! Tessa and Molly discuss the final three Main Avenue show gardens for the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show… and let’s just say this last batch has some big expectations on their shoulders! Can Tom Stuart Smith raise Best in Show once again? Will Kazuyuki Ishihara defend his 2025 sweep of Best in Show AND People’s Choice Award? The girls also unpack what it takes to get a gold medal at Chelsea, and even more, what sets a Best in Show apart. But most importantly, Tessa and Molly make their picks for top honors as well as possible dark horses in other categories.
What are you most excited to watch at this year’s Chelsea? We would love to hear!
Thanks for joining us for this special Chelsea Flower Show hype!! Stay tuned for our follow up with Don and Janice (Molly’s parents) who will be at the show on opening day!!
Thanks for joining the Gab!!

Garden Gabbers… did we forget to tell you that we are going to have on the ground correspondents at the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show?! It’s not Tessa…. and not Molly… IT’S DON AND JANICE, Molly’s beloved parents. Although it is rude they are not taking Molly with them, we can put that aside and live vicariously. So stay tuned for a post show recap with our boots on the ground.
The girls review the next round of gardens which are all centered around worthy causes including raising awareness for preserving the countryside of England, giving children peaceful havens in nature, and advocating for teens to find careers in the green industry.
There are Chelsea veterans alongside newer names, all coming to bat for a gold medal this year! Stay tuned for our third round of Chelsea Flower Show draft picks where we will also make our picks for Best in Show, People’s Choice Award, and our Dark Horse thoughts!

Welcome back Garden Gabbers for Episode 19, our final episode in our teenage years! And let’s just say in the words of Tessa Pinner, mama’s hot! The girls jump straight into the woes of a hot and dry spring, which has Tessa pinning for… a plunge pool baby!  You know it's officially the kick off are gardening season with talk about drought, strawberry picking, and the ever-present feeling of being just a little behind in the garden.
Speaking of plunging, the girls dive straight into what makes something art versus craft, and how that question shows up in both creative work and garden design. The two introduce a new concept—the “Shagginess Metric”—to explore where gardens fall on the spectrum between wild and perfectly buttoned-up, and how client preferences shape that balance. Are you more of the ballerina bun type, or do you let your hair down a bit?? Do let us know!
Buckle up for some bonus stories this episode include a strawberry freezer disaster, a memorial Japanese maple, and why April might just be the best month in the garden. Thanks for Joining the Gab!
 
Show Notes:
If you like Tessa are pinning after a cool down, may we direct you here to long after these beautiful Plunge Pools
 
We have mentioned the Pastoral Gardens book a few times because, I mean… can you even with these pictures... not to mention the beautiful words! 
 
Out of an abundance of caution, we highly recommend Kindle readers (especially those who read at night while drifting into sweet slumber… like Molly) invest in a Kindle Case with a handle! Protect your face!
 

Hello Garden Gabbers!! Tessa and Molly are back with more plant talk and hope that you are joining with them by basking fully in the glory that is spring!! The girls dive straight into all things Down Home and Out-and-About including fairy garden parties, strawberry picking and a new way of spending park time. After a quick horticultural hormone check-in (let’s just say the girls are feeling botanically frisky), it is time for a surprise trip to a dream spring destination!!! But you will have to listen to see where…
The show wraps with another Bloom Report (think viburnums and native azaleas…) and of course DOOR PRIZES!!! The travel talk has Tessa and Molly reflecting on their own hopes for taking both a domestic and international Garden Gab adventure, and they want to hear from you!! Be sure to subscribe to the show Substack HERE to stay in the know on all things Garden Gab, and email us thoughts, questions and ideas at gardengabclub@gmail.com. Thanks for joining the gab!
Show Notes:
Are you in your 30’s and also realizing it is time to stop avoiding fate and just dive head first into birding now… first step is the Merlin app!
This is our third time to link to this podcast interview of Milli Proust with Alice Vincent and WE STILL LOVE IT!
As we say on the show WE ARE SAT for the first Great Garden Show at the Newt!

Hello there Garden Gabbers! On this episode of the pod, Tessa and Molly spare no speck of enthusiasm whilst introducing what some might declare as the Super Bowl of the gardening world... The Chelsea Flower Show! On the episodes leading up to the best week of the year, Tessa and Molly are discussing this year's main show gardens, what we are expecting, and (since Molly is involved...) there is chatter about a Chelsea Flower Show bracket contest?! Who doesn't love a game! And prizes!! Let us know your thoughts... While we have no idea what is happening with March Madness or, quite frankly, the Super Bowl... the girls are laser focused on this year's show! And they want to bring you to also delight in the theater of the whole production!
Tessa and Molly also chat in the newly introduced committee, Curiosity Corner, about what they have been digging into in order to cultivate curiosity in their own lives. Tessa unpacks what she gleaned on a Create Academy course from the dynamic duo of Julian and Isabel Bannerman. Molly discusses Milli Proust's new best selling book, How Does Your Garden Grow! We also get a quick wildlife report featuring bees and a tiny tiny turtle, a bloom report featuring cherries and Lady Banks roses, and of course... Door Prizes!
 
Thanks for joining the Gab! Be sure to subscribe to the show Substack HERE and leave us a review!! So thankful for everyone who is joining the club!
 
Show Notes:
+ To learn more about the Chelsea Flower Show and Project Giving Back be sure to explore those thinks!
+ If you are interested in taking the Create Academy class for yourself, explore the Bannerman's Class... or see if there are other classes that might scratch your own curiosity itch! 
+ If you missed it in last weeks show notes, we cannot recommend Milli Proust's book, How Does Your Garden Grow, with any more unbridled enthusiasm than what we have expressed on the show!!!!
+ If you are as enamored with Milli as much as we are, be sure to check out her interview with Alice Vincent on building a garden.
+ If you, like Tessa and Molly, find seed packets tucked into random spots and think to yourself, I really need one place to keep those... look no further than this here tackle box. 
+ On a delightful yet non-garden related note... Molly has restocked her spring Pura scents and her life (and home) is better for it!