Spring’s hidden heroes: comfrey, carrots, and hedgehogs

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Hobbies, Leisure, Home & Garden

4.3 • 691 Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, we’re shining a light on some of the plants and creatures that play a vital role at this time of year: the ones that truly make spring what it is… starting with an often overlooked but invaluable contributor to the spring display - comfrey. Olivia Drake will be telling us more about this powerhouse for pollinators that deserves a place in any garden. Next, we turn to the veg patch and one of the most satisfying crops you can start sowing right now. RHS Wisley’s Liz Mooney joins us to share some practical tips on growing carrots successfully. And finally, we’ll be taking a closer look at one of the UK’s most beloved native mammals, now beginning to emerge from winter hibernation: the hedgehog. Hedgehog officer Grace Johnson from the Hedgehog Street campaign talks us through the challenges these charming creatures face, and how our gardens (however big or small) could hold the key to helping reverse their decline. Host: Gareth Richards Contributors: Olivia Drake, Liz Mooney, Grace Johnson Links: Comfrey BIG Hedgehog map

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Did you know, RHS members enjoy exclusive access to our RHS Gardening Advice Service
0:06.8	for expert guidance at your fingertips.
0:10.2	From caring for houseplants to creating stunning borders and solving tricky garden challenges,
0:16.1	we're here to help.
0:17.5	If you're an RHS member and have a question about this podcast or any other gardening topic,
0:23.3	simply contact us by phone or online through your MyRHS account.
0:28.3	And if you're out in the garden looking for instant advice, try RHS chat botanist, your digital gardening companion.
0:36.8	Discover more benefits of RHS membership at rhs.org.
0:40.6	Dotorg.uk forward slash membership.
0:46.4	April is an absolutely wonderful time to be out in the garden,
0:54.3	and it feels like everything is really coming into life this month.
0:58.0	We've got blossom absolutely everywhere,
1:00.7	so magnolia has given way to slightly later spring blossom,
1:05.2	like cherries, amalankias,
1:07.8	and soon enough we'll have apples and crab apples coming into blossom as well.
1:14.3	Like many of us, Olivia Drake is soaking up the joys of spring after what's felt like
1:18.9	rather a long grey and sluggish winter. Sap is rising, buds are bursting and seedlings are pushing
1:25.5	eagerly through the soil. All around us, wildlife is re-emerging, feeding, courting and fiercely defending their patch as the garden springs back into action.
1:34.3	This week we're shining a light on some of the plants and creatures that play a vital role at this time of year,
1:40.3	the ones that truly make spring water is.
1:43.3	Starting with an often overlooked but invaluable
1:46.6	contributor to the spring display, Olivia will be telling us more about April's wildlife wonder
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Royal Horticultural Society, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Royal Horticultural Society and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.