From Mushrooms to Matrix Planting: Exploring Nature’s Design

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Home & Garden, Leisure, Hobbies

4.4 • 654 Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Dr Jassy Drakulic returns to guide us through the hidden zones of your garden, uncovering the fascinating world of fungi and the mushroom magic that may be thriving right under your nose. RHS Principal Entomologist Dr Hayley Jones joins us to introduce the charming yet troublesome vine weevil — a notorious menace for potted plants — and reveals how we can give a helping hand to the beneficial insects that prey on them in our gardens as winter approaches. Finally, horticulturist Louisa Neale takes us on a tour of the breathtaking Oudolf Landscape at RHS Garden Wisley, sharing practical tips on how to bring a touch of Piet Oudolf’s iconic matrix-style planting to your own outdoor space. Host: Guy Barter Contributors: Dr Jassy Drakulic, Dr Hayley Jones, Louisa Neale Links: RHS Fungi for Gardeners book Science & Collections at the RHS Info on vine weevils The Oudolf Landscape

Transcript

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0:00.0	Save 30% on RHS membership today.
0:05.0	Enjoy unlimited access to 5 RHS gardens and 230 partner gardens all year round.
0:13.0	Delight in exclusive member only days and reduce rate tickets to RHS flower shows.
0:19.0	Plus expert gardening advice,
0:22.6	monthly editions of the garden magazine,
0:23.9	and so much more.
0:28.3	Join today from just £56.org at rhs.org.
0:30.9	Hurry, offer, end soon.
0:32.5	Terms and conditions apply. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the ground beneath your feet.
0:44.3	To most of us it's just soil.
0:47.3	But in that unassuming dirt, an entire hidden network is alive.
0:53.3	Exchanging messages, feeding and connecting.
0:57.0	Beneath the grass, beneath the garden beds, lies a kingdom that predates plants, yet quietly shapes every forest, every garden, even the food on your plate.
1:08.0	Welcome to the mysterious world of fungi. Fungi are neither plant nor animal.
1:15.6	They belong to a kingdom all of their own. Last week, RHS Senior Plant Pathologist Dr. Jassy
1:21.6	Draculich introduced us to this fascinating world, or Queendom, as Jassy likes to call it.
1:28.3	Today she's back to take us on a tour through the different zones of your garden,
1:32.3	showing us the mushroom magic that could be hiding right under our noses.
1:36.3	But fungi aren't the only remarkable residents of the garden.
1:40.3	Insects too play vital roles, breaking down organic matter, pollinating flowers, and supporting the entire web of life above and below ground.
1:49.0	Of course, like some fungi, certain insects can become troublesome in gardens.
1:54.0	RHS principal entomologist Dr. Haley Jones joins us to talk about one such culprit, the vine weevil.
	...

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