What happens when a thousand-year-old estate stops farming and lets nature take the lead? I'm joined by Randal Plunkett, who transformed his ancestral home at Dunsany Nature Reserve into a bold rewilding experiment — removing livestock and embracing a hands-off, vegan approach to restoration. We explore how his model challenges mainstream ideas about deer, biodiversity, woodland succession and the economics of conservation in a time of climate crisis.

Benny's Insect of the Week: The Spotted Thintail

Links

Dunsany Estate

Wild Thing: Finding hope and a home in the natural world by Randal Plunkett

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If you liked this week's episode you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives:

Episode 334: Food Farming Revolutionary

Grower Joshua Sparkes joins Sarah to discuss regenerative, soil-centred farming and how rethinking our approach to food production can restore ecosystems rather than deplete them. From building soil health to designing resilient growing systems, this episode explores practical ways to work with natural processes instead of against them. A companion to Randal's conversation about stepping back, restoring balance, and redefining our role within the landscape.

Episode 355: Turn Up The Wild

Dr Linda Birkin joins Sarah to champion wildlife-friendly gardening and the science behind creating spaces that genuinely support insects, birds and wider biodiversity. Sharing research-led insights and practical action, this episode focuses on building ecological richness from the ground up. It complements the Dunsany discussion, reinforcing the idea that restoring balance — whether in gardens or entire estates — begins with allowing nature's systems to function fully.

Can modular planting reshape our cities?

In this episode, the Upper Bloom team explores how modular, plant-filled containers are bringing greenery to dense urban streets, terraces, and retail frontages. A natural follow-up to our Sloane Street episode, we discuss whether these systems enhance biodiversity, serve aesthetic goals, or simply make challenging urban spaces greener, while also diving into sustainability, plant choices, and the practical realities of keeping cities green.

Benny's Bug of the Week: Green fanged tube web spider - sponsored by Cerddwr's Herbs go to www.cerddwrshb.com and use the code BUGPODS for a listener's discount.

Cerddwr's Herbs on Facebook

Cerddwr's Herbs

Links

Upper Bloom

Please support the podcast on Patreon

And follow Roots and All:

On Instagram @rootsandallpod

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If you liked this week's episode you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives:

Episode 363: The High Line
I explore the story behind New York's iconic elevated park, examining how an abandoned rail line was transformed into a richly planted public space that balances design, biodiversity and heavy footfall. A compelling companion to this modular greening conversation, it highlights what's possible when ambitious planting schemes reshape dense urban environments.

Episode 369: Retail Meets Urban Nature
This episode looks at the greening of London's Sloane Street, exploring how large-scale streetscape redesign can integrate trees, planting and infrastructure to soften the urban realm. It pairs perfectly with today's discussion, offering a broader civic-scale perspective on how cities can weave nature back into commercial spaces.

What if the future of our food system is already growing wild beneath our feet? Wendy Russell and Freda Farquharson explore the power of wild edibles — from sorrel seeds and citizen science to health, biodiversity, and climate-friendly farming — and how these overlooked plants could help shape a more resilient future for people, nature, and the land.

Benny's Insect of the Week: The Australian Orange Tip Moth - sponsored by Cerddwr's Herbs go to www.cerddwrshb.com and use the code BUGPODS for a listener's discount.

Cerddwr's Herbs on Facebook

Cerddwr's Herbs

Links

The website link for becoming participants of the project

The Wild Edibles logo was designed by Gabrielle Reith

Gabrielle Reith is an artist, illustrator and maker based in Scotland – small-stories

Milestones since the project's launch on 1st May 2025:

1st seeds sent out on 7th May 2025

Over 300 packets of seeds sent or delivered by hand so that's over 15 000 seeds sent out so far!

Furthest south sent - Kent

Furthest North sent - Shetland

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If you liked this week's episode with Brigit you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives:

Episode 155: Wild Food with Marlow Renton
Foraging expert Marlow Renton joins Sarah to explore the delights and responsibilities of harvesting wild food, from deepening our relationship with the land to understanding seasonal abundance and ethical foraging. A perfect companion to Wendy and Freda's conversation about wild edibles, knowledge-sharing, and reconnecting with overlooked plants in our landscapes.

Episode 349: Foraging Feasts with Flavour Fred
Chef and forager Flavour Fred shares his passion for turning wild ingredients into vibrant, accessible food, celebrating flavour, creativity, and sustainability. This episode beautifully complements the Wild Edibles project, bringing the journey full circle from growing and foraging to cooking, eating, and valuing wild food as part of everyday life.

There are no human atoms—only nature's. In this episode, Brigit Anna McNeill joins me to explore what it means to truly come home to the natural world. Drawing on her book and her journey, Brigit reflects on healing through plants, herbalism, folklore, and ancestral connection. We talk about losing and reclaiming connection, the slow unfolding of change, and why nature simply waits for us to listen.

Benny's Insect of the Week: The Australian Orange Tip Moth - sponsored by Cerddwr's Herbs go to www.cerddwrshb.com and use the code BUGPODS for a listener's discount.

Cerddwr's Herbs on Facebook

Links

Author — Brigit Anna McNeill
Instagram profile (writer, naturalist, teacher, and author of The Wild Within)

Author Substack "Into the Woods with Brigit Anna McNeill"

Book — The Wild Within: What Plants Taught Me about Life, Recovery and Renewal
https://septemberpublishing.org/product/the-wild-within-what-plants-taught-me-about-life-recovery-and-renewal-pb/

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If you liked this week's episode with Brigit you might also enjoy these episodes from the archives:

Episode 348: A Forest Fix
Olga Evans, co-founder of the Forest Bathing Institute, delves into what forest bathing really means, why nature immersion can be restorative even if you're not in an actual forest, and how simple, mindful practices can help you reconnect with the land—echoing Brigit's reflections on nature, wellbeing and presence.

Episode 340: The Nature of Resilience
Author Nic Wilson discusses how her relationship with the natural world helped her navigate chronic illness, and how nature shapes our inner landscapes as much as our outer ones—a beautiful complement to Brigit's themes of slow transformation, embodied connection and the wisdom of listening to nature.

I'm joined by landscape architects Andy Harris and Andy Sturgeon to explore the thinking behind the transformation of London's Sloane Street. Together, they tell the story of a project that set out to reimagine this 1km stretch as a green boulevard inspired by the nearby Chelsea Physic Garden — shifting it from a traffic-dominated thoroughfare into a calmer, more human-centred place. We talk about how landscape can knit together retail and residential life, improve wellbeing, and encourage people not just to pass through, but to linger — using planting as environmental infrastructure. From underground constraints and traffic reduction to biodiversity uplift and long-term stewardship, this conversation reveals how thoughtful urban greening can reshape experience, behaviour and connection in the heart of the city and it provides a great companion episode to last year's one on New York's High Line.

Benny's Insect of the Week: The Seven-Spot Ladybird - sponsored by Cerddwr's Herbs go to www.cerddwrshb.com and use the code BUGPODS for a listener's discount.

www.cerddwrshb.com

Cerddwr's Herbs on Facebook

Sloane Street | John McAslan + Partners – official project page outlining the landscape and public realm transformation of this 1 km London boulevard with widened pavements, planting and green infrastructure as part of a masterplan for Cadogan Estates.

Andy Harris | John McAslan + Partners – leading the Landscape and Urban Design Studio and responsible for the Sloane Street masterplan and other major public realm projects.

Andy Sturgeon Design – the official site for Andy Sturgeon's landscape architecture and garden design practice, responsible for the planting and horticultural design on the Sloane Street project.

Please support the podcast on Patreon

I'm joined by Robin Singh, a former tech entrepreneur turned animal rescuer and author, to explore what it really means to live a purposeful life. Our conversation weaves through gardening, homesteading and sustainability, but quickly digs deeper into ideas of happiness, existential crisis and the search for meaning. Drawing on Robin's journey from corporate success to running an animal rescue and growing his own food, the episode reflects on reducing suffering, finding purpose over pleasure, and how small, thoughtful choices can help us live more intentionally—especially at the start of a new year.

Robin's book "Happiness Happens"

Peepal Farm — official site for the animal rescue and farm founded by Robin Singh

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If you liked this week's episode with Robin Singh you might also enjoy these ones from the archives:

Episode 364: Permaculture Planting
In this episode Sarah is joined by permaculture designer and author Pippa Chapman as they explore how beauty, productivity and wildlife-friendly principles can all thrive together in the garden. They talk about designing resilient, edible ecosystems and how small, thoughtful changes to our spaces can transform the way we live with nature—echoing Robin's ideas about living intentionally and purposefully with the land.

Episode 340: The Nature of Resilience
Author Nic Wilson discusses how her deep relationship with the natural world has helped her navigate chronic illness, and how our surroundings shape and reflect our inner resilience. This conversation complements Robin's reflection on suffering, meaning and transformation by highlighting how nature supports us through life's challenges.

This time, I'm the one in the hot seat.

In this reflective end-of-year episode, Kelly Baldry takes over as host to ask searching questions about the podcast, changing minds, climate contradictions, and the limits of horticulture as a mental-health cure, alongside a deeper look at my work with Veterans' Growth and what it really means to create safe, supportive spaces in and beyond the garden.

Please support the podcast on Patreon

And follow Roots and All:

On Instagram @rootsandallpod

On Facebook @rootsandalluk

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Sandra Schwarz talks about her new book Restore, and shares how her research led her to identify six universal qualities that make landscapes restorative. We talk about the complexities of "owning" nature, who restorative gardens are really for, and how designers can create spaces that meet people where they are. It's a thoughtful, hopeful conversation about greening with intention.

Links

Restore: How Green Spaces Support Human Restoration

Official Restore Book Page (Humanaturescapes)

Please support the podcast on Patreon

And follow Roots and All:

On Instagram @rootsandallpod

On Facebook @rootsandalluk

On LinkedIn @rootsandall

If you liked this week's episode with Sandra Schwarz you might also enjoy these ones from the archives:

Episode 348: A Forest Fix
Sarah speaks with Olga Evans, co‑founder of the Forest Bathing Institute, about what forest bathing really means, the science behind nature's healing effects, and practical ways to bring its benefits into everyday life, even if you don't have a forest nearby.

Episode 314: Nurturing Growth, Inside and Out
Sarah talks to Pete Welsh, an RAF Warrant Officer whose journey from military life through mental health challenges highlights the therapeutic power of gardening and community connection, and the parallels between cultivating plants and healing ourselves.