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GQT at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ: Perfect Holes and Motivating Goals

Peter Gibbs hosts the horticultural Q&A with a virtual audience.

Peter Gibbs hosts the horticultural Q&A with experts James Wong, Matthew Wilson and Christine Walkden who answer questions sent in by email and from the virtual audience.

This week, the panel tackles questions on pruning trees, a suffering asparagus fern and a curious case of frog spawn in a tree.

Away from the questions, historian Advolly Richmond is joined by GQT regular Matt Biggs to unravel the fascinating history of the nation's favourite beverage - tea.

Producer - Jemima Rathbone
Assistant Producer - Millie Chu

A Somethin' Else production for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Plant List

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

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Q – In TV Land, whenever a gardening presenter is planting a new plant in their garden, they dig a lovely clean hole and pop it in. In my garden, I dig a hole and it is almost always full of roots from another plant. Do the panel have the same problem, or do all gardening presenters have magical powers and for us mere mortals, what’s the best approach when finding roots in a potential planting spot, apart from digging somewhere else?

(1 minute, 45 seconds)

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Q – Having managed to get my dahlias through the winter, in an unheated greenhouse, how do I now bring them back into growth, and then grow on in a container?

(6 minutes, 13 seconds)

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Q – I was recently trimming some overhanding willow branches when I noticed a jelly-like substance. I thought it was some kind of fungus on one branch. Looking closely, there was a bunch of frog spawn! Have you ever seen anything like this before? Can our native frogs climb up trees?

(8 minutes, 25 seconds)

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Q – How do you anchor a cord beneath a tomato plant in a pot around which to twine the stem as it grows ever upwards?

(10 minutes 43 seconds)

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Feature – Advolly Richmond and Matt Biggs on the History of Tea: Part 1

(13 minutes, 6 seconds)

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Camellia sinensis var. ‘Sinensis’

Camellia sinensis var. ‘Assamica’

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Q – I have a 20-foot Prunus tree – the leading branch is not nice and straight, but bending over with the prevailing wind. How should I prune it?

(18 minutes 26 seconds)

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Q – In previous years, my colleagues and I have had fun growing chilis in the office and at home. Not everyone has outdoor space, so could you suggest an alternative that can be grown from seed that doesn’t get too large or need outdoor space?

(22 minutes, 42 seconds)

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Christine –

Achimenes (Hot Water Plant)

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Matthew –

Narcissus jonquilla

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Q – I’ve had my asparagus fern for around 4 years. This past month, it’s a shadow of its former self. Is all hope lost for a much-loved plant?

(27 minutes, 42 seconds)

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Feature – Advolly Richmond and Matt Biggs on the History of Tea: Part 2

(29 minutes, 55 seconds)

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Q – We planted a strawberry bush in our garden but realised it was going to outgrow its position, so we moved it into a wooded area and it flourished. The mysterious thing is that it appears to have split itself into two different plants! Does anyone know what’s going on?

(33 minutes, 36 seconds)

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Matthew –

Arbutus unedo

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Q – How do you motivate yourself to do gardening jobs when you’re not really in the mood but you know they need to be done?

(36 minutes, 48 seconds)

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