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Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts.

Kathy Clugston hosts the horticultural programme. Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Wilson, and Christine Walkden answer the questions.

This week the panellists suggest some easy-to-grow Euphorbias, as well as giving hope to one gardener whose Mimosa was destroyed in recent storms. They also puzzle over a lack of Granny's Bonnets this year, and come up with planting ideas for creating a screen.

Away from the questions, Matthew Wilson speaks to Exbury Gardens head gardener Tom Clarke to learn about ericaceous soil, and the brilliant rhododendrons that grow from it.

Producer: Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer: Aniya Das

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.

Ìý

Q – How can I recognise a ripe Conference pear, and how should I store them?

(1 minute 35 seconds)

Ìý

Matthew –

Beurré Hardy

Ìý

Q – Why am I not seeing any Aquilegia, Granny’s Bonnets, coming up in my garden this year?

(4 minutes 15 seconds)

Ìý

Q – What’s the best Euphorbia to grow for newbie gardeners?

(6 minutes 45 seconds)

Ìý

Matthew –

Euphorbia candelabrum

Euphorbia mellifera
Euphorbia characias

Ìý

Christine –

Poinsettia

Ìý

Pippa –

Euphorbia dulcis ‘C³ó²¹³¾±ð±ô±ð´Ç²Ô’

Ìý

Q – In recent storms my Mimosa was sheared off at ground level. Will it reshoot from the stump? And are there tougher species you can suggest?

(11 minutes)

Ìý

Feature – Matthew Wilson speaks to Exbury Gardens head gardener Tom Clarke to learn about ericaceous soil, and the brilliant rhododendrons that grow from it. Ìý

(12 minutes 50 seconds)

Ìý

Rhododendron yakushimanum

Rhododendron falconeri

Rhododendron sinogrande

Rhododendron barbatum
Rhododendron thomsonii

Rhododendron maddenii

Ìý

Q – In our garden we have a number of mature camellias. We have a lot of bear trunks under the canopy. We want to chop the trunks down, do you have any hints on how we might approach this? We want more blooms.

(19 minutes 15 seconds)

Ìý

Q – How can I make an Aeonium branch, instead of getting taller and taller?

(22 minutes)

Ìý

Q – Our mature sweet chestnut has started to lose branches and we think this is due to honey fungus. As it’s a key feature of our garden we need a succession plan, what can the panel suggest?

(24 minutes 33 seconds)

Ìý

Q – Could the panel suggest planting ideas to help screen a 50m (164 foot) long south-east facing garden boundary, from a large new housing development?

(30 minutes 20 seconds)

Ìý

Matthew –

Hornbeam

Prunus ‘Sunset Boulevard’
Prunus ‘S±è¾±°ù±ð’

Birch

Cherry laurel

Portuguese laurel

Ìý

Christine –

Griselinia

Ìý

Q – My garden is an old railway siding. I’m slowly adding homemade compost and lots of horse poo which I can get for free in my area. But how much poo is too much poo?

(35 minutes 30 seconds)


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