Pollyanna Wilkinson on designing a life-proof garden

With a clutch of medals from RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows, a bestselling garden design book and more than half a million social media followers, Pollyanna Wilkinson has gained a well-earned reputation for making elegant, contemporary and liveable gardens accessible to all. But while hundreds of thousands of people look to Polly’s approach for inspiration and guidance, her own garden is a retreat for a scant few: her family, her design team and herself. 

We meet Polly on a clear, crisp morning in her studio garden in Surrey, to talk about how her life, career and motherhood have intertwined with her design practice in ways that might surprise her fans. 

Pollyanna Wilkinson's book, How to Design a Garden, is one of my go-tos, so do check it out. Find out more about her design practice at Studio Pollyanna. She’s also on Instagram, @pollyanna_wilkinson, substack and TikTok. Next up, we speak to activist, author and chef, Olia Hercules. 

This podcast is inspired by my book, ⁠Why Women Grow: Stories of Soil, Sisterhood and Survival⁠, which is available in all good bookshops. We’ve also been photographing our guests and their gardens and you can see the beautiful images captured by India Hobson ⁠on my website⁠ and instagram account @⁠⁠⁠alicevincentwrites⁠⁠⁠. Thank you to our friends at ⁠Niwaki⁠. You can get 10% off your order with the code WHYWOMENGROW.

If you’re new to the Why Women Grow podcast, do check out our previous episodes, including guests such as Claire Ratinon and Robin Wall Kimmerer. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could rate and review the podcast on whichever platform you’re listening in on, or share it with someone you think may enjoy it. 

This episode was produced by Holly Fisher. The theme music is by Maria Chiara Argiro.