Avant Gardeners
With lots of enthusiasm and very little know how, Emily and Maddie love chatting about gardening, often with a glass of wine or cocktail in hand. In each fortnightly episode, we speak to people who inspire us in the garden, in order to unearth some much needed knowledge.
Anna Matilda / Urban Nanna - Carescapes, Permaculture, Foraging, Autism, Renting, Friction Maxxing
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Willie Smith's Non-alcoholic Cider. Made from Organic Apples grown not far from us, we're big fan of this delightful non-alcoholic cider. It's more refined that apple juice, there's no added sugar, and it's something fancier than your standard sparkling water. It has that craft cider taste, and it's a great option if you aren't drinking, want just one less alcoholic drink, or feel like something a little different. Enjoy 10% off their Non-Alcoholic ciders when using the code AG10 here --
Anna Matilda, aka The Urban Nanna specialises in teaching people about t...
Speaking of Gladiolus
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Willie Smith's Non-alcoholic Cider. Made from Organic Apples grown not far from us, we're big fan of this delightful non-alcoholic cider. It's more refined that apple juice, there's no added sugar, and it's something fancier than your standard sparkling water. It has that craft cider taste, and it's a great option if you aren't drinking, want just one less alcoholic drink, or feel like something a little different. Enjoy 10% off their Non-Alcoholic ciders when using the code AG10 at https://www.williesmiths.com.au/product/willie-smiths-non-alc --
We're back! Welcome to a...
Mitch Theissen // The Agrarian Kitchen, Compost, Soil Health, Japanese Salad Turnip
Mitch Theissen has the enviable role of Head Gardener at the award winning Agrarian Kitchen in New Norfolk, just outside of Hobart.
Having grown up in the Huon Valley, born into a long line of apple farmers, Mitch started his career in the kitchen, first in Hobart, then Sydney, before spending time in Japan. It was here that his thoughts returned to agriculture and produce, and upon returning to Australia he sought out the next phase of his career, landing this dream gig a few years ago and being pivotal in what it looks like, and how...
Baklava Old Fashioned, Dehydrator Season and We Answer Your Questions!
We're drinking a Baklava Old Fashioned - Maddie had leftover baklava syrup (sugar, water, cinnamon, honey) and has turned it into an old fashioned with burbon, amaretto and a dash of bitters. Absolutely delish!
Emily has scored herself the perfect harvest basket, and her benchtop is housing a hard-working dehydrator as she works through the abundance of nashi pears.
Maddie delves into the good and the bad dahlia chat.
We discuss tree peonies and mimosa hydrangeas before delving into some questions that you - our amazing listeners - have asked of us. The o...
Rubie Gallagher // Gardening with a Disability, Starting a Micro Flower Farm, Dahlia Cuttings, Running Away From Home
This week's guest is the delightful, talented Rubie Gallagher. Rubie is an illustrator and micro flower farmer, who met Emily when she and her husband Max took a Calm Birth class ahead of their first child.
After an accident in 2019, Rubie she spent time in rehabilitation at the Royal Talbot Rehab Centre in Melbourne which our recent guest Steven Wells created. The two crossed paths there during Rubie's rehab.
Since her accident, Rubie and her husband, along with some very helpful friends, have worked together to create Rubie's Flower Farm, a micro farm growing flowers f...
A Hospital Stay, Writing Lists & South Sydney's Jacaranda History
We are back, and we felt like drinking something tried and tested, so Emily's cracked a Sigurd, Chenin Blanc.
Emily shares an unexpected stay in hospital, and she's got a lot of thoughts about the paediatric ward 'sgarden (very topical as we've recently spoken to Nurse and Therapeutic Horticulturalist Steven Wells - listen to that episode here).
Maddie interogates how Emily gets so many things done, so we go deep on lists.
Emily's planting garlic and spending time in her outdoor bath.
We're processing tomatoes.
Maddie shares a story about South Sydney's jacaranda h...
Jac Semmler // Flower Power, Pivoting to Horticulture, Super Bloom, Writing Books, Poppy Hacks
We are the founding members of the Jac Semmler Fan Club. This is the second time we've been lucky enough to interview Jac, celebrating the launch of what will become an absolute gardening book staple, Flower Power.
In this episode we answer a bunch of your questions, including
-How and should I pivot to horticulture
-How do I get my poppies to germinate
-What are some surprising performers in the garden
We talk about changing climate, bogan pronounciation of plant names, the amazing work Jac's doing at Super Bloom, and so much m...
Op Shops, Toilet Paper & Plums Galore
Emily & Maddie are back with so much chat this week. We go a little off topic, but that's pretty standard...right?
We cover:
Next week we're so excited to be releasing our chat with the amazing Jac Semmler of S...
Steven Wells // Therapeutic Gardening, Downsizing, Churchill Fellowship, Gardener Folk
Emily and Maddie were lucky enough to meet Steven in Victoria late last year, having followed his journey for a long time. Steven began his career as a nurse, before studying horticulture, with no intention of fusing the two. But he delved deeper into therapeutic gardens, gaining a Churchill Fellowship to help support research, and he started the Therapeutic Garden at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre nearly 20 years ago, providing immeasurable benefit to patients, their families, friends and staff.
Steven recently downsized from a much-celebrated garden in the Melbourne suburbs, Steven now has a lush veranda in t...
Maddie + Em // Alpacas and New Neural Pathways
It's a Maddie & Emily chat this week.
Maddie is loving (despite calling the colour urine-esque) the White Gate Co White Blend and if you're in Tassie go book and wine shopping at Five Leaves Left.
Emily was creating new neural pathways and happened upon a great side-street garden stall. Win!
We're lamenting the end of cherry season, but enjoying choc-covered cherries from a local stall.
We're rolling (metaphorically, not literally) in peastraw and alpaca poo.
Lettuce is ON!
Emily has has success with a poppy (yes, just t...
Jo Thompson (UK) // Chelsea Flower Show, 6pm wines, Favourite Roses, Trypophobia
Jo Thompson is one of the UK's most celebrated garden designers, known for creating deeply romantic, naturalistic gardens that feel timeless, layered and full of atmosphere. Her projects span the UK and abroad - from wildflower meadows in the English countryside to rooftop terraces in New York and coastal gardens in Italy and Brazil.
She's a multiple award-winner at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with several Gold medals to her name, and her designs - ranging from private landscapes to meaningful public projects - are widely admired.
Beyond her design practice, she's a respected teacher, auth...
A notebook full of failures - Maddie and Emily chat!
We're baaaaaack! And with a slightly new format. We're trying out one week where we release our chat (longer version), and the following week we'll release our guest interview. It means we can get episodes out weekly. We'll trial it and see.
We've missed the podcast so it's awesome to be back.
Emily has knocked it out of the park with a delicious mulberry bramble (gin, mulberry cordial from our friends' tree, blackberries, lime).
Having taken more than two months off, we have so much to chat about.
Including, but...
Jodi Wilson // A Brain That Breathes, Soft Fascination, The Power of Pottering in the Garden, Books for you to read
Jodi Wilson is a bestselling author of four books, a health journalist and postpartum doula. Several years ago, she and her family packed their lives into a caravan, and set off in search of adventure, and a more simple life. After two years on the road they put down roots in Tasmania. It is here where she's embraced gardening, and written her most recent book, A Brain That Breathes, out today.
Jodi lives, writes and gardens with her partner and their four children on the land of the punnilerpanner people in north western Tasmania
Before w...
Emma Horswill // Earthenry Flower Farm, Dahlias, Cover Crops, Pulse Watering, Ranunculus
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Emma Horswill was a madkeen gardener with a fine arts degree and a 9-acre block. With plans for a veggie garden and orchard, Emma turned her hand to flower farming in 2019, and since then has gone from strength to strength.
This family run farm, called Earthenry, now grows well over 100 different varieties of seasonal and field-grown blooms, and has cultivated a dedicated community of volunteers and devotees who flock to the...
Rachel Ward // Regenerative Farming, Small Farms, Nature and Creativity, Farmthru
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Rachel Ward's career began on screen, with standout roles in classics like The Thorn Birds before she turned her skills to directing acclaimed works including Beautiful Kate. In her sixties, Rachel's energy and focus shifted to regenerative agriculture, swapping film sets for fence lines and embarking on an ambitious overhaul of the beef farm her and her husband Bryan Brown had owned for thirty-odd years. Her brilliant documentary Rachel's Farm captures this...
Mark Udovitch // Inner City Permaculture, bees, chickens, mushrooms, Permaculture in the Pub
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Mark Udovitch and his partner Lisa wisely used Covid lockdowns to establish an urban microfarm just south of the Sydney CBD, in the leafy suburb of Bardwell Valley. This steep and productive block is flourishing with veggies, fruit trees and indigenous plants. Mark and Lisa also share the property with European honeybees, a chicken coop, and their two young children.
Mark is also a prolific preserver, fermenter and sourdough make...
Merlin Sheldrake // Fungi, Mushrooms, Fermenting, Entangled Life
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Merlin Sheldrake is a mycologist, biologist, writer, and speaker with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. He received a Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama.
His book, Entangled Life, dives deep into the magical, mysterious and stranger-than-fiction world of fungi, explaining how they can show us les...
Tim Pilgrim // Naturalistic Design, The Winter Decay, Apartment plantings,
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Tim Pilgrim has become synonymous with his own naturalistic style of garden design, one that's plant-driven and subscribes to the maximalist aesthetic.
With gardening in his blood, and after working at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, he returned home to work on one of the Digger's Club's most famous gardens, St Erth.
Tim and his wife Hadley started TP Gardens back in 20...
Mindy Woods // Native Ingredients, Karkalla at Home, First Nations Calendar, Foraging, Whisky Sour
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Mindy Woods is a chef, restaurateur and author, and the first female Indigenous chef to become hatted by the Australian Good Food Guide. A proud Bundjalung woman, Mindy was pursuing physiotherapy when she barged onto our screens in on Masterchef in 2012.
Since then she's created an impactful career around food and education with Native ingredients being at the centre of everything she does. Mindy was named a Champion of Change at...
Brenna Quinlan // Permaculture Guru, Strawbale Home, Art Activism, Rest
~ This season of Avant Gardeners is proudly supported by Blundstone's new series WorkLife. Launching in November and perfect for gardening. Find your local stockist here. ~
Brenna Quinlan is an illustrator and educator with a keen focus on permaculture and sustainability.
Her special skill is putting her energy, creativity and passion into making the world a better place. She's not afraid to take hard, uncomfortable or challenging subjects, but she always has humour at the core.
Through her art she has collaborated with the likes of Costa, Milkwood Permaculture, David Holmgren and the C...
Katie Finlay // Grow Great Fruit, Pruning, Grafting, Pest Control, Chamomile & Gin
Katie Finlay is a third-generation orchardist who grew up on the family farm she now calls home. She received a Bachelor of Science from Monash Uni majoring in botany and genetics - which came in very handy when she returned to the farm 15 years later
Katie and her partner Hugh are on a mission to help backyard growers and orchardists alike to create the abundant fruit trees of your dreams.
Katie and Hugh run Grow Great Fruit, an education hub that combines their decades of fruit growing experience into practical lessons through webinars, on...
Scott Whitaker - Hinterland Bees // Bees, Honey, Varroa, Honey Mead, Hollyhock, Chickens
Scott Whitaker is a visual artist and former art gallery owner who now runs Hinterland Bees with his wife Allyson Reynolds. They got their first hive back in 1996, and now manage more than 250 of them across orchards and rainforests in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
Scott produces pure, natural raw honey and has become synonymous with swarm removal. His social videos are mesmerising to watch, opting for no protective gear when handling thousands of them.
Scott lives, gardens and bee keeps on Jinibara and Kabi Kabi country in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland.
If...
Nikki Husted - Purely Chickens // Homesteading, Chicken Life (And Death), Gardening with Chickens, Lindt Ball Hot Choc
Nikki Husted, aka Purely Chickens on Instagram, has been on our Dream Interview List for a very long time.
Nikki is a former public school teacher turned chicken guru, who educates and entertains a community of like-minded chicken fanatics about all things poultry and homesteading.
In 2023 she released her book Chicken Keeping Pure and Simple, bringing together more than two decades of chicken know-how into a really practical resource.
Nikki lives in Ohio with her husband, two young kids, and a menagerie including dogs, cats, goats, geese and - of course - dozens of...
Sue Stuart-Smith // From 'outdoor housework' to The Well Gardened Mind, Gardening for Mind & Body, the Power of Flowers, The Barn Garden
Welcome to the first episode of our little mini winter series. We'll be talking about the birds and the bees, the mind and fruit trees. Thanks for being here.
First up, we're having a fan girl moment chatting to Sue Stuart-Smith. Sue is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author of The Well Gardened Mind – a Sunday Times Bestseller. Sue originally saw gardening as 'outdoor housework', but it was the veggie garden that drew her in.
She originally studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a doctor and working in the NHS, where she we...
Alex Elliott-Howery // Pickling, Courtyard Gardening, Telepathic Bay Leaves, Mushrooms, Preserving, Cornersmith
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard-to-get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from veggiegardenseeds.com.au ...
BONUS EPISODE // Flower Photography with professional photographer Sam Shelley
Samuel Shelley is a Tasmanian-based photographer specialising in food, commercial, lifestyle & ad photography. What he often leaves off his bio is his partnership in the family-run, Tassie based business Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds that his sister Bec founded in 2020.
Sam is their chief photographer - amongst other things - and knows a thing or two about taking a killer flower pic.
He lives in Nipaluna / Hobart with his wife, his two daughters, and a pretty serious fishing addiction.
Sam is giving us a little tutorial today on how to get the best...
Milli Proust // Seed Grower, Florist, Alma Proust, Anxiety, Drying Flowers, Compost Palace (UK)
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard-to-get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from veggiegardenseeds.com.au...
Lauren Camilleri // Indoor Plant Guru, Plant Doctor, Monstera, Pottery, Fungus Gnats
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard to get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from v...
Holly Wainwright // Discovering Gardening, Therapy Lettuce, Rat Battle, Searching for Zen
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com--
We're having a good old yarn today with Holly Wainwright. Holly is not...
Emma Bowen // Pocket City Farms, Permaculture Orchard, Julia Ostro
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com--
You'll often hear us mentioning our friend Emma Bowen in these episodes. Well...
Connie Cao // Urban Gardener, Asian Veggie Garden specialist, Berry Guru, Chicken Mum
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com--
Welcome back to season 4!
We're kicking this season off chatting t...
Summer Series - Revisiting Phil Dudman - The Good Guy of Gardening (New Intro)
Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Phil Dudman and general updates since then.
We got so many amazing tips from Phil, and we hope you do too.
Here's the original episode spiel:
Buckle up ya'll, it's the final episode for Season 2 and we're welcoming one of the nicest blokes in gardening to the microphone, Mr Phil Dudman. With a diverse and colourful career that extends from touring with an 80's rock band, to...
Summer Series - Revisiting Charles Dowding - No Dig Guru (New Intro)
Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Charles Dowding and general updates since then. things we've been working on since then.
Gosh we loved revisiting this chat with Charles. Whether it's your first time listening, or your second go, we hope you get a lot out of it.
Listen to Part 2 with Charles Dowding here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hb74jPuZDqravRpS0oR9N?si=d622b4298b914633
Here's the original episode spiel:
Summer Series - Revisiting Compostable Kate (New Intro)
Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Kate and composty things we've been working on since then.
Compostable Kate's was a cracker of an episode.
While not a sponsor of this episode, Bokashi is offering an ongoing 5% off everything on the www.bokashi.com.au website for all your Bokashi and EnsoPet needs. We're addicts. Simply enter the code AG15 at check out to receive your 5% discount.
Here's the original episode spiel:
...Diego Bonetto // Edible Weeds, Foraging, The Weedy One, Cape Weed, Dandelion, Mulberry, Mushrooming
We snuck a bonus episode into season 3 - and what a cracker it is. We're chatting to Diego Bonetto, aka The Weedy One. Born in Italy, Diego grew up foraging for dandelion, wild asparagus and mushrooms. It wasn't actually foraging as such, it was just how you lived.
Since moving to Australia, Diego has taken foraging and edible weeds on as his career, educating and showing people how we're surrounded by abundant food and medicine, much of it growing on in our backyards, or the cracks of the pavement.
Diego lives and forages on the l...
Natasha Morgan / Daylesford, Tree Change, Wicking Beds, Autism, Preserving, Finding Community
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025--
Natasha Morgan is a landscape architect-turned-gardener, forager and creator of inspiring spaces. Having successfully done a treechange in 2014 from Melbourne, Natasha transformed the phenomenal property Oak & Monkey Puzzle. A couple of years ago Natasha and her family downsized to Little Cottage on a Hill in Daylesford, Victoria and continues to cr...
Petrina Blooms // Ranunculus, Slow floristry, Designing Your Garden Spaces, Roses, Creating a Bouquet
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025--
When Petrina Burrill was in grade six, she wrote, 'When I grow up I want to be a florist,' such was her conviction and obsession with blooms. Since then, Petrina Blooms - as she's known on Instagram. has had a diverse career, but has landed back in the garden where...
Matthew Evans // Gourmet Farmer, Fat Pig Farm, Soil Health, Growing Veggies, Wicking Beds, Grounded Australia
--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025--
Matthew Evans was a chef and food critic who left Sydney in search of flavour and to become closer to food production. He landed in Tasmania's Huon Valley and he, his partner Sadie Chrestman and son Hedley call the 70-acre Fat Pig Farm home. Matthew is the author of books inc...
Huw Richards (UK) // Welsh countryside, Impact Planting, Hot Beds, Weeding, Composting
We came across Huw Richards perhaps the odd-way around, first picking up his amazing book 'Veg In One Bed' before discovering his huge online presence. Huw has been gardening since the age of 3 on his parents' smallholding in mid-west Wales. He started a YouTube channel aged 12, which has since received over 100 million views. Huw's gardening is driven by curiosity, experimentation and impact planting. It's obvious how much joy he derives from striving for flavour and beauty in the garden. He's a brilliant communicator and oh boy did we love this chat with him.
Check out his Substack, fi...
Hannah Maloney // Permaculture, Hedgerows, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Flower Power,
We've had Hannah on our list for a looooong time, so it's a bloody thrill to have interviewed her.
Hannah Maloney is the inspiring force behind Goodlife Permaculture, an organisation all about sharing concepts of education, community and design to help people create good lives and landscapes.
Hannah is a host on Gardening Australia on ABC, a best-selling author with two books in the bag and another on the way, and by all accounts, an infectious ball of energy and good vibes. Hannah lives, works and gardens in Nipaluna/Hobart with her partner An...
