Welcome back to the Gardener Ben podcast.

I hope that you’ve all had a wonderful summer. It seemed to have never ended here on the south coast of the UK, with temperatures soaring for weeks on end and very little rain for nearly three months.

This has caused autumn to arrive early; the garden is tired and ready for a rest.

In this season, I’m planning to bring you some incredibly interesting conversations, and we start this week with jen_flourishnutrition.

The inspiration for this conversation came about after I posted a rose review to YouTube a few months ago, and I was really quite surprised by the comments that it attracted.

The rose in question is the Menopause Charity Rose from Harkness Roses, and the issue didn’t seem to be around the quality of the presentation or the plant itself, but in fact the name and the stigma that goes with discussing the menopause openly.

Jen specialises in women’s health nutrition and advises businesses and individuals on how they can feel better, especially when experiencing the symptoms of menopause, through paying attention to their diet, exercise, and understanding their bodies.

The last part of the conversation is incredibly personal to me and was difficult not only to have in person with Jen but also to edit and put into the podcast, a real glimpse into why I have been a gardener working independently and self-employed for so long.

I hope that you enjoy our conversation and head across to Instagram to show Jen’s account some love.