The story of The Sentimental Gardener.

Cass Dowding swaps roles and takes the guest seat as is asked all the questions she asks her guests.

Guided by brilliant host Chloe Foster, author of The Rookie Gardener, host of 3CR Gardening Show and Horticulture educator, Cass opens up about starting a podcast, how gardens contained and plants helped her process her grief and what grew after.

From dreams of being a dancer, to finding a career in midwifery and nursing to how motherhood made her face what's really important, Cass' story is a winding journey of a life filled with finding the thing that brings life and joy ... which is now plants! And gardens. And people who garden!

00:00 Introduction

02:16 Childhood Garden Memories

08:29 Career Path: Ballet to Nursing

12:42 Covid, Motherhood and Change

18:44 Grief and Becoming a Sentimental Gardener

22:27 Cancer, Anxiety and the Garden

24:02 Writing and Discovering Garden Stories

27:39 How the Podcast Began

33:51 Finding Confidence and Voice

44:29 What Surprised Me About Gardeners

46:53 Three Sentimental Plants

55:37 What Gardens Teach Us About Life

1:00:29 Why Gardening Brings Belonging

Other Sentimental Gardener podcat episodes mentioned in this episode:

• Fleur Flanery on what the landscape says about us, The Australian Landscape Conference and a million trees
• Sandra Schwartz on the study of greenspaces
• Hayden Schueler on being a closeted gardener, Japanese topiary and caring for other people's gardens
• Chloe Foster on her book The Rookie Gardener, prickly grevilleas and growing gardeners

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Credits:

Music: Hayden Schueler from Vereya Gardening
Audio support: Tom Dowding
Produced and edited by Cass Dowding

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