The Great Barn: Chillies, Camellias and Consciousness
Peter Gibbs and the Gardeners鈥� Question Time panel visit the historic Great Barn in Harmondsworth to tackle a wonderfully wide鈥憆anging set of questions from the audience.
Peter and Gardeners鈥� 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鈥憆anging set of questions from the audience that are as thought鈥憄rovoking 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鈥檚 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 麻豆社 Radio 4
* If listening on 麻豆社 Sounds and you wish to view the plant list, please go to the Gardeners' Question Time website and open this week's episode page.
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Plant List
Q1 鈥� I鈥檇 like to know whether you think plants are conscious. (2鈥�04鈥�)
Francis Tophill
- Urtica dioica, stinging nettle
Q2 鈥� I鈥檝e planted potatoes and tomatoes, but when should I start peppers, chillies, aubergines and bitter gourd? (5鈥�59鈥�)
Francis Tophill
- Solanum lycopersicum, tomato
- Capsicum spp., peppers and chillies
- Solanum melongena, aubergine
James Wong
- Momordica charantia, balsam pear/ bitter gourd
- Cucurbita ficifolia, shark鈥檚鈥慺in melon
- Cyclanthera听pedate, stuffing gourd (achoccha)
Q3 鈥� I keep finding vine weevils in my pots鈥� - How can I control them organically? (10鈥�28鈥�)
Q4 鈥� Why do the buds on my camellia go brown and fall off, and the leaves turn yellow? (14鈥�18鈥�)
Bunny Guinness
- Camellia spp., camellia
Q5 鈥� What鈥檚 the best way to dry lilac flowers? (16鈥�20鈥�)
Francis Tophill
- Syringa vulgaris, lilac
- Hydrangea macrophylla, hydrangea (method comparison)
Spring feature: Pruning - Why, when and how (19鈥�49鈥�)
Chris Beardshaw
- Cornus spp., dogwood
- Salix spp., willow
Q6 鈥� My magnolia was pruned last year and is now dying back - should it be cut right down? (24鈥�35鈥�)
James Wong
- Magnolia spp., magnolia
Q7 鈥� Will anything grow in pots in a narrow, east鈥搘est alleyway? (28鈥�57鈥�)
James Wong
- Ficus pumila, creeping fig (including oak鈥憀eaf form)
- Parthenocissus tricuspidata, Boston ivy
Bunny Guinness
- Stauntonia听hexaphylla,
stauntonia vine
- Vitis vinifera, grape vine
Francis Tophill
- Sedum spp., sedum
- Fragaria 脳 ananassa, strawberry
- Wildflower seed mixes
Q8 鈥� We planted a shade鈥憈olerant vine two years ago but it鈥檚 barely growing鈥� will it ever get going? (34鈥�16鈥�)
Bunny Guinness
- Vitis vinifera, grape vine
Q9 鈥� If humans travelled to another planet, which pioneer plants should they take to establish an ecosystem? (34鈥�16鈥�)
Francis Tophill
- Betula pendula, silver birch
- Urtica dioica, stinging nettle
- Ribes spp., currants
Bunny Guinness
- Saccharum officinarum, sugarcane
James Wong
- Solanum tuberosum, potato
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