St Austell: Kiwis, Proud Plants and Frozen Seeds
When do kiwis produce fruit? What plant cuttings are you proud of propagating? Should we freeze seeds in water before planting them? Kathy Clugston and the panel have the answers.
When do kiwis produce fruit in the UK? What plant cuttings are the panel most proud of propagating? Should we freeze our seeds in water before planting them in the ground?
Kathy Clugston and a powerhouse panel of gardening experts return to the iconic Eden Project outside St Austell in Cornwall where they field questions from a green fingered live audience. Tackling everything from persistent pests to planting dilemmas, the panel includes houseplant specialist Anne Swithinbank, award-winning garden designer Chris Beardshaw, and horticulturalist Frances Tophill.
Later in the programme, continuing our autumn feature series, Matthew Wilson provides an extensive guide to dividing your perennial plants.
Senior producer: Dominic Tyerman
Junior producer: Rahnee Prescod
A Somethin' Else production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4
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Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.
Q 鈥 I鈥檝e鈥奼ot two types of hydrangeas in pots, but they're not doing very well. Would they do better being planted in the ground? (01鈥02鈥)
Q 鈥 When do Kiwi鈥檚 produce fruit in the UK? (03鈥59鈥)
Q 鈥撯奧e have a very tall and spiky hedge in our small front garden that I want to get rid of 鈥 Should I de-hedge it? (07鈥08鈥)
Feature 鈥 Matthew Wilson鈥檚 top tips on dividing perennial plants in the autumn. (12鈥41鈥)
Q 鈥 Do the panel advise that we freeze our seeds in water before planting them in the ground? (16鈥44鈥)
Q 鈥 What plant cutting had the panel been most proud of propagating? and which type of plant or cutting is notoriously the hardest to propagate? (21鈥25鈥)
Chris Beardshaw 鈥
Citrus听脳听limon听(F), lemon
Anne Swithinbank 鈥
Hylotelephium听sieboldii, October Daphne
Ceanothus, californian lilac
Frances Tophill 鈥
Origanum听vulgare, oregano
Salvia听rosmarinus听(Ro), rosemary
Q 鈥 We plan to remove the loose stones on our drive, as they're proving hard to keep weed free. Is there an alternative use for them in the garden? (24鈥54鈥)
Frances Tophill 鈥
Veronicastrum听virginicum, Culver's root
Astrantia
Q 鈥 What ornamental grasses are suitable for a sunny open space that are wind tolerant to create a prairie styled garden? (31鈥03鈥)
Frances Tophill 鈥
Pennisetum听macrourum, African Feather Grass
Pennisetum听orientale听'Karley Rose', oriental fountain grass 'Karley Rose'
Pennisetum听alopecuroides听'Hameln', Chinese fountain grass 'Hameln'
Calamagrostis听brachytricha, Korean feather reed grass
Anne Swithinbank 鈥
Hakonechloa听macra, Japanese forest grass
Molinia听caerulea, purple moor-grass
Deschampsia, hair grass
Chris Thorogood 鈥
Miscanthus, elephant grass
Miscanthus听sinensis听'Kleine Font盲ne', eulalia 'Kleine Font盲ne'
Miscanthus听sinensis听var.听condensatus听'Cosmopolitan' (v), eulalia 'Cosmopolitan'
Stipa听gigantea, golden oats
Stipa听tenuissima, Mexican feather grass
Phalaris听arundinacea, reed canary grass
Briza听maxima, greater quaking grass
Monarda听'Violet Queen', bergamot 'Violet Queen'
Eryngium, Sea holly
Eryngium听agavifolium, agave-leaved eryngo
Eryngium听eburneum, yellow-tinged ivory white eryngo
Achillea听millefolium, common yarrow
Geraniums, cranesbill
Geranium听palmatum, Canary Island geranium
Q 鈥 When is the best time to prune acers? (36鈥10鈥)
Broadcasts
- Fri 26 Sep 2025 15:00蜜芽传媒 Radio 4
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Podcast
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Gardeners' Question Time
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts