Fruitful night of advice as Gardeners' Question Time drops by

Everything came up roses for the green fingered folk of Wolverhampton last night.

It did not matter if they had been foiled by a fruit hedge, disappointed by a fruitless damson tree or were simply fed up with holes in their fox gloves.

Three experts from of the Radio 4 hardy perennial Gardeners' Question Time were on hand to dig up the perfect solution in an ideal place for horticultural prayers to be answered - a church.

See more pictures from the evening by clicking on the image on the right.

The panel - leading organic gardener Bob Flowerdew, Chelsea Show gold medal winning designer Chris Beardshaw and pest and disease expert Pippa Greenwood alongside popular chairman Eric Robson - sat in front of the alter at Beckminster Methodist Church in Bradmore preaching to the packed 230-strong sell out congregation.

Each had paid £2.50 to hear the words of wisdom at the Birches Barn Road church and the fruits of the evening will be revealed in two shows to be broadcast in March and April on Radio 4.

The questions were wide and varied but the panel did turn their noses up at Gordon Bramall when the 77-year-old from High Street, Pattingham, sought help with his rotten red cabbage.

He brought it along a sample of the offending article in a plastic bag that the experts agreed was "revolting" before deciding it had been 'scolded' by the sun after a sudden change in temperature.

Mr Bramall declared afterwards: "I was delighted with the advice but now can't wait to get rid of the cabbage. It is very ripe."

Howard Shannon, producer of the show, revealed Beckminster Church was an ideal location for the show. He said: "The acoustics in churches are excellent for the sound recordists and the line of sight is perfect for the audience."

Chris Beardshaw added: "They are also very appropriate since the principles of gardening come straight out of the scriptures. We are all trying to create our own bit of the Garden of Eden."

The first show was aired from a hotel in Ashton-under-Lyne on April 9 1947 and some organisation have had to wait up almost 30 years for the programme to come down their way. A nudist camp, the House of Commons, an underground station, a prison and a ferry are among locations chosen in the past.

Wolverhampton and District Horticultural Society had waited five years for the show but were given just six weeks notice of the impending arrival.

Chairman Jill Porteous aged 69 from Wood Road, Tettenhall confessed: "We really hit the panic button after getting the call to say they were coming but everybody pulled together and, everything went well."

The Society formed in the 1950s and has been meeting in a hall at the church once a month but were allowed to use the church itself for last night's recording.

Last night's events flourished to such an extent that delighted producers got two bites of the cherry and recorded a pair of shows.

The original will be heard on Friday March 9 and Sunday March 11, with listeners being told it comes from Wolverhampton. A second programme will be broadcast on April 13 and 15, announced as coming from "the West Midlands".

But there were slight drawbacks, with the audience sitting through more than three hours of broadcasting as the two shows were recorded back to back without a break.

"We had no idea about this until the sound recordists arrived today, " admitted Mrs Porteous. "But it is a fantastic occasion for our Society and has really helped to put it more firmly on the map."

Here are some of the questions fielded by the panel last night:

Q: Our 30-year-old white beam has died. It just froze and the leaves dropped off. What should we replace it with?

A: Do not put anything there until you have checked for honey fungus. If the ground is given the all-clear, think about an early flowering pear.

Q: I want to grow a fruit hedge. What should I put in it?

A: You have to be careful because fruits will grow at different rates and so you will not get a regimented hedge. It will also be difficult to keep the birds off because you cannot put a net over it to stop the fruit being eaten but chokeberries and sloes might do the trick. Also rose hips and elderberry.

Q: I am putting a garden design in a big show, how can I manage the flowers?

A: The more you try to manipulate, the more vulnerable the plants will become. Grow batches of them, ideally in different positions and then pick the best. Also save some of your budget so that if it all goes wrong at the last minute you can pop down the local nursery to buy replacements.

Q: My Damson tree has never borne fruit. It was a gift from a friend. What should I do?

A: It was probably just a seedling. Go and buy a named variety with a label on to replace it with and do not tell your friend what you have done.

Q: We put Star of Bethlehem in our garden 30 years ago and cannot get rid of it. What should we do?

A: Make a feature of it and grow to love it.

Q: What garden tool would you like to have invented?

A: A trowel, spade, hoe, sheers or secateurs that do not get blunted within ten minutes.