Gardeners' Question Time Firth of Tay
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Jan 12, 2026 Bunny Guinness, garden designer offering fresh-year resolutions. Neil Porteous, practical plantsman with down-to-earth planting tips. Kirsty Wilson, Balmoral head gardener and botanist. Matthew Pottage, Royal Parks head gardener and pruning pro. They discuss naming plants, planting walnuts from foraged nuts, pruning magnolias, discreet composting and why lichens are best left alone.
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Upgrade Station Barrels
- Try adding a structural focal plant like a Dierama or scented pelargoniums to station barrels for interest and resilience.
- Use bulbs, hardy geraniums or foliage hookahs in winter and swap seasonal plants to maintain impact year-round.
Grow Walnuts From Nuts
- Sow or plant walnuts now; they germinate readily if soil biota can break the shell and allow water in.
- Consider named cultivars (e.g., laciniata) if you want cut-leaf forms or earlier fruiting rather than random seedlings.
Prune Magnolias Carefully
- Prune magnolias by removing crossing, shaded or dead wood; do a light crown raise rather than topping.
- Time heavier pruning for midsummer or late winter and use a sharp saw, cutting at the branch collar to aid healing.