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Gardeners' Question Time

Gardeners' Question Time

BBC Radio 4 82 Episodes Sep 18, 2026

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

Episodes

Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 2
Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 2 Sep 18, 2026 2480 Kathy Clugston hosts the second of the Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party specials from RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey.Joining Kathy are Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Wilson, Marcus Chilton-Jones and Dr Chris Thorogood, taking questions from an audience of keen gardeners gathered beneath the marquee at the Wisley Flower Show.The panel share the gardening lessons they wish they’d learned sooner,
Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 1
Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 1 Sep 11, 2026 2543 Kathy Clugston hosts the first of two Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party specials from RHS Garden Wisley.Joined by James Wong, Matthew Pottage, Pippa Greenwood and Frances Tophill, Kathy takes questions from a packed marquee audience at the RHS’s flagship garden.Surrounded by the horticultural hubub amongst the garden's flower show, the panel discusses how to encourage flowers lower down
Minstead: Colourful Borders, Resilient Brambles and Parched Plants
Minstead: Colourful Borders, Resilient Brambles and Parched Plants Sep 4, 2026 2538 Kathy Clugston chairs Gardeners’ Question Time from Minstead Village Hall in the heart of the New Forest. Joining Kathy are  plant pathologist Pippa Greenwood, head gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens Bethan Collerton, and garden writer and designer Matthew Wilson. As well as being surrounded by roaming wild ponies, the panellists answer questions on drought-tolerant planting, climbing ros
The Donkey Sanctuary: Drought, Biodiversity and Resilient Planting
The Donkey Sanctuary: Drought, Biodiversity and Resilient Planting Aug 28, 2026 2537 Peter Gibbs hosts GQT from The Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth in Devon.Joining Peter are plantswoman Anne Swithinbank, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood and the Royal Parks’ Head of Horticulture Matthew Pottage.Soundtracked by the braying of the sanctuary's donkey residents, the panel tackles questions on greening up a concreted-over garden, starting a new allotment during challenging drough
From the Archive: Microclimate
From the Archive: Microclimate Aug 21, 2026 2524 Kathy Clugston delves into the GQT archive to explore one of Britain’s most intriguing gardening phenomena: microclimates.Travelling across the British Isles, the programme uncovers how local conditions shape what gardeners can grow. We’ll hear stories from the subtropical gardens of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, to the urban heat islands of London and the dry conditions of East Anglia befor
Clarkston: Peach Tress, Pirate Sheds and Late Summer Pruning
Clarkston: Peach Tress, Pirate Sheds and Late Summer Pruning Aug 14, 2026 2528 Kathy Clugston and the panel visit Clarkston Halls near Glasgow.Joining Kathy are botanist James Wong, Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Head Gardener Bethan Collerton, and Balmoral’s Head of Gardens Kirsty Wilson.The panel answers questions on overwintering anemone corms, revitalising a gloomy shaded corner beneath mature lime trees, and whether an unheated Scottish greenhouse is suitable for growing
Postbag: The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow
Postbag: The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow Aug 7, 2026 2538 Kathy Clugston hosts another Gardeners’ Question Time Postbag episode from The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, a remarkable community green space created on a former industrial site in the heart of the city.Joining Kathy to delve into your questions are Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ head gardener Bethan Collerton, Balmoral’s head of gardens Kirsty Wilson, and botanist James Wong.As they explore this ap
Pinchbeck: Awkward Astrantias, Watering Wisdom and Courgette Chaos
Pinchbeck: Awkward Astrantias, Watering Wisdom and Courgette Chaos Jul 31, 2026 2522 Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners’ Question Time panel visit the Lincolnshire village of Pinchbeck, a fenland landscape shaped by waterways and a long history of horticulture.On the panel are plantswoman Christine Walkden and garden designers Matthew Wilson and Bunny Guinness.The team tackles questions on choosing pond plants to support dragonflies, finding colourful plants for exposed, windy gardens,
East Renfrewshire: Balcony Brilliance, Reluctant Camellias and Making The Most Of Moss
East Renfrewshire: Balcony Brilliance, Reluctant Camellias and Making The Most Of Moss Jul 24, 2026 2555 Kathy Clugston chairs this week’s Gardeners’ Question Time from Clarkston Halls in East Renfrewshire, home to one of Scotland’s oldest horticultural societies.Joining Kathy are Balmoral’s Head of Gardens Kirsty Wilson, ethnobotanist James Wong, and Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Head Gardener Bethan Collerton.The panel tackles questions on reluctant camellias, fragrant planting for a windswept balc
Birmingham: Bonsai, Black Elder, Blueberry and Bees
Birmingham: Bonsai, Black Elder, Blueberry and Bees Jul 17, 2026 2543 Recorded at the University of Birmingham’s magnificent Elgar Concert Hall, Kathy Clugston is joined by Bethan Collerton of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Marcus Chilton-Jones of RHS Garden Bridgewater, and Dr Chris Thorogood from Oxford Botanic Garden.The panel tackles a wide range of audience gardening dilemmas, from reluctant peonies and coppiced hazel, to a struggling juniper bonsai and an overg
Spalding: Ant Infestation, Pot-Bound Olive Tree and Watering Seedlings
Spalding: Ant Infestation, Pot-Bound Olive Tree and Watering Seedlings Jul 10, 2026 2544 Gardeners’ Question Time visits the stunning Springfields Festival Gardens in Spalding, 15 acres of beautifully designed and diverse planting, created for visitors of all ages to explore and enjoy.Peter Gibbs is joined by a panel of horticultural experts - Matthew Wilson, Christine Walkden and Bunny Guinness - to answer questions from an enthusiastic audience of local gardeners. Together, they tac
Winterbourne House and Garden: Tomatoes, Topiary and Japanese Gardens
Winterbourne House and Garden: Tomatoes, Topiary and Japanese Gardens Jul 3, 2026 2519 Kathy Clugston and the panel are in Edgbaston at the University of Birmingham’s beautiful Winterbourne House and Garden, an Arts and Crafts era gem packed with horticultural interest.Joining Kathy to answer questions from a keen audience of local gardeners are Bethan Collerton, Marcus Chilton‑Jones and Dr Chris Thorogood. The team tackle everything from leggy tomatoes, to the challenge of designin

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