Shows
Big IdeasTrees, seeds, and ecotourism — the hidden histories Nature reveals about usCan a single seed tell the story of a civilisation? What do the scars on the skins of 200-year old whales tell about our ancestors? Can ancient trees reveal hidden histories of human frailty and fabulousness? Can Nature be a timekeeper? Joining Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell are Dave Witty (author of What the Trees See: A Wander through Millennia of Natural History), Fiona McMillan-Webster (author of The Age of Seeds: How Plants Hacked Time and Why Our Future Depends on It) and Satyajit Das (author of Wild Quests: Journeys into Ecotourism and the Future of Animals).T...2024-12-0254 min
Avant GardenersAshley James - Meadow Flowers & Kitchen GardensAshley James is a garden designer and horticulturist based in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. He started working in the industry when he was just 14 years old, alongside his dad. He started his own business aged 23 and went against the grain, focusing on soft-landscaping and design, when all the cool kids were doing landscape construction. He went on to study horticulture, and now works on everything from vineyards, to large wedding and function venues, urban spaces, country estates and cottage gardens. Ashley’s known for his beautiful, romantic gardens that wea...2023-11-2845 min
Science Write NowThe stories of seeds with Fiona McMillan-WebsterWhy do some seeds live for thousands of years, while others only a few? What made Nikolai Vavilov the Indiana Jones of the ‘seed world’? And how do you write a book about something in which you’re not already an expert? In this episode, Amanda talks to science writer Fiona McMillan-Webster about her first book The Age of Seeds: How Plants Hacked Time and Why Our Future Depends on It. Fiona McMillan-Webster is a science writer with degrees in physics and biophysics. She's written for National Geographic, Forbes, Cosmos magazine, Australian Geograph...2022-08-0345 min