RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 - At the Bandstand
Gardeners' Question Time
BBC
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 May 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gardeners’ Question Time returns to the iconic RHS Chelsea Flower Show Bandstand.
Recorded in the dappled shade of plane trees and surrounded by colour and spectacle, Kathy Clugston is joined by Bunny Guinness, Matthew Pottage and Dr Chris Thorogood to tackle questions taken live from the audience, as well as a few familiar voices spotted among the Chelsea crowds.
Topics include how to recreate the Chelsea Show Garden look on a modest budget, how to rescue a struggling acer and which plants will thrive on an exposed rooftop terrace.
The panellists also offer practical advice on reviving an unhappy olive tree, planting for waterlogged ground and supporting pollinators with the best bee‑friendly plants.
Along the way, there are design tips on balancing bold colour schemes and plenty of inspiration drawn straight from the show gardens themselves. Expect expert guidance, seasonal know‑how and lively horticultural debate — all set against one of gardening’s most celebrated backdrops.
Producers: Matt Smith Dan Cocker 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.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:07.2 | Things just swirling around my head. |
| 0:09.6 | Am I really the product of this? |
| 0:12.1 | Astonishing secrets uncovered by at-home DNA tests. |
| 0:17.0 | Little did I know what more was to come. |
| 0:19.5 | I'm Jenny Clemen, and in the new series of The Gift, we'll hear more stories emerging out of the ever-expanding global DNA database. |
| 0:28.8 | They did know that I was different. |
| 0:31.7 | You had kids together. |
| 0:33.0 | Yeah. |
| 0:33.5 | Then you met. |
| 0:34.3 | Then we met. |
| 0:35.2 | The Gift. |
| 0:36.1 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:39.6 | Hello and welcome to Gardner's Question Time. |
| 0:42.2 | I'm Cathy Clugston. |
| 0:43.3 | Today we're in a magnificent open-air location in the shade of soaring plane trees. |
| 0:48.7 | In front of me are frocks, hats and blazers of many colours. |
| 0:52.3 | Luckily sunglasses too. |
| 0:55.8 | Just beyond our trade stands, |
| 1:01.3 | selling everything from fancy tea towels to posh trowls, and in the distance the buzz and hubbub of hundreds of green-fingered enthusiasts enjoying a stunning array of award-winning creations. |
| 1:07.7 | For the second time in this programme's history, we have returned to the RHS Chelsea |
| 1:12.1 | Flower Show bandstand in front of a live Chelsea audience. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 20 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
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.