OR IF YOU PREFER TO READ…
Travels With Plants is a private podcast and learning community.
It’s for anyone who wants to explore wild and ornamental plants in a deep, engaging way. Together, we examine how plants shape landscapes and our lives.
I record all audio lessons outside, right by the plants. Listening to them feels like joining me on a private foraging walk.
Picture this: you’re next to a stinging nettle. You open your podcast app. Episodes download automatically, so you can listen without a data signal.
You tune in and listen to the lesson, then fully immerse yourself in the plant’s environment. This is a far more embodied, realistic experience than watching a video on YouTube.
You’ll hear natural sounds like birds, wind, and the ocean. They add depth to each lesson.
I don’t record in a studio. I don’t clean up the audio beyond removing the occasional ‘um’ or hiccup. That’s as far as the editing goes.
My teaching style is unique. My American friends refer to me as a “sensory botanist.”
I teach through an approach I call dòmei – two Gaelic words meaning “deep listening.”
But this listening goes beyond the ears – it’s through your body, what I call “listening through your bones.”
I devised this approach years ago, long before I started teaching foraging.
I was in Burma a few years ago and saw tribal people using the same teaching method.
I don’t know how or why this happened. It’s like how pyramids appeared in South America, Egypt, and Cambodia, all without any known link.
Structure of the Project
The structure of the programme comprises two parts.
First, you receive foundational audios that include two core practical exercises upon joining.
These exercises are simple in form but profound in impact – though only if you do them. Reading alone isn’t enough; the real benefit comes from direct experience.
After this, the plant teachings begin.
The practices help you connect with each plant, encourage you to understand it, and help you discover how to use it.
The project is audio-first, like getting a headset in an art museum. There, you listen to an expert discussing a painting.
You’re right there with the plant, in a hedge and its ecosystem. You’re not just consuming content; you’re actively engaging with it.
I suggest you listen to each teaching audio casually first. You can do this on the London Underground while driving or while cooking. This will help you absorb the material.
During your second listen, sit next to the plant with a notebook and write down your notes by hand.
This is intentional: handwriting enhances your memory and promotes deeper learning. It supports active engagement instead of passive consumption.
Avoid note-taking apps; I’m using technology to help you get off technology.
Many online courses use PowerPoint presentations. This works well for a one-hour webinar. But over a six-month learning experience, that approach quickly becomes stale.
This is not edutainment. It’s not a Netflix show.
It’s learning in context, with the plants in their natural habitat. That’s where the real learning happens – not in classrooms, cars, or kitchens.
Safety and Accuracy
You may wonder: what if there’s a poisonous lookalike?
Since this is a private podcast, each episode has show notes in your podcast app. These notes link to photos that accurately show plants. They are the type used by botanical institutions. If you need further clarification, I have provided more links.
Subscription and Access
Travels With Plants is not a recurring subscription.
It’s a one-time payment.
I will invite you to renew at the end of the year, but I will not process any automatic billing.
I won’t surprise you with a renewal charge – I don’t like that approach and won’t do it to you.
The course focuses on new plants each year. Like foraging, this is an ongoing journey. The plants I feature are those I encounter in my local area.
The timing of their appearance can vary by location. Sometimes it’s a week, other times a month. However, since the episodes are recordings, you can listen to them when the plants appear in your area.
I focus on popular plants like nettle, dandelion, and many other commonly known species, as well as on the often ignored species.
These lesser-known plants are part of our heritage and our human story. They shouldn’t be left out because they aren’t popular on social media.
Embracing more plants means embracing more diversity, which is fundamental to healthy ecosystems.
Season Length and Episode Format
The active learning journey lasts six months, from April to September. You can access it until 31 December.
Episode lengths vary depending on the plant – some may be five minutes, others up to 30 minutes.
Each plant has a unique story. They nourish and heal us and serve as metaphors for life and our connection to the world.
We must learn from the landscape as the ancient Taoists did over 3,000 years ago. They observed patterns in nature and incorporated those into human culture.
Many new foragers look at landscapes like farmers – static and fixed.
Foragers are different. We are more like nomads, moving with the seasons and migrating to where the abundance is.
In summer, I head to the coast, where more plants flourish. While inland plants continue to grow, different species appear. So we follow them, mapping our grazing grounds as we go. This is part of the joy of foraging.
If you don’t know where to find a plant – say, wild garlic – I’ll show you how to locate it using online tools. There’s even a video walkthrough for using these resources.
Over time, you’ll build a local map of plant habitats. The first year can be challenging. Once you find out where things grow, you can return to those places when the plants come back.
Final Thoughts
This is not a passive learning experience.
It requires your direct involvement with the plants.
If you prefer to listen on your sofa, that’s your choice – but you won’t receive the full value of the material.
Travels With Plants is both a private podcast and a private learning community.
Each month, we meet on Zoom. It’s not just for me to answer questions. Everyone also shares their discoveries. There’s tremendous knowledge within the community itself.
I hope you will join us.
P.S. Want to be emailed when Travels With Plants opens its doors? Click here to get on the waiting list.