The Nature Garden: gardening, wildlife and nature notes · The Weekending Show

Autumn's arrival

·41 min·2 clips

Butterfly Conservation says the 2024 count was its worst in 14 years, with seven butterflies per 15-minute count.

Carl Steinsen opens the programme with a bonny-wee wander down the garden path and country lane. The episode settles into the feel of late September and that first proper turn toward autumn. Tom Pattinson reflects on a patchy but canny spring and a summer that brought flowers and crops. He also looks back on the pleasures of soft fruits and top fruits worth taking seriously. The conversation keeps its feet on the ground. Fruit growing is treated as something practical, seasonal, and worth doing well. Tom talks about soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and currants. He also turns to top fruits such as plums, apples, and pears. The point is not that you need a massive garden to do this properly. Instead, he points to dwarf rootstocks and the possibility of a mini orchard even on a patio. Moisture matters, because fruit needs water to swell, and mulching helps the soil hold that moisture through autumn into winter. The advice is plain and useful, the kind you can take straight back outside. Bird life is woven in just as firmly. Tom Cadwallader brings good news about the breeding season. He follows migrations and keeps an eye on crossbills. The show notes the movement of birds down the east coast and also along the west coast in winter. It pauses on the Aln estuary, where watching becomes a kind of privilege and a glimpse of lives that carry on beyond human attention. The programme also turns to butterflies. Dr Zoe Randall from Butterfly Conservation comes in to talk about the Big Butterfly Count and more. The whole thing keeps that familiar nature-notes rhythm. It moves between garden work, wildlife observation, and local detail without forcing the joins. There are practical tips for the garden from Tom P as well. Apples are being stored in the garage, tray after tray, and he is checking them carefully so they stay firm. Even the closing stretch stays rooted in ordinary seasonal tasks. The episode ends with warm encouragement to keep gardening and keep time outdoors with nature.

As heard by us

A quiet seasonal piece that pairs practical fruit advice with attentive birdwatching.

Autumn settles in with a calm handover, as Tom Pattinson reflects on a spring that was uneven but shrewd, a summer of flowers and crops, and the steady work of preparing for the season ahead.

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Why you'd press play

For a calm autumn reset with fruit-growing tips and bird migration updates.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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