Pitmedden Garden: Postbag Edition
Kathy Clugston and a panel of horticultural experts visit National Trust for Scotland Pitmedden Garden.
Kathy Clugston and a panel of horticultural experts visit National Trust for Scotland Pitmedden Garden. Answering questions from the GQT postbag are Chris Beardshaw, Kirsty Wilson and Matt Biggs.
This week, the panellists suggest some plants for autumn colour around a village war memorial. They also diagnose a poorly willow tree, and explain how to sow wildflower seed through grass.
Between the questions, they explore the brilliant gardens at Pitmedden, led by head gardener Scott Smith. They learn about the history of the parterres, and Chris talks us through a part of the garden that he designed himself.
Producer - Daniel Cocker
Assistant Producer - Aniya Das
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
A Somethin' Else production for Â鶹Éç Radio 4
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Plant List
Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.
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Q – I’m trying to grow pak choi but unsuccessfully. I have planted in semi-shade and in ground that drains well. They all seem to bolt and go to seed straight away. What am I doing wrong?
(4 minutes 7 seconds)
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Q – We have a Kidd’s Orange Red apple tree with deformed, knobbly apples, possibly caused by apple maggots. The tree is next to a hawthorn hedge and I’d read that flies originating on hawthorn can cause problems for apples. What is causing the problem?
(6 minutes 19 seconds)
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Q – Why do my Damson and Victoria plums nearly all have a maggot in them this year?
(8 minutes 55 seconds)
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Q – On my 3m x 4m (9.8 x 13 ft) south-east facing deck, I have a young weeping willow which I keep well watered in a large pot. This year it got sunburnt during the heatwave and also devoured by insects. It recovered, but has since developed a fungus and is now rapidly declining. Any help much appreciated.
(11 minutes 13 seconds)
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Q – What can the panel suggest for planting around our village war memorial? We are happy with the summer bedding display, but would appreciate tips for what to plant for autumn for the Remembrance Day period.
(15 minutes)
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Kirsty –
Heuchera ‘Cherry Red’
Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’
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Chris –
Sedum ‘M²¹³Ù°ù´Ç²Ô²¹â€™
SchizostylisÌý
Fuchsia
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Matt –
RosaÌýmoyesiiÌý'Geranium'
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Q – My beautiful lavatera, still with a few blooms, is flopping onto the road. I don’t want to wait until early spring to prune it hard as it is distracting to drivers. Is it safe to prune hard now and if so, how?
(17 minutes 46 seconds)
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Q – We would like to grow crocosmia in part of the garden which is north-west facing. This area gets 6 hours of direct sun every day. We have lots of crocosmia which survive but hardly produce flowers. Where are we going wrong?
(19 minutes 10 seconds)
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Matt –
Crocosmia ‘H±ð±ô±ô´Ú¾±°ù±ð’
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Q – I was horrified by a potted box tree that I thought had died from lack of watering, but was actually covered in green and black caterpillars. The caterpillars have spread to other box plants, and I have a box parterre that I grew myself and don’t want to lose. What should I do?
(22 minutes 8 seconds)
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Scott –
Taxus baccata, Yew
LoniceraÌýpileate
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Q – I left my half of my lawn to grow wild and love it. My plan is to cut it once a year, but I wonder whether I should cut it twice a year? I’d like to introduce some wild flowers. What can the panel recommend?
(27 minutes 50 seconds)
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Chris –
White campion
Red campion
Ox-eye daisy
Primula
Lady’s bedstraw
Leucanthemum
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Kirsty –
Yellow rattle
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Q – I have just moved to a new garden. To plant the garden I was going to lay cardboard down, and then cover with leaf mould and compost, then plant on top. I want to plant bulbs, but could I plant them first then lay the carboard and mulch on top, or should I be patient?
(32 minutes 38 seconds)
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Q – My father-in-law has lots of palm trees with flowers. We’d like to remove the flowers but believe they can lead to a new trunk offshoot. Will removing the flowers impact any new offshoots, or harm the palms?
(35 minutes 50 seconds)
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Q – When some houseplants are overwatered they react adversely, yet cuttings from the same houseplant can thrive in water alone. Why is this?
(38 minutes 50 seconds)
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Broadcasts
- Fri 11 Nov 2022 15:00Â鶹Éç Radio 4
- Sun 13 Nov 2022 14:00Â鶹Éç Radio 4
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Podcast
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Gardeners' Question Time
Horticultural programme featuring a group of gardening experts