I love jigsaws. I always have. Finding the pieces, putting them together seems to suit my brain but please don’t give me a crossword or one of those brain teaser puzzles. I think the jigsaw puzzle is also what I have always like about making programmes and now a podcast.

At the moment I am working on about 8 different episodes - all in slightly different stages of readiness. Some have the story recorded but I am waiting to fix the conversation with the other guest. Some I haven’t yet recorded the story or the conversation but I know I have both lined up. It’s a jigsaw puzzle but it is always reasuring when one complete episode is scheduled with all its bits plus its website! And Series 4, Episode 1: Clematis - Searching for Miriam is ready for Tuesday.

I always forget how long the final ‘bits’ of the process take. For example sorting a transcript when the AI does not know Latin plant names so you have to go through every one. Or it can’t spell Gravetye and comes up with a different spelling every time…Gravetime, Gravetie, Gravetyr by the end you begin to doubt your own spelling!

However on Tuesday 10th February, the episode will head out into the world. That sounds a bit dramatic but fingers crossed this episode - Clematis Searching for Miriam might just make it to places like New Zealand and Australia, where there is just a chance this clematis variety might still be growing.

The other thing I love along with jigsaws is finding and making connections. Sam who came to me with this story about clematis had been in contact with Raymond Evison who lives in Guernsey, where he has a nursery growing clematis. Raymond is also the winner of 35 gold medals at the Chelsea flower show, he first went to the show when he was just 16 years old and that was when he got hooked on clematis.

Sam had never met Raymond in person and the first time we recorded the conversation between them, Sam was having to do the interview from his car parked at Gravetye and Raymond was in Guernsey. I knew listening back that the quality of the recording wasn’t great and didn’t do justice to what is a very beautiful story which also connects two gardeners; one in their 20’s and one in their 80’s, who both have a passion for the plant and the story. However serendipity intervened as it often seems to and Raymond had a speaking engagement in Cambridge so Sam and I headed down to meet him and you can hear the results of the interview, recorded in the Premier Inn, on Tuesday.

Again back to the marketing. And this is where you come in: if you enjoy Tuesday’s episode and being back in the land of plant stories, it would be great if you could share it with fellow gardeners so we can grow the audience and find more stories. Perhaps you volunteer in a garden, or have a whatsapp group with fellow gardeners who have done or are doing their RHS level two (so many people I meet have or are doing this) or you have family members with whom you share plants or news of your garden - which I do with my sister.

In other news this week, I had a lovely morning yesterday recording in the pouring rain with Nick who holds the National Collection of Thalictrum. This is going to be part of the Offshoot series about the Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden that will be at Chelsea this year. Nick has donated some of his plants to the designers. Thalictrums have been a favourite of mine since I saw them growing at Great Dixter. These plants seem to like my shady garden and Nick has given me the names of several more varieties to try.

Meanwhile whilst searching for more jigsaw pieces I spoke to a lovely 88 year old gardener who has worked for 60 years in one garden and got an email from a very clever gardener in America who I already know loves plant stories.

Have a lovely weekend and do let me know what you think of the first episode because your feedback and support means so much and helps to keep this jigsaw going.

love

sally

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Series 4 - Here We Come!

How to keep a plant

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