grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

The National Garden Scheme is a national treasure, raising millions for charities and giving access to gorgeous gardens for those who need them most.
It’s a joy this week to be joined by former GP and National Garden Scheme CEO Dr Richard Claxton to explore how 3,200 gardens – from stately homes to hospital rooftops and new-build backyards – are transforming health and access to green space across the UK. 
In this episode, discover:
How the National Garden Scheme quietly turns open gardens, tea and cake into £3.9 million a year for nursing and healthcare charities
Why Richard Claxton believes gardening is one of the most powerful tools we have for long-term wellbeing
How the NGS has evolved from stately homes and rectories to include community gardens, and small, relatable plot
The story behind transformative projects like the intensive care roof garden at King’s College Hospital
How balconies, new-build gardens and shared plots can play a vital role in our health and connection to nature
Richard Claxton:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardclaxtongardens/
The National Garden Scheme: https://www.instagram.com/nationalgardenscheme/
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

We’ve learned from years of unpredictable weather patterns that the climate is demanding more of our plants than ever before, and while some struggle, others quietly thrive throughout it all.
In this episode, Sarah is joined by Josie Lewis to explore which plants are quietly thriving through late frosts, heatwaves and torrential rain with a practical, down-to-earth shortlist of resilient perennials, shrubs, grasses and ground covers to help your garden cope with an increasingly unpredictable climate.
In this episode, discover:
How long-observed changes in weather are reshaping which plants can thrive in the garden
Which resilient perennials, shrubs and grasses are coping best with “swivelly” weather, and why traits like tap roots and silver, hairy foliage matter
Which much-loved plants are starting to struggle with mildew, black spot and stress
Practical, down-to-earth techniques for helping your garden weather extremes conditions
Products mentioned:
Bluebells (Native British): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hyacinthoides-non-scripta-bluebells
Eryngiums (Sea Hollies): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/eryngium-alpinum?srsltid=AfmBOopO4Ifg4rzCW2YkMWRcqgDXIRlXUqsM8bCbvKl2l68rTKaBJU4l
Lavender: sarahraven.com/products/lavender-munstead
Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/rosemary-tuscan-blue?srsltid=AfmBOoqw1cACNvCEpOmZsANIbxqDCLnJbnUK2yiqwuVl2Cvfo8ZtYvMy
Origanum vulgare (Oregano): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/wild-marjoram?srsltid=AfmBOopv0ainVpy6LtMUQZNXz7j2uk0S8_o0MhkfGzThC64AF9eaF1l-
Lychnis coronaria (Magenta): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lychnis-coronaria
Stipa gigantea: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/stipa-gigantea
Quaking Grasses (Briza species): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/briza-maxima-greater-quaking-grass?srsltid=AfmBOorNYwPg5Ia0BbbQNr1nHeMdY4zpd_RelqlM_oWx8Ukfkg6qb-Yp
Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/leucanthemum-vulgaris?srsltid=AfmBOoqICKKwsHKsI_Az1IDEef6FTGyX2985v8xOzJWJz6vK2m39rH80
Salvia ‘Cerro Potosi’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-microphylla-cerro-potosi
Salvia ‘Jezebel’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-jezebel?srsltid=AfmBOoo9zChqz4ORp4p1PjjxPn-FE0S9HtVs0nqaEzWg3SHc0sPNNdRE
Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-x-jamensis-royal-bumble?srsltid=AfmBOorDeIIZi7sAEHWbPIlPsgg6Nvy-c1HUTkEyZNvgfHTKvBI0VLH5
Phlox ‘David’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-david
Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-blue-paradise
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

What Pam Corbin doesn’t know about preserves, isn’t worth knowing. She’s an oracle on all things jam - hence her apt nickname, ‘Pam the Jam’.
For the home cook, and for those with a kitchen garden worthy of capturing its fruity goodness, this week’s episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Pam is a perfect entry point to creating your own jams.
She and Sarah share the secrets behind turning seasonal fruit and veg into beautiful jars of low‑sugar jams, compotes and chutneys that actually taste of the fruit, not just the sugar!
In this episode, discover:
How Pam moved from a tiny jam business in a converted pig unit to writing modern classics on preserves
Why traditional jam recipes were so heavy on sugar, and how to safely make lower‑sugar, soft‑set jams today
Practical, step‑by‑step tips for tricky fruits like strawberries and raspberries – including staging your jam, managing foam, and avoiding overcooked, rock‑hard results
Simple ways to make more than just jam from your harvest, from apricot compotes and bottled cherries to clever uses for rhubarb, courgettes and runner beans
How to choose and use basic preserving kit so you can confidently turn garden gluts into jars on your shelf
Order ‘Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves’:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pam-Jam-Book-Preserves-Corbin/dp/1408884496
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

There are few flowers more quintessential than the rose, and it’s safe to say that there’s a perfect rose for everyone’s tastes. 
This week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ delves into the world of roses, with someone whose love for a great rose knows no bounds: Josie Lewis.
Whether you’re looking for a rose with a particular colour to combine with the beauty of your existing garden, or you’re more pressed by scent and structure, we hear which are the absolute best roses to grow, and how best to tend to them for healthy, reliable growth.
In this episode, discover:
Which varieties of Roses are the standout performers for each colour group
The best ramblers, bloomers and climbers, from the huge, creamy white Wedding Day to the beautiful copper-brown Hot Chocolate
How to make your roses last in water for maximum vase life
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

This Christmas might feel a while away, but if there’s one way to prepare right now for a more stunning and sustainable tree, it’s with alliums.
Sarah’s love of alliums is well-documented on the podcast, but this week she’s recalling some of the most show-stopping varieties with which to decorate this Christmas, and the joys that they’ll bring as ‘colour baton-carriers’ in spring.
In this episode, discover:
Which alliums are perfect for bridging the gap between tulips going over and sweet peas emerging
Some extravagant, statement-making varieties like the remarkably tall ‘Summer Drummer’ or sculptural shapes of ‘Magic’
Tips for preparing your alliums to sustainably decorate your tree this Christmas
Products mentioned:
Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-hollandicum-purple-sensation
Allium cristophii
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-cristophii
Allium nigrum
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-nigrum
Allium stipitatum 'Summer Drummer'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-stipitatum-summer-drummer
Allium schubertii 'Magic'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-schubertii-magic
Allium jesdianum 'Purple Rain'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/allium-purple-rain
See our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-events
Get in touch: info@sarahraven.com
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest