A New Tree

...and three new WHOLESOME podcasts.

I bought myself a silver birch. A BIG one.

Betula utilis jacquemontii ‘Snow Queen’

Not sure why this feels so naughty - perhaps because it’s almost Christmas as we’re supposed to be buying OTHER PEOPLE presents, but I have a solution to that - I’m making limoncello and sowing sweet peas for all the adults in my life. Mark Diacono has made an absolute GIFT of a piece for The Garden Collective (Scribehound Gardening’s new name) in which he has given recipes for Allorino (a bay-infused vodka) Krupnik (a spiced honey vodka), eggnog (poshly referred to as ‘poncho crema’) and other rather delicious alcoholic things. I’ve also posted a thing full of perfect presents there too.

Mark Diacono’s Limoncello (also Mark Diacono’s photo)

If you are at all interested in anything to do with gardening, practically, theoretically, historically or just design-wise, I would very much recommend you come and join us there. It’s basically as if Substack let you bundle all the best gardening substacks together and charged you one subscription fee. You get a mini-podcast every single day, that you can read or listen to, and there are loads of extras in the pipeline. If you don’t want to pay anything then do please give me a follow over there, by pressing the button below, as I’ll be doing a free letter regularly, and obviously I hope to build on that as time goes on. (Apologies to any of my readers here who have already joined!)

For me, this means I can go deep with the gardening content but I get to be a part of a group of 30 garden content creators, rather than it just being me; I know it feels like a total bore to download another app…I get it, but I wouldn’t be recommending it if I wasn’t a real proper fan. SWEAR. I was paying a subscription way before they asked me to write for them. You can join now for just £1 and cancel any time, so if you’re already convinced and want to try out a subscription then here’s a button for that:

And on podcasts…

I felt it was time for a little clear-out on the podcast front. I’m an avid true crime listener (don’t come at me…it helps me relax…i don’t KNOW HOW, but it DOES.) But that doesn’t stop me feeling it bit grubby about liking it. So I have three new-to-me garden-focused listens that I am really loving that I want to tell you about:

1. Stuart and Alexander. Hosted by sweet pea farmer and writer Grace Alexander and florist and stylist Becca Stuart. Latest episode is FULL of amazing present ideas and I now desperately want these PERFECT willow shades by Katherine Miles: Also this trug for the gardener who has, perhaps, EVERYTHING?

   

   Beautiful leather gardener’s foraging trug from Warriner

   

   Willow pendant light of dreams…I want one of these REALLY BADLY Rotter

2. Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange. Hosted by Sarah Raven and her guests. Obviously Sarah is a genius and has absolute mastery over her subject and from that point of view, she’s worth listening to anyway, but she also has a lovely voice, which doesn’t hurt. The episodes are short and full of valuable take-home advice, (she is incredibly generous with giving her tips) most recently, really wonderful ideas for decorating with foraged materials…I mean…LOOK at the grasses!

   

3. The James and Joe Garden Show. Hosted by James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift. This is part of The Garden Collective, and it’s a fun, irreverent cavort in the bushes basically. Both of these guys are at the top of their game, but you don’t listen to this for that - it’s just fun, silly chat and I’m SO here for it, especially in today’s world. I particularly loved this one on plant-hunters. Enormous fun.

Enough. Back soon, probably whining about the 11+ (which, if you ask me, should be re-designed, from the ground up…except nobody is asking me.)

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x Laetitia