The Nature Garden: gardening, wildlife and nature notes
Jun 20, 2026 · 29 min · 12 segments
**Shakespearian inspiration, cuddy ducks and saints, and the beautiful sound of sedge warblers. Plus some top tips for the garden from Tom P.**…
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Tom PattinsonPanelistTom CadwallenderPanelistCarl SteinsonHost
How well do you know them? Any interesting CVs amongst them? What's their history? I like one or two plants that I can look at and say, oh, I remember you, nostalgic, something I've just planted even.
A good example, I think, one that fascinates me is the 16th and 17th century.
Around that time, we had the herbalists who were very popular, and two of them outstanding for me.
I have both their herbals on the shelf in the study, and thumb into them quite often.
It gives a lot of detail about the remedy properties they have, and of course some have probably been proven to be untrue or wrong, but the majority of them are fairly close to the mark.
The other one I think about, he's the real gardener for me during that period, 16th and 17th century, is William Shakespeare.
He's lauded for his brilliant writing, of course, but he remains, for my benefit, probably reading about him and the things he puts into his plays, all those main plays and sonnets and poems, etc.
I dip into my works of Shakespeare occasionally, or some of them, I remember, and it can make a little garden tour more interesting, hopefully, for the people who pick up the idea and look it up themselves.
If you wish to impress visitors to your garden, plant a section of border with species that have a Shakespearean theme.
Memorise the appropriate supporting literature and you have a culture tour.
How well do you know them? Any interesting CVs amongst them? What's their history? I like one or two plants that I can look at and say, oh, I remember you, nostalgic, something I've just planted even.
A good example, I think, one that fascinates me is the 16th and 17th century.
Around that time, we had the herbalists who were very popular, and two of them outstanding for me.
I have both their herbals on the shelf in the study, and thumb into them quite often.
It gives a lot of detail about the remedy properties they have, and of course some have probably been proven to be untrue or wrong, but the majority of them are fairly close to the mark.
The other one I think about, he's the real gardener for me during that period, 16th and 17th century, is William Shakespeare.
He's lauded for his brilliant writing, of course, but he remains, for my benefit, probably reading about him and the things he puts into his plays, all those main plays and sonnets and poems, etc.
I dip into my works of Shakespeare occasionally, or some of them, I remember, and it can make a little garden tour more interesting, hopefully, for the people who pick up the idea and look it up themselves.
If you wish to impress visitors to your garden, plant a section of border with species that have a Shakespearean theme.
Memorise the appropriate supporting literature and you have a culture tour.
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