Wokingham Borough: Pet Friendly Gardens, Homemade Compost and Silly Advice

5 snips

May 2, 2025

Discover the secrets of creating a dog-friendly garden and the joys of gardening with pets! Learn the art of homemade seed compost and explore the challenges of growing dahlias. Dive into plant health strategies while tackling looming threats from pests and diseases. Enjoy hilarious stories of gardening gone wrong and the quirks of maintaining a wildflower area. Plus, explore exciting new plants to grow and the unique techniques for nurturing them!

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ANECDOTE

Pets Shape Garden Design

Margaret Moore's dogs created paths in the garden like natural racetracks, showing how pets can shape garden design.
Bunny Guinness created a dedicated area for a dog to bury treats to keep it occupied and happy.

ADVICE

Starting and Overwintering Dahlias

Start dahlias in pots to protect young plants from slugs and gain an earlier start.
Lift tubers in colder, wetter gardens to avoid rot over winter, but leave them if space or conditions allow.

ADVICE

Managing Wildflower Areas

To manage wildflower areas, cut in swathes after seed set to preserve wildlife habitat.
Sow yellow rattle fresh in autumn to reduce grass vigor, and expect gradual establishment over years.

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What's your recommended recipe for homemade seed compost? What makes a dog friendly garden? What is the most inappropriate piece of garden advice that you've received?

Peter Gibbs and the panel offer advice to an audience of keen gardeners in the borough of Wokingham. Joining Peter are house plants expert Anne Swithinbank, garden designer Bunny Guinness, and proud plantsman Matthew Biggs.

Later in the programme, for Plant Health Week, Kirsty Wilson visits the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to meet biosecurity officer Matt Elliot and discover how new pests and diseases are threatening our gardens — and what we can do to fight back.

Producer: Matt Smith Assistant Producer: Rahnee Prescod Executive Producer: Carly Maile

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

Plant List Questions and timecodes are below. Where applicable, plant names have been provided.

Q - Do the panel have any favourite help or design features in their gardens made by their pets? (01'45")

Q- Could you give me some top tips on growing Dahlias? (05'40")

Q- How do you manage a wildflower area after the first year of flowering? (10’18")

Feature – Kirsty Wilson and Biosecurity Officer of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh discuss how we can protect our plants from new pests and diseases (14'20")

Q- My Fatsia Bush has flowered – do I prune it back or leave the fruits for the birds? (19'30")

Q - Which exciting new plants should we be looking forward to growing in the south-east of England? (22'31")

Bunny Guinness – Diospyros virginiana (F), common persimmon Diospyros 'Nikita's Gift' (F), Nikita’s Gift Persimmon. Salvia involucrata 'Hadspen', rosy-leaf sage ‘Hadspen’

Matthew Biggs – Salvia officinalis 'Bicolor', sage 'Bicolor' Echium Echium wildpretii, tower of jewels Echium pininana giant viper's bugloss

Anne Swithinbank – Leonotis Leonurus, lion's tail Dictamnus albus, burning bush Eriobotrya, loquat

Q - What is your recommended recipe for homemade seed compost? (28'00")

Q - I have a small starter allotment; can the panel advise me on how to make the most of my small plot? (32'10")

Bunny Guinness – Onion Garlic Lettuce

Matthew Biggs – Lettuce, fresh beetroot, fresh carrots, finger carrots Baby leaf Spinach radish courgettes French beans Runner beans

Anne Swithinbank – Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum, florence fennel

Q - What is the most inappropriate piece of garden advice that you've received, and did you follow it? (37'24")