Bangor: Second Chance, Shopping Lists and Hedgehog Gardens

Bangor: Second Chance, Shopping Lists and Hedgehog Gardens

Author: BBC Radio 4 May 9, 2025 Duration: 42:52

How can you get a second season out of tulips grown in pots? What is the most natural and cost-effective way to add nutrients to my soil? How do you garden with hedgehogs in mind?

Kathy Clugston and her team of gardening experts return to Bangor, Northern Ireland where they solve some gardening dilemmas. Joining her are ethnobotanist James Wong, garden designer Neil Porteous, and Head of Gardens at Balmoral Kirsty Wilson.

Later in the programme, continuing our Edible Essential Series is Bob Flowerdew, who provides the top fruits and vegetable to add to your shopping list this season.

Producer: Bethany Hocken Assistant Producer: Dulcie Whadcock Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

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

Q- What should I do with my phalaenopsis orchid? (01'24")

Q- How do I look after auriculas during the summer? (05'02")

Q- How can you get a second season out of tulips grown in pots? (06’57")

Q- I’ve killed four Japanese acers over the years – what am I doing wrong? (19'30")

Feature – Bob Flowerdew’s edible shopping list. What fruit and veg you should grow this season (14'41")

Bob Flowerdew – Asparagus officinalis, asparagus Ribes nigrum, blackcurrant Chillies Allium sativum, garlic Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus, globe artichokes Helianthus tuberosus, Jerusalem artichokes Allium cepa, onions Solanum tuberosum, potatoes Raphanus sativus, radish Rubus idaeus, raspberries Ribes rubrum, redcurrants Rheum rhabarbarum, rhubarb Allium cepa var. aggregatum, shallots Fragaria × ananassa, strawberries Zea mays var. saccharate, sweetcorn

Q- My soil is very much depleted of nutrients. What is the most natural and cost-effective way to remedy this? (18'44")

Q – What shrubs could I grow in containers that are exposed to extreme winds and sea salt? (23'36")

Neil Porteous – Grevillea rosmarinifolia, rosemary grevillea Euphorbia stygiana subsp. Santamaria, Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius, sea rosemary

Kirsty Wilson – Phormium tenax, New Zealand flax Hakonechloa macra, Japanese forest grass

James Wong – Pinus pinea, stone pine

Q - How do you garden with hedgehogs in mind? (29'38")

Q - I’m just about to dig out an area for a large pond. What plants do the panel recommend I use to get me started? (31’20")

James Wong – Soleirolia soleirolii, mind-your-own-business Nymphaea, waterlilies

Kirsty Wilson – Iris pseudacorus, yellow iris Hosta, Plantain lily Astilbe, astilbe Meconopsis, Himalayan poppy Cyperus alternifolius L., umbrella plant

Neil Porteous – Eryngium, sea holly Eryngium pandanifolium, pandan-like-leaved eryngo

Q - Can you recommend some plants that are showstoppers and conversation starters? (37'21")

Kirsty Wilson – Nepeta 'Blue Dragon', catmint 'Blue Dragon'

Neil Porteous – Vitex lucens, puriri

James Wong – Mahonia, oregon grape Daphne


For decades, Gardeners' Question Time has been a trusted companion for anyone with a patch of earth, a windowsill pot, or simply a curiosity about the natural world. Produced by BBC Radio 4, this enduring podcast brings together a rotating panel of seasoned horticulturalists, each with their own specialties and practical wisdom. The format is beautifully simple yet endlessly varied: a live audience, gathered in a different village hall, community garden, or nursery somewhere across the country each week, poses their real-life gardening dilemmas. What you’ll hear are unscripted, thoughtful, and often wonderfully anecdotal answers that tackle everything from stubborn lawn weeds and pruning perplexities to coaxing a better tomato harvest. The changing location means the advice is grounded in specific climates and conditions, offering relatable insights whether you're dealing with coastal winds, heavy clay, or a tiny urban balcony. It’s the conversational tone and the collective knowledge of the experts that makes this podcast feel like a friendly, invaluable chat with a knowledgeable neighbor. You get the sense of a shared gardening community, with all its trials, successes, and seasonal rhythms. Listening feels less like receiving a lecture and more like eavesdropping on a fascinating, problem-solving conversation that has been honed over seventy years on the air. The questions from the audience are always genuine, often urgent, and the answers are delivered with a blend of science, hands-on experience, and good humor. It is a direct line to practical help and inspiration for your own garden, whatever its size or style.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 74

Gardeners' Question Time
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