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Chirk: Pickled Onions, Tall Perennials and Picky Pests

Why are my herbaceous perennials growing so tall? What are the best onions to grow for pickling? Why do pests prefer my burgundy flowers? Kathy Clugston and the team answer all.

Why are my herbaceous perennials growing so tall? What is the best type of onions to grow for pickling? Why do pests prefer my burgundy blooms over the rest?

Kathy Clugston and an esteemed panel of gardening experts are in Wrexham to answer the questions of a green fingered audience.

Joining Kathy on the panel are garden designers, botanists and alotmenteers Marcus Chilton-Jones, Bethan Collerton and James Wong.

Bethan Collerton visits Wales in Bloom winners Nichola Ellis and Craig Youens for some insight on how they鈥檝e achieved such an accolade on behalf of Wrexham.

Senior Producer: Dan Cocker
Junior Producer: Rahnee Prescod

A Somethin' Else production for 麻豆社 Radio 4

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 23 Nov 2025 14:00

Featured

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Plant List

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

Q 鈥 How can we salvage our topiary lonicera tree that鈥檚 in the shape of a teddy bear? (01鈥44鈥)

Q 鈥 Why are my herbaceous perennials growing so tall? (06鈥42鈥)

Q 鈥撯 鈥奧hat are the best type of onions to grow for pickling? (11鈥22鈥)

Q 鈥 Why are my burgundy-coloured flowers eaten more than others? (15鈥11鈥)

Q 鈥 Has fungi effect ed the growth of my silver birch tree? (19鈥23鈥)

Feature 鈥 Bethan Collerton visits the winners of 鈥榃ales in Bloom鈥 Nichola Ellis and Craig Youens for some in site on how they鈥檝e achieved such an accoladed-on behalf of Wrexham (22鈥28鈥)

Q 鈥 What could we grow in our unheated conservatory? It must tolerate fluctuating temperatures (27鈥07鈥)

James Wong 鈥

Punicagranatum, pomegranate

Bougainvillea, paper flower

Bethan Collerton 鈥

Cyclamen

Cyclamenhederifolium, ivy-leaved cyclamen

Cyclamencoum, eastern cyclamen

Aplinum

Saxifraga

Q 鈥 When should I prune my grapevine? (32鈥00鈥)

Q 鈥 Where do my bulbs keep disappearing to? (36鈥27鈥)

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