Gardeners' Corner

Helen Mark presents this week's edition of Gardeners' corner. She takes a trip to the Arboretum at Castlewellan Forest Park to oversee the work on the herbaceous borders. Frank and Linda McCooke give Mary Doris a masterclass in all things gourd - from Crown Prince to Munchkins, how to grow and what to cook. David Lindsay from Picked Organic on why he decided to give the good life a go. Expert Ann Fitzsimmons joins Helen in studio to answer listeners questions. Email any time gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Helen Mark presents this week's edition of Gardeners' Corner. Maurice Parkinson selects some show-stopping grasses to enjoy in the Autumn sunlight from his nursery in Ballyrobert. Klaus Leitenberger introduces David Maxwell to some cute little Cucamelons and how to keep unruly grapes in check. Jekka McVicar chooses her herb of the month and Helen is joined in studio by Brendan Little. Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk ‘Please note this material has been edited since transmission’

David Maxwell is joined for an episode with an early Autumn feel. With Sweet Chestnuts, Horse Chestnuts and apples in studio there is plenty to chat about and questions from listeners’ on Buddleia, Acers and Hydrangeas. Also on the programme David meets up with organic grower Klaus Laitenberger at the Organic Centre in County Leitrim where he began the Irish chapter of his life. Klaus also tells David why Lemon Verbena is his favourite herb and the value of Florence Fennel. At Ballyrobert Maurice Parkinson still has plenty of Autumn colour and Amy Kelly picks her favourite seeds to sow in October.

As Autumn shades being to show, David Maxwell heads to Florence Court where they are still finishing summer pruning the apple trees. The National Trust garden has one of the best collections of Irish heritage varieties on the Island. Volunteer David Bolton explains his work in identifying varieties and the recent rediscovery of the Wine apple which it was thought has disappeared. In Lurgan, Taghnevan Community Allotments provides a hub for locals interested in growing their own and the programme returns to Rosie Maye’s garden in County Meath for some more early Autumn highlights. Cherry Townsend will join David in studio. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Hydrangeas are the stars of the show in early autumn and Rosie Maye has an enviable collection in her garden near Slane in County Meath. Presenter David Maxwell finds out what conditions they like and how to prune the different types. Near Limavady, a garden has become a refuge for Fred McIlmoyle who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018. While his prognosis wasn’t good initially, advances in treatment options have allowed him to remain active and his garden has become even more precious through the ups and downs of his cancer journey. Also on the programme, Jekka McVicar chooses her herb of the month and David is joined in studio by Claire McNally. Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

It’s been the home of poets and actors and now it prides itself on putting an organic garden at the centre of a private events space; Ballintubbert is found near the village of Stradbally in County Laois. In this week’s programme, presenter David Maxwell tours the gardens with head gardener Jennifer Taggart and finds out how the place has been shaped by it’s former owners including actor Sir John Hurt. He finds out how Jennifer is using sheep’s wool and clover to manage the 14 acre site. Also on the programme, a visit to Duneane Community Garden in Toome and autumn highlights with Claire McNally at the National Trust’s Rowallane. In studio, David is joined by garden expert Anna Hudson and wildlife expert Katie Bell. Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk.

The Knepp Estate in West Sussex is world famous for turning its back on intensive farming in favour of rewilding. Its latest project is to transform a former crochet lawn into an undulating sustainable garden packed with over 900 plant species. This week presenter David Maxwell tours the garden with Charlie Harpur and finds out how they manage this unique space which has already massively increased biodiversity. At Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Claire Woods is harvesting seed and enjoying some early autumn apples and at Mount Venus, Oliver Shurmann shares some of his favourite plants of the moment. Garden expert Ann Fitzsimmons will join David live in studio to answer questions. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

In this week’s programme – do you ever wonder where all those bunches of flowers in the supermarket come from? David travels to a family business in Armagh which grows and imports flowers for retailers across Ireland and the UK. With a major public transport scheme underway in Belfast, the programme finds out how horticulture was put front and centre during the Crossrail project in London and a visit to a former Abbey near Enniskillen where a secret garden full of usual plants has been nurtured by Noel Crane for the last 4 decades. Brendan Little will join David in studio for live questions. gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Gardening on earth can be challenging sometimes, so what about gardening on the moon? David chats to Professor Simon Barak from Ben Gurion University of the Negev about trying to germinate seeds on the lunar surface. Back on planet earth Brendan Little hasn’t mown his grass since May and it’s time to take the meadow into hand. He’s planting plugs of Ragged Robin and Foxgloves and sowing Yellow Rattle seed which will keep the grass in check. Jekka McVicar chooses Lavender as her herb for August and Cherry Townsend is live in studio to answer questions. Email: gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

The weather is always unpredictable but with a warm and dry June and damp July, it’s making life challenging for gardeners. This week, David Maxwell will be joined by Cecilia Daly to chat about the reasons for the recent weather patterns and her predictions for the rest of summer. Also on the programme, the National Trust’s Mount Stewart teams up with Bristol University to predict the future for the garden with climate change modelling and ahead of National Allotment Week David visits a hidden allotment in Bangor and Helen Mark catches up with some of those involved in Derry’s Acorn Farm project which supports families to grow their own. Claire McNally will join David in studio to take questions. Email gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

After nearly a century and a half, the Dickson family have decided to bring their rose breeding business to an end. Presenter David Maxwell visits Colin Dickson in his rose field near Newtownards to find out why he’s calling it a day, and to see his very last rose ‘A Fond Farewell’. Also on the programme, how to keep the summer colour coming with Cherry Townsend, top Dahlia choices from Marryn Mathis at the Farm House Flower Farm in Washington state (USA) and Jekka McVicar with her ‘Herb of the Month’. In studio David will be joined by Mary Doris who will be tackling questions from listeners. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Nothing beats visiting other gardens for inspiration and learning, and in this week’s Gardeners’ Corner, presenter David Maxwell asks three of his regular experts to choose one of their favourite gardens. Those featured include RHS Bridgewater near Manchester which opened in 2021. It’s not only one of the newest public gardens, but it is also one of the biggest garden projects undertaken in the UK in the last century. For Maurice Parkinson, it offers multiple layers of interest. David and Maurice meet curator Marcus Chilton-Jones and Garden Manager Tracey Snell as they tour the walled garden and the Chinese streamside garden. Birr is County Offaly can get the coldest and the warmest temperatures in Ireland, and it’s also where you will find an impressive collection of trees at Birr Castle Demesne. For Ann Fitzsimmons it will always be a special place as she spent many happy months working there after deciding to change career. Up in County Donegal, Brendan Little only has to go a stone’s throw from his h

Summer is in full swing and this week David Maxwell and his expert guests are focusing on edibles. Brendan Little provides a masterclass on growing basil, proving you can grow enough to produce pesto in Donegal! Amy Kelly loves growing beans at her allotment in Newtownards where they not only produce an edible harvest but also provide beauty. In studio, David is joined by Ann Fitzsimmons who answers questions on growing asparagus, plums and what you can expect if you grow an apple tree from a pip. Also on the programme Cherry Townsend is taking softwood cuttings, proving how a few snips at this time of year can save money by producing new plants for free. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

It’s the flower of summer and of romance and it never looses it’s appeal according to Mary Keenan who David Maxwell visits in this week’s programme. At her County Laois gardens he has roses that can find a place in any garden and offer both colour and scent. In County Offaly David visits Paul Smyth at Bellefield garden recently left by architect and gardener Angela Jupe as a bequest to the RHSI. The charity is currently bringing the garden back into management and hopes it will be a place to teach gardeners of the future. And in Bangor Dylan Freeburn explains why the council are replacing annual bedding with longer term planting that’s better for biodiversity. Reg Maxwell will also join David in studio live. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

This week on Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell; why are there so many caterpillars this year and do the spooky webs some are creating spell doom for the plants they cover? At Helen’s Bay Organic Farm John McCormick has some tips on growing courgettes and how to get better veg without wasting water. Helen Mark travels to Stranocum for a masterclass on early summer pruning with Don Kerr and Jekka McVicar reveals her herb of the month. Also on the programme, Katie Bell from Ulster Wildlife and Claire McNally, head gardener at The National Trust’s Rowallane join David in studio to answer questions sent in by listeners. Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

With the heat wave continuing Gardeners’ Corner is live at Garden Show Ireland in Antrim Castle Gardens. David Maxwell is joined by Diarmuid Gavin, Cherry Townsend and Mary Doris who will take questions from an invited audience. Also on the programme, with house plants one of the big themes at this year's show, Conrad McCormick will pick some of his favourites and away from the show David heads to nearby Ballyrobert Cottage Garden where Maurice Parkinson believes that summer can be perhaps the best time to get new plants established in the garden. Email the programme - gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

As summer begins in the garden, David Maxwell finds inspiration at Ireland’s biggest gardening show. In its 17th year, Bord Bia Bloom attracted over 100,000 visitors. In the programme, David catches up with Oliver Shurmann from Mount Venus nurseries who designed an imaginative woodland garden for under 5s which won best large garden and with house plants more popular than ever, Pat Keville from Plantstore.ie shows David his exhibit which took the best in show nursery award. Other highlights from the show include; Belfast designer Linda McKeown’s garden for Tusla Fostering, “The Next Step” garden designed by student, Joseph Eustace as part of Bord Bia’s new Cultivating Talent initiative and Jane McCorkell’s “A Breathing Space for Fingal”. Also on the programme, Ann Fitzsimmons will be live in studio with plenty of plants and primed to answer any tricky gardening questions. Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Do you have native plants in your garden? A visit to True Harvest Seeds in Kilclief in Co Down showcases some of the native origin plants growing in the wild and how Debbie Gillies and the team of volunteers are preserving the seeds for the future. From the homegrown to the exotic - David heads to Cluain na dTor in Donegal to see Seamus O' Donnell's collection of stunning plants from across the world that are suitable for seaside gardens and coastal regions. Renowned artist Derek Hill's last home , Glebe Gallery, is open to the public and embracing his wild style of planting. David heads down to find out about their plans for the future. Expert Mary Doris joins David in studio to answer listeners' questions and chat about drought tolerant plants. Author and broadcaster Matthew Biggs also drops by to talk about his new children's book 'A home for every plant' . Email the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

David visits the gardening event of the year – the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023. With 36 show gardens and a pavilion full of plant experts, Gardeners’ Corner looks at the show from the perspective of the ordinary gardener. What elements can we all put into practice and with several gardens featuring ‘weeds’, should we all be growing more of them or is that a step too far? Of course, the celebrities are never far away and David finds out from Strictly’s Bruno Tonioli that he has green fingers as well as dancing feet. Email the programme - gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

In this late spring edition of the programme, presenter David Maxwell visits the new community garden in the County Down village of Saintfield. In County Donegal, Joanne and Milo Butler run OURganic in the hills above Gortahork. The gardens are used to teach others about organically growing food and the principles of permaculture. Jekka McVicar chooses basil as her ‘Herb of the Month’ and gives some tips on how to succeed with this tasty tender herb. In studio, David is joined by Neil Porteous to take questions live from the audience. Text 81771 Email gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk