Gardeners' Question Time Vale of Glamorgan
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Mar 27, 2026 
Chris Beardshaw, plantsman and garden designer, shares practical planting tips for Vale conditions. Anne Swithinbank, writer and houseplant expert, gives concise advice on alocasia, citrus and propagation. Bethan Collerton, head gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, covers greenhouse rescue, rhododendron care and seed choices. They discuss mangelwurzel curiosities, taming a giant cactus and spring slug controls.
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Audience Curiosity Revives Mangelwurzel
- Midge from Penarth asked about mangelwurzel and sparked curiosity among the panel about growing a largely forgotten root crop.
- Chris Beardshaw and Anne Swithinbank admitted none had grown it and likened it to historical animal feed turned potential novelty for gardeners.
Revive Ailing Alocasia With Spring Repotting
- Repot and inspect an Alocasia zebrina in spring, easing the compost away and choosing an open, airy peat-free mix if the current mix looks poor.
- Water generously during growth, treat like a dahlia tuber for winter rest, and consider lifting and storing the corm in dry medium over frost.
Plants To Grow For A Shady Courtyard
- For a shady courtyard with only midday sun, grow hardy, shade-tolerant or easy-from-seed plants like Aspidistra, Asarum, Pyrenean valerian, verbascums, Bells of Ireland or Lavatera.
- Choose plants that transplant well from Derbyshire to a milder Welsh courtyard and favour easy seed-sown species for volume gifts.