Olivia Laing

Off the plot today and into the Suffolk garden of writer, critic and lifelong gardener Olivia Laing. Laing's diverse career began with their involvement in road protests in the 1980s & 1990s where they lived completely off grid: this led to training as a herbalist, before moving into the literary world. As the deputy books editor of The Observer they wrote extensively on arts and culture, before authoring award winning auto-fiction novel Crudo, and several celebrated works of non-fiction - the most recent of which, The Garden Against Time, uses today’s Suffolk garden setting as a lens through which to explore the concept of paradise and the varied, surprising stories of gardens. 

Whilst Flo and Olivia pot up geraniums they discuss the concept of the gardens as a queer haven for artists like Derek Jarman, Cedric Morris, Vita Sackville-West and the ladies of Llangollen. Flo has her first go at worm harvesting and Flo and Olivia reflect on the growing urgency for public gardens that provide a refuge from urban stressors as well as the climate crisis. 

Presenter - Flo Dill, Producer - Lizzy King, Editing - Femi Oriogun-Williams, Sound Recording & Mastering - Sophie Ellison

Music - Cleaners from Venus - The Artichoke That Loved Me, courtesy of Martin Newell & Captured Tracks.

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