In 2017 Paul Oldroyd bought a Japanese banana plant. He got it home in the passenger seat of his car. He didn't have a lot of money to spend on plants but he had a very large space to fill.

He had taken on a one acre former commercial greenhouse that was six foot deep in thistles.

Find out in this episode why that first banana plant has been so important to creating a community space - Oldroyd's Corner - in Beverly East Yorkshire.

Maybe you'll want to grow a banana plant by the end of this episode - Paul in conversation with Florence Mansbridge, from the Eden Project will tell you how.

Paul's partner, Jo Lax, who listens to Our Plant Stories told me about this garden and I love it when the stories come from listeners. If you have a plant story you would like to share - just get in touch.

Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally Flatman

The music is Fade to Black by Howard Levy

Try saying "compost" to gardeners and see what happens. Inspired by a recent episode - Compost Tales - that's what I did for this short 'Just Say Compost' bonus listen.

I hope these stories of waste and worms will inspire you to share with us, your compost story.

Old hands or newbies, head gardeners or renters, bins or heaps, we'd love to see your photos and hear your tales.

How to take part:

Post a photo of your compost to Instagram and TAG @compost_tales

Or send a photo to sally@ourplantstories.com

Can I dig into more plant stories?

YES! You can check out the website where there are lots of photographs of plants and how to grow instructions. Our Plant Stories website

You can also follow the weekly blog where you will get the behind the scenes lowdown on making the podcast and you could also contribute - readers have suggested gardens to visit, plants to feature, experts to contact.

Our Plant Stories blog

And you can follow more plants over on my Instagram account Instagram

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, opens its doors to the public today - this is one of the gardening world's great horticultural moments - drawing around 157,000 visitors to the 23 acre grounds of the Royal Hospital. First held in 1913, Chelsea has spent over a century inspiring gardeners and growers to showcase the very best in horticulture, all competing for the coveted Chelsea Gold Medal.

This year, watch out for the Missing Collector Garden, built by the charity Plant Heritage, sponsored by Project Giving Back - this is their first ever Chelsea garden. Over the past 6 months, I have been exploring how this garden has come to life.

Designed by Sally-Anne Rees, Kate Campbell and William Murray, from the Planting Design Collective, the garden conjures a mysterious gardener who has just stepped away from his precious plant collection. It aims to shine a light on how many beloved garden plants remain unprotected by national collections.

After 18 months of planning, it's finally being revealed to public and judges alike.

Other episodes I have made about this garden which you might enjoy.

The Idea The Plant Grower. The Chair Farmer

Our Plant Stories is presented and produced by Sally Flatman

The music is Fade to Black by Howard Levy