Vale of Glamorgan
3/27/202643 min
Kathy Clugston is joined in the Vale of Glamorgan by Bethan Collerton, Anne Swithinbank and Chris Beardshaw, where they tackle horticultural conundrums from a live audience. inspired by the region’s famously fertile landscape - from the mysteries of the old‑fashioned mangelwurzel, to advice for struggling houseplants, and recommendations on how to manage a towering six‑foot cactus.
The team also shares practical advice on reviving a neglected greenhouse, caring for a long‑loved pot‑bound rhododendron, and encouraging lemons and limes to ripen in coastal South Wales.
Later in the show, Pippa Greenwood offers tim...
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First 90 secondsChris Beardshaw· Panelist0:00
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Kathy Clugston· Host0:04
Hello, and a warm welcome to Gardener's Question Time with me, Kathy Clugston. This week we're coming to you from the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan, long celebrated as the garden of South Wales, thanks to its famously fertile soil. In the 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution spread across South Wales, the local farmland became a crucial source of food production with dairy, meat, grains, and vegetables supporting the exploding populations of workers in the coal field towns and nearby ports. If you take a stroll around here today, the landscape more than lives up to its reputation. Hedgerows and woodland edges are bright with hawthorn, blackthorn, elder, bluebells, and wild garlic. And along the limestone cliffs between Penarth and Ogmore, you'll find treasures like Goldilocks aster, spiked speedwell, and small rest harrow, which can only be found in these cliff edge habitats. And in a place full of botanical brilliance, it's only fitting that we're joined by a panel to match. Please welcome from Devon, writer and houseplant expert, Anne Swithinbank. From Birmingham Botanical Gardens, head gardener, Bethan Collerton. And from Gloucestershire, plantsman and garden designer, Chris Beardshaw. [audience applauding] Coming up, the return of our series of spring features.