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Central Lancashire

Kathy Clugston hosts the horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.

Kathy Clugston hosts the horticultural programme from Central Lancashire. This week, she's joined by James Wong, Kirsty Wilson and Christine Walkden who will be answering questions from the audience.

The panellists discuss whether a particular method of growing beans is really worth the effort and share their top tips for any novice gardeners who are taking on a big gardening project.

Away from the questions, Claire Ratinon speaks to Jon Stokes from The Tree Council, and Sinéad Fortune from the Gaia Foundation's Seed Sovereignty programme all about the important of saving seed.

Producer - Dominic Tyerman
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das

A Somethin' Else production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Oct 2022 14:00

Plant list

Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.

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Q – I read that you should line a bean trench with strips of newspaper soaked in water with compost on top. I always get a good crop but my husband thinks I’m wasting my time. Am I?

(2 minutes 10 seconds)

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Q – I have a problem growing Gladioli. They always flower during the first year, and don’t flower again after that. What am I doing wrong?

(5 minutes 15 seconds)

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Q – Five years ago I planted a native species hedge, which is now about 3m (9.8 feet) high. When and how should I prune it to keep it thick?

(6 minutes 55 seconds)

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Kirsty –

Prunus spinosa

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Q – I have a fig tree that’s had lots of fruit, but they never mature. What am I doing wrong?

(9 minutes 32 seconds)

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Feature – Claire Ratinon speaks to Jon Stokes from The Tree Council and Sinéad Fortune of Seed Sovereignty UK all about seed saving.

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Q – We are about to move house and take on quite a large garden. What advice would you give to novice gardeners when taking on a new garden project?

(20 minutes 24 seconds)

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Q – What is the best maintenance schedule for a greenhouse? How often should it be disinfected and what is t he best method?

(25 minutes 30 seconds)

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Q – I’ve got a problem with my honesty plants. I’ve grown them for years, but this year they’ve developed blisters on the surface with white crusty deposits underneath. What is this and how do I treat it?

(29 minutes 22 seconds)

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Q – I had a white wisteria growing on a south-facing wall which died suddenly two years ago. It appeared to have rotten from the stem. This year three healthy whips of wisteria have emerged a metre away from the original stem. Should I train it up the wall where it is, or dig it up and plant it somewhere else?

(32 minutes 50 seconds)

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Q – How can I stop myself from buying every plant that I see?
(36 minutes 30 seconds)

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 30 Sep 2022 15:00
  • Sun 2 Oct 2022 14:00

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