Clara Vale
Gardeners' Question Time
BBC
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 February 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How can I lighten my orchids? Is there a reliable mix of weed suppressants and fertilisers for growing edibles? Why have the leaves of my Camelia started turning yellow?
This week on Gardeners’ Question Time, Kathy Clugston and a hand‑picked panel of horticultural experts head to Clara Vale to tackle the green‑fingered queries of a live audience.
Joining Kathy are garden designer Matthew Wilson, botanist Dr Chris Thorogood, and allotmenteer Bethan Collerton, who bring their combined expertise, practical know‑how and good humour to the discussion.
Later in the programme, Peter Gibbs visits the renowned Snowdrop Collection at RHS Wisley, where he meets fellow Galanthaphile and Snowdrops expert Jessica Jansdotter.
Producer: Dan Cocker Junior Producer: Suhaar Ali
A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.1 | Can I just say? |
| 0:07.6 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast. |
| 0:10.0 | It's such a wonderful listen. |
| 0:11.7 | So nice. |
| 0:12.5 | There are loads more like it on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:14.8 | Different paces, different heights, the roof is buckling. |
| 0:17.9 | Where you can also listen to live sports commentary. |
| 0:20.2 | It's right foot goes for goal. |
| 0:21.6 | And then enjoy even more podcasts full of analysis and reaction to the big stories. |
| 0:27.7 | The stat that is astonishing is they ended with the lowest amount of possession. |
| 0:31.2 | And she's had to live with that. |
| 0:32.8 | So if you love sport, a passion, it's almost like a religion. |
| 0:35.8 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:37.8 | Sort of expecting that every week now. |
| 0:40.7 | Hello and welcome to this week's Gardner's Question Time with me, Kathy Clugston. |
| 0:45.2 | Today were the guests of Clara Vale Village Hall Association in Clara Vale, a village on the south bank of the River Tine, about now miles west of Newcastle City Centre. |
| 0:55.5 | The village was originally built by the Stella Coal Company to serve the workers of the Clara Vale |
| 1:00.1 | pit. The pit closed in the late 1960s, but the village thrives, thanks to its warm and welcoming |
| 1:06.4 | community. Fittingly for us, the site of the old pit is now a nature reserve run by the |
| 1:11.8 | Claraville Conservation Group that also manages a local community orchard. Greenery and gardening are at the |
| 1:18.5 | heart of village life, with a biennial open gardens event, plenty of allotments and small holdings, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.