Horticultural legend Pam Lewis began her garden at Sticky Wicket in Dorset decades ago, and revisiting her early writing shows just how ahead of the curve—and fearless—she was in championing wildlife-friendly, sustainable gardening. We sat down to reflect on her years in the garden and how the horticultural world has changed along the way.

Benny's Insect of the Week: Asiraca clavicornis

Please support our sponsors - roastinghouse.co.uk. get 25% extra free if you mention Roots and All or the insect of the week in the comments box at checkout.

Books

Sticky Wicket: Gardening in Tune With Nature - Pam Lewis, 2007

Making a Wildflower Meadow - Pam Lewis, 2015

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 Pam, you might also enjoy this episode from the archives:

Episode 194: Gardening for Wildlife In this episode, Sarah explores how gardeners can better support biodiversity, sharing practical ways to create spaces that welcome and sustain wildlife — making it a natural companion to today's conversation about gardening in harmony with nature.

Episode 285: No Mow May This episode looks at the impact of letting lawns grow wild through May, highlighting how small changes in garden management can have big benefits for pollinators and biodiversity — an ideal follow-on from today's discussion on working with, rather than against, the natural world.