Gardeners' Question Time

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.

Along the way, the panel suggests plants for coastal walls, city streets and challenging shade, explore exotic species thriving in unexpected places, and offer advice on everything from tropical-style planting to sweetcorn cultivation.

Plus, a visit to St Michael’s Mount, and Derek Jarman's garden in Dungeness.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

Tickets are available for the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time Summer Party 2026 held at RHS Garden Wisley on Saturday 5th September.

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 peaches.

They also discuss a mysteriously weeping houseplant, what might be causing a Japanese maple to decline, and why healthy nasturtiums can sometimes produce plenty of leaves but no flowers.

Plus, Kirsty shares some late-summer pruning tips, and the panel reveal the gardening advice they would give to anyone just starting out.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

Tickets are available for the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time Summer Party 2026 held at RHS Garden Wisley on Saturday 5th September.

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 aptly named urban oasis, the panel considers how gardeners can make the most of even the most challenging spaces, from creating green roofs to choosing the right trees for compact gardens. They also weigh up the balance between encouraging wildlife and protecting prized plants, in a lively discussion sparked by a rose-munching garden visitor.

Along the way, head gardener Paula Murdoch reveals how The Hidden Gardens has evolved from a former tramworks site into a haven for people, plants and wildlife, with wildflower meadows, sensory planting and inventive habitat features woven through the garden.

Also, there's advice on designing a sensory school garden, creating a wildlife-friendly pond in the smallest of spaces, and why some plants refuse to behave as the gardening books suggest.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

Tickets are available for the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time Summer Party 2026 held at RHS Garden Wisley on Saturday 5th September.

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, and why some gardeners struggle to grow much-loved astrantias. They also offer practical advice on improving courgette crops, planting around hydrangeas, and dealing with troublesome vine weevil.

Water is a recurring theme throughout the programme. Bethan Collerton visits Winterbourne House and Garden to meet plant scientist Professor Jeremy Pritchard and uncover the remarkable ways plants depend on water, from photosynthesis and cooling to the internal hydraulic systems that keep them upright and growing.

Back in Pinchbeck, the panel turns to a question many gardeners face during a heatwave - how often should we water our gardens? Christine shares her advice on watering deeply and effectively to help plants withstand dry conditions.

Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

Tickets are available for the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time Summer Party 2026 held at RHS Garden Wisley on Saturday 5th September.

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 balcony, and how to transform a shady, moss-filled shared garden.

Along the way, Bethan visits Glasgow Botanic Gardens’ magnificent Kibble Palace, where she joins Robert Jamieson to explore botanical links across the Commonwealth, from the Australian tea tree and towering tree ferns to remarkable araucarias from the South Pacific.

Back in Clarkston, the team shares advice on improving the quality of greenhouse-grown grapes, caring for carnivorous pitcher plants, and choosing easy, quick-growing seeds for young gardeners.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

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 overgrown black elder. They also discuss how to rescue a drought-stressed blueberry, and keep colour flowing through the garden into late summer.

Later in the show, Bethan visits Winterbourne House and Garden to meet local beekeeper Jane Nimmo to discover more about the remarkable lives of honeybees, the challenges facing wild bee populations, and the simple things gardeners can do to help pollinators thrive.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

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 tackle a wide range of gardening dilemmas, from reviving a pot-bound olive tree to dealing with ants that have taken up residence in an exotic potted palm.

The panel also offers practical advice on watering seedlings effectively, encouraging a mature philadelphus to flower, and successfully overwintering hollyhocks.

Also, Grow Your Own expert Julia Parker shares her top tips for successional planting, helping gardeners enjoy a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.

Producer: Dominic Tyerman

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

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 designing a cohesive border that spans both sun and shade.

There’s practical advice for dealing with the devastation caused by box tree moth, creative planting ideas for Japanese‑inspired gardens using unusual and architectural plants.

Also, Bethan takes a walk around the Winterbourne grounds with head gardener Paul Cooke to discover how Gertrude Jekyll’s influence continues to shape the garden today.

Producers: Alison Vernon-Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.

In this special episode, Kathy Clugston and Peter Gibbs dip into the archives to celebrate the life and work of Matthew Biggs.

Matt spent four decades doing what he loved most - sharing his extraordinary knowledge of the natural world with anyone who would listen. And through the power of radio, listen they did!

In this episode you'll hear Matt in his own words - from his very first appearance on Gardeners' Question Time in 1994, to the remarkable final broadcast he made just weeks before his passing.

Alongside clips of Matt's encyclopaedic and witty gardening advice, you'll hear from friends, colleagues and fellow horticulturalists who knew and loved him, as well as messages from listeners, whose lives he touched in ways that go far beyond gardening.

Producers: Matthew Smith, Rahnee Prescod and Dan Cocker

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Peter Gibbs and the GQT panel visit the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent’s Park, London, tackling gardening challenges in tough conditions.

Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage, Bunny Guinness and Head Gardener of Regents Park Fiona Packe answer questions on creating a sensory hedge in rubble, choosing resilient perennials, and finding long-flowering wildflowers for shade. They also offer advice on rescuing a struggling lavender hedge and planting to support bats.

Plus, the panel discuss managing unseasonal growth in perennials and diagnose a problem with a young monstera sharing practical tips for gardeners indoors and out.

Producer: Dan Cocker Alison Vernon-Smith and Matthew Smith

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

*If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xpc6