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Gardeners' Question Time

From the Archive: Ponds and Bogs

Gardeners' Question Time

BBC

Leisure, Home & Garden

4.51.1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kathy Clugston navigates the murky waters of the GQT archives in search of some Pond and Bog related advice throughout the years.

Water is the giver of plant life and nourisher of wildlife, but how do we ensure that we’re using it correctly? The GQT team have sorted through the archives in search for some questions and answers from the past.

The programme's horticultural experts share their knowledge on what to do if your pond liner breaks, how to remove bird poo from the surface of your pond, and what sort of plants you could plant in bogs and ponds to increase biodiversity?

We also listen back to when pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood visited the Exbury Gardens dragonfly pond to learn more about these little creatures.

Producer: Dan Cocker
 Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod
 Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.6

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.4

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable

0:14.3

experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC

0:20.4

makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

0:36.0

BBC Sounds, Music Radio Podcasts.

0:42.0

Hello, I'm Kathy Clugston and this is Gardner's Quickson. podcasts. and enjoy the next 45 minutes of great tips, advice and dubious horticultural humour.

0:58.0

Hello, there are thought to be around 3 million domestic garden ponds in Britain.

1:04.9

They come in old shapes and sizes, whether it's a lagoon with reeds and bull rushes,

1:09.9

or a little bowl sunk into a flower bed. Any body of water can be an oasis for wildlife.

1:16.0

Ponds, bogs and even waterlogged ground can support a wealth of important species.

1:22.0

Over 77 years of Gardner's question time,

1:25.0

we've answered thousands of questions from pond owners,

1:28.0

prospective bog-planters,

1:30.0

and fans of water features,

1:32.0

and in recent years, the desire to keep the environment and our

1:34.7

precious wildlife at the forefront of what we do has become ever more apparent.

1:40.3

All our panelists agree that water is the giver of garden life as we'll hear over the next 40 minutes or so with some great advice from the GQT archives about ponds, water and marginal planting.

1:53.4

And where better to begin than with an explanation as to why water is so helpful in our gardens.

1:59.8

This first clip is from a programme recorded at RHS Garden Bridgewater near Salford in July

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