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This week's horticultural programme takes place in Worcester with a group of gardening experts answering questions from the audience.

Why haven’t my apple trees come to blossom? Which flowering plants can I grow in clay soil? Are bug hotels beneficial?

From diseases to daffodils, the sprightly GQT squad are prepped to provide all their green-fingered guidance from Worcester. Raring to expunge a multitude of wilt-induced worries are RHS Wisley whiz Matthew Pottage, passionate plantsman Matthew Biggs, and ardent landscape architect Bunny Guinness.

Also, GQT regular Juliet Sargeant encourages us toÌýstep-over the hurdle of windy weather conditions with a masterclass on growing stepover apple trees.

Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock
Producer: Daniel Cocker
Executive Producer: Hannah Newton
A Somethin' Else production for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 7 May 2023 14:00

Plant List

Q– Are bug hotels beneficial to gardens or not?

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(1 minute, 37 seconds)

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Q– We have a leylandii hedge that’s a bit thin in places and getting a bit wide, which shrubs would you recommend planting in front of it to fill the gaps?

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(5 minutes, 2 seconds)

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Matthew Wilson–

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Leylandii

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Yew, Taxus Baccata

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Conifer

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Arbutus

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Rose

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Clematis Montana

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Honeysuckle

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Ceanothus

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Crinodendron

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Clump-forming Bamboo

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µþ³Ü²Ô²Ô²â–

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Hornbeam

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Heather

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Q– Why have my white orchid flower buds wilted, yellowed, and dropped off?

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(9 minutes, 1 second)

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Matthew Pottage—

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Phalaenopsis

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Cymbidium

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Q– A number of hardy plants in my garden do not appear to have survived the harsh winter conditions. How long should I give them the benefit of the doubt before getting rid of them?

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(11 minutes, 54 seconds)

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Matthew Pottage–

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Tamarix

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Fuschia

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Magnolia

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µþ³Ü²Ô²Ô²â–

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Magnolia grandiflora

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´³³Ü±ô¾±±ð³Ù–

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Stepover Apple

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Q– I have had apple and plum trees in my garden for the last five years, but last year, they didn’t fruit or blossom. What is going on?

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(22 minutes, 3 seconds)

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Q– Can the panel suggest any flowering plants that would grow in clay soil?

(25 minutes, 47 seconds)

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Matthew Pottage–

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Primula

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Gillenia trifoliata

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Bergenia

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Hellebore

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Rose

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Lilac

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Cherry

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Matthew Biggs–

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Dwarf Apple

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Q– I have a 30-year-old conifer, a Cupressus ‘Emerald Spire’ which last year developed a dead area right up the tree. What caused it?Ìý

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(29 minutes, 25 seconds)

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Matthew Pottage–

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Cupressus ‘Emerald Spire’

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Q– We have renovated a brick patio, would you recommend any clematis varieties to climb up a trellis round the shed?

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(31 minutes, 46 seconds)

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Matthew Biggs–

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Clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’

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Bunny Guinness–Ìý

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Hornbeam

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Rose

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Matthew Pottage–

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Clematis Macropetala

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Q– About two years ago I planted about two hundred daffodils which, last year, flowered and looked great. This year, only about twenty five percent have flowered. Can you help?

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(36 minutes, 43 seconds)

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µþ³Ü²Ô²Ô²â–

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Narcissus ‘D²¹´Ú´Ú´Ç»å¾±±ô’

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