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Postbag: Harlow Carr

How do I safely dispose of bamboo leaves? How can I stop the roots of my mulberry tree from invading my vegetable patch? Kathy Clugston and the panel answer gardening queries.

How do I safely dispose of bamboo leaves? How can I stop the roots of my mulberry tree from invading my vegetable patch? If the panel were gifted a £50 garden centre voucher, what would they buy and why?

Kathy Clugston and her arsenal of horticultural experts dig through the GQT inbox to answer your gardening queries. On the panel this week are garden designer Matthew Wilson and houseplant expert Anne Swithinbank.

They visit Harlow Carr in Harrogate where head gardener Paul Cook gives a tour of their tranquil treasure trove and offers his own gardening tips and tricks.

Woodlice - friends or foe? Kathy and panel set the record straight and debunk common misconceptions around these misunderstood animals.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 3 Mar 2024 14:00

Plant list

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

Q – Why has my Hamamelis stopped flowering? (3’28”)

Q – How can I stop the roots of my mulberry tree from invading my vegetable patch? (5’58”)

Q – How do I dispose of bamboo leaves? Are they poisonous to other plants? (9’01”)

Q – Could the panel tell me why the organic material dug into my beds don’t seem to last? (12’06”)

Q – The leaves and stem of my avocado plant have turned black and dropped off, why is this and how can I save it? (17’53”)

Q – There’s a gall growing on my Ficus Benjamina – Will it damage the tree and should I cut it off? (19’37”)

Q – How do I rescue my Aeonium 'Zwartkop' from frost damage? (22’14”)

Q – Woodlice – Friend or Foe? (24’50”)

Q – Could the panel identify what type of pest we keep finding in our pots and how do we get rid of them? (30’09”)

Q – What tall box plants could I grow in my garden? (32’28”)

Paul Cooke:

Euonymus

Pittosporum

Lonicera

Salvia rosmarinus (Ro), rosemary

 

Anne Swithinbank:

Thymus vulgaris, thyme

Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues', japanese spindle 'Jean Hugues'

Teucrium chamaedrys L., wall germander

Hyssopus officinalis, hyssop

 

Matthew Wilson:

Salvia 'Blue Spire' (Pe), perovskia 'Blue Spire'

Salvia yangii (Pe), russian sage

Veronica topiaria (H), topiarist's hebe

Salvia rosmarinus 'Miss Jessopp's Upright' (Ro), rosemary 'Miss Jessopp's Upright'

 

Q – What could I use to kill weeds effectively without damaging my garden? (36’01”)

Q – If the panel were gifted a £50 garden centre voucher - What would they buy and why? (38’54”)


Matthew Wilson:

Zanthoxylum simulans, sichuan pepper

Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Conica', alberta spruce 'conica'

Pinus mugo 'Mops', dwarf mountain pine 'Mops'


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broadcasts

  • Fri 1 Mar 2024 15:00
  • Sun 3 Mar 2024 14:00

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