Gardeners' Corner

Epizode

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  Home tips from a historic house, Meath’s Poppy Garden and growing plants indoors 26.09.2026 56min

  Anna Hudson visits Rob Wilson, assistant head gardener at Mount Stewart to gather ideas and techniques that gardeners can put into practice at home. In Meath, David visits Ealma Purcell’s Poppy Garden, a flourishing haven that began with just one flower bed and is now bursting with colour and life. Amy Kelly offers advice on saving summer herbs to savour through the darker months. Back in the studio, Colin Agnew joins Anna to answer questions on Rhubarb Timperley Early, moving lavender and growing plants indoors. Email the programme anytime at [email protected].
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  Colourful displays in Ballymena, sensory gardens and saving a Sarcococca 19.09.2026 56min

  Helen Mark visits Kay Rainey at her garden near the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, where herbaceous borders and repeated bursts of colour create a stunning display throughout the seasons. In south Belfast, Helen calls by to Annadale Community Centre off the Ormeau Road, where local volunteers have been learning new skills and building a strong sense of community and friendship. Their efforts have earned them a place among the finalists in the Make a Difference Awards 2026. Nicola Kenny visits the Everton Day Centre in north Belfast to meet members of the L'Arche community, who have spent months transforming an overlooked courtyard into a sensory garden. Back in the studio, Claire McNally joins Helen to answer questions on Sarcococca plants and flowering Dahlias. Email the programme anytime at [email protected].
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  How to feed your soil, special trees and Adam Frost's bulb of the month 05.09.2026 56min

  As one season gives way to another, David travels to the County Meath garden of Paula Byrne. Twenty years ago, after building a new house, the interior designer turned her attention to the outdoors. Since then, she has created six unique gardens around her home, which attract many visitors during the summer months.In County Down, it’s been a bumper harvest for Helen’s Bay Organic after a warm summer. Founder John McCormick explains how they use cover crops to improve the life and fertility of the soil.Adam Frost chooses the diminutive Acis autumnalis as his bulb of the month for September, and Rosie Maye joins David in the studio to answer questions on bamboo and choosing a special tree to remember a precious uncle.Contact the programme at [email protected]
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  Gardeners' Corner summer special with Dan Pearson and Jekka McVicar 29.08.2026 56min

  After one of the hottest summers on record, David travels to the west of England to explore the private gardens of two renowned plants-people. Acclaimed designer Dan Pearson has spent the last 15 years creating his ‘Hillside’ garden with his partner Huw around an old farmhouse in Somerset. He shows David how he works with the landscape rather than imposing upon it, creating a garden for wildlife as well as people. After exploring the herbaceous borders and pond, Dan reveals his experimental sand garden, where he is testing plants for a changing climate. Twenty miles north, at her herb farm near Bristol, Jekka McVicar has spent the summer observing which plants can cope with prolonged heat and drought. Her thymes and oreganos are among the standouts. Jekka doesn’t water the garden and finds that self-seeded plants are often the most resilient. Chance seedlings can also produce something completely new, and she shows David a mint discovered in her garden that will bear her name. Both gardeners are adapting to a changing climate, searching for plants that can withstand increasingly long periods of summer drought while still coping with wet winters.
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  Growing lavender, success with agapanthus and healing through gardening 22.08.2026 56min

  David travels to County Fermanagh, where he meets Vera Cassidy at Lavender Manor near Enniskillen. The venue is true to its name, and it is the ideal place to find out how to grow this wonderfully scented shrubby perennial. A few miles away in Lisnaskea, victims' charity SEFF has been using gardening as a form of therapy. The organisation has 44 allotment plots, many of which are used by people living with trauma. David meets some of the members, including Malcolm, who has hopes of winning a medal for some of his vegetables at a show. After a seven-year absence, Neil Porteous has returned to the National Trust's Mount Stewart as head gardener. He reveals some of his plans for the garden and takes time to enjoy the South African plants, including agapanthus and protea, that are performing well in late summer. Anna Hudson also joins David live in the studio to answer listeners' questions.Contact the programme at [email protected]
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  Plants that perform in drought, Adam Frost's bulb of the month, and gardening for hedgehogs 15.08.2026 56min

  After a summer of sunshine and heat, David catches up with Maurice Parkinson, who is continuing to plant with a changing climate in mind. Which plants can perform through weeks of drought but also cope with a wet winter? Adam Frost chooses Gladiolus papilio as his bulb of the month. In West Belfast, David finds out how we can all adapt our gardens to make them more hedgehog-friendly, and he visits a couple near Dervock who have transformed an abandoned garden into a place of beauty and bounty. In the studio, Claire McNally joins David to tackle listener questions on clematis, lavatera and the creation of a poppy-themed garden. Contact the programme at [email protected]
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  Home-grown cooking with Mollie Cunningham, summer perennials and permaculture in the park 08.08.2026 56min

  Join David Maxwell for an hour of gardening advice for summer. He'll be joined in studio by expert Ann Fitzsimons who has advice on how to save a fig tree and offers plant recommendations for wedding anniversary gifts. In County Down, just outside the village of Killyleagh, David visits an old walled garden full of organic fruit and veg. Ballytrim Pantry was started by Mollie Cunningham in her family’s large garden during lockdown and became a small business that celebrates the unbeatable taste of home-grown food. David revisits Jimi Blake’s Huntingbrook gardens to hear about his top five summer perennials. Also on the programme, Nicola Kenny visits Friends of the Field community garden in lower botanic gardens where she learns about the values of permaculture and the benefits of skill sharing. Contact the programme on [email protected]
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  Summer inspiration from the Gardeners’ Corner archive 25.07.2026 56min

  Join David Maxwell and Rosie Maye as they dig into the archive and look back at garden visits from past summers on the programme. From long-flowering perennials at Kilcoan Gardens in Islandmagee to producing delicious organic vegetables at Portnoo Market Garden in Donegal and a visit to the immersive Ardán Garden in Howth which has become a highlight of Dublin's coastal landscape. In studio Rosie Maye offers expert advice on keeping roses healthy over the remaining summer months and how to make comfrey feed at home.
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  Creating new borders with Jimi Blake, growing redcurrants for skincare and Jason Ingram on photographing gardens 18.07.2026 56min

  As the dry spell continues, David travels to renowned gardener Jimi Blake's Huntingbrook garden in County Wicklow. He finds out how Jimi created three new beds for smaller plants including sedum, linaria and a few rogue sweetcorn. Adam Frost chooses Crocosmia 'Hellfire' as his bulb of the month. Advice from Amy Kelly on the food crops that will save you most money and Anna Hudson answers a question in studio from a listener who has been struggling to grow beetroot for years. Also on the programme, award winning garden photographer Jason Ingram and growing your own lemons from seed. Contact the programme on [email protected]
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  Success with delphiniums, easy early summer cuttings, and peculiar plums 04.07.2026 56min

  As the summer holiday season begins, David Maxwell is joined in studio by Ann FitzSimons and Mary Doris who are full of summer gardening inspiration. Ann explains how to make more plants for free right now by taking semi-ripe cuttings. Mary makes the best of the gardens summer bounty including, chive pesto, honeysuckle syrup and lemon balm cookies. Together they answer listener questions including how best to grow delphiniums, rejuvenating old box hedging and a tree producing peculiar plums. Contact the programme on [email protected]
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  How to grow olives and basil, cameraman vs bee and the garden legacy of a retiring Tyrone teacher 27.06.2026 56min

  Join David Maxwell for an hour of gardening advice for summer. He'll be joined in studio by expert Neil Porteous who will have advice on how to grow olives successfully in a climate which isn't always as hot as this week! In Ann FitzSimons County Down greenhouse she is growing tomatoes, basil and chillies - so what is the secret of her success? As the school term ends one Bush Primary in Dungannon is marking the retirement of a teacher who has inspired pupils to get into gardening for the last 30 years. David visits the class plots and meets some of the budding gardeners. Also on the programme, wildlife cameraman, Martin Dohrn on his documentary 'My Garden of a thousand bees' where he discovered over 60 species of bee in his own Bristol back garden. Contact the programme on [email protected]
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  Gardeners' Corner at BBC Gardeners' World Live, Birmingham 21.06.2026 56min

  David Maxwell is joined by Adam Frost and Jekka McVicar live from the NEC in Birmingham.Presenter Nikki Chapman reflects on her relationship with her garden and David meets some of the growers and designers.Contact the team any time by emailing [email protected]
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  Four decades at Tattykeel, cost-cutting propagation and soil health for community gardens. 13.06.2026 56min

  Helen Mark visits Tattykeel Garden in Omagh, where Hugh and Kathleen Ward reflect on four decades of gardening as they open their gates for the National Garden Scheme. Helen meets Ian Marshall to explore simple, cost effective propagation techniques for Hydrangeas and a range of houseplants. Near the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, Helen catches up with Miriam Turley at An Creagán to discuss the challenges facing community garden groups across the country. And with Conor O'Kane she learns how homemade bio char can boost soil health. Colin Agnew joins Helen in studio. Email the programme at [email protected]
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  All about alliums, clematis cuttings, summer care for succulents and the best plants for moths 06.06.2026 56min

  Join David Maxwell for an hour of early-summer inspiration for your garden. He brings you more highlights from the garden show season and is joined by expert Claire McNally to answer questions on taking clematis cuttings and moving peonies and hebes. Also in the studio, wildlife expert Katy Bell tells David about the hummingbird hawk-moth, a recent visitor to his garden, and shares advice on what to grow to help all our moths. Adam Frost chooses alliums as his Bulb of the Month. David's plant pick - Leptospermum scoparium 'Martini' Contact the programme at [email protected].
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  Gardeners' Corner at Bord Bia Bloom 2026 30.05.2026 56min

  Gardeners' Corner attends Ireland's biggest gardening show, Bord Bia Bloom, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. Presenter David Maxwell tours the show gardens and plant stands in search of takeaways for the ordinary gardener. Along with regular expert Anna Hudson, he meets Adam Frost and Neven Maguire, who are taking part in the show. Also on the programme are top plant picks from the show and highlights from the postcard gardens, which are created in one day by community groups from across Ireland.
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  Gardeners' Corner at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 23.05.2026 56min

  Highlights from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 with David Maxwell, featuring the gold medal-winning Trussell’s Together Garden — the first Chelsea garden to be relocated to Northern Ireland. David meets women from the Strabane Community Project, where the garden will soon be rebuilt, and its designer, Rob Hardy. He also speaks to Arit Anderson about her show garden for Parkinson’s UK and meets The Traitors star Rachel Duffy, whose late mum lived with the condition. As usual, David catches up with Joanna Lumley and other famous faces, including Sophie Raworth, Timothy Spall, Dame Judi Dench, Alan Titchmarsh, Rob Brydon and Nigel Slater. Inside the Great Pavilion, plant experts offer advice on roses, alstroemerias and vegetables, while David also visits Sarah Eberle’s award-winning garden, On the Edge, which encourages us to garden with nature in mind.
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  Dan Pearson on the value of gardening slowly, lavender alternatives and getting peonies to flower 16.05.2026 56min

  David visits the GROW community garden at the Waterworks site in north Belfast where members of Anaka women's collective are gaining gardening knowledge and forming friendships at the same time. Gardener Craig teaches them how to split mint plants and sow carrots for a harvest later this year. Renowned garden and landscape designer Dan Pearson chats about his own garden and the value to taking things slowly. In County Antrim, David drops in on Creavery Primary School which was awarded best school garden by the local council last year. Also on the programme Colin Agnew joins David to answers questions on lavender alternatives and getting problem peonies to flower. Contact the programme at [email protected]
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  Sarah Raven and Shane Connolly on cut flowers, gardening with a disability and Adam Frost's bulb of the month 09.05.2026 56min

  David chats to renowned plantswoman Sarah Raven and royal florist Shane Connolly at the Festival of Gardens and Nature in County Laois. In West Belfast, he meets Paula Kerr who uses every bit of her back garden to produce fresh organic fruit and veg. Adam Frost reveals his favourite bulb for May, and Brian and Amy Kelly talk about the value of gardening even when it becomes more physically difficult to do. Rosie Maye joins David in studio to take questions and provide seasonal inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected].
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  Garden birdsong with the Nature Boy, giving berberis a go and cutting back camellias 02.05.2026 56min

  David Maxwell visits Ballyrobert Cottage Garden where Maurice Parkinson tries to convince him to give the prickly berberis shrub a chance. It's also time to cut back the camellias which have just finished flowering. As the dawn chorus reaches its peak, ornithologist and award-winning author Sean Ronayne extols the health benefits of taking in birdsong at this time of year. In Dundonald, David meets Rory Blight and Sean McDermott in an urban oasis where their Keen 2B Green community interest company is providing a home for nature and a place to benefit the community and those with learning disabilities. Work is underway to create ponds, a bee bank and a species rich grassland. Ann FitzSimons joins David in studio to answer questions on patchy grass, a rowan tree with no leaves and an unruly Rosa rugosa. Contact the programme on [email protected]
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  Celebrating tulip time, making pampass plume and preventing peony problems 25.04.2026 56min

  As the spring sunshine brings out the blooms, join David Maxwell as Gardeners' Corner celebrates tulip time. Expert guest Anna Hudson will have some of her favourites in studio and they'll discuss whether the bulbs are worth saving for next year. Also on the programme, David visits Salthill garden in County Donegal where Elizabeth Temple has changed a featureless lawn into a garden full of choice plants and trees. In Dublin, Nicola Kenny visits Taplin''s Field Community Garden where organic food is produced by a diverse group of city dwellers and the programme hears from Paul McHugh who discovered a rare wild flower on his daily dog walk in Portglenone. The live phone-in programme also includes questions on pampass grass, peonies and photinia hedging. Contact the programme on [email protected]