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GQT at Home: Coconuts and Cacti

Peter Gibbs hosts the gardening panel show.

Peter Gibbs hosts the gardening panel show, joined by a team of experts - including Matthew Wilson, Bunny Guinness and Pippa Greenwood - to answer questions sent in by listeners from across the country.

This week, the panellists discuss whether we should touch our plants, suggest flowers to grow for an October wedding, and reveal odd things that have happened in their garden this year.

Away from the questions, Juliet Sargeant shares her tips for using unusual evergreens in the garden, and Alex Young gives his guide to keeping your Poinsettia beyond the festive season.

Producer - Rosie Merotra
Assistant Producer - Jemima Rathbone

A Somethin' Else production for Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Dec 2020 14:00

Plant List

Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.

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Q – Should we stop touching our plants?

(1 minute 25 seconds)

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Matthew –

Rosemary

Mimosa pudica

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Q – My partner and I found a coconut which had a small white shoot emerging. Could we grow this into a coconut palm and, if so, how do we nurture it through its early stages in the less than tropical climate of our house? Where did it come from?

(4 minutes 43 seconds)

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Q – When my husband died, I became the guardian of his beloved garlic. He used to harvest it annually before the stems had fallen over, but I left it longer and the stems were all prostrate before I dug them up. I was worried to see the perfect white bulbs he used to be so proud of were not what I was digging up. Can you tell me what’s gone wrong, are they okay to eat, and is it advisable to use these to plant the next year’s crop?

(7 minutes 19 seconds)

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Q – I’d like to brighten my parents’ Christmas with something that will provide fragrance and colour. I’d appreciate your suggestions for a little bit of winter cheer for them.

(10 minutes 3 seconds)

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Matthew –

Viburnum farreri

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Bunny -

LoniceraÌýfragrantissima

Holly

Mistletoe

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Pippa –

Lonicera purpusii

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Feature – Juliet Sargeant on the lesser known Evergreens

(13 minutes, 41 seconds)

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Lavender

³¢²¹³¾²ú’s-±ð²¹°ù

Osmanthus ‘Party Lights’

Euonymus

Coprosma

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Q – I bought some indoor Hyacinth bulbs which I planted at the end of September. Some have started coming up but don’t look anything like the pictures – what have I done wrong?

(17 minutes 12 seconds)

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Q – My son’s wedding was postponed from this year to October 2021. I have been tasked with sorting the flowers and I’d like to grow some. What would the panel suggest growing, and how do I get them to flower in October?

(19 minutes 47 seconds)

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Matthew – Cosmos

Cornflower

Physalis

Bay

Holly

Acuba

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Pippa – Veronicastrum virginicum ‘C³Ü±è¾±»å’

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Bunny – Dahlia

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Q – I bought a Christmas cactus from an auction 25 years ago, but after a little neglect over lockdown, it’s looking sad. It’s become part of the family so I don’t want to lose it – how can I save it or has it come to the end of its life?

(25 minutes 5 seconds)

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Feature – Alex Young on Poinsettias

(29 minutes 25 seconds)

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Schlumbergera (Christmas cactus)

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Q – My maple tree is oozing a foul-smelling liquid – does it need to come out or is there something I can do to remedy it?

(32 minutes 58 seconds)

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Q – I have an acorn vase and an acorn that’s rooting. I’m moving permanently to Italy at the end of the month and want to know if I can take the oakling with me?

(35 minutes 38 seconds)

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Q – Have any of the panel had unusual things happening in their garden this year?

(38 minutes)

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 18 Dec 2020 15:00
  • Sun 20 Dec 2020 14:00

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