Chelsea Flower Show 2026 - Postbag

Chelsea Flower Show 2026 - Postbag

Author: BBC Radio 4 May 22, 2026 Duration: 42:39

Kathy Clugston and Peter Gibbs are at the Chelsea Flower Show for a special postbag episode of Gardeners' Question Time.

From the showground of the world’s most celebrated horticultural event, they're joined by a stellar panel - former Chelsea exhibitor and medal-winning designer Matthew Wilson, one of the world's leading authorities on plant pests and diseases, Pippa Greenwood, and making her press-day debut at Chelsea with GQT, Head Gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Bethan Collerton.

As Kathy and the panel roam the show gardens answering questions submitted by listeners, they catch up with several garden designers behind this year’s show, including Frances Tophill (The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden), Sarah Fisher and Janice Molyneux (The Sightsavers Garden) and Patrick Clarke (The Children’s Society Garden). They explore the ideas, craftsmanship and planting inspiration behind their Chelsea creations, from sensory container gardens to spaces designed for well-being and connection.

Meanwhile, Peter takes the roving reporter mic inside the Great Pavilion, discovering the science behind our gardens, speaking to exhibitors, and uncovering the latest innovations in horticulture and biodiversity research.

The panel tackles everything from gardening in challenging coastal conditions, to choosing the right trees for privacy and produce, as well as tips on drying flowers for wedding confetti, and solving the mysteries of struggling container plants and stubborn succulents.

Producers: Dan Cocker, Matt Smith and Rahnee Prescod Assistant Producer: William Norton

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

* If listening on BBC Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.


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: 50

Gardeners' Question Time
Podcast Episodes
Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:20
Kathy Clugston hosts the second of the Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party specials from RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey.Joining Kathy are Pippa Greenwood, Matthew Wilson, Marcus Chilton-Jones and Dr Chris Thorogood…
Summer Garden Party RHS Wisley: Show 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:23
Kathy Clugston hosts the first of two Gardeners’ Question Time Summer Garden Party specials from RHS Garden Wisley.Joined by James Wong, Matthew Pottage, Pippa Greenwood and Frances Tophill, Kathy takes questions from a…
Minstead: Colourful Borders, Resilient Brambles and Parched Plants [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:18
Kathy Clugston chairs Gardeners’ Question Time from Minstead Village Hall in the heart of the New Forest. Joining Kathy are plant pathologist Pippa Greenwood, head gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens Bethan Collerto…
The Donkey Sanctuary: Drought, Biodiversity and Resilient Planting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:17
Peter Gibbs hosts GQT from The Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth in Devon.Joining Peter are plantswoman Anne Swithinbank, pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood and the Royal Parks’ Head of Horticulture Matthew Pottage.Sou…
From the Archive: Microclimate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:04
Kathy Clugston delves into the GQT archive to explore one of Britain’s most intriguing gardening phenomena: microclimates.Travelling across the British Isles, the programme uncovers how local conditions shape what garden…
Clarkston: Peach Tress, Pirate Sheds and Late Summer Pruning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:08
Kathy Clugston and the panel visit Clarkston Halls near Glasgow.Joining Kathy are botanist James Wong, Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Head Gardener Bethan Collerton, and Balmoral’s Head of Gardens Kirsty Wilson.The panel…
Postbag: The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:18
Kathy Clugston hosts another Gardeners’ Question Time Postbag episode from The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, a remarkable community green space created on a former industrial site in the heart of the city.Joining Kathy to d…
Pinchbeck: Awkward Astrantias, Watering Wisdom and Courgette Chaos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:02
Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners’ Question Time panel visit the Lincolnshire village of Pinchbeck, a fenland landscape shaped by waterways and a long history of horticulture.On the panel are plantswoman Christine Walkden an…
Birmingham: Bonsai, Black Elder, Blueberry and Bees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:23
Recorded at the University of Birmingham’s magnificent Elgar Concert Hall, Kathy Clugston is joined by Bethan Collerton of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Marcus Chilton-Jones of RHS Garden Bridgewater, and Dr Chris Thorog…