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Podcast Episode

Andy Monaghan: Why Perennials are the star performers in every garden - Episode 292

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends·Sarah Raven·25 September 2026·27 min

About this episode

Andy Monaghan is a wonderfully creative soul both in the garden and beyond it, sharing his talents as a professional dancer and spending his “off season” knee‑deep in tulips, zinnias and prairie perennials. In this episode, Sarah is joined by Andy, a florist, flower grower and dancer, to choose the finest tulips for a collection that will come back year after year. They talk perennial tulips, resilient planting for hot dry summers, and the quiet joy of designing gardens that can cope with a changing climate.In this episode, discover:How Andy built a three‑tulip collection around perennial performers like ‘Artist’, ‘Don Pedro’ and the ‘Sarah Raven’ tulipPractical ways to choose tulips and perennials that cope better with heat, drought and changing weatherThe reality of juggling two creative careers across seasons of the yearWhich plants thrived in a hot summer, from zinnias and prairie perennials to dahlias and phloxIdeas for designing both larger flower plots and small town gardensProducts mentioned:Tulip ‘Artist’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-artistTulip ‘Dom Pedro’ (Tulipa ‘Don Pedro’): https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-dom-pedroTulip ‘Sarah Raven’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/tulip-sarah-ravenHydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-paniculata-limelightHydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/hydrangea-arborescens-annabelleAcanthus mollis ‘Rue Ledan’: https://www.sarahraven.com/products/acanthus-mollis-rue-ledanSee our events: https://www.sarahraven.com/courses-eventsGet in touch: info@sarahraven.comShop on the Sarah Raven Website: https://www.sarahraven.com/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravensgarden/Follow Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahravenperchhill/Order Sarah’s latest books: https://www.sarahraven.com/gifts/gardening-books?sort=newest