In the month marking the long-awaited return of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and in the year when houseplants are appearing as a major part of the event, Head Gardener Ashley Edwards has returned to BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time to talk about how to care for yours this winter!
To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here
You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 14 minutes and 45 seconds into the recording
With Peter Gibbs hosting and a panel consisting of Pippa Greenwood, Matt Biggs and Christine Walkden, the team tackled everything from unruly Jasmines to getting imaginative with planting ideas for chimney pots in the week’s latest episode.
As many of you will have noticed, there’s certainly an autumnal chill in the air and lots of listeners were interested to hear about how to take care of their plants over the coming winter. Nevertheless, one of the more unusual questions came from someone wondering whether houseplants could be put outside during the summer, which naturally led to a lot of discussion amongst the GQT team!
They decided to leave our very own Head Gardener Ashley to answer, who’s become a regular feature presenter for the show and he happily shared more about the benefits of popping your plants outside for summer. Most importantly, he also tells everyone how to bring them safely and successfully inside for the winter.
For the majority of houseplants, many of which Ashley mentions by name, putting your houseplants outside for the summer means they can thrive with increased sunlight and regular access to rainwater. It turns out there are a myriad of little-known benefits to natural watering, which you can hear all about in the episode.
To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here
You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 14 minutes and 45 seconds into the recording
However, the change in season means that now is the time to acclimatise your plants, with Ashley recommending you bring them inside initially to get them used to being back indoors. He’s full of other helpful hints and tips too, all of which are guaranteed to ensure you can continue to surround yourself with greenery even when it’s cold and dark outside.
As ever, we’re thrilled to be a part of BBC Gardeners’ Question Time and can’t wait to tune in to hear Ashley and the rest of the team impart their pearls of wisdom again soon!
