St Austell: Kiwis, Proud Plants and Frozen Seeds

Gardeners' Question Time

BBC

Leisure, Home & Garden

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 September 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When do kiwis produce fruit in the UK? What plant cuttings are the panel most proud of propagating? Should we freeze our seeds in water before planting them in the ground?

Kathy Clugston and a powerhouse panel of gardening experts return to the iconic Eden Project outside St Austell in Cornwall where they field questions from a green fingered live audience. Tackling everything from persistent pests to planting dilemmas, the panel includes houseplant specialist Anne Swithinbank, award-winning garden designer Chris Beardshaw, and horticulturalist Frances Tophill.

Later in the programme, continuing our autumn feature series, Matthew Wilson provides an extensive guide to dividing your perennial plants.

Senior producer: Dominic Tyerman Junior producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio podcasts.
0:07.3	Right, you feeling ready? I'm feeling ready.
0:10.8	I'm Amal Rajin. Join me on my new podcast for in-depth conversations with pioneers and
0:16.0	innovators, talking about the trends and ideas that could help shape and change our future.
0:21.4	We are going to be digital citizens of this AI world, whether we like it or not.
0:26.2	From declining birth rates to disinformation online, can they solve the world's biggest challenges?
0:32.0	What I would love to do is go to the transfer and say radically cut the taxes of those with children.
0:37.3	Radical with me, Amal Rajin.
0:39.3	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:41.3	Hello and welcome to Gardner's question time with me, Kathy Klugston.
0:46.2	I'm looking at an olive grove.
0:48.6	There are fruits and nuts, obergines and chilies.
0:52.1	To my left is California.
0:54.1	And I can get to Western Australia
0:55.9	In about a minute
0:56.9	Where on earth am I?
0:58.7	Well, I'm back at the Eden Project in Cornwall
1:01.6	Inside the Mediterranean Biome
1:03.8	Here time is suspended
1:05.7	The air is light and fragrant
1:07.3	The tranquility punctuated only
1:09.6	By the anguished cries of an audience of gardeners
	...

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