Gardeners' Question Time

BBC Radio 4

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

  • 42 minutes 24 seconds
    Postbag Edition: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

    Where have all the worms gone in my garden? How do I use a glasshouse? Can plants survive without being watered for a month?

    Kathy Clugston and a team of gardening experts explore the 70 acres of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, all while digging the GQT postbag to answer your gardening grievances.

    Joining Kathy on this extensive tour are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous, and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson. They're led around the garden by Head of Collections, David Knott.

    Producer: Bethany Hocken Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    20 December 2024, 3:40 pm
  • 42 minutes 56 seconds
    Brunel's SS Great Britain: Ponds, Wardian Cases and Figs

    Lawns - to mow or not to mow? What could I use to make my pond visually pleasing and wildlife friendly? Will my two year-old fig tree produce more fruits if I feed it?

    Kathy Clugston and a team of experts board Brunel's SS Great Britain in Bristol to answer gardening questions from an audience of novice gardeners. Joining Kathy are garden designers Chris Beardshaw, Matthew Wilson and house plants expert Anne Swithinbank.

    Later in the programme, Matthew Wilson meets with head of research James Boyd, and head of interpretation and programming Iona Keen, to learn about the importance of Wardian cases to the horticultural industry.

    Producer: Daniel Cocker Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    13 December 2024, 3:40 pm
  • 42 minutes 41 seconds
    Rosewell: Plant Names, Reflection and Perlite

    What would the panel plant in a garden for reflection? Are there any alternatives to perlite and vermiculite? Is the weather to blame for my shamefully small brassicas and tiny potatoes?

    Kathy Clugston and a team of experts are in Rosewell, Midlothian, to solve the gardening questions of the audience. Joining Kathy are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson.

    Later in the programme, James Wong meets researchers Dr Hannah Atkins and Sadie Barber to discuss the extensive process of naming plants.

    Producer: Bethany Hocken Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    6 December 2024, 3:42 pm
  • 42 minutes 45 seconds
    Staffordshire: Dogs, Gradient Gardens and Aphrodisiacs

    How can I stop my dog from digging holes in my garden? What conditions do walnut trees grow best in? If you could lose one pest from your garden, what would it be?

    Peter Gibbs and a team of experts are in Staffordshire, to solve the gardening conundrums of the audience. Returning to the National Memorial Arboretum with Peter are grow-your-own legend Bob Flowerdew, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood and garden designer Bunny Guinness.

    Later in the programme, is your garden on an gradient? Garden designer Matthew Wilson provides tricks and tips on the best way to effectively garden on an incline.

    Producer: Dan Cocker
 Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    29 November 2024, 3:42 pm
  • 42 minutes 10 seconds
    Postbag: University of Exeter

    How do I get red cedar root balls to spread? What gardening task do the panel find daunting? What are the panel’s thoughts about composting organic materials?

    Kathy Clugston and her team of horticultural experts travel to the University of Exeter for a postbag edition of GQT.

    While Curator of Horticulture Anthony Cockell leads Kathy and the panel around the grounds, they also dig through the GQT inbox to answer your gardening queries. On the panel this week are garden designer Chris Beardshaw, grow your own guru Bob Flowerdew, and proud plantswoman Christine Walkden.

    Later in the programme, the panellists discuss the University of Exeter's national collection of Azaras, share tips on how they can add structure to the garden and provide a sensory experience.

    Senior Producer: Bethany Hocken Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    16 August 2024, 2:45 pm
  • 41 minutes 51 seconds
    Cheshire West

    My Fatsia plants had their stems nibbled by deer – will they recover, or should I buy new ones? Any tips on how I can get my eucalyptus plants to produce juvenile flowers? If you were building a scarecrow in your garden, what would you suggest dressing it in?

    Kathy Clugston and a panel of experts are in Cheshire West to answer queries from an audience of keen gardeners. On the panel are garden designer Bunny Guinness, houseplant expert Anne Swithinbank, and curator of RHS Bridgewater Marcus Chilton-Jones.

    Later, James Wong and head gardener of the Castlefield Viaduct Nancy Scheerhout discuss how the 'garden in the sky' was created, as well as how it's maintained.

    Producer: Bethany Hocken Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    31 May 2024, 2:45 pm
  • 41 minutes 47 seconds
    Postbag: Horniman Museum and Gardens

    Will my blind daffodils ever flower again, or should I just discard them? Can I use old yule logs to line my plant beds or will the harvested fruit and veg become poisonous? How can I repel spiders from my garden without using chemicals?

    Peter Gibbs is joined by his enthusiastic team of horticultural experts as they dig through the GQT inbox and answer your gardening conundrums. On the panel this week are landscape architect Bunny Guinness, self proclaimed botanical geek James Wong and pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood.

    They visit the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, where head of horticulture Errol Reuben Fernandes gives the team a tour of their historical and extensive gardens.

    Later, Peter and the panel discuss whether there are house plants that can produce enough oxygen to purify air or if this is just a myth.

    Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
 Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    22 March 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 1 second
    From the Archive: Ponds and Bogs

    Kathy Clugston navigates the murky waters of the GQT archives in search of some Pond and Bog related advice throughout the years.

    Water is the giver of plant life and nourisher of wildlife, but how do we ensure that we’re using it correctly? The GQT team have sorted through the archives in search for some questions and answers from the past.

    The programme's horticultural experts share their knowledge on what to do if your pond liner breaks, how to remove bird poo from the surface of your pond, and what sort of plants you could plant in bogs and ponds to increase biodiversity?

    We also listen back to when pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood visited the Exbury Gardens dragonfly pond to learn more about these little creatures.

    Producer: Dan Cocker
 Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    2 February 2024, 3:00 pm
  • 41 minutes 45 seconds
    Postbag: Ham House and Garden

    Could the panel share some gardening tips for wheelchair users? How do I start growing mulukhiyah in my garden? Which hedges could I grow that are resistant to ermine moths and offer privacy? Peter Gibbs is joined by his eager team of horticultural experts as they dig through the GQT inbox and answer your gardening queries. On the panel this week are landscape architect Bunny Guinness, head gardener of Horatio’s Garden Ashley Edwards and curator of RHS Wisley Matthew Pottage. This week they visit Ham House and Garden in Richmond where head gardener John Myers gives them a tour of their unique horticultural treasure trove. Later, Peter and the panel discuss the fundamentals of a kitchen garden and give tips on non-typical fruit and vegetables you could grow in your garden.

    Senior Producer: Dominic Tyerman Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Carly Maile

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    19 January 2024, 5:50 pm
  • 42 minutes 4 seconds
    Wokingham

    Could you suggest some bat friendly plants that will keep them happy? Is it too late to re-pot my five-year-old daffodils? How can I improve the quality of my clay soil and what can I grow on it?

    Peter Gibbs and his team of horticultural experts are in the market town of Wokingham for this week's episode of Gardeners' Question Time.

    Joining Peter to dig into the audience's queries are garden designer Matthew Wilson, proud plantswoman Christine Walkden and passionate plantsman Matthew Biggs.

    Later in the show, Kirsty Wilson gets into the community spirit as she visits Greyfriars Biophilic Garden in Glasgow for a quick tour of their 56 show-stopping plots.

    Producer: Bethany Hocken

    Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

    Executive Producer: Hannah Newton

    A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    27 November 2023, 3:38 pm
  • 42 minutes 7 seconds
    House of Lords

    I’m having no luck growing chillies from seed. What am I doing wrong? Which plants would the panel recommend to bring fragrance and colour? Which way should a fig tree face to produce the most fruit?

    Ready to answer all these questions and more, Kathy Clugston and her team of experts have been invited to the House of Lords for this week’s programme. Joining Kathy to offer their best horticultural tips and tricks are Head of Oxford Botanical Gardens Dr Chris Thorogood, garden designer Matthew Wilson, and plantswoman Christine Walkden.

    Among the questions, Kathy chats to Baroness Fookes about the importance of gardening today.

    Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Senior Producer: Dan Cocker Executive Producer: Hannah Newton A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

    10 November 2023, 3:00 pm
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