Crowthorne: Caterpillars, Rusty Spots and Up-Cycled Objects
Gardeners' Question Time
BBC
4.6 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 June 2025
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why do my ferns have rusty spots? Any tips for stopping caterpillars eating my cabbages? Have you upcycled any objects in the garden?
Peter Gibbs and a panel of plant and gardening experts are in Crowthorne, Berkshire and offer advice to an audience of keen gardeners. Joining Peter are pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood, head gardener Matthew Pottage and proud plantswoman Christine Walkden.
Later in the programme, house plant expert James Wong visits the Of The Oak exhibition at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, which celebrates the Lucombe oak and oak trees as a vital hub of biodiversity. He's joined by visual artist Ersin Han Ersin and arborist Cecily Withall.
Senior Producer: Daniel Cocker Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Carly Maile
Plant List Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.
Q – The council have recently cleared a raised flowerbed at the front of the Morgan Centre. It previously had in it a giant prickly pyracantha. What would the panel suggest? (02'02")
Matthew Smith – Callistemon rigidus, stiff bottlebrush Alstroemeria Indian Summer ('Tesronto'PBR) (Summer Paradise - Summer Series), Peruvian lily [Indian summer] Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna', Balkan clary 'Caradonna' Salvia rosmarinus Prostrata Group (Ro), rosemary Prostrata Group
Q - Why have my ferns developed rusty looking spots – is it caused by a disease? (06'31")
Q – Any tips on growing miss Willmott's ghost? (09'08")
Q – I have a bank of mature Heathers. Can I prune them as they're quite tall now or do I need to replace them as they get straggly? (13'13")
Q- How do I stop caterpillars from eating my cabbages? (17’05")
Feature – James Wong visits the 'Of the Oak' at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, which celebrates the Lucombe oak. He's joined by Ersin Han Ersin and Cecily Withal (21’28”)
Q - How do we encourage our Camellia to flower? (25'56")
Q – I would like to plant some other more interesting climbing plants in a shady spot – what do the panel recommend? (29'13")
Matthew Pottage – Hydrangea petiolaris, climbing hydrangea Hydrangea petiolaris 'Silver Lining'PBR hydrangea 'Silver Linng' Hedera colchica 'Dentata Variegata' (v), ivy 'Dentata Variegata'
Christine Walkden – Ampelopsis quinquefolia, Virginia creeper Dactylicapnos scandens, yellow bleeding heart vine
Pippa Greenwood – Lonicera, honeysuckle
Q – How often do Clematis Clematis’ flower? (34'02")
Q – Can the panel recommend any other ways to repurpose objects? (36'26")
Q – I’d like you to recommend plants for a red hot, south facing gravel garden? (36'25")
Transcript
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| 0:44.8 | Hello, I'm Cathy Clugston, and this is Gardner's Question Time from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:50.3 | So grab those secretars, or sit back back and relax however you like to listen |
| 0:54.6 | and enjoy the next 45 minutes of great tips, advice and dubious horticultural humour. |
| 1:01.5 | Hello and welcome to this week's GQT with me Peter Gibbs. |
| 1:05.7 | Today we're in Crowthorne, a village located in the Bracknell Forest District of Berkshire. |
| 1:11.1 | They do light their trees round here, so much so that the 1960s Edgecombe Park housing estate |
| 1:17.1 | was actually designed around the existing trees on the site. |
| 1:20.8 | Great for conservation, maybe not so great if your garden has one of the mighty protected conifers |
| 1:26.3 | casting deep shade and a copious mulch of |
| 1:29.1 | pine needles. I can see some nods in the audience. Budding gardeners on the most recent village |
| 1:34.8 | housing development should fare better so. It includes community gardens with raised beds for residents |
... |
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