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: info@sarahraven.com
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: info@sarahraven.com
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: info@sarahraven.com
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