Agghhhhhhhhhh

Sorry but just need to express some frustration at a couple of hours spent trying to set up a YouTube channel! And so far no luck. Why YouTube for audio, I hear you ask. Hmm I have been asking myself the same thing but apparently YouTube is the second most popular social media platform after Facebook and the second most popular search engine after Google. (And its owned by Google). 25-35 is the largest demographic but 55+ is rising fast.

Even though it is a video channel it also now hosts audio only podcasts and its simple (or so they say) to connect your podcast feed to YouTube, and find some more listeners. I feel a bit like I did at the beginning of this podcast journey where every bit of the process was a steep, slow and at times frustrating learning curve. However as my 97 year old mum tells me: persevere! So I will and I’ll let you know how I get on and if I succeed I’ll share the link.

Meanwhile back in the more tangible and enjoyable world of gardens, this week I published an Offshoot episode in which Anne Harrap takes us for a 20 min walk around Natural Surroundings the gardens she has created for wildlife near Holt in Norfolk.

Along the way she points out some of her favourite plants and I have listed them all on the episode page. I think this is a lovely one to listen to if you have a commute in the car, on a bus or tube and you just want to fill your mind with the images of a warm July day with the sounds of buzzing insects in the breeze and just escape to Natural Surroundings.

Someone bought me 3 coffees this week and left this lovely comment about Anne’s Plant Story:

Wow! Thank you - lovely to link what to many people will be history to the present in north Norfolk. I shall be rereading Silent Spring and reading Chris’ book and also going back to Natural Surroundings - thank you! Fabulous episode

It is so good to receive your feedback and the coffees and the words mitigate the aggghhhhhhh moments! I ordered a copy of Silent Spring after recording the episode. It’s a book I have heard mentioned many times but I haven’t read. I am also planning to re-read Chris’ book - How to Make A Wildlife Garden - this Winter whilst planning for what to plant in my own and in the Museum of Homelessness garden next year.

In other news I have started to research series 4 which will begin in February 2026. There are currently 9 sticky post-it notes on either side of my office window frame - all of them plant story ideas that I have come across this year. I have been sending emails off to Japan and the USA today on the trail of one of the stories though before I can do any interviews I’d need to do a bit more study of plant genetics since its a complex story that goes back to the 1880s! I know that not all the post-it notes will turn into episodes which is why the plan is to start this Autumn giving time to lose myself in the research. The plant in question started in the UK, moved to Japan and then headed to the USA.

Meanwhile back in series 3, in next months episodes I’ll be returning to High Lines and regular listeners will know I am slightly obsessed with these urban gardens in the sky. I was lucky enough to walk the New York High Line this summer with the Senior Director of Horticulture. Editing the episode yesterday with the sounds of New York traffic in the distance was very different to editing Anne’s peaceful Norfolk garden.

Have a lovely weekend

Sally

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Learning together