Mic the Gardener - Gardening Podcast - Weeds Special with Gareth Richards

In this week’s episode I chat to author Gareth Richards about his new RHS book ‘Weeds - The Beauty and Uses of 50 Vagabond Plants’. There can't be one of us who doesn't battle with at least a handful of weed varieties in our own gardens. In my own garden, it's hairy bittercress, couch grass and bindweed, and that, is quite enough, thank you very much. Like many of us, you'll find me hissing and cussing under my breath as I fight to extract them from my borders. However, Gareth's fascinating book has made me step back and look again at the weeds in my own garden. They've earned a new found respect and acknowledgement for the many uses they have, many of which, we're probably not aware of. Many weeds have medicinal properties, some can be eaten and, going back in time, some were even used as fabric! In this episode we chat about Gareth's role at the RHS, the book and how it came about. More specifically we chat about: How the 50 vagabond plants were selected What a weed is The difference between perennial and annual weeds Native and non-native weeds What 'first responders' are  The (perhaps) unknown and surprising properties of some weeds We also discuss the beautiful illustrations throughout the book and much more. This is a truly fascinating episode and Gareth's book is a must have for all gardeners, available through the RHS online shop and other outlets. As always, thank you for listening and if you don't already, please do follow/subscribe as there is still lots more to come.  And, if you listen via Apple Podcasts, please do leave a review. See you all next week.  Mike