Becca of the Garden Gate Flower Company is one of my favourite people, and what she doesn’t know about growing flowers simply isn’t worth knowing. This fact is supported by me coming out of the discussion with a completely different plan for sowing annuals than the one with which I went in…

I am so so sorry though, I cannot work out why when I talk to Becca, Zoom will only record us side to side. If you have a solution, please do let me know. I have tried pressing every single button and adjusted every setting, but no joy.

If you click on the underlined timestamp it will take you to that section, although I strongly recommend a peaceful half an hour with a cup of tea and just listen to us chatting all the way though. However, you are going to want to come back to Becca’s desert island shrubs at 23:14 when you are garden planning over the next few months so I thought I would include it. Spoiler alert - we did not agree.

01:08 Surviving January. Top tips for things to do, and what not to do. Being a seed merchant, I very much hope that you ignore Becca’s advice on this one.

03:03 New land. The absolute magic of virgin land, and how everything grows best in the first year.

04:44 Perennials & annuals. The ratio is tilting in favour of the former. Becca explains how, and I add why.

07:38 Soil & compost. Because this is the year that we all resolve to ensure that the ground is covered always. Phacelia is our friend.

11:58 Right. plant, right place. Why growing a dahlia next to a stone wall will only break your heart.

13:11 Single genus impact. Because gardeners kitchen’s tables are so often bare. Bud vases are the way forward.

15:02 Mixing it up. But biodiversity is good for the soil. And for the soul. Dare you throw and sow this year?

19:56 Pots. A chore and environmentally unsustainable at their worst. Dramatic impact and glorious when done right. How we do pots.

23:14 Only one shrub. Ok, so there were three. I asked Becca for the one shrub she would recommend and her reply shocked me. We agreed on the second, and then disagreed again on the third.

30:25 And back to soil. Because it all starts and ends with soil.