I am going to start with the press bit but do read on for the peonies! I had one of those child in sweet shop moments this week.  I found myself at an exhibition which bought garden brands including nurseries, bulb growers, seed and tool sellers all under one roof with members of the gardening press.  Once I had silenced the inner voice of imposter syndrome, I got stuck in and had some lovely conversations with the exhibitors.  They have so much passion for their ideas. The wool pots to replace plastic pots, looked like an army of knitters had been let loose in the greenhouse! The seedsman who didn’t laugh at my new found enthusiasm for radish seeds (you’ll soon see why) but instead showed me so many varieties of radish.   The story of the gardener who worked in Japan and when he came back and found people in the UK were envious of the gardening tools he had acquired - set up a business selling them - remember my hori hori knife! 

The event was held in the Islington Business Design Centre.  Originally named the Agricultural Hall, it was built in the Victorian era. It opened in 1862 to be precise, purpose built for an annual (1862 to 1938) agricultural show of livestock with over 100,000 visitors. I’ve always loved delving into history (the BBC radio archives were a treasure trove) and in this week’s Offshoot episode we are in the archives of the charity Perennial.

Historian Francesca Murray tells the story of Perennial with the passion of someone who has really immersed herself in the archive material, understanding how the organisation was started, how it worked and the people it served.  Carefully piecing together the stories; from minutes and notes and photographs.  She says:

“I’m interested in the people who actually dug the soil and gave their lives to horticulture and put in so much of their skills, their expertise, their lives.”

Do take a look at the photographs from the Perennial archive on the episode page.  This charity continues to do crucial work, in an industry in which for many, the wages don’t reflect the skill and expertise that people bring to the job, not to mention the physical toll that it can take on the body.   You can find out more about Perennial’s work here.

Now to the Peonies! I saw an email in my inbox today from Claire Austin Hardy Plants saying that this is the last weekend to order bare root peonies, they’ll stop taking orders on Monday 26th Feb.  (The next time you’ll be able to buy bare root will be October.) Claire was one of the first growers I wrote to when I was making the initial recordings for the Our Plant Stories podcast.  I sent her the clip of my friend Lynne, saying that she remembered a peony her mum grew, that she was never allowed to touch or even go near and how, now that her mum has died, she would love to know what that peony was.  Claire replied immediately saying that from Lynne’s description it was Paeonia officinalis ‘Rubra Plena’.  Claire also agreed to be interviewed for the podcast - twice!  The first time I had not figured out that bringing together the person with the story and the grower would be so special.  Thank you Claire for doing that interview/conversation for a second time!

So don’t miss the chance to plant bare root peonies this Spring. As I write it is torrential rain and the garden is a little less appealing but I remember Lynne and Claire’s enthusiasm for these wonderful showy flowers. You can always re-listen to the episode and get all the growing advice here and there are lots of lovely varieties to chose from if you don’t want to go down the Paeonia officinalis ‘Rubra Plena’ route! Here’s the link to Claire’s site - have fun and do let me know if you do decide to grow peonies this year.