Gardeners' Question Time Chaldon
9 snips
Feb 20, 2026 Anne Swithinbank, horticulturist and broadcaster, gives practical tips on plant care and pruning. Pippa Greenwood, plant pathologist, covers pests, diseases and vegetable growing. Matthew Pottage, Royal Parks horticulture lead, talks planting for climate resilience and public spaces. Guy Barter, RHS chief horticultural advisor, discusses the Daffodil Diaries and cultivar preservation. Short, lively chat on shade plants, brassica protection and weeds as mulch.
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Protect Emerging Plants With Pots And Planks
- Use upturned flower pots and planks to work inside borders without treading emerging plants.
- Anne Swithinbank recommends covering small shoots with pots and stepping on a plank or short wooden stepping stones to protect spring bulbs and hellebores.
Divide Begonia Tubers By Cutting At Growth Pips
- Divide large begonia tubers by cutting them so each piece has growth 'pips' and letting wounds callus briefly before replanting.
- Anne warns of rot risk and suggests drying the cut surface or dusting horticultural sulphur, then potting on once shoots appear.
Replace Nonflowering Campsis With Named Cultivars
- If a non-flowering campsis underperforms replace it with a named cultivar and plant it on the hottest, sunniest wall.
- Matthew Pottage suggests seed-raised or rootstock plants can be duds; replant with 'Jazz' or other reliable cultivars and amend soil to be poorer, not richer.