Herstmonceux Castle: Postbag Edition
Peter Gibbs and the team are at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex.
Peter Gibbs and the team are at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex. Juliet Sargeant, Matt Biggs and Matthew Pottage are this weeks' panellists, ready to answer your gardening questions.
Led by Herstmonceux's head gardener Guy Lucas, the team explores the castle grounds and learns about the sustainable gardening practices adopted in recent years.
The panellists also tackle questions from listeners, including suggestions for what to plant around a thatched cottage, and when to prune plants that are still in flower in the winter.
Producer - Jemima Rathbone
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
A Somethin' Else production for 大象传媒 Radio 4
Last on
Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.
听
Q 鈥� Do unopened bags of potting compost have a limited life span?
(3 minutes 33 seconds)
听
Q 鈥� I have some raised beds in my garden in Saddleworth, exposed to lots of rain and wind. What low maintenance plants do you recommend for summer and winter colour?
(6 minutes 10 seconds)
听
Juliet 鈥�
Euonymus alatus
Carex buchananii
Rudbeckia
听
Matthew 鈥�
Pinus mugo 鈥榃inter Gold鈥�
Erica x darleyensis
Bergenia 鈥�Irish Crimson鈥�
Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai'
听
Q 鈥� I live in a small flat with no balcony or window boxes. I鈥檝e always wanted to grow vegetables, what could I grow indoors?
(8 minutes 56 seconds)
听
Q 鈥� I鈥檝e moved into a thatched cottage which doesn鈥檛 have a gutter. When it rains, the water pours forcefully off the roof and hitting the bed below, creating a 9 inch (22cm) gully. What can I plant there, preferably in a cottage style?
(15 minutes)
听
Juliet 鈥�
Polystichum setiferum
Dryopteris filix-mas
Persicaria 鈥楧onald Lowndes鈥�
听
Matthew 鈥�
Astilbe
Ligularia 鈥楤ritt Mary Crawford鈥�
Iris ensata听听听听听听听听
听
Q 鈥� In my garden I usually clear the fallen leaves in autumn, but would an insulating layer of leaves on the flower beds be beneficial over the winter, outweighing the potential for pests and diseases?
(19 minutes 18 seconds)
听
Q 鈥� I want to encourage snails, slugs and aphids to my garden. What should I do?
(24 minutes 15 seconds)
Q 鈥� I鈥檓 trying to grow mallow from seed for my tortoise, but it keeps getting rust. How can I avoid this?
(27 minutes)
听
Q 鈥� What should you do with plants that are due to be pruned after flowering, but are still in flower in late November? Especially with winter frosts approaching.
(29 minutes 50 seconds)
听
Q 鈥� My parents have a beautiful, 80 year old blue cedar tree in Northamptonshire, which has been severely damaged in bad weather including a large branch being ripped off. What can we do to protect the wound and help it heal?
(35 minutes 45 seconds)
听
Q 鈥� I have three Ilex aquifolium 鈥楬andsworth Silver鈥� in my garden. How can I thicken up the currently single-stemmed holly plants to become more of a hedge? I鈥檇 like the heigh to be tall and thick enough to hide the cars parked behind my garden.
(37 minutes 45 seconds)
听
听
听
听
听
Broadcasts
- Fri 17 Dec 2021 15:00大象传媒 Radio 4
- Sun 19 Dec 2021 14:00大象传媒 Radio 4
Six of GQT鈥檚 naughtiest gardening innuendos
When Gardeners' Question Time got mucky.
Podcast
-
![]()
Gardeners' Question Time
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts
