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Is it too late to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs? What are the best ideas for planting under a shaded tree? How to maintain a lawn that is regularly used for football?

Is it too late to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs? What are the best ideas for planting under a shaded tree? How to maintain a lawn that is regularly used for football?

This week on Gardeners’ Question Time, Peter Gibbs and a hand‑picked panel of horticultural experts head to Caterham to tackle the green‑fingered queries of a live audience.

Peter is joined by Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Pottage and Anne Swithinbank.

Alongside these questions, we hear from Bethan Collerton  who visited Wrexham to find out more about the RHS 'It's Your Neighbourhood' Scheme and how it has benefited the community and the gardeners involved.

Producer: Matt Smith
Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4.

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 25 Jan 2026 14:00

Featured

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Plant List

Q1- Is it too late to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs (1‘42”)

 

Q2 – As well as Wassailing,what else can I do to get a really good crop of good sized apples this year? (5’23”)

 

Q3 – With our warming climates and buds coming early. What are the key things we should do over the next couple of months to ensure that plants like roses, hydrangeas, wisteria don't get burnt out or exhausted? (10’23”)

 

Q4 - An old rockery is struggling beneath a mature sycamore, within a steep, chalky front garden. What are the best ideas for reimagining and planting this challenging 4×2 metre space? (15’17”)

 

Anne Swithinbank - Clematis × jeuneiana

Heuchera, Choral Bells

Tiarella cordifolia, foam flower

Teucrium fruticans, tree germander

Teucrium chamaedrys L., wall germander

 Lepidium sativum, persian cress / ornamental cress

Aethionema grandiflorum, Persian stone cress

 

Matthew Pottage –

Asplenium scolopendrium, hart's tongue fern
Petroselinum crispum, curled parsley

Polypodium

Convallaria majalis, lily of the valley

Dwarf woodland ferns

 

FEATURE: Bethan Collerton visits Wrexham to find out how the RHS ‘It's Your Neighbourhood’ Scheme benefited the community and the gardeners involved. (21’33”)

 

 Q5 -  After 7 years, why has my Victoria plum barely grown and only produces one plum a year? (25’21”)


Prunus domestica 'Victoria' (D), plum 'Victoria'

 

Q6 – Should I give up on my dying pyracantha, that is essentially a twig now? (30’15”)

Pyracantha, Firethorn

 

Q7 – My brother and I like to play football in our back garden. Our dad moves the goal around so that we don't wear away the same patch of grass. Do you have any suggestions to help our grass and my dad? (36’02”)

Matthew Pottage –

Lolium perenne, perennial rye grass

Broadcasts

  • Fri 23 Jan 2026 15:00
  • Sun 25 Jan 2026 14:00

Join us at RHS Garden Wisley and be part of the show as we host the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party

Join us at RHS Garden Wisley and be part of the show as we host the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party

Find out more about how to get tickets to this event.

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