Gardeners’ Corner

What trees work well in small spaces? This week David Maxwell visits two experts who have the answer. Amy Kelly’s small suburban garden is full of fruit trees including the mysterious Medlar fruit. Once commonplace in Britain and Ireland, the fruit, which has to be left to over-ripen, has fallen out of favour. Amy thinks the tree still deserves a place because it provides several seasons of interest and fruit to boot! In Ann FitzSimons’ Killinchy garden, she is growing a variety of shrubs and trees in pots. It makes for a permanent display and offers those with limited space or those renting the chance to have an interesting garden space. Also on the programme, David visits Billy Alexander in Kells Bay where he is preparing for his biggest display of ferns yet at next year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. In studio, Colin Agnew, takes questions and provides some Autumn inspiration. Email the programme at [email protected]

As autumn leaves continue to fall, David Maxwell visits the Botanic Gardens of Trinity College Dublin. It’s moved a few times in its history but now can be found near Dartry in the south of the city. Dr Stephen Waldren takes David on a tour and shows him the seedbank preserving endangered Irish plants. Mick McCann, who has worked as a gardener at the College for 40 years, reveals how the beauty around him inspires his poetry. Also on the programme, Polly Nicholson on her new book ‘The Tulip Garden’ and a visit to Yew Cottage where Philip Stewart is planting a brand new border and gathering copious amounts of fallen leaves to produce leafmould. Mary Doris will join David live in studio to answer questions and provide some seasonal inspiration. Contact the programme on - [email protected]

As the leaves continue to fall, presenter David Maxwell visits one of most important historic gardens on the island of Ireland. The arboretum and walled garden within Castlewellan Forest Park has dozens of champion trees and it’s a garden getting a facelift. Alwyn Sinnamon reveals the work going on to restore some of the gardens 18th century features, as well as the discovery of lost garden. Also on the programme, in Glenarm Castle’s walled garden Neil Porteous is preparing the bananas for winter and on up the east Antrim coast Una Quinn is part of the National Trust team which has restored and reopened Cushendun’s village green. David is joined live in studio by expert Ann Fitzsimmons. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Are Chrysanthemums making a comeback? This week on Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell he chat to Neil Porteous about the new varieties taking the gardening world by storm. In Ballywalter, Anna Hudson is getting the glasshouse beds ready for some winter crops. Derry Watkins on her life with plants and why everyone should grow something unusual from seed. In studio David will be joined by Rosie Maye who will have some autumn highlights from her own garden and she’ll answer questions from listeners on Fuchsias and Aeoniums. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With the leaves falling presenter David Maxwell heads to the 25 acre arboretum at Brook Hall near Derry. David Gilliland shows him some of the large collection of trees that are dazzling before their leaves drop including one which smells like toffee! Also on the programme, Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost on his life, career and his new garden in Lincolnshire. Oliver Schurmann reveals his penultimate perennial of the month and David is joined in studio by Brendan Little who will take questions from listeners and offer some seasonal advice. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As part of a series of ‘BBC Comes to Town’ roadshows to mark 100 years of BBC broadcasting in Northern Ireland, Gardeners’ Corner heads to Coleraine. David Maxwell hosts the programme at the new Causeway Campus of the Northern Regional College. He’s joined by experts Claire McNally and Neil Porteous who take questions from a live audience. Also on the programme, David heads to the National Trust’s Downhill Demesne where head gardener Una Quinn is taking roses in hand with a group of local volunteers and he visits keen amateur gardener, Kenny Bacon in his suburban back garden near Ballymoney. Contact the programme on [email protected]

In this Gardeners’ Corner special, David Maxwell visits two gardening greats; Sarah Raven at her world famous East Sussex farmhouse, Perch Hill and designer Tom Stuart-Smith at the Serge Hill Project in Hertfordshire. At Perch Hill, David chats to Sarah about how the former medic became one of the most influential gardeners of our time and what it’s like when your home becomes part of the brand. Head gardener Josie Lewis shows him around the garden including the dazzling Dahlia patch – a flower Sarah can take much credit for bringing back into fashion. In the second part of the programme, David meets Tom Stuart-Smith at his home and workplace in Hertfordshire. The winner of 9 Chelsea Gold Medals, Tom explains how community is now at the centre of much of what he does including the unique Plant Library which was started in 2020. Tom’s wife, Sue Stuart-Smith,a prominent psychiatrist and psychotherapist, explains the health benefits of gardens to all and Millie Souter shows David some of the 1500 varieties that find a place in the collection.

When the right Autumn conditions arrive, Fungi pop up as if by magic and this week on Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell explores this fascinating world with Northern Ireland Fungus Group member Debbie Nelson. At Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, Maurice Parkinson is planting miniature Irises for a splash of colour in February next year. He’s also dividing autumn flowering cyclamen which he says are the ultimate no fuss plants for this time of year. Colin Agnew is in studio with some alternative choices for spring bedding which can be planted right now and he’ll be taking questions from listeners on prepping a new polytunnel and overwintering Dahlias. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week David Maxwell finds out how to preserve some of this year’s harvest with HE teacher come obsessive gardener Kerry Connolly. She’s an expert at turning a glut of marrows and tomatoes into sauces and chutneys for the colder months. He also returns to Howth near Dublin to visit another exceptional garden on this Irish Sea peninsula. This time he meets mountain climber Karl Flynn who has created an exceptional exotic garden through a lifetime of weekend gardening. Oliver Shurmann reveals his favourite perennial for September and Anna Hudson joins David in studio to answer questions and provide seasonal inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With autumn in the air, Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell is celebrating blackberries both wild and cultivated varieties. Mary Doris joins David in studio and shows him some of the ways she puts nature’s bounty to good use. In Ballymena, Colin Agnew has created his own botanic gardens out the back of his suburban semi. It includes a Victorian style fernery and a very personal collection of trees. On Black Mountain above Belfast, sound and gardening are combined at the Black Mountain Shared Space and with BBC Northern Ireland celebrating 100 years of broadcasting, David dips into the archive to hear the first gardening presenter, Professor A E Muskett. He also chats to Prof Muskett’s daughter, Doreen, about her memories of the BBC in a bygone age. Contact the programme on [email protected]

David Maxwell heads to a 250 year old Rectory garden which has been opened to the community in Ballymoney as a place of quiet reflection. With generous cottage borders, fruit trees and plenty of places to sit, it has become a special place to many including volunteer Daphne, who opens the gates at dawn and dusk. Dr Mark Johnston on his remarkable life with trees captured in a new free e-book. Wildlife expert Katie Bell joins David in studio to highlight what we can look out for in our gardens this Autumn and Rosie Maye brings inspiration and helps David tackle some gardening conundrums. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With a new pup at home, David finds out about gardening with dogs in mind. He speaks to designer and dog owner Brian Burke about a canine friendly garden he created for Bloom in 2017. Between the hedges in Howth; a visit to Ardán garden where Nuala Doherty and Conall O’Caoimh have created a first class immersive garden over the last two decades. Largely self taught, they have divided the half acre site into many unique spaces and included tropical planting, a conservation habitat for rare newts, a miniature woodland space and slug free veg beds. Also on the programme, creating a gardening group at work and Claire McNally will join David in studio with inspiration for early autumn and to answer listener questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week Gardeners’ Corner is seeing red at June Blake’s garden in County Wicklow. She’s filled a border with Monarda, Crocosmia and Alstroemeria in this most alarming hue. June tells David Maxwell about her preference for planting large numbers of the same varieties and why Verbascum’s are her top choice when it comes to rabbit and slug proof plants. At Hillsborough Castle Gardens, Claire Woods is gearing up for their summer fair after a tricky season and Amy Kelly is escaping to her allotment at the beginning of National Allotment Week. Oliver Schurmann choses his perennial of the month and Ann Fitzsimmons joins David in studio to answers questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

You don’t have to call yourself a gardener to want to have a perfect lawn and this week, David Maxwell has been finding out how to achieve the perfect sward from the experts at the Greenmount campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise. In county Wicklow, a visit to Jimi Blake at his Hunting Brook Gardens provides inspiration for creative containers more usually found on a farm. Jimi also reveals some of his favourite Dahlias for 2024 and the value of lilies in the summer garden. In studio David will be joined by Brendan Little who will answer questions and reveal his garden highlights for the first week of August. Email the programme at [email protected]

With many people reporting low bee numbers in gardens this summer, presenter David Maxwell chats to wildlife expert Katie Bell about possible reasons. At Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee Cherry Townsend reveals her favourite no fuss, long flowering perennials. How a community in Dromore, County Down is determined to change the market town for the better with plants and Dawn Isaac on ways to get the kids into the garden during the holidays. David is joined in studio by expert, Anna Hudson to answer questions live and she’ll also have some jobs you can do this week no matter the weather! Email the programme at [email protected]

Kylemore Abbey in County Galway is an iconic image of Ireland. Built originally as a private home in the 19th century, it later became a Benedictine monastery, and today it attracts half a million visitors annually. Alongside the impressive granite castle sits a six acre Victorian walled garden which was once considered the ‘Kew Gardens’ of Connemara, boasting over 20 heated glasshouses. David Maxwell explores the garden with Head Gardener Anja Gohlke. Also on the programme, organic vegetable grower Klaus Laitenberger reveals his latest project to create a garden with 100 edible plants. David finds Klaus on a piece a land he had purchased on the wild Atlantic way near Achill Island in County Mayo. Oliver Shurmann reveals his perennial of the month, and David is joined in studio by gardener Mary Doris. Email the programme at [email protected]

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presented by David Maxwell.

David Maxwell heads to a cottage garden on the Ards Peninsula created by a couple over the last 10 years. With their dream now a reality, they recently opened the garden for a month under the National Garden Scheme. In County Meath, David returns to Rosie Maye’s garden for the second part of a chat about her diverse collection of roses. Designer Johnny Knox joins David in studio to discuss creating cover in the garden when the showers keep coming and market gardener Charles Dowding says no to digging and yes to composting. Ann Fitzsimmons will also join David in studio to answer questions live.

In this special programme, Gardeners’ Corner celebrates those who have passed on their passion for plants: from the parent with cuttings on the windowsill, to the high profile gardeners who have inspired through writing and broadcasting. David Maxwell hears touching listeners’ stories and heads to two gardens that have inspired millions. Firstly, to the garden of the late Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter where he meets head gardener Fergus Garrett who continues to inspire the next generation of gardeners, and then to Barnsdale which was the home of the late Geoff Hamilton and played host to the BBC Gardeners’ World cameras for 17 years. Geoff’s son Nick reveals how well his dad’s gardens have fared three decades on and how they are still used today to teach and inspire.

This week, David Maxwell visits Rosie Maye, also known as the Insomniac Gardener, and discovers her passion for roses. June sees a kaleidoscope of colour in the borders of her rural garden near Slane in County Meath. She explains how plenty of feeding and a seaweed spray keep the roses in tip top condition. A few miles down the road, at the Frances Ledwidge Museum, David meets someone who has visited more gardens than him! In fact Shirley Lanigan visited 375 in order to compile the latest edition of “The Open Gardens of Ireland”. In east Belfast a new garden has been recently unveiled at a supported living facility for the elderly. The garden at Bell Rotary House is both practical and fun. Niki Molly from Abbeyfield Belfast who runs the facility and designer Anita Houston give David a tour of the transformed outdoor space. Claire McNally joins David in studio to answers listener questions. Contact the programme at [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner heads to Enniskillen as part of the BBC ‘Comes to Town’ roadshows marking 100 years of broadcasting in Northern Ireland. David Maxwell hosts the programme from the Killyhevlin hotel on the banks of Lough Erne where he is joined by a live audience and garden expert Brendan Little. County Fermanagh gets its fair share of rain with about a metre a year and the first question from the audience is; what plants don’t mind having their feet in water for half the year! Other questions include, favourite climbing and rambling roses, and plants you couldn’t live without. Also in the programme, David visits the Aughentaine estate near Fivemiletown where he meets owner James Hamilton-Stubber and head gardener Ian Marshall and a cottage garden near Florence Court created over 40 years by a former teacher passionate about plants. Contact the programme – [email protected]

Despite unseasonably cold weather, David samples the delights of early summer at Ballyrobert Cottage Garden where Maurice Parkinson has a large collection of that reliable perennial Astrantia. In west Belfast, he visits Bog Meadows where Ulster Wildlife have created a new garden. The build has transformed the entrance to the gardens and has proved to be great therapy for volunteer Kathy who lost her job last year. Amy Kelly reveals how you can grow a mini orchard on your patio and David catches up with some of those taking part in the Great Gardeners’ Corner Grow Along. In studio, Mary Doris brings the taste of summer with Elderflower cordial and she also uses the foraged flowers in jam and cupcakes. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With the RHS saying it’s been inundated with queries about tackling slugs this year, David Maxwell and his guests discuss the best way to combat the slimy invaders. At Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, Maurice Parkinson is restricting his raspberries from running so they can be put into an ornamental border and he discovers the dreaded sawfly on his redcurrants.

In north Belfast, David visits Women’s TEC where new gardening skills are being cultivated. Wildlife expert Katy Bell is in studio with pointers on what to look out for in the garden in early summer and Oliver Schurmann reveals his perennial of the month. David will also be joined by Ann Fitzsimmons to take questions live. Contact the programme on [email protected]

A special programme from Ireland’s biggest garden show; Bord Bia Bloom. David Maxwell will be joined by regular contributor Brendan Little for a live programme from Phoenix Park. He’ll meet designers, plant experts and he’ll visit some of the show gardens. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner visits the most talked about gardening event of the year; the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Presenter David Maxwell tours some of the main avenue show gardens including the gold medal winning National Garden Scheme’s garden by Tom Stuart-Smith and the Muscular Dystrophy UK garden by Ula Maria which took best in show. He also meets up with CAFRE Greenmount graduate, Anna McLaughlin, who has been working with the team who created the Stroke Association Garden. With celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Raymond Blanc, Prue Leith, Alex Jones and of course Alan Titchmarsh; David gets a sense of Press Day at the world famous event. Inside the Great Pavilion he speaks to experts on Delphiniums, Foxgloves and carnivorous plants and he finds Northern Irish florist Allison Hood who took silver gilt for her floristry display. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As summer weather arrives, David visits Cherry Townsend at Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee, where she has a brilliant collection of flowering plants that bridge the gap between spring and summer. Geums, Trollius, Aquilegia and Tellima are among the highlights in the borders. One of the biggest gardens in London is found across the river from Westminster behind the walls of Lambeth Palace. It’s the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury but the 10 acre garden is opening for the National Garden Scheme later this month and head gardener Lindsay Schuman gives David a sneak peek. Gordon Finch joins David in studio to talk about his fascination with ferns and restarting the local group of the British Pteridological society. Robot mowers have been gaining in popularity – producer Nicola chats about her experience with one she has nicknamed ‘Mervyn’. And Oliver Shurmann reveals his perennial of the month. In studio, Anna Hudson will be chatting about her veg patch at Ballywalter and she’ll take questions live in studio. Contact the programme [email protected]

This week on Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell heads to a garden with purpose at Musgrave Park Hospital in south Belfast. Its spinal centre has been gifted an outdoor space for patients and staff by the charity Horatio’s Garden. David Maxwell meets Matthew Lee who is in charge of the garden designed by Chelsea gold medal winning designer Andy Sturgeon. Also on the programme, gardening in pots all year round with Sarah Raven and why you shouldn’t cut your grass this month! Expert Claire McNally joins David in studio to answer questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

It may have been a wet start to the year outside, but inside our homes, it can be a desert for plants – especially if you forget to water! That’s perhaps why Cacti are the ultimate house plants and this week on Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell, Brendan Little reveals he’s inherited his dad’s obsession with these prickly plants. Also on the programme, daffodil enthusiasts from around the world arrive in Northern Ireland for the World Convention and David heads to a rare collection of shrubs and trees at the Bluebell Arboretum in Derbyshire. In studio, expert Ann Fitzsimmons will answer questions including one from a listener who has seen seed for sale for ‘blue’ marigolds – can it be true? Email the programme at [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner heads to Ballymena as part of the BBC ‘Comes to Town’ roadshows marking 100 years of broadcasting in Northern Ireland. In front of a live audience at Ballymena Library, David Maxwell and experts Reg Maxwell and Mary Doris take questions from novice and experienced gardeners who live near the County Antrim town. Also on the programme, David visits the nearby Britain in Bloom winning village of Cullybackey, and the allotments at Scullery O’Tullagh which volunteer Billy Millar describes as a place to nourish the body and the mind. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As the Easter break begins, Gardeners’ Corner has some easy ways to transform your garden space. David Maxwell is joined in studio by expert gardener Brendan Little who has suggestions on how an uninspiring front garden can be transformed into a low maintenance garden with interest and colour through the year. Also joining David is city gardener, Grace Loughrey, who knows how to transform the smallest of spaces with easy to find plants. Holidays are a great time to visit gardens and Kilmacurragh in south County Wicklow will be welcoming many this Easter weekend. The gardens are undergoing a major expansion programme and on this latest visit head gardener Seamus O’Brien gives David privileged access to some of the new areas under development and he also gets to see how the future of the Wollemia pine (once thought extinct) has now been secured. Also on the programme, the new trail at Belfast’s Botanic gardens dedicated to John Templeton sometimes called the ‘father of Irish botany’ and Huw Richards on his new book ‘The Self-Sufficiency Garden’. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week Gardeners’ Corner visits what must be one of most beautiful classrooms in the country – the walled garden at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Greenmount Campus in County Antrim. David Maxwell joins CAFRE’s Lori Hartman for a look around, as work begins to renovate some areas including the hot border and a brand new brick pergola. At Mount Venus nursery, in the hills above Dublin, Oliver Shurmann has some spring highlights and Colin Agnew introduces the new Templeton trail at Belfast’s Botanic gardens. In Killinchy, Anne Fitzsimmons is enjoying the spring heat in the polytunnel where she is sowing some perennials and she explains why it helps to pre-sprout your courgettes. In studio, Anna Hudson joins David to answer questions and provide some spring inspiration. Email the programme at [email protected]

While damp weather is making it tricky to get in to the garden there is still plenty to keep Dave and Jules Hardy busy at Esker Farm Daffodils. Since David’s last visit the county Tyrone couple have added a large garden area which shows how the daffodils can be grown in mixed borders. Amy Kelly kicks off the Great Gardeners’ Corner Grow Along by sowing Beetroot, Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas. In Dublin, Oliver Shurmann picks some seasonal highlights at Mount Venus nursery and friend of the programme Jekka McVicar joins David to chat about her new book ‘100 Herbs to Grow’. Also on the show, Claire McNally is in studio to answer questions and suggest some garden jobs for the St Patrick’s weekend. Contact the programme on [email protected].

This week, David Maxwell visits Brendan Little in his garden on the shores of Mulroy Bay in county Donegal. What was once a formal lawn is now covered in naturalised spring flowering bulbs. Brendan explains how he hopes to extend this riot of colour into late spring and summer – something he hopes will mean he won’t need to get the mower out until September! The propagating operation at Mount Stewart is ramping up as part of a new 3 year project. After a career in publishing, Jacky Hawkes is leading a team which is producing hundreds of plants for the garden and the sales area. Oliver Shurmann chooses Omphalodes cappadocica as his perennial of the month and Mary Doris joins David in studio to answer questions, explore the uses of wild garlic and plant up a spring container. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As Spring officially begins, David Maxwell heads to Jimi Blake’s Hunting Brook Garden in the hills of County Wicklow where he has brand new borders in mind. At the National Trust’s Mount Stewart, work begins on a tree nursery that will produce 600,000 trees a year and gardener Archie Parke retires after five decades of service in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens. In studio, Cherry Townsend will take questions and provide some spring inspiration and wildlife Katy Bell on what to look out for in your garden this spring. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Two years to the day since the war in Ukraine began, presenter David Maxwell hears the powerful story of how a garden has helped one family close the front line survive. Alla Olkhovska has been harvesting and selling seeds of rare clematis found in her grandmother’s garden in Kharkiv. She also wrote her first book about these beautiful climbers in the basement during the initial bombardment. David finds out what it’s been like to look after this precious space with the sound of birds sometimes drowned out by sirens and bombing. Also on the programme, the launch of the Great Gardeners’ Corner Grow Along where listeners’ will be asked to join the team in growing some veg not available in the shops and Maurice Parkinson on last minute preparations in the flower borders for the season ahead. Ann Fitzsimmons will join David in studio to take live questions. Contact [email protected]

In this week’s programme, David heads to the Green Spaces Community Growing Project near Warrenpoint where the volunteers are getting the garden ready for the season ahead. He finds out what attracts people to community gardening. In County Sligo, Lissadell House and gardens occupy a breath taking location. Immortalised in a poem by Yeats, work has been going on for the last 20 years to restore the gardens and plant hundreds of trees in this windswept location. Oliver Shurmann chooses Pachyphragma macrophyllum as his perennial of month. In studio, David is joined by Reg Maxwell and Claire McNally who will take questions live and provide some seasonal gardening inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected]

How can plants help solve serious crimes? In this week’s Gardeners’ Corner David Maxwell meets the forensic experts that use plants to give them clues. National hedgehog day fell this week – apparently a Roman precursor to ‘Groundhog day’ and with these small mammals still on the red list, wildlife expert Debbie Nelson brings Holly the Hedgehog into studio to explain what gardeners can do for them. Legendary plantsman Jan Ravensberg chats to David about a lifetime with plants and social media sensation ‘Anya the Garden Fairy’ (aka Anya Lautenbach) on her new book ‘The Money Saving Gardener’. David is also joined in studio by expert Anna Hudson who will answer questions and give a how-to on sowing tomato seeds. Contact the programme on [email protected]

After a week of storms, David heads to the gardens at Hillsborough Castle where Claire Woods is surveying the trees for damage. Claire explains that their approach is to leave as much of the wood as possible in situ as it supports all kinds of life. In the first of a new series, Oliver Shurmann reveals his perennial of the month which is Hepatica nobilis – a flower he first encountered as a child in Germany. Grace Loughrey has a small yard garden at her house off Belfast’s Ormeau Road where she also grows many houseplants. She’s in studio with a guide on how to make them thrive. Also on the programme, David chats to Seamus O’Brien (Kilmacurragh) and Alex Slazenger (Powerscourt) from the cloud forest near the Uganda/Congo border where they are part of an expedition searching for giant Lobelia and David is joined in studio by Mary Doris who will answer questions live. Contact the programme - [email protected]

What happens to our gardens when it snows? This week David Maxwell heads to Downhill Demesne on Antrim’s north coast to see how a blanket of white transforms how we experience the garden. He also chats to Una Quinn about her plans for the Bog Garden there in 2024. Along the coast in an equally cold Ballyvoy, Conrad McCormick is protecting his tender plants as the mercury drops and on the shores of Strangford Lough, Amy Kelly is able to harvest veg from her allotment despite it being midwinter. Expert Claire McNally will join David in studio to take live questions including one from a listener with rusty leeks and another who is growing peppers indoors through the colder months. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With another new year stretching out ahead, David Maxwell is joined in studio by Brendan Little for the first live programme of 2024. They’ll be chatting about preparing for the year ahead and what’s looking (or smelling) good in the garden in January. Also on the programme, David heads to Rowallane Gardens in Saintfield where Claire McNally is pruning roses, Ann Fitzsimmons is considering building a fruit cage in her County Down garden this year and Philip Stewart in Magherafelt is turning what was a tropical themed border into a feast for the eyes through the coldest months. Contact the programme by email - [email protected]

In the garden we are often thinking of the seasons to come, but it can also be useful to look back and take stock at the start of a new year. This week, David Maxwell leads us through the seasons with Gardeners’ Corner, from a huge snowdrop collection at Altamont Gardens in County Carlow to the quiet retreat for a Limavady gardener who’s been living with cancer. From the razzmatazz of garden shows in Antrim, London and Dublin to the serenity of a poet’s garden in County Laois. Join David for Gardeners’ Corner: Season by Season. [email protected]

Join David Maxwell and the gardening gang for a festive fireside chat at Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee. With home grown and handmade seasonal treats, four experts brave the winter weather for a fun filled Christmas get together. Ann Fitzsimmons and Mary Doris use fresh garden herbs and Christmas leftovers for a fuss free holiday meal, while Brendan Little and Cherry Townsend tour the gardens picking foliage for some last minute Christmas decoration. Also on the programme; Una Quinn introduces us to a Sweet Chestnut tree on the north coast which may have found its way to Castlerock because of the Spanish Armada, Amy Kelly on gifts to buy the gardener in your life and no prizes for guessing Jekka McVicar’s herb of the month for December!

With the leaves gone it’s all about colourful stem colour on Gardeners’ Corner this week. David meets artist Heather McDermott who loves willow more than any other plant and works with it every day. She thinks more of us should have our own ‘Salley’ gardens so we have this useful crop which can be used to make free plant supports and fences. Also on the programme, how a handful of soil has more life in it than there are people on the planet and celebrating Garvagh man Andrew McClarty who has been using gardening to raise funds for charity for 25 years. Ann Fitzsimmons will join David live in studio to answer questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With daylight at a premium the work goes on in two stand-out gardens visited by Gardeners’ Corner this week. At Musgrave Park Hospital in South Belfast, the charity Horatio’s Garden is creating a garden for spinal injury patients designed by Chelsea gold medal winning designer Andy Sturgeon. Helen Mark meets the new head gardener there and chats to Andy about this ‘high maintenance’ space. At Glenarm Castle the Walled Garden has recently been named Historic Houses 2023 Garden of the Year. The gardeners there are forcing daffodils for flowers at Christmas, sowing seeds and overhauling the hot border. In studio David is joined by gardener Claire McNally and wildlife expert Katy Bell who will be offering some advice on wildlife in the winter garden. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With a wintry feel in the air, David Maxwell is joined in studio by experts Anna Hudson and Reg Maxwell to offer some gardening inspiration for colder days. The team will be taking questions on among other things the challenges of Christmas Cactus, and why one listener’s winter display of cyclamen is wilting. Also on the programme, David heads to a Jurassic world in County Kerry where Australian tree ferns have naturalised. At the Greenmount campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise they are growing pink, white and orange Poinsettias alongside the traditional red ones. Anna has been harvesting some perennial veg you might not of heard of which David will be sampling on air. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As Autumn gives way to Winter, David Maxwell visits the Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park. Keeper of the Gardens, John Anderson shows David the national collection of Mahonia which are lighting up the garden with their bright yellow flowers. A listener gives some tips on preventing newly planted spring bulbs becoming a tasty snack for garden wildlife. Jekka McVicar chooses Mint as her penultimate ‘Herb of the Month’ and Klaus Laitenberger takes David foraging in County Leitrim. Expert Ann Fitzsimmons joins David in studio to answer questions and provide some late Autumn garden inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week, David heads to Rowallane where Claire McNally picks some highlights including Mahonia and reveals her quest to find a ‘not so tart’ berry from the plant sometimes known as the Oregon Grape. David joins Klaus Laitenberger at the community garden in Bundoran where he’s pruning the blackcurrants. Frank McCooke from Slemish market garden gives practical tips on planting garlic for spring. Reg Maxwell gets planting for a Christmas display - yes there's still time!

Contact the programme anytime on [email protected]

In this November highlights programme, David Maxwell is joined in studio by expert Brendan Little. Celebrating the season of golden colour, Brendan gives advice on planting with birds in mind and getting new saplings for free. November is the perfect time to plant bulbs and that’s what Claire Woods is doing when David Maxwell visits her at Hillsborough Castle. Then it’s off to the RSPB’s Belfast Wow where Tim McCann has lots of tips on getting garden birds through the worst of winter. Also on the programme, Mary Doris on her favourite plants for winter interest while Sarah Raven gives a masterclass on growing, and caring for, tulips. Get in touch by email – [email protected]

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presented by David Maxwell.

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

‘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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected]

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. [email protected]

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: [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 home to find some of the gardens on the Donegal Garden Trail. He chooses Greenfort as his favourite which enjoys stunning views of Lough Swilly and uses shrubs to create year round interest and a low maintenance garden. Contact the programme on [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 - [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 - [email protected]

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 [email protected]

Gardeners Corner takes questions from Gardeners’ at the Balmoral Show 2023. David Maxwell is joined by experts Claire McNally and Ann Fitzsimmons. Questions from the audience include plants for a shady exposed back garden and when to fertilise daffodils. Also on the programme, David visits a flower farm in Magherafelt, a guide to fertilisers and why alliums should steal the show in your garden in May. Email the programme on [email protected].

In this Gardeners’ Corner special to mark the coronation, presenter David Maxwell travels to the private garden of King Charles III in Gloucestershire. He’s shown around by Derry man, Brian Corr who learnt his gardening trade in Northern Ireland before becoming Head of Gardens at the King's Highgrove Estate. David explores the different areas of this organic garden which the King has been hands on in developing since he bought the property as Prince of Wales in 1980. Now under the stewardship of the Prince’s Foundation charity, David finds out how the estate is being opened up to the public and used as a showcase for traditional skills and crafts. And he chats to Royal florist Shane Connolly who shares the King’s passion for sustainability and is providing the floral backdrop for the coronation.

How much do you think about your garden after dark? In this programme presenter David Maxwell meets Jo Mulholland who’s mad about moths. He finds out about their decline and what gardeners can do to help these often underrated pollinators. Mary Doris has tips on how to look after spring flowering bulbs to make sure they perform next year and John Gault gives a masterclass in rhododendron care from his 9 decades of experience. Also on the programme, BBC Radio 2’s Liza Tarbuck on her love of gardening and Ciaran Mulholland will join David in studio to answer questions. Email the programme on [email protected]

With two weeks until the coronation, David visits a garden under construction to mark the event. Diarmuid Gavin’s bold design for The King’s Coronation garden will soon be an eye catching attraction at Hazelbank Park on the shores of Belfast Lough. Among those helping to get the garden finished on time are some students from CAFRE’s Greenmount campus. Also on the programme, Helen Mark visits the National Trust’s Florence Court where Ian Marshall and his volunteers are busy planting broad beans and potatoes in the kitchen garden. Jekka McVicar reveals her favourite herb for April and Reg Maxwell joins David in studio to answer questions and provide some seasonal inspiration for the gardener at home. Contact the programme – [email protected] . Email the programme on [email protected]

David visits Jekka’s herb farm near Bristol on its first open day of the season where Jekka McVicar shows him around the new herb garden. In Hillsborough, as the spring spectacular gets underway, Claire Woods reveals how even the professionals have nature to contend with sometimes and Montalto Estate near Ballynahinch launches its Lost Garden. In studio, Ann Fitzsimmons will join David with some Easter gardening inspiration and take questions live. Email the programme on [email protected]

In this Gardeners’ Corner special, live from Fairview Primary School, David Maxwell joins the children, parents and teachers at Fairview Primary School in Ballyclare. In collaboration with the Education team at BBC Northern Ireland, the programme showcases some of the great gardening taking place in schools across Northern Ireland. Experts Claire McNally and Brendan Little will be on hand to offer some guidance on planting for pollinators, looking after a wildlife pond and woodland planting. The Education team will also launch their school gardening wall planner which schools can get free by emailing [email protected] Email the programme on [email protected]

How do you garden for gorillas? David meets the man who was in charge of planting at Dublin Zoo for four decades. Stephen Butler explains how the plants enhance the environment for the animals and give a sense of their natural habitat. At Ballywalter, Anna Hudson is building walls out of logs – an attractive feature in any garden and great for wild life. In Greyabbey, on the Ards Peninsula, there is a secret garden called Greba – David meets up with owners Richard and Beverley to find out how they have transformed a disused quarry into a place of beauty. In studio Claire McNally and Mary Doris answer questions and have some gardening related ideas for Mothers’ day. Email the programme on [email protected]

David Maxwell heads to Rosie Maye’s garden in Slane, County Meath where she has an enviable collection of hellebores. From named varieties to self-sown seedlings, they are the stars of the show in March. In Ballywalter, Anna Hudson is preparing veg beds in the glasshouses using homemade compost and digestate, a by-product of anaerobic digestion. Jekka McVicar reveals her herb of the month and Cherry Townsend joins David live in studio to answer questions.

At Mount Venus Nursery in the Dublin hills David Maxwell meets owner Oliver Schurmann whose enthusiasm for plants can be traced back to a local farmer giving him a handful of seeds. He still retains that childlike wonder as he tends to walled garden which blends seamlessly with the nursery full of both common and unusual plants. Mary Doris has tips on creating a garden that appeals to all the senses. In Belfast the council want to prepare the city for the changing climate by growing more and different kinds of trees. David meets up with Senior Woodland Officer Alan McHaffie who explains how those within the city limits can play a part. Contact the programme on [email protected]

David Maxwell heads to Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow where 3000 roses are being planted in the Italian garden. Head gardener, Alex Slazenger introduces David to some of the winter highlights in a garden for all seasons. In Hazelbank Park on the north shore of Belfast Lough, Diarmuid Gavin is starting work on a garden to mark the coronation. Mary Doris has tips of creating garden for all the senses and award winning author Eoghan Daltun on the need to let nature in. Brendan Little joins David live in studio to take questions and to give tips for the week. [email protected]

As the Snowdrops reach their peak David Maxwell heads to one of the biggest collections in the country at Altamont Gardens in County Carlow. The collection started by Corona North has been maintained and increased since she left Altamont to the state in 1999. David meets Robert Miller, a resident ‘Galanthophile’ who introduces him to both rare and run of mill snowdrops. In Wicklow, David visits Jimi Blake at his Hunting Brook garden where the early spring show is on and Jekka McVicar reveals her herb for February. Also on the programme Cherry Townsend is live in studio to answer questions and suggest some jobs for half term including planting summer bulbs. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week David Maxwell heads through the Glens of Antrim to Glenmona House in Cushendun. The 19th century house, owned by the National Trust, is getting a new lease of life. David meets gardener, Una Quinn, who wants to make the grounds both flamboyant and practical. At Ann Fitzsimmon’s garden in Killinchy, she is taming two thugs; a fig tree that has got out of hand and bamboo that was threatening to come into the house. Also on the programme, what poison plants are lurking in your garden and should we give moss another chance? Claire Woods joins David in studio with seasonal inspiration and jobs for the week. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Gardener’s Corner focuses on the North West with visits to the walled garden at Oakfield Park in Raphoe. Estate manager David Fisher sets the scene and Head gardener Wendy Bridgett gives presenter David Maxwell a tour of the 18th century walled garden. In Derry, David visits an award winning community garden between the city’s walls and The Fountain estate. Alan Warke explains how the space has benefited young people and the community as a whole. Also on the programme, dramatic change at The Playhouse theatre which is going to install a zero waste garden – Helen Mark sees the plans and Gareth Austin will join David in studio to answer questions and offer some seasonal inspiration. Contact the programme – [email protected]

In this week’s programme David Maxwell heads to a frozen Florence Court and takes refuge in the brand new glass houses in the 1930s kitchen garden. Ian Marshall explains how they have recreated the original greenhouses and added a 21st century twist. Also on the programme, in windy Ballyrobert Maurice Parkinson is planting wild foxgloves. He says they are an ideal free plant in any garden because they self-seed and provide valuable nectar for bees. Indoors, Mary Doris has some tips on caring for house plants and some easy options for the less green fingered. David is joined in studio by Claire McNally to take questions from listeners live. Contact the programme on [email protected]

This week David finds out more about the ultimate easy to grow plant – the peony. Grower Alec White explains why he gave up a career in law when he fell in love with their brilliant blooms and why they are a worthwhile investment, lasting over 50 years in the garden. Also on the programme, James Shippen on the biomechanics of digging and Jekka McVicar reveals the first of her herbs of the month. In studio Cherry Townsend will join David to answer questions and provide some winter gardening inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected]

In the first programme of 2023 David visits the Montalto Estate’s Winter garden where new head gardener Lesley Heron points out some of her favourite plants for winter interest. In Newcastle, David finds out about the work of the Ark Community Garden, a Christian charity working with vulnerable adults to produce veg for the local community. And it might be mid-winter but Gardeners’ Corner gets a taste of summer by speaking to Alice Notten at Kirstenbosch gardens near Cape Town about some favourite South African plants. Also on the programme, Brendan Little joins David live in studio to answers questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As one year gives way to another, David Maxwell looks back at the gardening year of 2022 including; a visit to Gravetye Manor in Sussex - the home of the influential Victorian Irish gardener William Robinson, Bloom in Dublin and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. In Randalstown, David witnesses the transformation of a viaduct into a unique garden space funded by the RHS and at Airfield Estate in Dundrum preparations are underway for the totally terrific tomato festival. Mary Keenan explains how Gash Gardens was created out of her dad’s dairy farm and David returns to see the transformation of Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow. Also on the programme, a selection of some of the best weekly advice from the Gardeners’ Corner experts.

Ahead of the Christmas Day celebrations, David Maxwell and the gardening experts get together for a festive fireside chat. Ann Fitzsimmons plays host at her Killinchy garden set amidst the County Down drumlins. Also joining in, for hot chocolate and Mexican molé muffins (with home grown chillies!) are Brendan Little and Cherry Townsend. The gardening gurus show how the garden can play its part providing both decoration and food for Christmas table. There’s no partridge but Amy Kelly knows all about pear trees and Claire McNally will pick her highlights from Rowallane Gardens on Christmas Eve.

With one week until Christmas Eve, join David Maxwell and experts for some seasonal gardening inspiration. Renowned herb expert Jekka McVicar reveals what she’ll be using from the garden and Christmas and homemade remedies for sore throats! Klaus Laitenberger has more lesser known seeds up his sleeve, including poppy seeds for use in baking. At Nettlefield Primary School, it’s all go at the new school garden and in the studio David is joined by Claire Woods who knows all there is to know about getting the best out of your Christmas poinsettia. Contact the programme – [email protected]

As the chill of winter bites, David is joined in studio by Ann Fitzsimmons for some timely advice on protecting the garden when the mercury falls. One listener wants advice on ‘Old Man’s Beard’ but this one isn’t wearing a red suit. From Greenmount college to New Jersey – David Wilson on the joy of his horticultural career. At Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, Maurice Parkinson is clearing away the remnants of last season’s growth and putting some of it to good use for wildlife and Tony Kirkham reveals his final ‘Tree of the Month’. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With the festive season in sight David heads to a Christmas tree farm to see some of the most popular varieties and find out how to look after living trees during the festivities. In Killinchy, Ann Fitzsimmons is planting Christmas Box and species tulips that will perform year after year. Johnny Knox gives David some winter garden design advice and Claire McNally is taking questions live and a listener reveals the results of his fermented nettle experiment! Contact the programme on [email protected]

As winter approaches, Helen Mark heads to Drenagh Gardens near Limavady where Conelley McCausland has set about restoring the vast walled garden and extensive grounds which had almost disappeared under the invasion of bamboo. Also on the programme, a visit to Ciaran Mulholland’s garden at the foot of Slemish where he’s growing a ready supply of winter veg. In studio, Reg Maxwell joins Helen to take questions live and Tony Kirkham reveals his tree of the month for November.

This week, David visits the gardens at Glenarm Castle where Neil Porteous is making the best of late autumn sunshine to prepare for next year. From heeling in rhododendrons, to starting perennials from seed, there is a long list to get through before winter sets in. At Rowallane Gardens near Saintfield, Claire McNally picks some highlights including Mahonia and reveals her quest to find a ‘not so tart’ berry from the plant sometimes known as the Oregon Grape. Also on the programme, Mary Doris on her favourite plants for winter interest, Tony Kirkham’s ‘Tree of the Month’ for November and Claire Woods joins David live in studio to take questions and offer autumn inspiration. [email protected]

November is the perfect time to plant tulip bulbs and that’s what Claire Woods is doing when David Maxwell visits her at Hillsborough Castle. Then it’s off to the RSPB’s Belfast Wow where Tim McCann has lots of tips on getting garden birds through the worst of winter. With the new season of The Crown due to start on Netflix, David chats to the Duchess of Rutland whose home and garden stands in for Windsor Castle in the series. Also on the programme, Emma McIlveen heads to Augher Central Primary School where the school garden has been transformed with help from the BBC’s Little Green Fingers project and Brendan Little joins David in studio to take live questions. Email the programme on [email protected]

As the Halloween half term begins, David Maxwell visits a pumpkin patch in the Orchard county. Brian Hutchinson has been growing the gourds for a decade and knows what they need to thrive. Also on the programme, a visit to Mount Stewart where head gardener Mike Buffin is making plans t0 revamp the lily wood and Tony Kirkham will reveal his tree of the month for October. In studio, David is joined by Reg Maxwell who will take questions live and suggest some activities for kids in the garden over the half term break. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With Autumn colour all around, Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell celebrates the wonder of trees. At CAFRE’s Greenmount campus, the first of the Hiroshima survivor trees grown by staff and students is planted out. In County Laois, David is back at Gash Gardens where Mary Keenan has an impressive Katsura tree, also known as the candyfloss tree because of the smell given off by its dying leaves. In County Antrim, Duneane Primary have a school garden full of trees but its autumn containers the pupils are planting to keep up their reputation as a ‘Best Kept’ school and Tony Kirkham will reveal his tree of the month. Also on the programme, Claire McNally will be live in studio with David to answer questions from the Gardeners’ Corner mailbox. Email [email protected]

Some plants leave their best show until last and this week David heads to County Laois to find spectacular autumn colour at Gash Gardens. Mary Keenan describes how her family’s dairy farm has been transformed into beautiful gardens with standout plants like the Spindle stealing the autumn show. In Omagh, David visits the Sow and Grow Project at the Ulster American Folk Park. It’s run by the Leonard Cheshire trust which supports those with disabilities. Amy Kelly introduces the uncommon Quince and Ann Fitzsimmons joins David in studio to answer gardening questions live.

David heads to the annual symposium at Kells Bay gardens in County Kerry which attracts top horticulturalists from across the country. John Anderson from Windsor Castle gardens is planning for the future with climate change in mind. Alasdair Moore from the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall is championing the health benefits of heritage fruit. Also on the programme, Averil Milligan joins David to tackle listeners’ questions and Maurice Parkinson tames a rambling rose. Contact the programme on [email protected]

In this week’s programme David visits the Killyleagh garden that was never meant to be. Janie Metcalf wanted land around a house for horses, her late husband loved trees, but over the years she was bitten by the gardening bug and now has an enviable collection of plants that thrive on her thin dry soil. Among her favourites are the grasses which are stealing the autumn show. At Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, Maurice Parkinson explains how to improve native hedgerows for wildlife. Also on the programme, Cherry Townsend is taking questions and among her ‘jobs for the week’ is making rose hip syrup. Contact the programme on [email protected]

We often think about planting bulbs at this time of year for a colourful spring display but what about the bulbs that are flowering right now? In this week’s Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell visits Ballyrobert Cottage Garden where there is a fine selection of Colchicums, Hesperanta, Crocosmia and Cyclamen putting on a dazzling autumn show. In Islandmagee, he finds Cherry Townsend harvesting seed that will make free plants for next years garden and he chats to Mr No Dig aka Charles Dowding about the benefits of undisturbed soil when it comes to drainage, weed growth and crop yields. In studio David is joined by expert Claire Woods who will be answering listener questions live. Contac the programme by email – [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner looks at the life of Queen Elizabeth II through the lens of all things gardening. David Maxwell chats to those who met her at great gardening events, he visits Northern Ireland’s official royal residence at Hillsborough and explores what her favourite flower, Lily of the Valley, says about her. Also on the programme, Cherry Townsend tells David why sowing now can save you money and get next year’s garden off to a good start.

How can you garden if you only have a yard? The answer is to garden on the vertical! This week, presenter David Maxwell chats to Ann Fitzsimmons about her new living wall. She maintains it with a fork and spoon from the cutlery drawer and manages to grow both flowers and herbs. In Magherafelt David meets the youngest competitor in the Garden of the Year TV series on Channel 4. Just how has 28 year old Philip Stewart created a top class cottage garden while holding down a full time job? Also on the programme, a return to Airfield Estate where Colm O’Driscoll says a simple low maintenance border can be created with just three plants and expert Claire McNally will be in studio to take questions live. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Just a few minutes walk from Ireland’s largest shopping centre, a garden provides a quiet place in the city. A haven for wildlife and place to learn about our food, Airfield Estate in Dundrum was left in trust to the people of Ireland by trailblazing sisters Letitia and Naomi Overend. They understood the importance of people self sufficient and sustainable, an ethos that continues today under head gardener Colm O’Driscoll. In this programme, David Maxwell has a tour with Colm and finds about the Totally Terrific Tomato festival. Also in the programme, David finds out from expert grower Charles Holmes what makes the perfect Dahlia and he chats to wildlife gardener Kate Bradbury about her new book encouraging us all to plant a tree for the planet. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With late summer approaching David is joined in studio by Reg Maxwell to take questions on everything from sickly tomatoes to Oh la la clematis. He finds out about the Old Mill garden in Helen’s Bay which is being lovingly restored alongside an abandoned walled garden and Tony Kirkham picks his top tree for August. Contact the programme on [email protected]

Allotments across the country are burst with flowers and produce right now and in National Allotments Week, Gardeners’ Corner visits two. David Maxwell heads to Ards where Amy Kelly has her plot. He also meets some of her neighbours who grow Willow for weaving and exotic crops like the African Horned Melon. In the north west, Helen Mark visits Ballymagowan community allotments which as well as producing healthy fruit and veg, is also a sanctuary for some. In studio, Ciaran Mulholland will bring his fruit and veg growing expertise and organic gardener Klaus Laitenberger will join David from somewhere in Europe as he takes the long road home to Ireland from his epic vegetable odyssey. Contact the programme via email – [email protected]

At the end of a week of record temperatures, David Maxwell chats to Ann Fitzsimmons about making our gardens more resilient. David also visits the Ravine project at Knockbracken Healthcare Park which gives horticultural opportunities to young adults facing mental health difficulties. In Killinchy, Lesley Simpson and Moira Concannon have been gardening together as neighbours for decades – so just what makes this perfect partnership work? And in Stoneyford, David meets Joy Gordon who has transformed her outside space into a place to remember her husband who was tragically killed in a car accident 2 years ago.

David Maxwell visits Ireland’s largest gardening festival in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. At Bord Bia Bloom he’ll meet designers, growers and tour some of the 19 show gardens. Also on the programme, David finds out what’s happening in the gardens at Hillsborough Castle to mark the jubilee and what exactly is the ‘tree of trees’. Garden expert Ann Fitzsimmons will be in studio to answers questions and she’ll be planting up a platinum planter. Contact the programme on [email protected]

David Maxwell brings highlights from the Show Gardens to the new All About Plants gardens

Can weeds be useful? This week David Maxwell meets Becky Cole at Broughgammon Farm near Ballycastle. She considers some weeds free food and uses others for their useful herbal properties. Down in Slane, County Meath, Rosie Maye has a selection of attractive plants that can give those problem weeds a run for the money - Lamium, Lady’s Mantle, Euphorbia robbiae are top of the list. Also on the programme, Helen Mark visits the historic Drenagh Estate in Limavady where the gardens are being tamed after decades as a jungle and the Chelsea designer who is creating a ‘high maintenance’ garden for spinal patients in Belfast. Contact the programme on [email protected]

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presented by Helen Mark.

A childhood fantasy has become a reality for Rosie Maye who has spent 20 years transforming the three acres around her home near Slane in county Meath. Without any formal training Rosie aka The Insomniac Gardener on social media, has created a woodland garden, an ornamental meadow and a Mediterranean courtyard among the ruins of old farm buildings. In this week’s programme, David Maxwell finds out how she filled the space with year round colour without breaking the bank. Also on the programme, how a group of women in north Belfast have transformed unused parking spaces into an urban oasis and what’s going on at Ards allotments in National Gardening Week. All that and the experts will be taking questions live. Contact the programme on [email protected]

A special Gardeners’ Corner from Garden Show Ireland 2022 in the grounds of Antrim Castle Gardens. David Maxwell will be joined by Diarmuid Gavin, Klaus Laitenberger, Cherry Townsend and Ann Fitzsimmons who will take questions from an invited audience. Also on the programme, as the big reveal of Randalstown’s RHS funded community garden approaches, David gets a sneak peak at a unique garden on a viaduct. [email protected]

William Robinson started life as a garden boy in Ireland but went on the become one of the most famous gardeners of all time. His ‘wild gardening’ style is still widely referenced today and in this special programme presenter David Maxwell is joined by Donegal gardener Brendan Little to explore Robinson’s life and legacy. At Gravetye Manor, Robinson’s home in Sussex, they meet head gardener Tom Coward who has brought the gardens back to life following a period of neglect. Robinson expert, Judith Nesbitt, describes his character and the mystery surrounding his early years. Also on the programme, a visit to the home and garden of Robinson’s friend of 50 years, the prominent Victorian gardener, Gertrude Jekyll and David takes Brendan on a trip down memory lane on a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Tune into BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner this Saturday morning when Helen Mark finds out what seasonal tasks are being done on some coastal allotments, Amy Kelly looks for to the transformation to come in her garden and a very special community garden gets the royal seal of approval.

Have you ever heard of onions that can walk? David Maxwell finds out all about them from organic grower Klaus Laitenberger. April showers bring plenty of growth in the garden including to plants often considered weeds, but wild garlic and nettles can also provide a tasty lunch as David finds out when he pops in with Ann Fitzsimmons. Also on the programme, garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost on his new book and the ‘King of Trees’ Tony Kirkham opts for a Cherry as his tree for April. David will also be joined by Claire Woods and Brendan Little who will take on gardening questions live – [email protected]

David meets Omagh man Brian Duncan who has been breeding daffodils since the 1960s and has been awarded one of horticulture’s greatest honours. He becomes one of only 63 people who can wear the Victoria Medal of Honour. Also on the programme, why Erodiums or Stork’s bills deserve a place in your garden. And a visit to the Folk Museum where Irish Garden Plant Society members are doing what they can to create a living museum and a refuge for endangered Irish plants. All that and the experts will be taking questions live – [email protected]

Have you ever heard of a mechanical garden? Well Antrim is getting Northern Ireland’s first, and this week David Maxwell chats to designer Diarmuid Gavin about his plans for the space. It’s being created to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee and the return of Garden Show Ireland. Also on the programme, Klaus Laitenberger on the tempting taste of home-grown tomatoes and Cherry Townsend on the importance of planning ahead with pots of bulbs. David will also be putting questions to the experts including why one listener’s orange crocuses keep vanishing. Get in touch by email – [email protected]

David Maxwell heads to Bundoran on St Patrick’s day where organic gardener Klaus Laitenberger is planting potatoes ‘Leitrim style’. He demonstrates his old Irish method of covering the seed potatoes with freshly dug turfs, showing how an area of lawn could easily provide a crop of spuds this season. Also on the programme, with seed sowing gathering pace in the garden, Amy Kelly explains why it makes sense to try heritage and heirloom varieties. They may have fallen out of favour with the supermarkets, but she says their taste, and the fact that you can save seed for next year, make them a good value choice. David visits Augher Central Primary School as part of the BBC’s ‘Little Green Fingers’ project. Teachers, pupils, volunteers there are transforming a neglected school garden into a wildlife haven and outdoor learning area. And how do you tell if that old packet of seeds at the back of the drawer is worth sowing?

In this week’s programme, David Maxwell travels to the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh in county Wicklow. The country cousin of the gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin, Kilmacurragh covers over 100 acres and enjoys a mild maritime climate where rhododendrons and Chilean exotics flourish. David walks through the crocus lawn with head gardener Seamus O’Brien and gets a sneak peak behind the scenes at a newly acquired historic walled garden. Also on the programme, Tony Kirkham chooses Arbutus unedo, also known as the strawberry tree, as his ‘tree of the month’ and Ciaran Mulholland is pruning trees at his garden at the foot of Slemish mountain in county Antrim. David will also be putting questions from listeners to expert Brendan Little including how much wheat you need to grow to produce a home grown loaf.

David explores a secret walled garden close to Belfast where globe artichokes are on the menu. Hidden Huntley is one of the 19th century ‘linen houses’ of Lagan Valley and it’s been home to Antonia Malcolm’s family since the 1920s. But there is trouble in paradise as Box blight has wiped out an important element of the gardens structure. Still, there is more than enough soft fruit to go around and rhubarb is being ‘forced’ – David finds out what difference it makes. Also on the programme, a visit to Ciaran Mulholland’s garden at the foot of Slemish where he’s dividing snowdrops ‘in the green’, work continues at Glenarm on the new woodland garden and meet the robots that garden. Get in touch with the experts on [email protected]

With more demand for space to build, gardens are getting smaller. In fact, owning a garden is just a dream for many younger people. This week, David Maxwell and the team will explore the options for those with no piece of earth to call their own. How can those with more than they need (or more than they can look after) make land available to those without. David chats to a Belfast born entrepreneur who’s developed an online platform where garden space can be rented out to those who want to grow their own food but don’t have a garden. Also on the programme, RHS Wisley curator, Matthew Pottage on making the most of the garden if you are renting your home and for those who have to garden indoors, some must have houseplants from Danae Diaz. Questions for the panel to [email protected]

At the start of the half term school holidays, David and his experts have ideas to keep the kids busy in the garden. It’s the perfect time to plant some fruit - Amy Kelly picks out some of her favourite varieties. On a visit to the National Trust’s Rowallane gardens, David’s nose leads him to the Daphne which are in full flower. Head gardener, Claire McNally also shows him a flowering quince which is clothing an old stone wall in pink blossom. Also on the programme, Judith Hooks is the first local National Trust apprentice. She explains how the programme works and why she took a second look at gardening after training as an optometrist.

Bring in the colour with cornus this winter. Presenter David Maxwell visits Maurice Parkinson at Ballyrobert Cottage Garden where the glowing stems of Cornus alba ‘Siberica’ and Cornus ‘Midwinter fire’ warm up the coldest days. Is your garden too big? The experts attempt to take the workload out of looking after a large plot. David explores renting out garden space with the local founder of the ‘Allotme’ garden rental website and the National Garden Scheme adds Northern Ireland to the famous yellow book. Questions for the team to [email protected]

This week David gets around the problem of pricey perennials by finding out just how easy many are to grow from seed. Ann Fitzsimmons recommends ‘first year flowering’ varieties and shows how sowing some seed now can save gardeners a small fortune. It’s the weekend of the RSPB’s big garden birdwatch. Listeners are invited to text in what they are seeing and Claire Barnett from the charity has all the information on how to take part. Also on the programme, the RHS is gifting 4 community or school gardens this year. David has been chatting to chief horticulturalist, Guy Barter, on what they are looking for. And in the first of a new series, Tony Kirkham, aka ‘the king of trees’ from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on his favourite tree for January.

As 2022 begins, David Maxwell and his gardening experts are getting ready for the season ahead. Colourful perennials don’t come cheap from the garden centre, but for the cost of a few packets of seeds, Ann Fitzsimmons shows how to save money and transform your outside space. Also on the programme, Gardeners’ Corner is teaming up with BBC Learning this year to follow several primary schools in their journeys to create, resurrect or develop their outdoor spaces. Kicking off the project is St Malachy’s Primary School in Bangor where an existing wildlife garden is going to get a new lease of life. Amy Kelly is sorting her seeds ahead of the growing season to come, and David will be joined live by Ann Fitzsimmons and Claire McNally to answer gardening questions from listeners. Contact the programme [email protected]

A new year of gardening with David Maxwell and his expert guests. David finds inspiration from visits to Jimi Blake’s garden in county Wicklow, advice on how to grow veg in a small space from Amy Kelly and he explores plants that are living at the edge of their comfort zone, including Tree ferns with Billy Alexander and grapes grown outdoors at a vineyard in Lusk. Contact the programme on [email protected]

David Maxwell presents a special Gardeners’ Corner Christmas programme from Kerrykeel in County Donegal. With twinkling lights and a fire crackling in a courtyard garden, David is joined by Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little for mince pies, mulled wine and gardening chat. What’s the best way to grow that gifted Amaryllis, how do you care for potted Christmas trees and can cut trees be put to use in the garden after the festivities. Also on the programme, Klaus Laitenberger on what home grown organic veg he’ll be bringing in for the Christmas dinner, Amy Kelly on plants with a Christmas connection and Helen Mark visits St Columbs allotments in Londonderry where plans are afoot for an end of year party.

In this special Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell visits the Eden Project in Cornwall on it’s 20th anniversary to find out about it’s mission to connect people with the planet. He also finds out why Eden is bringing that mission to the banks of the River Foyle. David also meets Fermanagh GP Neil Armstrong who made Cornwall his home in the 1980s, and has spent the last 25 years transforming an abandoned piece of land near Penzance into an exotic paradise. And artist Johns Keys from Belfast on how his artistic eye is transforming Cornish gardens.

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presented by David Maxwell.

The weather might be wintry, but the good news is we can all enjoy home grown herbs year-round. This week, David Maxwell finds out how Claire Woods keeps a fresh supply growing through the winter months. He joins Klaus Laitenberger at the community garden in Bundoran where he’s pruning the blackcurrants. Cherry Townsend is on hand to answer questions from listeners and she joins David for a trip to Brendan Little’s woodland copse, where he wants to introduce some plants that love life beneath the canopy. RHS curator, Matthew Pottage has advice on wrapping up tender plants for winter and there’s a surprise call for an unsung gardening hero. Contact the programme on [email protected]

What makes a good hedge and is there still time for a trim before winter? That’s just two of the questions David Maxwell and his experts guests will tackle in this week’s gardening programme. David also visits the South Eastern Regional College’s Holywood campus where they have launched their new wellbeing garden. Born in the lockdown, Claire Dunwoody tells David it’s future is community focused. Also on the programme, a new woodland walk is under construction at Glenarm Castle estate. David gets a sneak preview on what visitors will find come next spring. And Averil Milligan and Maurice Parkinson will join David live to answer questions from listeners. Contact the programme on [email protected]

With the mild weather set to end in the next few weeks, David turns up the temperature by visiting the new ‘Banana block’ in east Belfast where 4 varieties of bananas are being grown in stylised raised beds which are also an art installation. Claire Hall explains that growing bananas is nothing new in east Belfast, in fact it was first done over a century ago. Also on the programme, Reg Maxwell is planting spring bulbs in pots and on a visit to Kilcoan gardens in Islandmagee, David finds Cherry Townsend taking root cuttings. Claire Woods and Ciaran Mulholland will join David live to take questions including what to do with an exotic tree fern as autumn gives way to winter. [email protected]

As national governments try to reduce man’s impact on the planet at COP26, Gardeners’ Corner takes a look at what we can do in our own gardens. David Maxwell speaks to a compost manufacturer in Bellaghy about peat and the alternatives. He explores a woodland with Ian McCurley from the Woodland Trust and finds out the true value of planting thousands more trees. And David gets a crash course in turning household waste into plant food when he lifts the lid on Reg Maxwell’s wormery. All that and the experts will be answering listeners’ questions live. [email protected]

As autumn takes hold, David visits the National Arboretum, Annesley Garden at Castlewellan Forest Park where he takes in the seasonal hues with Alwyn Sinnamon and learns about an unusual 19th-century recipe for compost that included rabbit intestines and rats! A walkabout with Maurice Parkinson in his Ballyrobert cottage gardens reveals a collection of asters perfect for late season colour. Ann Fitzsimons joins David on a visit to a listener’s garden who has over 100 named varieties of hydrangea and the authors of ‘In Kiltumper: A year in an Irish garden’ chat about their intimate relationship with life outside their County Clare window over the last three and half decades.

In this Halloween programme, David Maxwell leaves the garden for the farm in the hunt for the perfect pumpkin. He chats to Adrian McGowan in Killinchy, who’s grown 9 acres of them about the varieties that grow best in more northern climes. David also heads to the National Trust’s Florence Court in county Fermanagh where head gardener David Corscadden is planting Camassia bulb with volunteers from near and far. Also on the programme, Cherry Townsend joins David to answer listeners’ questions; autumn in Ballyrobert cottage garden with Maurice Parkinson and just how many types of mint can you name? [email protected]

After many months speaking virtually, David meets up with organic gardener Klaus Laitenberger at the community garden in Bundoran. Klaus explains the value of ‘bedding down’ the veg borders at this time of year by piling on seaweed or growing a green manure. Also on the programme, a return to Ann Fitzsimons garden where she has a love hate relationship with her roses – find out how to take the wilder ones in hand! And Amy Kelly explains some of the ways you can store that autumn glut, so you can enjoy your harvest through the colder months. The panel will also be taking listeners questions on the usual numbers or by email [email protected]

Join David Maxwell and his guests for some autumn gardening. This week David visits Ann Fitzsimons in Killinchy, where she is planting up a new border with a prairie feel using plants that don’t mind wet feet in winter. Amy Kelly will have advice on growing annual edible flowers and we head north to the Conrad McCormick’s exotic borders in Ballyvoy. Also on the programme, one listener wants to use their £100 spend local garden on fruit trees and is looking for advice on the best apple and plum varieties and how to make a no dig bed with Cherry Townsend. Send your questions to [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner heads to County Donegal where David Maxwell and Brendan Little visit some of the gardens that make up the Donegal Garden Trail. Glenveagh Castle gardens sit within a National Park. Sean O Gaoithin gives a guided tour of the walled garden and the native woodland where exotic plants also find a home. At Cluain na dTor, Seamus O’Donnell shows David and Brendan how to make use of the space below deciduous trees and how to make sure they can withstand the winds from the nearby Atlantic coastline. David also chats to Brendan about his recent cancer treatment and how he has found comfort in his Kerrykeel courtyard.

David Maxwell explores the new global medicinal garden in Belfast Botanic Gardens with Barbara Pilcher and Adrian Walsh. On the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, he speaks to New York garden designer Lynden B. Miller about the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th garden in lower Manhattan which remembers UK and Commonwealth victims. And if your late summer/early autumn borders are looking lacklustre, you need look no further than the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin for inspiration – David will be finding out how two key borders have been transformed with a nod to a Victorian gardening great. Also on the programme, Claire McNally and Claire Woods join David to tackle listeners gardening questions. Email – [email protected]

David Maxwell travels to the hills of County Wicklow where he explores Jimi Blake’s Hunting Brook garden in late summer. Jimi pushes the boundaries of what it’s possible to grow in Ireland a thousand feet above sea level and tells us how we can stave off autumn for a another month. David Kenny is one of the few Irish rose breeders left, so what makes the perfect Irish rose? All that and the team will be taking your calls on the usual numbers or you can email anytime on [email protected]

The bees need our help and this weekend Gardeners’ Corner with David Maxwell will explore how we can all make our outside space a haven for them. David gets up close and personal with the Irish black honeybee on the Ards peninsula where Valentine Hodges has around 100 hives. He’s also off to Hillsborough which is holding a Honey fair this weekend. Also on the programme, David chats to organic grower Klaus Laitenberger about ripening those green tomatoes and he’ll be joined by Cherry Townsend and Neil Porteous to answer listeners questions including suggestions for small trees and the remedy for an unhappy hollyhock. You can get in touch with the programme anytime by email - [email protected]

In this, National allotments week, Gardeners’ Corner celebrates those little plots across the country giving joy to many as well as a rich harvest of fresh food. Presenter David Maxwell visits the National Trust’s community allotments at Springhill near Moneymore where one grower explains hügelkultur. Helen Mark visits the plots at St Columb’s park in Londonderry and Amy Kelly comes live from Ards allotments which is throwing open its gates for an open day. Also on the programme, Bob Flowerdew on “bodging”; putting everything and anything to use in the garden or on the allotment. All that and experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Ciaran Mulholland will join David to take on listeners’ gardening questions. Email – [email protected]

David visits vineyard owner David Llewellyn in Lusk, Co Dublin, to find out the secret to his sparkling success, as he has been successfully producing wine for a number of years. He also heads to Kells to explore the beautiful haven created at Dot's spot, and BBC journalist and presenter Victoria Fritz explains how her love of gardening has brought her a large social media following.

Before modern medicine, herbs were the only thing available to treat ailments. Eager to make sure this knowledge isn’t lost, the Irish Register of Herbalists tend a collection of over 200 plants at St Anne’s Physic Garden within Dublin’s St Anne’s Park. David meets some of those involved and finds out about several herbs including Rosebay willowherb and Stevia which is used today as a sweetener. Also in the programme, Amy Kelly on her collection of exotic and hybrid berries and a visit to Bangor Castle Walled Garden where wild flowers are stealing the show. Ann Fitzsimmons will also be joining David to take on listeners question including one about crumbly raspberries and has a unique new form of bluebell been found in Portaferry? [email protected]

Join David as he finds out what plants are best adapted to dealing with drought. Among them, the daylily, which Maurice Parkinson believes should be more popular in the UK and Ireland. How to transform a steep and uninviting bank; David visits Randalstown where local volunteers have transformed an old railway embankment into a thing of beauty. Also on the programme, Klaus Laitenberger on how to use the bits of veg we normally throw away and how do you know the right time to dig up your home grown spuds? All that and David will be joined by Claire McNally and Cherry Townsend who will answer listeners’ questions including one about a mystery ‘weed’.

David Maxwell and experts Averil Milligan and Neil Porteous offer sage advice on how to make the most of your summer garden.

David takes a trip to an exotic oasis in East Belfast that's brimming with colour and texture and has become a real talking point for residents of the area.

Averil Milligan takes David on a tour of her dry garden, and Mary Doris offers tips and tricks on activities to get the best out of your summer space.

The pandemic may have confined many to their homes for months but it also forced some young gardeners to connect on social media. This week on Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell meets 27 year old Philip Stewart who has transformed his garden in county Londonderry and is documenting it all on social media. Anthea Forde is getting grips with the plant collection established by her late husband, Patrick, at their 400 year old home in Seaforde, county Down, and how to make a beautiful garden for those who suffer from pollen allergies.

Tune into BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner this Saturday morning when Helen Mark will be visiting Jim Bradley to find out what colour scheme will be on trend this summer, Amy Kelly makes the mouth water with her succulent salads and hang on to our hydrangea as Helen discovers a field of flowers in Scotland. That’s Gardeners’ Corner, this Saturday morning with Helen Mark and the Gardeners’ Corner team on BBC Radio Ulster 9am to 10am.

Helen Mark will be finding out how to make the perfect herbal brew while David Maxwell goes wild in a summer meadow. And to mulch or not to mulch? That is the question that will be answered by the Gardeners’ Corner team.

Our gardens can provide a lifeline to bees, and this week David Maxwell and his guests will be exploring how we can make them the perfect place for these precious pollinators. Also on the programme, getting the cottage garden look; David visits Cherry Townsend’s garden in Islandmagee. And why a garden by the sea can create opportunities; Helen Mark chats to Conrad McCormick about the exotic looking plants which can cope with salt and wind. David will also be joined by Averil Milligan and Cherry Townsend, who will be answering listeners’ questions live on the usual numbers.

With garden flowers very much in fashion, and ahead of British Flower Week, David Maxwell meets a young couple who are trying to turn their passion into a business. Andy and Aisling McCormick started their flower farm last year and they say there’s a big demand for beautiful blooms grown locally. Also in the programme, Ann Fitzsimons on why all is not lost when your veg goes to seed and David heads to Islandmagee where Cherry Townsend is enjoying the scent of June roses. The expert combo of Claire Woods and Neil Porteous will also take on listeners’ questions live on the usual numbers or via email - [email protected]

Join David Maxwell for the first Gardeners’ Corner of meteorological summer. This week, David finds out all there is to know about growing lavender in a northern climate from Moira Hart, who has acres of the perfumed plant in Wexford. Barbara Pilcher is planting in the dry shade of a mature beech tree in her garden and David chats to Alan Gardner from Channel 4’s ‘The Autistic Gardener’ about his own garden as late spring gives way to summer. Also on the programme, David is joined by experts Claire McNally and Maurice Parkinson to take on listeners’ questions, including suggestions for tall annuals in a shady garden, how to get a 20 year old clematis to keep flowering and what are Lofos plants and how do you care for them. You can contact the programme with your questions on [email protected]

Join David Maxwell in his own garden this bank holiday weekend along with expert Ann Fitzsimons. The pair chat about must have plants including Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s mantle) and Alliums. Also in the programme, David visits Ards allotments where Amy Kelly is growing strawberries and raspberries as well as some more unusual edibles. Is Portaferry the new Darjeeling? David heads to Ireland’s first tea plantation to find out if it’s possible to grow a ‘builder’s brew’ in the Northern Irish climate and organic grower Klaus Laitenberger gives his monthly update on sowing and growing including an introduction to the immortality plant.

For many it’s considered the greatest flower show on earth and while it’s normally held this week, Chelsea has been ‘chopped’ from its normal spring slot and moved to the autumn. It’s the first time this has happened in the show’s 108 history meaning this year’s RHS show will be completely unique. This week, David Maxwell chats to some local Chelsea Flower Show successes about what taking part in it did for their careers. He speaks to ‘King of Chelsea’ Mark Gregory about his plans for the September show and how the colour palette will be completely differ. Also on the programme, from peacebuilding to garden designing, David catches up with Finnish designer Taina Suonio who studied horticulture at Greenmount while working for the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. She is preparing to do her second show garden this year. David will also be joined by Reg Maxwell and Claire Woods to take listeners questions on how they can make their gardens a showstopper! Email - [email protected]

We all know gardening is good for us, but why is it now a recognised therapy? David Maxwell speaks to Larne based horticultural therapist, Liz Curtis. David explores the freshly planted herb garden at Glenarm Castle Gardens and Amy Kelly explains some plant jargon like ‘potting on’ and ‘pricking out. Also on the programme, David will be joined live by Ann Fitsimmons and Maurice Parkinson to take listeners’ questions including, planting inspiration for a new bed and how to tackle cutworms, and presenter of the Scottish garden podcast and Northern Ireland native, Julianne Robertson, on taking Dahlia cuttings.

After a cold first week of May, David and his experts guests take calls from listeners on encouraging more worms in the garden, growing great blueberries and a beginners guide to figs. Also on the programme, David chats to Gardeners’ World presenter, Frances Tophill about her allotment and he catches up with Jimi Blake about the year ahead for his celebrated garden in Wicklow. And after a listener got in touch about rusty nails being good for pot plants, David asks about other garden related old wives tales.

Gardeners’ Corner heads to Glenarm Castle for the annual Tulip Festival. Presenter David Maxwell takes in the display with Reg Maxwell and speaks to gardener Jordan McWhirter, who planted some of the six thousand bulbs. David also catches up with celebrity gardener Sarah Raven and asks her what follows the tulips in her East Sussex garden. Also in the programme, organic vegetable grower Klaus Laitenberger on naked pumpkins and David’s expert guests Claire Woods and Averil Milligan give a masterclass in cuttings.

David Maxwell finds out all about slugs; the good, the bad and the well….Should gardeners’ get rid of them all and what are the best methods to limit their damage without harming the environment? There will be advice from many familiar Gardeners’ Corner voices on how they deal with this problem pest. Also on the programme, making raised beds; what materials are needed? How deep should they be? What are the advantages? And Mr No Dig, Charles Dowding on why he’s removed the wooden sides from his beds. David will be joined by Ann Fitzsimons and Reg Maxwell who will take on listeners’ questions including how to care for Camellias. You can call on the usual numbers or email anytime [email protected]

Whether you are new to gardening or an old hand, weeding is part and parcel of the pastime. But maybe it’s time to give some of those weeds a second chance. This weekend on Gardeners’ Corner, David Maxwell hears from Amy Kelly on weeds she wouldn’t be without. He meets Lori Hartman who is planting ‘prairie style’ in her first garden in Broughshane to remind her of her native USA. Also on the programme, an update from Alan Power as he gets to know a new garden in county Kerry after many years at Stourhead in Wiltshire and David is joined by Cherry Townsend and Maurice Parkinson to answer listeners’ questions including, how to stop your tomatoes trusses falling before they ripen and getting out of the seed coat – should we give those new shoots a hand? The team will be taking live calls and texts on the usual numbers or you can email anytime [email protected]

This weeks Gardeners' Corner phone-in offers advice on bringing wildlife into the garden over the Easter period & what to plant now the sun has come out. Presented by Helen Mark.

How can you transform a small urban outside space? A special edition of Gardeners’ Corner explores how to create privacy, add drama with big containers and make a small garden feel bigger. Presenter David Maxwell is joined by experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Claire Woods to discuss the gardens of 4 listeners, including one described as a ‘concrete box’ and a family garden which has to work for both children and adults. Also on the programme, Amy Kelly on growing your own in containers, Johnny Knox on design tricks for small spaces and Arthur Parkinson on creating drama with flamboyant planting in, among other things, old dustbins. Contact the programme with your gardening questions on [email protected]

Join David Maxwell and his guests for some spring time gardening. This week, Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell are the experts on hand to answer listeners’ questions including; how to grow perfect peaches, when to cut back Aubretia and why daffodils are not producing flowers for one listener. Also on the programme, David chats to organic vegetable grower Klaus Laitenberger on what we should be doing in the veg patch this March and he finds out from Greenmount student Kyle Ross why pursuing a career in gardening could be a good choice. If you have a question for the programme – email [email protected]

Join David Maxwell for another spring edition of Gardeners’ Corner. This week, with St Patrick’s day just around the corner, David explores the art of rose pruning which traditionally should be done by this date. It’s also the day to put potatoes into the ground, but what conditions do they need and what are the best varieties for the back garden? With seed sowing well and truly under way, Barbara Pilcher is in her greenhouse sowing some of her first herbs of the season and Colin Agnew is knee deep in mud, excavating his back garden as he tries to recreate a Victorian fernery. Joining David for this week’s programme are experts Cherry Townsend and Maurice Parkinson. They will be answering listeners’ questions live. If you have a questions email [email protected]

Does the thought of cranking up the mower fill you with dread? Well this week on Gardeners’ Corner, presenter David Maxwell finds out why we should all be doing it a lot less. Dr Trevor Dines from the charity Plantlife, explains how you can have a beautiful garden that plays a part in supporting the natural world. Also on the programme, June Blake on dramatic Dahlias and why they deserve a place in your garden this summer and Conrad McCormick is creating a mossy pole for climbing houseplants. All that and David will be joined by Claire Woods and Neil Porteous to take your questions. You can contact the programme on the usual numbers or [email protected]

High hedges might make good neighbours but what makes a good hedge? In this week’s programme, presenter David Maxwell, will be joined by experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Reg Maxwell to talk about the many benefits of a hedge, whether it’s for wildlife, sound proofing or even as a defence against flooding. Also on the programme, David speaks to Chris Cocks about clematis for every garden. Claire McNally describes some of her favourite lilies and Juliet Giles from Gardens Illustrated on the rise of online gardening courses – who are they for and can they replace getting your hands dirty? David and the team will also be tackling listeners’ questions which can be emailed to [email protected]

How possible is it to grow your own wedding flowers? David Maxwell and his guests help a listener who’s due to tie the knot in August. Also on the programme, 250 families in Derry and Strabane embark on a journey toward self-sustainability – so just how easy is it to live the ‘Good’ life? Klaus Laitenberger is on hand with advice on what to start now when it comes to organic veg and Amy Kelly has her top picks on long cropping plants including wild strawberries, perpetual spinach and hanging baskets of cherry tomatoes. David and his expert guests Cherry Townsend and Averil Milligan will also take on listeners questions including how to save an old apple tree and repair another damaged by wind. You can email the programme with questions at anytime on [email protected] or call live on the usual numbers.

How to fill your garden with costly plants for next to nothing, David Maxwell and his guests help a listener who wants to grow everything from seed. Also on the programme, David chats to Anthony McGuigan about the beauty of the Brantry brought to life in his book on south Tyrone wildflowers and he speaks to Robert Miller about one of Ireland's best snowdrop displays. And just who is having its way with a Wisteria in Omagh? David and his expert guests Ann Fitzsimons and Maurice Parkinson get to the root of the problem. You can email the programme with questions at anytime on [email protected] or call live on the usual numbers.

How can you transform your trash with succulents, get rid of that spongey lawn and fill your garden with sweet scent in winter? Join David Maxwell and his guests for plenty of gardening chat. This week, Claire Woods and Neil Porteous join him to take listeners’ questions including finding the perfect fruit tree to remember a much loved pet and how do you replace a shed supporting a climber without the climber noticing? You can email the programme with questions at anytime on [email protected] or call live on the usual numbers.

Join David Maxwell for another Gardeners’ Corner episode full of inspiration. This week - everyone loves a cuppa in the garden, but have you thought about growing your own teas? Whether your tipple is builders brew or fragrant herbs, Amy Kelly has some advice. One listener is pulling down an old garage and is wondering how he can bring soil buried under concrete for decades back to life. And what’s the evidence that gardening is really good for us? Psychiatrist Sue Stuart Smith chats to David about the relationship between our minds and the garden. Also on the programme, Cherry Townsend and Maurice Parkinson will be on hand to answer questions via the usual numbers or [email protected]

In this week’s programme, presenter David Maxwell is joined by Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell to answer listeners gardening questions including what to do with coffee grounds and ash in the garden, and the importance of knowing your soil’s pH. Also on the programme, as children are once again out of school due to lockdown, David finds something they can sow right now, and Matthew Wilson on where to start when you buy an established garden.

Presenter David Maxwell is joined by Jim Bradley and Ann Fitzsimons to answer listeners’ seasonal gardening questions. Klaus Laitenberger chats about winter in the vegetable garden and the wonder crop that is yacon! Also on the programme, squirrels behaving badly. What gardeners can do about the greys and how to help the reds and just how well can you grow oranges in Bangor?

David Maxwell and his guests deliver some winter gardening inspiration including; a trip to self-confessed galanthophile Maurice Parkinson’s garden to discover all shapes and sizes of snowdrop, why have greenfinches become a less frequent visitor to our gardens? And what got Pippa Greenwood of BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, into gardening. Also on the programme, David will take calls from listeners on growing Oca, moving Nerines and what to fill a whiskey barrel with. (apart from the obvious!) You can email the programme with questions at anytime on [email protected] or call live on the usual numbers.

Presenter David Maxwell is joined by Brendan Little and Cherry Townsend for some festive gardening fun. How to bring outdoors indoors this Christmas, gifts for gardeners and Christmas herbs will all be on the menu, and they catch up with some listeners who took part on the programme during 2020, including the lockdown gardener and some green-fingered young people. So whether you’re decorating the house, preparing for festive meals or looking for some last minute present inspiration, Gardeners’ Corner has it covered.

David Maxwell presents the weekly gardening programme. As Christmas approaches, David chats to Sean Grimes about Poinsettia – he grows 250 thousand of them in 8 acres of glasshouses outside Dublin. Also on the programme, Conrad McCormick on how to look after those houseplants. Maurice Parkinson and Ann Fitzsimons will also be joining David to answer live calls and texts.

David Maxwell brings a mix of seasonal gardening advice. He’s joined by Claire Woods and Reg Maxwell who will take on listeners winter gardening conundrums. Also on the programme, Barbara Pilcher on what she’s harvest through early winter. Some advice from David on pruning climbing roses from his own garden and Matt Biggs on why it’s important to make a garden for all the family.

David Maxwell gets into the festive spirit with Christmas trees as well as finding out how to brighten up the winter garden with some strategically placed lights. David will also find out why it’s not a good idea to ignore the winter harvest.

David Maxwell brings you more gardening inspiration for autumn. This week he’s joined by Averil Milligan who is planting some fruit trees and bushes, Ann Fitzsimons is considering a tree for winter interest and Bunny Guinness has tips on bottomless pots and blight-free box. Also on the programme, Amy Kelly on growing your own saffron and Phil Carson chats to David about what gardeners can do for birds this autumn and winter.

This week, presenter David Maxwell speaks to Monty Don about his life and garden. He also finds out why seeds from the survivor trees of Hiroshima are being brought to Northern Ireland 75 years after the atomic bomb. David will also be joined by expert guests Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little who will have plenty of autumn gardening inspiration and will answer listeners questions live. The team will also be talking about options for wind proof hedging and how to get worms in your compost heap.

In the first gardening programme of November, presenter David Maxwell talks to his guests about planting tulips and he interviews to the queen of cut flowers Sarah Raven. With plenty still to do in the garden before winter, David gets some lawn care tips from Neil Porteous at Mount Stewart. Also on the programme, Conrad McCormack profiles air plants or Tillandsia – just how do you grow plants that don’t require any soil? And David’s expert guests Ann Fitzsimons and Reg Maxwell will be answering listeners’ questions on everything from pineapple lilies to snakeskin maples.

Helen Mark, sitting in for David Maxwell this week, is joined by experts Brendan Little and Jim Bradley. Not only are they fielding calls on everything from yellowing holly to making the best mulch they'll also be offering advice and tips on how to get the best of your garden on these darkening days. Helen chats to Stephen McKenna, an A&E nurse, who has found his garden to be a haven after stressful shifts on the front line while Mary Doris gives a masterclass in potting Winter plants from her garden in Ardboe. Neil Porteous digs deep in Mount Stewart to tackle bamboo seedlings and Frank 'Spooky' McCooke has a tall tale about bees for Halloween.

David Maxwell looks back at some wonderful Autumn Garden Visits over the years. David takes in the splendour of Kew Garden, talks trees in Rathfriland, tries his hand at composting and Helen Mark goes potty with gardening expert Brendan Little.

David Maxwell will be discovering how to create a restful part of the garden that will give you plenty of pleasure but zero bother. David’s experts will be taking all your calls as well as helping one listener who wants to know the best hedge to plant for maximum shelter and growth. And ever thought about green manures? Well it’s time to wake up and smell the potential this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and the Gardeners’ Corner team.

David Maxwell will be out and about at Rowallane Garden to find out how to create colour in your autumn garden. David also discovers how the legacy of an intrepid teenager will take root in Belfast in the shape of a charity garden for patients with spinal injuries. And is it an Irish lizard or a newt? – one listener wants to know what she has discovered lurking in the undergrowth. The answer will be revealed on Saturday morning with David Maxwell and the Gardeners’ Corner team.

Tune into BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner this Saturday morning when David Maxwell will be discovering how to produce the perfect hedgerow with the clever use of fruit trees as well as finding out how to brighten up the autumn season in the garden with a splash of vibrant colour. He’ll also be speaking to a gardening expert whose green fingers have graced stately homes both north and south of the border and tackling the case of the bountiful blueberry bush in Limavady.

On Gardeners’ Corner this Saturday morning David Maxwell will be celebrating the green fingers of two very talented young gardeners who have been making a difference in the community during lockdown. David will also be finding out more about the best way to grow herbs in pots and how a ‘no dig’ policy might be the best way forward for your soil. Combine this with a masterclass in making your outside space a cosy haven for the months ahead and you have the perfect listening start to your weekend.

Presenter David Maxwell visits Hillsborough Castle gardens a year after it reopened to the public. He chats to garden manager, Claire Woods in the lost garden about tree ferns and gets some top tips from Adam Ferguson on growing the perfect pears. David also meets up with Claire McNally, the new head gardener at Rowallane gardens near Saintfield. Also on the programme – an update from Amy Kelly on her allotment in Newtownards and David will take listeners questions with expert Reg Maxwell.

BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner this Saturday morning is a musical and visual feast for Proms in the Garden with David Maxwell. David will broadcast live from his garden in Belfast with the music of the Ulster Orchestra weaved through the very first hour long edition of the programme. Our gardening experts will be answering all your horticultural queries and David will also be basking in bird song at an allotment, experiencing a sensory garden and taking a musical trip to the foot of Slemish mountain. For that and more join David Maxwell and the Gardeners’ Corner team for Proms in the Garden on BBC Radio Ulster, Saturday morning, at the new extended time of 9am to 10am.

David Maxwell presents the weekly gardening programme which this week hears from locally grown Agapanthus expert Ian Scroggy. Also on the programme, Barbara Pilcher suggests some veg to sow in the Autumn and Conrad McCormick urges listeners to give Kniphofia (Red Hot Pokers) another chance. The team also take questions from listeners.

With summer drawing to a close, David Maxwell is joined by gardening experts Averil Milligan and Cherry Townsend for a listener phone-in programme. They’ll be tackling questions on why a strawberry is failing to keep it’s fruit, the key to growing radishes and how to get a good crop of figs in our not so warm local climes.

In national allotments week, David Maxwell heads to Ards Allotments where he meets Amy Kelly on her plot. She’s been harvesting her blueberries – a plant which not only produces super fruits but is also an attractive plant to have in the garden. In Killinchy, David meets up with Ann Fitzsimmons who thinks every garden, even small ones should have a few giant plants. Also on the programme, David heads to Islandmagee and Ballyrobert where Cherry Townsend and Maurice Parkinson have plenty of suggestions for late summer colour in the garden.

Join David Maxwell for a live phone-in Gardener’s Corner programme. He’ll be joined by expert guests Averil Milligan and Brendan Little. Questions include suggestions for good ground cover plants, what to do with a weak wisteria and what rogue plant has found its way into a packet of parsnip seeds. Also on the programme, David gets an update from the ‘lockdown gardener’ Jim Kerr as he begins to harvest from his transformed front garden.

David Maxwell is joined by Cherry Townsend and Jim Bradley in a live phone-in answering your questions on struggling veg and the flowering hedge. Also the best way to propagate and keep your garden growing. Maurice Parkinson shares his expertise on the Daylily. And the humble Shield Bug – does it really stink or does it just look like a North American variety that actually does!

This programme has been edited since the original broadcast.

David Maxwell is joined by Ann Fitzsimons and Reg Maxwell in a live phone-in answering your questions and identifying a number of mystery plants that add intrigue to the garden. And Shane Connolly provides inspiration for your table with his unique expertise and take on cut flowers from the summer garden.

In a programme originally broadcast in 2019, David Maxwell meets Labour Party veteran Kate Hoey at her home on Rathlin Island. He explores the wild garden she's created there as a getaway from life in Westminster. David finds out how for years she has been able to deal with constituency issues in Vauxhall from a remote cottage on the Island. He also speaks to the former MP about her life politics and outside it, including her wish to one day return home to Northern Ireland.

Presenter David Maxwell is joined by gardening experts Ann Fitzsimons and Jim Bradley answering your questions. This week we find out if you can graft a plum tree to an apple tree, tackle an unwieldy wisteria and discover ways to give an old hedge new life. Listener Lisa Camlin shares her tricks to designing your own border and Conrad McCormick shares tips to maintaining his favourite exotic rose.

David Maxwell is joined by a lockdown gardener planning to turn a profit and he’s only 13! A Giant Water Lily blooms in Belfast after nearly a 30 year absence and gardening experts Brendan Little and Averil Milligan tackle a Sweet William Challenge while hedging their bets on a tricky border. Also water saving tips and a taste for something exotic.

Scent and colour – the joy of roses and navigating thorny challenges. Gardening experts Reg Maxwell and Cherry Townsend join presenter David Maxwell this week to discuss the joy of roses. We’ll hear from celebrated breeders and gardening legends along with listeners sharing their treasured stories and find out why some roses droop and what to do when a treasured rose doesn’t grow to plan.

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presented by David Maxwell.

David Maxwell presents the weekly gardening programme answering listeners questions with expert guests Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little. Also on the programme, David speaks to Barbara Pilcher about unusual veg.

David Maxwell is joined by Reg Maxwell and Ann Fitzsimmons for a gardening phone-in. He also finds out about a new therapy garden at the SERC campus in Holywood and he chats to Neil Porteous about garden paths.

Gardening experts Averil Milligan and Barbara Pilcher join presenter David Maxwell this week to answer your challenging gardening questions. We'll also hear about the Irish Yews making a welcome home in Northern California and find out how this year's Chelsea Flower Show is virtual and reaching out to you online.

Whether you're new to gardening or a seasoned pro, there's always something to surprise you in your garden. So if you have encountered an unusual insect or need to know what to add to your soil, join David Maxwell and his experts for the live phone-in this Saturday. If you would like to call them or text with your gardening query, the number is 03030 805555 or text 81771 and standard network charges apply. Lines are open on Saturday morning.

If you have a green space, balcony or even a sunny window ledge, David Maxwell and his experts will be on hand to help. Whether you're looking to plant some quick growing vegetables or breathing new life into your garden there will be plenty of tips on successful growing. Joining David to answer your gardening problems are Brendan Little and Ann Fitzsimons. Lines are open on 03030 805555 and to text it's 81771. Standard network charges apply. Join the team for lots of great gardening advice this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presenter David Maxwell

It’s spring at home and, whether you have a garden, a yard, a balcony or a windowsill, growing something is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

Join David Maxwell Easter Saturday for a live Gardener’s Corner call-in that will put a spring in your step and bring some Easter colour into your home, along with gardening experts answering your questions and sharing some sage advice.

The number to ring is 03030805555, (Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply) text 81771 or email [email protected].

Join David Maxwell for Northern Ireland's weekly gardening programme with ideas and tips for the lockdown and experts on hand to answer questions. This week he's joined by Averil Milligan and Brendan Little.

David Maxwell and experts Cherry Townsend and Neil Porteous bring you gardening ideas for children, find out about lunar planting and answer listeners' questions.David interview his 5 year old aughter Seren while they plant peas, Frank McCooke is the man in the know about lunar planting and the team speak to Geroid McDonnell, a 12 year old with a passion for plants.

David Maxwell takes calls with gardening experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Reg Maxwell

David Maxwell presents the Gardeners’ Corner roadshow from Portaferry. Experts Averil Milligan and Neil Porteous join him at Ballyphilip Parish Church hall where Portaferry Women’s Institute are the hosts. With the club celebrating its 85th year members questions include suggestions for seaside planting, how to move peonies and what to do with a Camellia that won’t flower. Also on the programme, two pupils from St Mary’s Primary school in Portaferry have a question about their school garden.

David Maxwell presents the latest Gardeners' Corner phone-in programme with expert guests Anne Fitzsimmons and Brendan Little. On the last day of winter (according to the meteorological calendar) the team tackle a variety of questions including why Nerines aren't flowering and whether or not to cut back shrubs which are already in growth. Also in the programme, David chats to Barbara Pilcher about the virtues of having plants just outside the window.

This week David Maxwell and the Gardeners' Corner roadshow team head to Ballygawley where members of Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society put their questions to Brendan Little and Averil Milligan. Amongst the gardening topics are growing hydrangeas as a hedge, pruning rhododendrons and how to deal with whitefly as well as lots of tips for the week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner on Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

In Gardeners' Corner this week plants for under a tree canopy, planting up a window box, creating a pharmacy garden at Queen's University and the beauty of hellebores in the February garden. That's Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell after the 9 o'clock news on Saturday morning on BBC Radio Ulster and on BBC Sounds.

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presenter David Maxwell

In Gardeners' Corner this week, a makeover for the Italian garden at Mount Stewart, a new allotmenteer gets to grip with her plot at the Minnowburn, a browse through the seed catalogues with spring in mind, how to create the right conditions for plants in a terrarium and herbs for mocktails if dry January is your thing. That's all in Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell this Saturday morning on BBC Radio Ulster and on BBC Sounds.

David Maxwell presents Northern Ireland's weekly gardening programme with advice on the best snowdrops and winter flowering shrubs. He also visits a restored Walled garden at St Columb's Park in Derry which is going to be gardened by the community. Also in the programme, Keith Crawford is in studio to talk about how to put that discarded Christmas tree to good use as well as some winter pruning jobs to do right now.

David Maxwell escapes the winter chill and starts the New Year in Belfast's Botanic Gardens with expert guests. Colin Agnew sells the virtues of winter cherries in the cool wing of the Victorian Palm House, Adrienne Armstrong gives David and update on the Tropical Ravine two years after its major renovation and David explores a new medicinal garden with Gardeners' Corner regular Barbara Pilcher. Also in the programme, protecting exotic plants outdoors this winter with Conrad McCormick.

David Maxwell looks back over seasonal highlights of the 2019 gardening year including a visit to Kilmacurragh and the Chelsea Flower Show. From winter snowdrops with Maurice Parkinson to high summer in the herbaceous border with Cherry Townsend, David looks back over a year in the garden.

David Maxwell is joined by Ann Fitzsimmons and Brendan Little for some festive gardening fun. Herbs for Christmas, using the tree after the big event and top present ideas for gardeners. Also in the programme, David and his guests suggest a Christmas walk to burn off some of those excess calories and the team review some books that would make great stocking fillers for the greenfingered.

In Gardeners' Corner this week David Maxwell visits world renowned Kew Gardens in Richmond outside London where he talks to the gardeners who work there including Tony Kirkham, well known writer and broadcaster whose specialist interest is trees, particularly at Kew. Also in the programme Brendan Little shares his thoughts and reminisces about his time as a student there and how it influenced his future life and love of gardening. Gardeners' Corner on Saturday morning on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

Winter gardening with David Maxwell. This week David meets Sweet Pea legend Sydney Harrod who has spent a lifetime breeding beautiful Sweet Pea in Londonderry. Sydney named between forty and fifty varieties including a series with local place names intended to encourage people to visit Northern Ireland during the Troubles. David also speaks to Jim Bradley about evergreens for structure in the winter garden. Averil Milligan joins him in studio to talk about festive foliage and Helen Mark catches up with Conrad McCormick.

The weekly gardening programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province. Presenter David Maxwell

In this week's Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell, Brendan Little and Averil Milligan answer questions from members of the Tully Meadow Community Garden in Augher. Among the gardening questions up for discussion are how to make use of wood ash, advice on growing orchids, gourds and blue berries and suggestions on planting up fruit and veg all year round. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC sounds.

In Gardeners' Corner this week an autumn walk at Mount Stewart reveals beautiful late autumn colour. Also in the programme a visit to a school garden and a memorial garden and practical tips on planting up tulips and garlic for spring. That's Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in with David Maxwell this Saturday morning live from Studio 8. Joining David to answer your gardening problems are Neil Porteous and Ann Fitzsimons and lines are open on 03030 805555 and to text its 81771. Standard network charges apply. Join the team for lots of great gardening advice this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

This week the Gardeners' Corner Roadshow heads to the village of Toome, where members of the Duneane Allotment Group put their questions to gardening experts Jim Bradley and Cherry Townsend. Also in the programme, tips for the week ahead in Gardeners Corner with David Maxwell this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

In Gardeners' Corner this week, it's harvest time in the autumn garden, a visit to a city allotment shows gardeners reaping the rewards of spring and summer planting, Barbara Pilcher is busy in her seaside garden and reveals her herb of choice for October and also in the programme famous florist, Shane Connolly on how to inspire the younger generation. Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell Saturdays on BBC Radio Ulster and on BBC Sounds.

As the seasons change David Maxwell seeks advice on Autumn planting from Gardeners' Corner expert Maurice Parkinson. They explore his impressive garden in Ballyrobert to see what's thriving in the late Summer sun. Also on the programme, a trip to Banbridge brings David to Herbie McCauley's home, where his incredible Chrysanthemums steal the show and Grace Loughrey shows David how to garden without a garden.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell. Joining him in the studio are gardening experts Barbara Pilcher and Brendan Little. If you would like to call them or text them with your gardening query , the number is 03030 805555 or to text its 81771 and standard network charges apply. David will also be heading to Helen's Bay to visit John McClean and the private allotment he has made his own.

David goes to the home of Victor and Roz Henry in Newtownards to see their award-winning exotic garden full of tender plants. He goes west to Co Donegal with Brendan Little to the 35-acre garden that houses a large selection of rhododendrons. He also visits Ann Collins in Newtownabbey to see how she has adapted her garden to make it accessible for wheelchairs.

As we move into late Summer David Maxwell and experts Reg Maxwell and Brendan Little are on hand to give help and advice on keeping those summer flowers and shrubs thriving for as long as possible. Amy Kelly will also be popping back into the studio to chat about introducing your children to gardening and how to help them grow a selection of fruit and vegetables in small areas. If you would like to call them or text with your gardening query, the number is 03030 805555 or text 81771 and standard network charges apply. Lines are open on Saturday morning and the programme starts just after the 9am news.

Another chance to hear David Maxwell’s visit to Brendan Little’s Donegal garden in the summer of 2019. Among the treasure trove of stunning summer flowers are wildflower beds and beautiful buddleia buzzing with bumblebees and butterflies. There’ll be tips on growing exotic vegetables, making the most out of the damp and sheltered parts of your garden and expect the unexpected as Brendan shows David his little trick for feeding his plants and shrubs! Also on the programme, Helen Mark finds out about how a sunflower field in Co Tyrone is helping to raise money for charity and David scales the rooftops as he does a spot of gardening in one of Belfast’s busiest hotels.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Averil Milligan and Ann Fitzsimons. If you would like to contact the team with a query you can send a photo to our email [email protected], alternatively call 03030 805555 or text 81771, standard network charges apply. Lines are open from 8am on Saturday morning.

This weeks Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell comes from Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee. Owner Cherry Townsend offers advice on planting boarders, enjoying your fragrant roses and a masterclass in growing Astilbe. Reg Maxwell travels to Ballymena to a stunning 5 acre garden owned by Jim and Hilary Rafferty while David heads to Donaghdee to admire the walled garden that has been adopted by a local restaurant. A beautiful balcony in East Belfast, owned by Steven and Joanne Hillocks, is centre stage for a variety of pretty plants and summer fruits and David gets the chance to enjoy the newly opened sensory garden at Aaron House in Dundonald.

In this first programme in August, David Maxwell heads to Ballywalter Park, home of Lord and Lady Dunleath, to enjoy a stroll round the Walled Garden. Anna Hudson shows him the fruits of her labour and gives some handy hints on getting the best from your summer fruits.

There's a visit to the summer-scented lavender fields in Wexford, and David heads to the north coast, where he meets a family growing an old Irish orchard.

Barbara Pilcher is on hand to give tips on planting, and enjoying, your summer herbs, and Dr Rory Mellon tells us where to find the best wild orchids this summer.

Take a look at our gallery to see where David has been out and about.

David Maxwell is live in studio with his gardening experts Neil Porteous and Ann Fitzsimmons. They'll be taking calls on how to get the best from your Summer garden and giving tips on maintaining plants and shrubs that aren't enjoying the variable weather. Amy Kelly, from Ards Allotments, will also be live in studio to help you get the most out of your fruit and vegetables even after they begin to bolt.

David Maxwell hosts the monthly gardening phone-in programme. He is joined in the studio by experts Barbara Pilcher and Jim Bradley. David also visits Adrian Walsh's suburban garden in south Belfast.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner Helen Mark and the roadshow team head to the village of Glenavy in Co. Down to the former birthplace of John Ballance, 14th premier of New Zealand. In the beautifully restored Cottage room of the house, Ann Fitzsimons and Neil Porteous answer questions from the audience made up of members and friends of the Ulster New Zealand Trust. Also in the programme tips for the gardening week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster.

In this week's programme presenter David Maxwell gets all fired up to make pizza in the garden as he explores the art of outdoor living. He also visits a national collection of hostas near the coastal village of Carnlough where Ian Scroggy explains how to keep the slugs off. Also on the programme the kitchen garden at Florencecourt and a cottage garden in County Down opening for the first time under the National Trust's Ulster Garden Scheme.

Inner city allotments, cottage garden favourites and Trinity Nursery School

David Maxwell visits an inner city allotment packed with veg. He meets up with Maurice Parkinson to find some cottage garden favourites for early summer including Lupins, Irises and hardy geraniums. Also in the programme, how many small hands make light work in the garden at Trinity Nursery School in Bangor and how social media and the Connswater Greenway combined to promote growing wildflowers.

This Saturday it's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in with David Maxwell and gardening expert Brendan Little answering your calls and texts. The number to call is 03030 80 5555 and to text its 81771 and standard geographic network charges apply. Also in the programme how to grow herbaceous plants really well and tips for the gardening week ahead. That's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

This week Gardeners' Corner with Helen Mark and gardening experts Cherry Townsend and Neil Porteous are guests of Glebe Gardening Club who meet regularly in the village of Dunmurry. Roses, rhubarb, vines and frogs are just some of the subjects up for discussion in this week's programme. That's the Gardeners' Corner roadshow this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds

In this week's Gardeners' Corner, David Maxwell goes to the Chelsea Flower Show, where he and Reg Maxwell meet the very best designers and growers in the world of horticulture. Amongst them a number of gardeners from Northern Ireland at the top of their profession delighted to share their gardening expertise along with a liberal sprinkling of keen celebrity gardeners.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with Helen Mark. Joining Helen in the studio are gardening experts Neil Porteous and Brendan Little answering your calls and texts. The number to call is 03030 80 55 55 and to text its 81771 (Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply) and also in the programme lots of gardening tips for the week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

Join David Maxwell as the Gardeners' Corner roadshow team head to Banbridge where members of Banbridge Horticultural Society put their questions to gardening experts Averil Milligan and Ann Fitzsimons. Blueberrries, blackcurrants and azaleas are just some of plants under discussion as well as timely tips for the gardening week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster.

David Maxwell presents the weekly gardening programme. This week he meets renowned Daffodil breeder Brian Duncan who has over 400 varieties to his name. He also catches up with the next generation of breeders at Esker Farm where Dave Hardy and his wife Julie have taken on the challenge to breed award winning varieties. Reg Maxwell joins David in studio to talk about jobs in the Spring garden including choosing bedding plants. Also in the programme - Helen Mark finds out all about Alpines from Gordon Toner.

In this week's gardening programme David Maxwell visits the rainforest - but he hasn't gone to the southern hemisphere, he's in south west Ireland at Kells Bay Gardens in County Kerry. The gardens boast a forest of mature Tree Ferns which give them a unique Jurassic feeling. David meets the current custodian of the gardens Billy Alexander who explains how he can push the limits of gardening in Ireland due to the mild microclimate. Also in the programme, Helen Mark visits Conrad McCormick who is growing Cannas and Dahlias from seed.

In this week's gardening programme, presenter David Maxwell tours the transformed gardens at Hillsborough Castle ahead of the public opening. The new garden manager Claire Woods and her predecessor Stephen Martelli show David the restored four-acre walled garden and the lost garden. Averil Milligan also joins David for the tour providing practical gardening tips on route. Also in the programme, David catches up with Fergus Garrett, head gardener at the world renowned Great Dixter.

This week the Gardeners' Corner roadshow comes from the seaside town of Bangor in Co Down. On the panel Brendan Little and Cherry Townsend who answer questions from members of Bangor Horticultural Society. Lots of gardening advice on everything from the perfect plants for seaside gardening to organic sprays for roses and help on how to deal with the dreaded honey fungus and also in the programme tips for the gardening week ahead.

David Maxwell presents BBC Radio Ulster's gardening programme which this week’s visits the RSPB's Window on Wildlife in Belfast's Harbour Estate where a new wildlife garden is being created. Maurice Parkinson joins David in studio to talk about the benefits of hedgerows following recent reports of netting by developers. Also in the programme Maeve Bell describes some Irish-bred plants which are filling her spring garden with colour and Helen Mark visits Conrad McCormack who is planting annual climbers to cover a fence. The programme also returns to Annesgrove in County Cork where Neil Porteous is involved in giving a new lease of life of a grand garden gone wild.

This week's live Gardeners' Corner phone-in celebrates Spring and the season of new beginnings. David Maxwell and experts Reg Maxwell and Ann Fitzsimmons are on hand to answer any gardening queries and offer advice on getting the best from your patch of land. David heads off to Crumlin to meet Will Hamilton in his six-acre haven 'Holly House' Garden. They take a leisurely stroll through the woodland meadow, picking out their favourites from the herbaceous borders and alpine beds.

David takes over the Radio Ulster Facebook page after the show for a live stream, answering more listeners questions and showing a sample of the experts exciting seasonal finds.

David Maxwell is joined in the studio to talk about two garden tasks usually done around St Patrick's: pruning roses and planting potatoes. Barbara Pilcher makes her first visit to David's garden to see how he is getting on with starting a new herb garden. David also visits a grand garden gone wild - Annesgrove in County Cork and he finds out about the importance of looking after our soil at Maurice Parkinson's garden in Ballyrobert.

Gardeners' Corner takes to the road once more! This time it's at Gilnahirk Horticultural and Civic Society on the edge of east Belfast. Presenter David Maxwell is joined by gardening experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Neil Porteous. The programme hears how to use home grown Quinces and the best way to wrap up an Olive so it survives a cold spell.

Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell considers the potential impact of the early spring on our gardens. With the increasing popularity of houseplants, Ann Fitzsimmons has top tips on looking after them and David makes the first of a series of visits to Blythefield Allotments in south Belfast. Also in the programme, Helen Mark catches up with Brendan Little to find out about making home grown plant supports by coppicing willow.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Barbara Pilcher and Neil Porteous. Call 0303085555 or text 81771 to have that all important gardening problem answered, standard network charges apply. Also in the programme Barbara and Neil will be talking about their favourite spring plants and giving their gardening tips for the week ahead.

David Maxwell meets Gordon Finch from east Belfast who has spent years turning his suburban garden hedge into a Titanic topiary tribute. He catches up with Colin Agnew in Belfast's Botanic Gardens to find out about no fuss houseplants. Also in the programme, Cherry Townsend is sowing seeds for summer blooms and David heads to Springhill to see the February snowdrop display.

In a packed Gardeners' Corner programme, David Maxwell starts his new herb garden with advice from Barbara Pilcher. He catches up with Averil Milligan at Rowallane where work is going on to tidy up the walled garden and give some plants a winter rest. Also in the programme, Helen Marks finds out from Brendan Little how to make a paradise patio and Claire Barnett from the RSPB joins David in studio with all the information about the 40th annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

In Gardeners' Corner this week David Maxwell gets up close and personal with snowdrops and hellebores. He also goes looking for plants with wonderful scent and soft colours and finds out that shady areas can be the perfect spot for a wide variety of plants. Also in the programme Helen Mark and Brendan Little talk about reinventing the patio area and why it should blend in with the style of your house and garden.

Join David Maxwell for the January Gardeners' Corner phone-in with experts Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell. The number to call is 03030 805555 or to text its 81771 (standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles apply and texts will be charged at your standard message rate.) In the programme lots of great gardening advice on offer and also David joins Neil Porteous for a winter walk where they both enjoy the scent from winter flowering plants in particular the beautiful witch hazel.

David Maxwell and the Gardeners' Corner team look ahead to a new gardening year. He also visits the Chelsea Physic Garden a place familar to Killyleagh man Sir Hans Sloane.

Another chance to hear a special edition of Gardeners’ Corner from the Somme where 15 Gardens of Peace (Jardin de la Paix) have been constructed near sites of the Great War. David Maxwell visits the Irish peace garden in Peronne designed by Peter Donegan. He’ll meet David Richardson, a Northern Ireland native, who is now Head of Horticulture at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to reveal how one of the biggest gardening organisations in the world tends to war graves and memorials at 23,000 locations in 150 countries. He’ll also meet Irish designer Peter Donegan in Peronne and chat to Gardeners’ Corner regular Brendan Little about how gardens help us to remember.

In this week's festive Gardeners' Corner David Maxwell is joined in the studio by Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little to talk about what's important to gardeners at Christmas helped along by some blackberry brandy tasting and mince pies. Also in the programme why botanicals and bitters are good for you, what can be discovered on a winter walk along the Lagan and last minute ideas for gardeners this Christmas.

The Gardeners' Corner team heads to the ancient site of Navan Fort in County Armagh for the last roadshow of 2018 where the audience is made up of members of Armagh Gardening Club which is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Presenter David Maxwell hosts the programme, which includes questions on dealing with Ivy, speeding up compost, pruning rambling roses and much, much more. On hand with the answers are experts Averil Milligan and Brendan Little. The team also have some tips for the week for gardeners in the run up to Christmas.

In the first Gardeners' Corner of Winter, David Maxwell visits a new community garden on the site of Hydebank Wood College and Women's Prison. He meets the Deputy Governor Tom Ferguson who says the garden helps rehabilitate those reaching the end of their sentence. David also heads to Belvoir Forest to talk to the RSPB about feeding garden birds and he speaks to Maeve Bell from the Irish Garden Plant Society about Mahonias which were born and bred in Northern Ireland. Also in the programme, David goes for a walk at Mount Stewart with Head Gardener Neil Porteous who tells him about the work under way to completely replant the Mairi garden.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner, David Maxwell, Neil Porteous and Cherry Townsend head to Carrickfergus with the roadshow where members of Carrickfergus Garden Society put their questions to the panel. Also in the programme, tips for the gardening week ahead.

This week, David Maxwell visits a garden for all seasons near Magherafelt which also has its own mini zoo. He heads to Islandmagee where Cherry Townsend is foraging in the garden for plant material that can be dried and used in long lasting autumnal floral displays. Also in the programme, Ann Fitzsimmons pays David a visit to see how his pond is doing at the end of its first season and Reg Maxwell is in studio offering an expert guide of creating a colourful autumn container.

In Gardeners' Corner this Halloween weekend David Maxwell is joined in the studio by Barbara Pilcher to talk about apples, nuts and pumpkins, produce all associated with the season. Bob Flowerdew on storing garden produce for use in the dark winter months. Also in the programme David travels to Papervale Trees near Rathfriland to find out why autumn is a great time to plant trees and Brendan Little gives a masterclass on how to make new trees from old by air layering.

Join David Maxwell with Gardeners' Corner this week as he walks and talks trees with Averil Milligan and makes the most of autumn colour. Hints on making leaf mould known as gardeners' gold and Helen Mark and Conrad McCormick visit a gardener in Cullybackey with advice on creating an exotic garden. Also in the programme why expert gardener Stephen Barstow created the term edimentals and allotmenteers in Ballysillan enjoy the fruits of their labour.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio to answer your gardening problems are experts Barbara Pilcher and Brendan Little. Lines are open on 03030 805555 and to text it's 81771 and standard network charges apply.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner, David Maxwell meets up with Cherry Townsend to explore prairie-style planting. He heads to Esker Farm Daffodils in County Tyrone where Dave and Julie Hardy have been preparing bulbs all summer. Helen Mark visits Brendan Little in Donegal to find out about layering. Also on the programme, David goes to an eco-therapy centre in County Fermanagh which is offering horticultural therapy for people suffering with anxiety and depression.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell. If you would like to call them or text with your gardening query the number is 03030 805555 or to text its 81771 and standard network charges apply. Averil and Reg will also be talking about the autumn garden and the many jobs that need done as the season progresses. Also on the programme, Mark Maher from the Northern Ireland Local Government Association on Ulster in Bloom at 40 and Helen Boyd from Randalstown on how her home town won the small town category this year.

David Maxwell heads to the world famous RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey where he finds out about the important research and plant trials taking place. With curator Matthew Pottage he explores the exotic garden which was established in September 2017 and he heads to the national collection of Heathers where Peter Jones tells him why every garden should have one. Also in the programme, Helen Mark heads to Salthill Gardens near Mountcharles in County Donegal where Elizabeth Temple has created a beautiful walled garden over three decades.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner a visit to Rowallane's walled garden reveals majestic artichokes and other plants which love sheltered conditions. Ann Fitzsimmons talks about her summer veg plan, growing melons in her greenhouse and how to harvest seed from early summer flowering plants. Also in the programme, Neil Porteous on the effects of the hot weather on this year's plants, an update from the newly planted rose garden at Mountstewart and Maurice Parkinson joins David in the studio to answer listeners' questions.

In this week's programme, David Maxwell seeks out a new wildflower border that is turning heads in Rowallane Garden in Saintfield. He also visits the Tropical Ravine where an army of bugs have been released to help gardeners tackle plant pests. David also explores the large herbaceous borders in Belfast's Botanic Gardens with gardener Adrienne Armstrong. Also in the programme, Helen Mark visits Conrad McCormick's garden where he is experimenting with Asian veg and Reg Maxwell offers advice on summer rose care.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone in this week with David Maxwell. Joining him in the studio are Brendan Little and Ann Fitzsimons, lines are open on 03030 80 5555 and to text its 81771, standard network charges apply. Also in the programme a visit to Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, which this week celebrates Rose Week.

David Maxwell is joined by Brendan Little and Ann Fitzsimons for seasonal phone-in. They'll be taking calls, texts and offering some seasonal gardening inspiration. You can call on 03030 805555 or text 81771 and standard network charges apply. David also meets a couple who have transformed their garden in Dungannon over three decades and Jo Whatmough describes the array of duneland flowers that can be found at Murlough beach.

David Maxwell is joined by Barbara Pilcher and Reg Maxwell for the June phone-in.

David Maxwell is joined by Maurice Parkinson and Averil Milligan for the June phone-in. They'll be taking calls, texts and offering some seasonal gardening inspiration. You can call on 03030 805555 or text 81771 and standard network charges apply. David also goes to Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee where Cherry Townsend is sorting out roses badly hit by storm Hector.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner, Helen Mark, Brendan Little and Jim Bradley take the roadshow to the Garden Shed in beautiful Salthill Gardens, Mountcharles in Co. Donegal. Rhubarb and raspberries, lilies and leaf mould are just some of the questions put to the panel by members of Donegal Garden Society and also in the programme tips for the gardening week ahead.

In Gardeners' Corner this week we showcase the most famous gardening show of all, the Chelsea Flower Show. David talks to show designers about their award-winning gardens, plant experts about their favourite plants and how to grow them well, what the celebrity visitors think of Chelsea this year and why Chelsea is so exciting and much loved.

David gets a tour of Belfast's new Tropical Ravine. He also catches up with Helen Dillon to find out how things are developing in her new garden south of Dublin. Mark Diacono of River Cottage fame has advice on growing veg and Caroline Marshall from the RSPB offers tips of making our gardens more wildlife friendly.

Also on the programme, Helen Mark goes to Munstead Wood, the home of famous Victorian designer Gertrude Jekyll and David heads to CAFRE's Greenmount campus to speak to three floristry students who have made it to the final of the young floristry contest at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Ann Fitzsimons and Neil Porteous. Ann and Neil will also be talking about their favourite plants for May and giving their gardening tips for the week ahead.

This week David Maxwell visits Garden Show Ireland in the grounds of Antrim Castle Gardens. It's the 14th year of the show which features gardens, specialist plant stalls and plenty of gardening advice. David catches up with Chelsea gold medal winner Ian Price who has designed the centrepiece show garden, he also visits a vegetable garden designed by MuckandMore Allotments and he meets up with Gardeners' Corner regulars Ann Fitzsimons and Cherry Townsend who are both involved in the show. Also in the programme, David returns to Glenarm Castle to look at the Tulips which taken centre stage at Bloomfest this weekend.

This week's Gardeners' Corner comes from Glenarm Castle gardens where the team answer gardening questions from the audience in the Coach House. Ann Fitzsimons and Cherry Townsend join David Maxwell to provide the gardening know-how and give their tips for the week ahead. Also in the programme, Jane Jenkins and Jordan McWhirter tell David about the forthcoming Tulip Festival happening the following weekend.

Join David Maxwell and the roadshow team at Glenarm Castle gardens

In Gardeners' Corner this week David Maxwell visits Rowallane where Head Gardener Averil Milligan explains to him why the magnificent rhododendrons and camellias do so well there. Averil also has plenty of advice on how to grow them and what problems to look out for. Also in the programme David is joined by Barbara Pilcher at Glenveagh School where teacher Maire McCaughey and her pupils are very excited about three new raised beds and a soon to be built polytunnel have been created for growing vegetables for the kitchen. Brendan Little and Helen Mark are also in the veg garden planting up garlic and shallots.

Gardeners’ Corner phone-in with experts Brendan Little and Averil Milligan.

A secret garden, a magical woodland and spring in the cottage garden.

Gardeners’ Corner is filled with inspiring ideas for the Easter garden.

David Maxwell hosts the latest Gardeners' Corner roadshow which comes from Hillsborough where the local horticultural society is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2018. David is joined by experts Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little. Forsythia problems, whitefly, no dig gardening and climate change are just some of the topics covered. The panel also offer some tips for week as spring gets going in the garden.

On this week's Gardeners' Corner David Maxwell heads to the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin for a tour with Brendan Sayers. He finds out about a plant hunting expedition from Mount Stewart in County Down to Tasmania. Reg Maxwell joins him in the studio with tips on growing potatoes. Also in the programme David gets a preview of what's coming up in this years Garden Show Ireland.

It's the March phone-in and David Maxwell is joined in the studio by gardening experts Ann Fitzsimons and Neil Porteous. Neil and Ann also talk about their favourite plants for March and give gardening tips for the week ahead.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner there's lots of work to be done in the garden at the beginning of March. Time to sow seeds, Brendan Little is sowing lettuce, beans and peas and Barbara Pilcher is sowing her favourite tomatoes. Also in the programme help with pruning wisteria and roses for a good summer show and Ann Fitzsimons is on hand with advice on planting up David's new pond. That's Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Barbara Pilcher and Jim Bradley. Jim and Barbara will also be talking about their favourite plants for February and giving their gardening tips for the week ahead.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner snowdrops are lighting up gardens around the province and we visit Springhill and Ballyrobert Cottage Gardens to see them growing under trees and shrubs and find out how to propagate them. Also in the programme how to sow chilli seeds successfully, Ann Fitzsimons joins David Maxwell in the studio to talk about sowing sweet pea, and Jim Bradley talks about his favourite winter plants and how to look after them through the winter months.

This week in Gardeners' Corner, David Maxwell has a masterclass with Averil Milligan on pruning a pear tree, Barbara Pilcher is busy in her greenhouse sowing seeds for spring and summer, Charles Dowding explains his theory on no-dig gardening and Helen Mark finds out what plans are in place in the small village of Ballyvoy by sowing a wildflower area and planting low-maintenance shrubs. Also in the programme a visit to Castle Espie as part of the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend.

In this week's Gardeners' Corner David Maxwell joins Reg Maxwell in his garden to find out which gardening jobs need done before the end of January. David Love Cameron gets baby leeks off to a good start in the walled garden at Helen's Bay, the RSPB visits David's garden to talk about the birdlife there and how we can all get involved in the Big Garden Birdwatch and Keith Crawford is in the studio to talk about the effect of the cold weather on plants and what we can do to brighten up the January garden.

This week in Gardeners' Corner in the first roadshow of 2018 David Maxwell is joined by experts Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell as they answer gardening questions from members of Drumbeg Gardening Club. Amongst the problems dealt with by the panel are how to manage box blight, mare's tail and sooty mould on rhododendrons along with lots of other tips including when is the best time to sow sweet pea. Lots of good gardening advice to start the new year.

In the first programme of 2018, David Maxwell looks ahead to a new gardening year and he also looks back at some highlights from last year. David visits Maurice Parkinson to talk about shrubs with winter scent. Cherry Townsend gives advice on getting ahead when it comes to raising home grown cut flowers. Also in the programme, Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin on why it's the perfect place to visit in the winter. And he's joined by Maeve Bell of the Irish Garden Plant Society on why the new year is the perfect time to consider joining a group for those interested in all things gardening.

As the new year approaches Gardeners' Corner goes out winter walking. David Maxwell visits Castle Ward and Belfast Castle while Helen Mark heads to Brackfield wood. Gardeners' Corner experts, Neil Porteous, Brendan Little, Barbara Pilcher and Reg Maxwell give their own insights on the varied flora and fauna as well as some seasonal gardening tips.

David Maxwell is joined by Ann Fitzsimons and Brendan Little in the studio. Over festive fare they chat about Christmas plants, presents and plans for the garden in the new year. With Christmas music, mince pies and mulled wine the team are getting in the mood for Christmas day. Also in the programme, a masterclass from Bonsai expert Bjorn Bjorholm.

In Gardeners' Corner this week join David Maxwell for a festive programme filled with ideas for gifts for gardeners, how to look after your Christmas tree whether cut or in a pot, why robins are our favourite bird especially at this time of year, unusual veg and herbs from the garden for the Christmas table, ideas on how to decorate your house with foliage and a book review with Wendy Austin from Lisburn Road Library.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell. Answering your gardening problems are Barbara Pilcher and Brendan Little. Lots of good gardening advice from the experts and a chance to hear about some seasonal plants that are looking good even in mid-winter and what jobs need to be done over the next week or so.

In this week's programme David Maxwell visits the arboretum at Castlewellan Forest Park where the famous Castlewellan Gold was born. He's joined by Averil Milligan from the National Trust's Rowallane Garden and by John Watson from the NI Forest Service. David explores the unique flora and also encounters some rather special fauna as the gardens are home to a thriving population of Red Squirrels. Also in the programme, Helen Mark is in Donegal where Gareth Austin is taking hardwood cuttings and growing pea shoots as a winter salad.

In Gardeners' Corner this week, David Maxwell visits the orchard at Glenarm Castle with Reg Maxwell and hears how to grow medlars, trees which give spring flowers, fruit and autumn colour. Also in the programme Helen Mark pays a return visit to Wendy Austin's garden in Donegal with Brendan Little who helped Wendy create her orchard last year. Neil Porteous and gardener Alan Ryder show David how the restoration of the old rose garden is coming along, tucked away in a hidden area behind Mountstewart and Cherry Townsend is this week's studio guest with lots of ideas on plants and flowers to brighten up the house in the lead up to Christmas.

Ann Fitzsimons clears out her pond and Keith Crawford suggests various types of hedging.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell. Answering your gardening problems are Reg Maxwell and Averil Milligan. Lots of good gardening advice from the experts and a chance to hear about the plants they have growing in their gardens and what jobs need to be done over the next week or so.

David Maxwell visits gardens in Islandmagee, Holywood, Killinchy and County Fermanagh at one of the busiest times for gardeners before the cold months set in. Cherry Townsend explains the best way to plant bulbs in a wildflower meadow. Creating a seaside garden from scratch with Barbara Pilcher and some advice on propagating oriental poppies from Ann Fitzsimons. Also in the programme, Helen Mark makes a return visit to the wildlife friendly garden of Bob and Rosemary Salisbury and the programme also visits the two-acre kitchen garden at the National Trust's Florence Court where David Corscadden explains the benefits of green manure.

In Gardeners' Corner this weekend, pumpkins, apples and nuts, produce of the season and associated with Halloween - how to grow them well. Also in the programme, how to protect tender plants from the wet, wind and cold, and a step-by-step guide to growing your own apple trees.

This week the Gardeners' Corner roadshow heads to the west of the province where experts Brendan Little and Jim Bradley answer questions from members of the Fermanagh Gardening Society. Also in the programme there will be seasonal tips for the week ahead, and garden writer and designer Stephen Lacey shares his thoughts about the importance of using scented plants in the garden.

In Gardeners' Corner this week, David Maxwell visits Helen Dillon's new garden by the sea and finds out why the plants are looking so happy and thriving within her walled garden. Also in the programme Helen Mark visits Sir Bob and Rosemary Salisbury's wildlife friendly garden in Co. Tyrone and enjoys an autumn walk through the many shrubs and trees providing a blaze of colour. Jimi Blake at Huntingbrooke Gardens in Co. Wicklow shows David his collection of salvias and dahlias and talks about jobs for the autumn garden.

This Saturday David Maxwell is joined in the Gardeners' Corner phone-in studio by experts Brendan Little and Neil Porteous and you can phone 03030 805555, text 81771 or email [email protected] to have your gardening queries answered. Also in the programme Brendan and Neil will be talking about seasonal plants and what to look forward to in late autumn and they will have gardening tips for the week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster.

This week David Maxwell visits Barbara Pilcher at her seaside home to talk about what to do with herbs during autumn and winter. Jim Bradley offers advice on choosing statement plants for the patio. David talks downsizing with internationally renowned garden designer and writer Mary Keen and gets top tips on what to do now in the garden from Gardeners' Question Time panellist Matthew Biggs.

This week David Maxwell and the Gardeners' Corner roadshow head to Ballymena, where members of the local Macmillan Cancer Support Group put their gardening questions to experts Ann Fitzsimons and Brendan Little. Among the gardening topics up for discussion are how and when to prune clematis and wisteria, advice for gardeners who want to create a garden on a new site and the thinking behind no-dig gardening.

In Gardeners' Corner this week with David Maxwell: a visit to Mount Stewart, where head gardener Neil Porteous is keeping the colour going with Autumn Asters. Cherry Townsend is harvesting and planting seed at Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee. David Love Cameron gathers in a big crop of onions at the walled garden in Helen's Bay and offers advice on how to store them as well as how to avoid the dreaded white rot. Also in the programme, Anne Fitzsimons joins David Maxwell in the studio for tips on naturalising bulbs.

David Maxwell presents the weekly programme for keen gardeners with the latest advice, news and visits to gardens large and small around the province.

Helen Mark takes the Gardeners' Corner Roadshow to Mount Stewart where Neil Porteous and Sarah Cook answer a variety of gardening questions.