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The Great Barn: Chillies, Camellias and Consciousness

Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners’ Question Time panel visit the historic Great Barn in Harmondsworth to tackle a wonderfully wide‑ranging set of questions from the audience.

Peter and Gardeners’ Question Time panel visit the historic Great Barn in Harmondsworth.

Beneath the medieval beams, Peter is joined by Bunny Guinness, Francis Tophill and James Wong as they tackle a wonderfully wide‑ranging set of questions from the audience that are as thought‑provoking as they are informative.

Are plants conscious? Why do camellia buds turn brown and drop? And which plants might humans take to grow on another planet?

Along the way, there’s practical advice on organic ways to keep vine weevils at bay, how to dry lilac flowers, and what to grow in pots in a narrow alleyway with limited light.

Later in the show Chris Beardshaw talks all things pruning - why, when and how.

Producer: Dan Cocker
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.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qp2f/episodes/guide

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42 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Apr 202614:00
BBC Radio 4

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Plant List

Q1 – I’d like to know whether you think plants are conscious. (2’04”)

Francis Tophill

  • Urtica dioica, stinging nettle

Q2 – I’ve planted potatoes and tomatoes, but when should I start peppers, chillies, aubergines and bitter gourd? (5’59”)

Francis Tophill

  • Solanum lycopersicum, tomato

  • Capsicum spp., peppers and chillies

  • Solanum melongena, aubergine

James Wong

  • Momordica charantia, balsam pear/ bitter gourd

  • Cucurbita ficifolia, shark’s‑fin melon

  • Cyclantherapedate, stuffing gourd (achoccha)

Q3 – I keep finding vine weevils in my pots… - How can I control them organically? (10’28”)

Q4 – Why do the buds on my camellia go brown and fall off, and the leaves turn yellow? (14’18”)

Bunny Guinness

  • Camellia spp., camellia

Q5 – What’s the best way to dry lilac flowers? (16’20”)

Francis Tophill

  • Syringa vulgaris, lilac

  • Hydrangea macrophylla, hydrangea (method comparison)

Spring feature: Pruning - Why, when and how (19’49”)

Chris Beardshaw

  • Cornus spp., dogwood

  • Salix spp., willow

Q6 – My magnolia was pruned last year and is now dying back - should it be cut right down? (24’35”)

James Wong

  • Magnolia spp., magnolia

Q7 – Will anything grow in pots in a narrow, east–west alleyway? (28’57”)

James Wong

  • Ficus pumila, creeping fig (including oak‑leaf form)

  • Parthenocissus tricuspidata, Boston ivy

Bunny Guinness

  • Stauntonia hexaphylla, stauntonia vine

  • Vitis vinifera, grape vine

Francis Tophill

  • Sedum spp., sedum

  • Fragaria × ananassa, strawberry

  • Wildflower seed mixes

Q8 – We planted a shade‑tolerant vine two years ago but it’s barely growing… will it ever get going? (34’16”)

Bunny Guinness

  • Vitis vinifera, grape vine

Q9 – If humans travelled to another planet, which pioneer plants should they take to establish an ecosystem? (34’16”)

Francis Tophill

  • Betula pendula, silver birch

  • Urtica dioica, stinging nettle

  • Ribes spp., currants

Bunny Guinness

  • Saccharum officinarum, sugarcane

James Wong

  • Solanum tuberosum, potato


Broadcasts

  • Fri 24 Apr 202615:00
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sun 26 Apr 202614:00
    BBC Radio 4

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