The James & Joe Garden Show

Garden lighting is a divisive subject, and James and Joe are owning the controversy this week. From the "feral" beauty of a well-lit tree to the absolute horror of bright, cold security lights that turn your backyard into an office complex at midnight, we’re ripping up the rulebook on how to light your space effectively.

We discuss the delicate balance of creating drama through light and shadow, the importance of "warm white" over harsh blue LEDs, and why James thinks the future of garden lighting is actually… solar-powered path lights that make your garden look like a runway. Plus, we dive into the circadian rhythms of local blackbirds, the perils of "carefully" sexing hedgehogs, and why you should never, ever light a tree at 3:00 AM.

This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

About our hosts

James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.

Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.

Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain).

You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.

It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0

Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/

Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/

Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back with another listener Q&A! As always, James and Joe are answering your most urgent (and slightly unhinged) gardening questions. This week, we tackle the "elephant in the room": what is the official etiquette for bathroom breaks when you’re working in a client’s garden? (Spoiler: It involves a lot of "feral weeding" and shed-related anxiety).

We also dive into the ethics of urban gardening—is it botanical cruelty to cram 30 cosmos into a tiny window box?—and take on a listener’s challenge: for every new plant you buy, you must purge one household item. Plus, we discuss the efficacy of paying a witch on Etsy to save your wedding day weather.

In this episode:


The Bathroom Protocol: How to handle the lack of facilities without ruining your client relationship.


Urban Gardening Ethics: When does "abundance" cross the line into plant torture?


The One-In-One-Out Rule: James and Joe try to decide which household junk to bin for their latest plant haul.


Witchcraft & Weddings: Should you demand a refund from an Etsy witch for a rainy wedding day?


Reality TV Dreams: Which reality shows would James and Joe actually survive?

Got a question for the next Q&A? Drop it in our DMs.

This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

About our hosts

James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.

Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.

Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain).

You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.

It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0

Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/

Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/

Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it ever okay to have a plastic owl in your tree? What is the secret to placing sculpture without looking like you’re trying too hard? And why are some of you planting your underwear? We explore the fine, often blurry line between high-end abstract art and the "tut and tat" that haunts our sheds.

In this episode:


The Gnome Controversy: Did the King really force Chelsea to bring them back?


Sculpture 101: Why empty pots are art, but planted-up toilets are... well, something else entirely.


Pest Control or Pure Kitsch: Are plastic herons and balloons actually doing anything, or just scaring the neighbours?


The "Jekyll" Gnome: A look back at the original garden-gnome drama.


James & Joe’s Personal Collections: The good, the bad, and the slightly unhinged pieces lurking in our own gardens.

Have a piece of kitsch you’re secretly proud of? Let us know on socials!

This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

About our hosts

James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.

Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.

Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain).

You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.

It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0

Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/

Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/

Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the boys are diving deep into the listener mailbag to rescue a frustrated subscriber from a bureaucratic nightmare, investigate a neighbour utilising military-grade precision on a front lawn, and honour a beloved friend of the show.In this episode:

The Planning Inspectorate Stand-Off: Will from Oxfordshire is being formally mandated by the government to rip up his healthy Prunus serrula and mature hedge to lay down a pristine, unsustainable lawn. James and Joe immediately advocate for direct action—specifically, gluing oneself to the beautifully polished mahogany bark.

The Desert Island Luxury Pivot: Joe calls out James' historical choice of taking "a large quantity of York stone paving" to a desert island, leading to a new strategy involving Fred Astaire’s tap dancing catalog and a highly practical (but potentially illegal) fishing rod.

The Laser-Levelled Lawn: A neighbour is spotted using a spirit level and a laser line to mow their front yard. Joe breaks down why a flat lawn is completely useless for a putting green, while James remembers his father's bizarre habit of signing the family name "Liversedge" into household dust.

The Death of the Pure Nursery: Toby from Aberdeen vents about the corporate takeover of garden centers by John Lewis lifestyle aesthetics. Joe reveals the actual margin on a £3 cup of coffee and calculates food costs strictly "by the mouthful."

Housing Association Turf Wars: Sarah from Manchester is judging a local garden competition. Co-Chair of Assessors James shares a cautionary tale of judging an anonymous flower show that nearly required a security detail, before providing a bulletproof breakdown of how a clipboard and a rigorous point system can save you from neighborhood politics.

Remembering Matthew Biggs: James and Joe take a heartfelt, reflective moment to pay tribute to the late, great Matthew Biggs—the warmest, funniest plant hunter to ever grace the stage at Malvern.

This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

About our hosts

James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.

Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.

Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain).

You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.

It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0

Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/

Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/

Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fresh from the world's most prestigious showground, James and Joe are back to completely deconstruct the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. After a week where national tabloids picked up their last episode and accused Joe of launching a "scathing, fiery rant" against David Beckham and the BBC, Joe uses his right to reply to set the record straight on why he actually stepped down from the TV coverage after 24 years.

Meanwhile, James - reigning supreme as this year's Co-Chair of Assessors - takes us inside the hyper-exclusive, highly secretive world of Main Avenue judging.

This episode is sponsored by Kress, leaders in robotic lawnmowing and battery landscaping tools. Learn more here: https://www.kress.com/en-gb/

About our hosts

James Alexander-Sinclair is a garden designer, writer and broadcaster. He is an RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022. He is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design and a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers.

Joe Swift is a familiar face on television as a presenter of BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World and other gardening programmes. He is a garden designer, broadcaster, writer and design director of Modular.

Support James and Joe by becoming a member of The Garden Collective - a community for anyone who loves plants, gardens and sharing what they love - a place where experts and fellow gardeners all come together to inspire, entertain and keep us company whilst we’re weeding (or staring out of the window at the rain).

You'll get access to articles written by some great gardeners, live Q&A sessions, livestreams, podcasts and loads more.

It’s more than a platform - it’s a place where we can answer questions, offer biscuits and share our triumphs and disasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe now⁠: https://join.scribehound.com/gardening?ref=share&sharer=uu4ouXbbErgc54CBD&shareType=SbzpSgeEBK&channel=gardening%E2%81%A0

Follow James & Joe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandjoegarden/

Follow The Garden Collective on ⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garden_collective_/

Contact us: ⁠gardening@scribehound.com⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices