grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

The dream garden of low‑maintenance abundance is all about picking the plants that need hardly any input, just the lightest touch of editing, and they’ll give you months of shifting colour.
In the third episode in this theme with Arthur, we dive into the self-seeding annuals and biennials that bring abundant colour to the garden with very little effort. 
From forget-me-nots and violas to cerinthe, cosmos and quaking grasses, they share their favourite ‘volunteer’ plants, how to manage them, and simple ways to use them in borders and cut-flower arrangements for a truly low-maintenance, flower-filled garden.
In this episode, discover:
How to use self-seeding annuals and biennials to create a low‑maintenance, flower‑filled garden that largely looks after itself
Inspired plant recommendations, from forget‑me‑nots and violas, to grasses, nasturtiums and Californian poppies 
Practical tips on managing self‑sowers - when to let them run, and when to thin them out
Ways to weave self‑seeders into borders, pots and even cracks in paving for long‑season colour, movement and structure
Products mentioned:
Cerinthe major 'Kiwi Blue'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cerinthe-major-kiwi-blue
Heart's Ease (Viola tricolor)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/viola-heartsease
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/anthriscus-sylvestris-ravenswing
Cosmos bipinnatus 'Dazzler'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/cosmos-bipinnatus-dazzler
Ammi majus
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/ammi-majus
Panicum miliaceum 'Violaceum'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/panicum-violaceum
Briza maxima (Greater Quaking Grass)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/briza-maxima-greater-quaking-grass
Nicandra physalodes
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nicandra-physalodes
Persicaria orientalis
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/persicaria-orientalis
Nasturtium 'Ladybird Rose' (Tropaeolum minus)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nasturtium-ladybird-rose
Nasturtium 'Bloody Mary' (Tropaeolum minus)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/nasturtium-bloody-mary
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

For months of scent throughout the sunnier months, there are a whole host of nostalgic stalwarts and surprising new picks that are impossible to ignore.
Every garden deserves a perfume as captivating as the 12 plants at the top of Josie and Sarah’s list this week, as they laud the dozen best flowers to sow for unbeatable aroma from April through to October.
In this episode, discover:
How to choose standout scented plants that really earn their place for perfume and looks alike
Which specific varieties Sarah and Josie regularly rely on, and what makes each one special
Practical when-and-how tips for sowing, planting, and positioning scented plants to get fragrance from spring right through to autumn
Ways to use these plants as cut flowers, including vase-life tricks and how to make small bunches scent whole rooms
How to layer scent through borders, climbers, containers, and shrubs so that every corner of the garden offers a different perfumed moment
Products mentioned:
Trachelospermum jasminoides
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/trachelospermum-jasminoides
Sweet Pea 'Matucana'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lathyrus-odoratus-matucana
Narcissus 'Actaea'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/narcissus-actaea
Matthiola incana 'Pillow Talk'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/matthiola-incana-pillow-talk
Lonicera periclymenum 'Graham Thomas'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/lonicera-periclymenum-graham-thomas
Acidanthera murielae (syn. Gladiolus)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/acidanthera-murielae
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Every year, we venture out to the Netherlands in search of the most captivating dahlias, each worthy of a spot in your garden to liven up the late-summer months.
Tom Stimpson joins us again on the podcast to share their current ‘cream of the crop’, from reliable classics like ‘Molly Raven’ and ‘Adam’s Choice’, to gorgeous growers like ‘Strawberry Cream’ and ‘Princess Nadine’. 
Join us for an episode packed with garden inspiration for any colour palette, and a glimpse into how we choose our standout favourites from a field of hundreds and thousands.
In this episode, discover:
How Sarah and Tom select stellar dahlias from Dutch trial fields, and the characteristics that make truly exceptional plants
Varieties that are pollinator-friendly to bring a buzz of life into the garden
How to condition your dahlias for mighty vase life
Products mentioned:
Dahlia 'Princess Nadine'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-princess-nadine
Dahlia 'Skyfall'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-skyfall
Dahlia 'Café au Lait'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-cafe-au-lait
Dahlia 'Adam's Choice'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-adams-choice
Dahlia 'Polka'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-polka
Dahlia 'Strawberry Cream'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-strawberry-cream
Dahlia 'Honka Pink'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-honka-pink
Dahlia 'Molly Raven'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-molly-raven
Dahlia 'Labyrinth'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-labyrinth
Dahlia 'Lou Farman'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-lou-farman
Dahlia 'Break Out'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-break-out
Dahlia 'Verrone's Obsidian'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/dahlia-verrones-obsidian
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Shane Connolly is a master of many arts, and one that he exhibits throughout the year is how to use sustainable floristry to create a sense of charm often reserved for the tiniest of tables.
That’s why he’s in such high demand - we talk through his exciting, varied year of arranging in this week’s podcast, with a look at the festive season, and a few tips to serve your own arranging in the festive season, taking inspiration from Shane’s wondrous wedding displays.
In this episode, discover:
How Shane approaches weddings, intimate dinners, grand public events and royal occasions
Why he favours seasonal, British-grown flowers and how he builds close relationships with growers and suppliers
The behind-the-scenes logistics of big museum dinners and public events, from long tables to thousands of tiny vases and candles
How Shane creates sustainable, glitter-free Christmas magic, including his Marie Antoinette-inspired V&A tree and reusable decorations
Products mentioned:
Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley)
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/convallaria-lily-of-the-valley
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest

Whether you're nurturing a bustling city plot or a country border, there’s a spot in everyone’s gardens, pots and borders for beautiful, productive perennials throughout the year.
Following on from last week’s episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Arthur is with us again to focus this time on perennials that are light-touch and bountiful for those of us putting together a low-maintenance garden.
In this episode, discover:
Perennials, shrubs, and self-seeding annuals that provide long-lasting beauty with minimal care
Personal stories, hands-on tips, and garden-tested wisdom to help you with your plant selection and garden upkeep
New and improved varieties bred for reduced invasiveness, greater disease resistance, and extended flowering seasons
Plants that attract bees and other wildlife, showcasing how low-fuss gardens can support biodiversity too
Products mentioned:
Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/aster-x-frikartii-monch
Salvia x jamensis 'Nachtvlinder'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/salvia-x-jamensis-nachtvlinder
Phlox paniculata 'David'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/phlox-paniculata-david
Geranium 'Rozanne'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/geranium-rozanne
Geranium wallichianum 'Bloom Me Away'
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/geranium-wallichianum-bloom-me-away
Pennisetum macrourum
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/pennisetum-macrourum
Chasmanthium latifolium
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/chasmanthium-latifolium
Stipa gigantea
https://www.sarahraven.com/products/stipa-gigantea
Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/
Get in touch: [email protected]
Shop on the Sarah Raven Website: http://bit.ly/3jvbaeu
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/
Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest