Main content

Birmingham: Bonsai, Black Elder, Blueberry and Bees

Kathy Clugston and the panel are in Birmingham to discuss how to rescue a drought-stressed blueberry, and keep colour flowing through the garden into late summer.

Recorded at the University of Birmingham鈥檚 magnificent Elgar Concert Hall, Kathy Clugston is joined by Bethan Collerton of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Marcus Chilton-Jones of RHS Garden Bridgewater, and Dr Chris Thorogood from Oxford Botanic Garden.

The panel tackles a wide range of audience gardening dilemmas, from reluctant peonies and coppiced hazel, to a struggling juniper bonsai and an overgrown black elder. They also discuss how to rescue a drought-stressed blueberry, and keep colour flowing through the garden into late summer.

Later in the show, Bethan visits Winterbourne House and Garden to meet local beekeeper Jane Nimmo to discover more about the remarkable lives of honeybees, the challenges facing wild bee populations, and the simple things gardeners can do to help pollinators thrive.

Producer: Alison Vernon-Smith
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.

Available now

42 minutes

Last on

Sun 19 Jul 2026 14:00
麻豆社 Radio 4

More episodes

Previous

Spalding: Ant Infestation, Pot-Bound Olive Tree and Watering Seedlings

Next

East Renfrewshire: Balcony Brilliance, Reluctant Camellias and Making The Most Of Moss

See all episodes from Gardeners' Question Time

Featured

  • .

Plant List

Q1 鈥� 鈥淢y peonies have never flowered. I've dug them up, planted them more shallowly several times, and still no joy. Could plants growing around them be affecting their flowering?鈥� (01鈥�25鈥�)

Marcus Chilton-Jones

  • Paeonia spp., peony

  • Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff

Q2 鈥� 鈥淲hen is the best time to cut hazel for sustainable poles? How often can it be coppiced and will it damage the tree?鈥� (06鈥�06鈥�)

Marcus Chilton-Jones

  • Corylus avellana, hazel

Chris Thorogood

  • Corylus avellana, hazel

  • Fagus sylvatica, common beech (foliage comparison)

Q3 鈥� 鈥淐an you help me rescue my juniper bonsai which turned brown after being kept indoors for several months?鈥� (09鈥�08鈥�)

Audience context

  • Juniperus spp., juniper bonsai

Bethan Collerton

  • Juniperus spp., juniper

Q4 鈥� 鈥淢y black elder tree has grown too big and blocks light. Despite cutting it back each year it grows tall again. What should I do?鈥� (13鈥�52鈥�)

Marcus Chilton-Jones

  • Sambucus nigra 鈥楤lack Lace鈥�, black elder 鈥楽ambucus Black Lace鈥�

  • Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla Black Tower ('Eiffel 1'PBR), black elder 鈥楤lack Tower鈥�

Chris Thorogood

  • Styphnolobium japonicum (syn. Sophora japonica), Japanese pagoda tree

Feature 鈥� Bethan Collerton speaks with Jane Nimmo to find out more about Bees, Pollinators and Urban Beekeeping. (17鈥�54鈥�)

Q5 鈥� 鈥淲hen is the best time to prune or reshape a smoke tree? I've heard they don't like being pruned.鈥� (24鈥�48鈥�)

Marcus Chilton-Jones

  • Cotinus coggygria, smoke bush

  • Corylus avellana, hazel (coppicing comparison)

Q6 鈥� 鈥淥ur blueberry plant didn't survive the recent heatwave due to lack of watering. Is there anything we can do to bring it back?鈥� (28鈥�00鈥�)

Question context

  • Vaccinium spp., blueberry

Chris Thorogood

  • Cistus spp., rock rose

Q7 鈥� 鈥淚 always struggle to get colour in my garden at the end of summer. What would you suggest?鈥� (30鈥�10鈥�)

Bethan Collerton

  • Cephalaria gigantea, giant scabious

  • Verbena bonariensis, tall verbena

Chris Thorogood

  • Salvia spp., salvia

  • Allium spp., ornamental onion

  • Euphorbia, Spurge

  • Verbascum 鈥楽outhern Charm鈥�, mullein 鈥楽outhern Charm鈥�

  • Verbascum olympicum, Olympic mullein

  • Achillea 鈥楳oonshine鈥�, yarrow 鈥楳oonshine鈥�

Marcus Chilton-Jones

  • Anemone 脳 hybrida group, Japanese anemone

  • Symphyotrichum spp., aster

  • Hylotelephium spp., stonecrop (syn. Sedum)

  • Helenium spp., helenium

  • Inula spp., inula

  • Helianthus 鈥楲emon Queen鈥�, perennial sunflower 鈥楲emon Queen鈥�

  • Persicaria spp., persicaria

  • Verbena spp., verbena

Q8 鈥� 鈥淗ow can I future-proof my late husband's garden so I can continue to enjoy it without feeling overwhelmed?鈥� (34鈥�45鈥�)

  • Rhododendron spp. (azaleas)

  • Vaccinium spp., blueberry

Chris Thorogood

  • Arbutus unedo, strawberry tree

  • Betula utilis 鈥楽ilver Shadow鈥�, Himalayan birch 鈥楽ilver Shadow鈥�

General discussion

  • Shrubs (general)

  • Herbaceous border plants (general)

  • Wildflower meadow planting (general)

Broadcasts

  • Fri 17 Jul 2026 15:00
    麻豆社 Radio 4
  • Sun 19 Jul 2026 14:00
    麻豆社 Radio 4

Six of GQT鈥檚 naughtiest gardening innuendos

When Gardeners' Question Time got mucky.

Podcast