From The Archives: Hot & Dry
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.
Kathy Clugston looks back over 76 years of hot and dry weather advice on this special archive edition of GQT.
Summer is upon us once again and gardeners all over the country have been finding various ways to adapt their gardens to the hot and dry conditions. The GQT team have sorted through the archives in search for some questions and answers from our horticultural experts over various episodes.
They share their knowledge on how to water a garden without wasting too much water, what perennial flowers can survive dry conditions and require low maintenance, and how you can create a drought-resistant garden that supports wildlife and biodiversity.
And later we listen back to when Matthew Wilson visited the Beth Chatto Garden in Essex - to see how they adapt to the hot & dry summers
Producer: Daniel Cocker

Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod

Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
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Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.
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Q – What can I do to save my lawn after hot and dry weather?
(1 minutes 21 seconds)Ìý
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Q – How long should I wait to scarify my dry lawn?
(4 minutes 33 seconds)Ìý
Q – What can I grow now that I couldn’t grow before a 40’C heatwave?
(8 minutes 11 seconds)
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Matthew –
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Lagerstroemia indica, Crape myrtle
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Albizia
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Hedychium
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Ashley –
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Banana
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Avocado
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Fig
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Callaloo
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Tetrapanax papyrifer, Rice-paper plant
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Q – Can you recommend perennial flowers that can thrive in dry conditions and require low maintenance?
(12 minutes 49 seconds)
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Matthew Wilson–
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Artemisia.
Eryngium (‘Sea Holly’)
Eryngium planum ‘Flat Sea Holly’
Eryngium ‘Big Blue’
Alpinum
Californian poppies (Eschscholzia californica)
or Guara lindheimeri ‘Whirling butterflies’.
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Feature- Matthew Wilson meets with visits the Beth Chatto Garden. He’s joined by Garden Director David Ward at The Beth Chatto Gardens.
(16 minutes 30 seconds)
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Q – Is there any hope for my frost-bitten hydrangeas?
(22 minutes 04 seconds)
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Christine –
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Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean glory-vine),
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Cobaea scandens (Cup and saucer vine).
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Q – Please could you suggest plants that would thrive in a small community garden that has very dry soil?
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(25 minutes 33 seconds)
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Kirsty –
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Epimedium
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Bergenia
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Geranium macrorrhizum
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Geranium ROZANNE
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Cyclamen coum
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Chris –
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Lamium orvala
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Trachystemon orientalis
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Dryopteris wallichiana
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Q – As the climate warms, how can we create drought-resistant gardens that support wildlife and biodiversity?
(30 minutes 00 seconds)
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Q – Is having a south facing gardens as good as everyone says or are gardens in other directions a better choice?
(33 minutes 55 seconds)
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Q – How do I water the garden in drought conditions, without wasting too much water?
(38 minutes 14 seconds)
Broadcasts
- Fri 18 Aug 2023 15:00Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
- Sun 20 Aug 2023 14:00Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
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Gardeners' Question Time
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts
