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BBC Radio 4


A panel of horticultural experts answer gardening questions from a live audience. Recorded in a different location each week


Gardeners' Question Time

Is there a foolproof way to take rose cuttings? Why have my hydrangeas turned from blue to pink? And do begonias have a lifespan limit?

Kathy Clugston is in the vibrant Wrexham County Borough, where an enthusiastic audience puts their gardening dilemmas to an expert panel. 

Joining Kathy are celebrated garden designer and botanist James Wong, horticulturist Bethan Collerton, and Marcus Chilton-Jones, curator of RHS Bridgewater – the sharpest tools in the GQT shed.

Later in the programme, Kirsty Wilson shares her top tips for growing holly successfully.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Wrexham County Borough: Rose Cuttings, Begonias and Hydrangeas

What is the best way to take cuttings of a monkey puzzle tree? What plants that are grown in Australia and would thrive in Dundee? Why hasn’t my Amaryllis flowered? 

Kathy Clugston brings together a perfectly curated panel of gardening experts at the V&A Dundee to tackle these questions from an enthusiastic, plant-loving audience.

Joining Kathy on the panel are garden designers, botanists and allotmenteers Matthew Pottage, Kirsty Wilson and Neil Porteous.

Also, Matthew Pottage slips away for an exclusive look at the V&A Dundee’s fascinating exhibition Garden Futures: Designing With Nature, guided by curator James Wylie.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Dundee: Amaryllis, Monkey Puzzles and Australian Plants

How do you grow coriander successfully from seed? Do seeds have a sow-by-date? And will your treasured perennials thrive in the challenging Scottish climate?

Kathy Clugston hosts from the beautiful St Mary’s Church in Walthamstow, where a lively audience puts their gardening dilemmas to an expert panel. Joining Kathy are renowned garden designer and botanist James Wong, horticulturalist Matthew Biggs, and allotment enthusiast Frances Tophill, ready to share their knowledge and practical advice.

Later in the programme, Anne Swithinbank offers her essential tips on preparing your garden to withstand the winter months ahead.

Producer: Matthew Smith
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Waltham Forest: Coriander, Sow-By-Date and Perennials

What’s the strangest thing wildlife has whisked away from your garden? How can I prevent codling moth from spoiling apples? And how do I make reliably nutritious compost using horse manure?

Peter Gibbs and a panel of green-fingered experts return to Henley-on-Thames, where a lively audience of passionate gardeners awaits answers to their most pressing horticultural dilemmas.

Joining Peter are pest and disease specialist Pippa Greenwood, head gardener Matthew Pottage, and the ever-enthusiastic plantswoman Christine Walkden.

Later in the programme, Bunny Guinness offers her expert advice on creating your very own dead hedge.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: Suki Glocking 
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Henley-on-Thames

Why are my herbaceous perennials growing so tall? What is the best type of onions to grow for pickling? Why do pests prefer my burgundy blooms over the rest?

Kathy Clugston and an esteemed panel of gardening experts are in Wrexham to answer the questions of a green fingered audience.

Joining Kathy on the panel are garden designers, botanists and alotmenteers Marcus Chilton-Jones, Bethan Collerton and James Wong.

Bethan Collerton visits Wales in Bloom winners Nichola Ellis and Craig Youens for some insight on how they’ve achieved such an accolade on behalf of Wrexham.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Chirk: Pickled Onions, Tall Perennials and Picky Pests

Kathy Clugston and an esteemed panel of gardening experts are in St Mary's Church in Walthamstow to answer the questions of a green fingered audience.

Joining Kathy on the panel are garden designers, botanists and alotmenteers James Wong, Matthew Biggs and Frances Tophill. 

Later, Matthew Pottage provides a list of thriving trees that are sweeping the streets of London.

Producer: Matthew Smith
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

St Mary's Walthamstow

What’s the optimal size for a new greenhouse? How do I get cedar of Lebanon seeds to germinate? How do I revive a dried out compost heap?
 
Kathy Clugston and a panel of passionate horticulturalists are outside Exeter to soak up the sights, scents and history of Bicton Park Botanical Gardens while digging into the GQT postbag, to solve your trickiest gardening conundrums.
 
Joining Kathy under the big top are houseplant specialist Anne Swithinbank, award-winning garden designer Chris Beardshaw, and horticulturalist Frances Tophill - ready with expert advice, clever solutions, and a few laughs along the way. They're also joined by head manager of Bicton House, Edward Lister, to tour the 60 acres of land.

Senior Producer: Dominic Tyerman
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Postbag Edition: Bicton Park Botanical Gardens

Might our otherwise polluted River Thames have a positive impact on my garden? Why has there been so much whitefly this year? Do the panel have a favourite garden they’ve visited?

Peter Gibbs and a panel of green-fingered gurus head to the Phyllis Court Club in Henley-on-Thames, where a lively audience of passionate gardeners awaits answers to their most pressing plant problems.

Joining Peter are pest and disease specialist Pippa Greenwood, head gardener Matthew Pottage, and the ever-enthusiastic plantswoman Christine Walkden.

Later, Johnny ‘Hot Stuff’ Mayard discusses how he grows chillies in his polytunnel that are used for his hot sauce.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Assistant Producer: William Norton 
Assistant Producer: Suki Glockling

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Phyllis Court: White Fly, River Thames and Favourite Gardens

Which seeds would you take to a desert island? How can I improve my success planting bulbs? Which easy-to-grow plants have you managed to kill?

Peter Gibbs and a panel of gardening experts are in Two Dales to share their top horticultural advice. Joining Peter are garden designer Bunny Guinness, RHS curator Marcus Chilton-Jones, and alpine specialist Bethan Collerton.

Later in the programme, Marcus stops to chat to Steve Porter, Head of Gardens and Landscape at Chatsworth House about the history of camellias and how best to grow them. 

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Producer: Matt Smith

A Somethin' Else Production for BBC Radio 4

Plant List:

Q — 2 minutes, 45 seconds
Which easy-to-grow plant have you managed to kill?

Marcus Chilton-Jones
Swiss cheese plant
Mother in law’s tongue

Bethan Collerton—
Gorse

Bunny Guinness—
Bacchia
Pelagonium 

Q — 4 minutes, 41 seconds
 I've got a prickly pear cactus and the outer surface layer appears to be getting eaten in patches. Why?

QM
I want to re-plant a board backed by a 6ft wooden fence. What would the panel recommend?

Bethan Collerton—
Evergreen ferns
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’
Brunnera macrophylla ’Silver heart’

Bunny Guinness—
Lavender
Yew 
Allium ‘Globe master’
Hydrangea seemannii

Marcus Chilton-Jones —
Physocarpus
Camellia
Lobelia
cotinus
Hydrangea seemannii

Q 15 minutes, 30 seconds
Cornus kousa ‘green sleeves’ 
Cornus kousa ‘milky way’

Bunny Guinness —
Cornus mas ‘Cornelian cherry’

Q -- 25 minutes, 37 seconds
 Could the team advise how to improve my success rate of my bull planting? 

Q -- 30 minutes, 30 seconds
How should I prune a Victoria plum tree?

QF 37 mins 25
Which two packets of seeds would you take to a desert island?

Bethan Collerton—
Courgette
Rice

Bunny Guinness—
Edamame 
Fig

Marcus Chilton-Jones —
Tomatoes
Sunflower

Two Dales

Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners Question Time panel visit the RHS Wisley Greening Skills Garden in Woking, an exciting new project designed to inspire and equip the next generation of horticulturists. No postbag edition is complete without your questions, so the panel dip into the GQT inbox to answer your gardening conundrums. 

Joining Peter are head gardeners and garden designers Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage and Matthew Biggs.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Chirk: Pickled Onions, Tall Perennials and Picky Pests

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