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Prince Of Wales grants Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time exclusive interview for its 60th anniversary
Gardeners' Question Time, the long-running popular 成人论坛 Radio 4 programme, marks its 60th anniversary with a special edition looking at organic gardening on Easter Sunday, 8 April.
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Eric Robson meets HRH The Prince of Wales in his garden at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire where the heir to the throne explains why he has been committed to organic gardening for years and why he feels so strongly about EU seed legislation.
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Prince Charles reveals that his interest in gardening started when he and Princess Anne were young and shared a small vegetable patch in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
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He tells listeners that he is passionate about preserving old varieties of plants even though he has been called old-fashioned for his stance.
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The Prince says: "To me it seemed perfectly reasonable and not very revolutionary to suggest that some of these things, some of the slightly gentler approaches to the way we manage things, might be worthwhile from a long term sustainability point of view."
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He goes on to comment on EU legislation saying: "What could be crazier than reducing ourselves to far too few varieties and finding, at the end of the day, that maybe they are then more and more subject to disease and complications?
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"What could be crazier than, I think, having the kind of EU legislation which made it impossible to sell the seeds of many of these wonderful old varieties that people have developed over thousands of years?
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"Hundreds of varieties have been lost - wonderful things which our forefathers took enormous trouble to develop and which in many cases are resistant to all sorts of prevalent diseases."
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The Prince also talks about his national collection of hostas at Highgrove which he is extremely passionate about, though the plants are notorious for attracting slugs.
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He also reveals how he defended his garden from an infestation of ground elder through organic means.
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The Prince of Wales congratulates Britain's "wonderful gardeners" and concludes with a warm and heartfelt tribute to Gardeners' Question Time, recognising the role it has played over the past 60 years educating and entertaining a nation of gardeners.
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He says: "I'm just one year younger than the programme. I can only wish the programme every possible success in the future and a very, very happy birthday.
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"I know it's a very popular programme and so many people gain endless useful information from it."
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Also in the programme Anne Swithinbank, John Cushnie and Bob Flowerdew answer the questions posed by members of Garden Organic at Ryton near Coventry.
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Notes to Editors
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Gardeners' Question Time is on 成人论坛 Radio 4 on Sundays at 2pm with a shortened repeat on Wednesdays at 3pm. 听
Radio 4 Publicity
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