After a chilly January in the UK, the days are starting to lengthen and there’s signs of life as bulbs are pushing through the soil. DIG IT’s Peter Brown and Chris Day discuss news, events and gardening tasks for the gardening month ahead.

What’s on

Saturday 1st February Buckingham Garden Centre’s Grow & Grow Day, 10am-4pm.

Saturday 1st February to Sunday 2nd March: Peruvian Orchid Spectacular at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.

The Plant Fair Roadshows are back in full swing with the first event of the year on Sunday 2nd February at Hole Park, Rolvenden, Kent, on Sunday 2nd February.

Running until 13th April: Soil - The World at Our Feet Exhibition at the Embankment Galleries, South Wing, Somerset House in London.

Saturday 15th February – Sunday 23rd February: Exhibited during Eco-Week at Hever Castle & Gardens, Earth Photo will be featuring work by some of the best photographers from around the world.

Thursday 20th February: Monty Don in conversation with Sophie Raworth online or in person at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, London, SW7 2AR. 7pm.

20th - 22nd February: Shepton Snowdrop Festival, Somerset. Free event.

Discover snowdrops across the UK.

News

Britain's oldest RHS Garden is calling for compensation from the Government as it faces a ‘catastrophic' £11m loss - thanks to roadworks.

Home to 100-year-old specimens, the 60-acre Coton Orchard, the largest traditional orchard in Cambridgeshire and 8th largest in the country is at risk of becoming a new bus lane.

Two plant collections - Amelanchier and Witch hazel National collections have been accredited at National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Monty Don’s new British Gardens series airs on the BBC.

Sarah Dyke MP’s Horticultural Peat (Prohibition of Sale) Bill has been pushed back to a later date.

Kew Gardens and partner scientists have identified more than 170 new species in 2024

New Year’s Honours for garden industry figures including Gill Hodgson founder of Flowers From the Farm and Alan Titchmarsh, CBE

Scotland consults on its peat-free future.

Latest Thompson & Morgan survey suggests garden expenditure is set to increase in 2025.

More crystal ball gazing from the RHS with its gardening predictions.

Eden Project appoints 'horticultural showman’ Peter Jones.

Kew build two advanced glasshouses to help in major restoration projects.

David Domoney becomes new brand ambassador for Keder Greenhouses.

Guiness World Records searches for world’s oldest glasshouse.

Forest England biodiversity study reveals DNA secrets.

Butterflies heading north says NatureScot.

RSPB suspends sale of flat bird feeders.

Suttons given the Royal Warrant of Approval.

Plants mentioned: Broad bean The Sutton, New Fothergill’s Oh Sow Simple range, Seed Potatoes, Pea Meteor, Sweet Peas, Carnivorous plants (Venus flytraps), Carrot Amsterdam Forcing, Asparagus crowns, root-wrapped roses, celebration roses, strawberry runners and raspberry canes can be established now, Lilies, Dahlias, Begonia corms and Hosta. Hardwood cuttings Buddleja, Dogwoods, Forsythia, Philadelphus (Mock Orange), Roses and Salix (Willows).

Products mentioned: Westland New Horizon Compost, Melcourt SylvaGrow Composts, horticultural fleece, Haxnicks jackets, raised beds and water butts.

Dig It Top 5: Our Top selling Fothergills flower seeds of last year. No5 ‘RHS Flowers for Insects Mix’, No4 Sunflower ‘Giant Single’, No3 Sweet Pea ‘Old Spice Mixed’, 2nd place Poppy ‘Victoria Cross’ and at No1 ‘RHS Flowers for Wildlife Bright Mix’.

Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supply the music.

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In this edition of DIG IT, Peter Brown and Chris Day chat with seedsman and passionate foodie Paolo Arrigo about Seeds of Italy, an importer for the prestigious seed producer Franchi Seeds. Paolo discusses the importance of regionality in food growing, how heritage seeds are now more important than ever and how the bureaucracy of the EU has caused issues for the vegetable seed market.

Plants mentioned Aubergine, Kale Cavolo Nero, Basil, Spinach, Baby Leaf Spinach, Swiss Chard, Tomato, Broad beans, Garlic, Lambs Lettuce (Corn Salad), Peas, Sweet Peas, Brussel sprouts, Parsnips, Swedes, Peppers, Holy trinity of veggies – carrots, onions and celery, English Cucumbers, Spinach Monstreux de Virflay, good beefsteak tomato varieties – Marmande and Coeur Di Bue (Ox Heart), The Eternal Tomato – Principe Borghese da Appendere, Spaghetti tree, 100% Wildflowers with no fillers, Courgette for flowers Da Fiore Toscana and Papaver (Poppy)

People and companies mentioned: Thomas Cook, Mozart, Montpellier Brothers, Kings Seeds, Thompson & Morgan, Real Seeds, Delia Smith, Dolmio sauces, Haxnicks cloches, Royal Horticultural Society, Eden Project, Charles Darwin, Hairy Bikers, Gallo wine, Jamie Oliver and U3A.

The film, A Room with a View featured the grand tour in Victorian times and Stanley Tucci’s BBC series Searching for Italy, highlighting regionality of food.

Places mentioned: Apennines, Dolomites, Turin, Tuscany, Borough Market in London, RHS Harlow Carr, Kew Gardens, Lee Valley for Tomato growing and Welsh Tourist Board.

Food mentioned: Meatballs, Panettone, Mushrooms, Cornish pasties (listed under Protected Food Names legislation), Buckinghamshire or Bedfordshire Clanger (savoury/sweet pasty), Devon/Cornish Scones, Pizza is a Neapolitan dish, Vesta Curries, Chick Pea Pasta, Ricotta, Dal, Parma Ham, Lime Oil, Peter’s homemade Pesto, Spaghetti, Zucchini flowers and Omelettes.

Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods maintained by the Slow Food movement.

Seeds of Italy website

Socials: X: @FranchiSeedsUK

Instagram: @franchiseedsofitaly

Facebook @SeedsOfItaly

Book: From Seed to Plate by Paolo Arrigo

Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for supplying the music.

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Peter and Chris celebrate the start of the New Year in the garden with events, latest news stories and a look at those topical gardening tasks to get you out and about in the garden this January.

What’s On

Saturday 18th January: National Tulip Day, Meseumplein, Amsterdam, Netherlands. 1-5pm. Free entry.

Sunday 19th January: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 2 – 3:30pm Discover the Botanic Gardens in British Sign Language (BSL) Tours are led by John Hope Gaterway. Ticket only.

Wednesday 22nd January: 11am - 12:30pm: Talk on RHS Hyde Hall through the Years with Garden Manager, Ian Bull - who has been involved in Hyde Hall's development across the last 20 years!

Thursday 23rd January: Winter Lecture Professor Simon Hiscock and The Oxford Ragwort Story. Oxford Ragwort is unique among Britian’s flora.

24-26th January: Time to take part in this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

News

Detection dogs sniff out the deadly tree pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum.

Buckingham Garden Centre’s charity of the year 2025 is Buckinghamshire Mind.

The National Centre for Music in Edinburgh is to get a major garden makeover by the nationally recognised garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith.

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh aim to sequence the genomes of all 72,000 plants, animals, fungi across the UK and Ireland.

Applications for the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation Scholarships for budding horticulturists closes at the end of January.

New UK RHS Partner Gardens are announced for 2025 allowing RHS members to access 230 across the UK and further afield.

The National Trust announce the 49 recipients of Tree of Hope, aka Sycamore Gap Tree, including one of the saplings to be planted in Milton Keynes.

A £5 million national project – Nextdoor Nature and The Wildlife Trust – delivers a raft of results supporting wildlife on 1,600 community-inspired projects.

2024 proved to be another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme with the charity donating a record £3,501,227 to nursing and health beneficiaries from last year’s garden opening season.

George Plumptre, after 15 years at the helm, is set to retire as Chief Executive of the National Garden Scheme later this summer.

Top horticultural supplier Mr Fothergill’s have rebranded to reflect their growth, values and customer commitment.

The Sun’s gardening editor, Veronica Lorraine, found herself falling foul of LinkedIn’s rules when she tried to promote Perennials latest naked gardeners’ calendar.

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