300 episodes

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.

Gardeners' Corner BBC Radio Ulster

    • Leisure
    • 4.6 • 79 Ratings

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.

    Veg to sow now, celebrating Daffodils and Jekka’s 100 herbs

    Veg to sow now, celebrating Daffodils and Jekka’s 100 herbs

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk.

    • 56 min
    How to reduce the mowing and increase spring colour, the wonders of wild garlic and perennial of the month

    How to reduce the mowing and increase spring colour, the wonders of wild garlic and perennial of the month

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

    • 56 min
    Where to start in the garden this spring, Jimi Blake’s new borders and producing trees on an industrial scale

    Where to start in the garden this spring, Jimi Blake’s new borders and producing trees on an industrial scale

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

    • 56 min
    Gardening in a war zone and the Great Gardeners’ Corner Grow Along

    Gardening in a war zone and the Great Gardeners’ Corner Grow Along

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

    • 55 min
    Last-minute rose pruning made easy, Lissadell House, and perennial of the month

    Last-minute rose pruning made easy, Lissadell House, and perennial of the month

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

    • 55 min
    How plants can help solve serious crimes, helping our hedgehogs and ‘Anya the garden fairy’

    How plants can help solve serious crimes, helping our hedgehogs and ‘Anya the garden fairy’

    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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

    • 56 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
79 Ratings

79 Ratings

Lifecake devotee ,

What a treat

I live in San Francisco a world away from Ireland but find Gardner’s Corner enormously helpful as well as delightfully entertaining. I look forward to new episodes every week - I never miss a show. Funny, sweet, educational, inspiring… what a wonderful show. You don’t have to love gardening to enjoy this show (but it helps). Give a listen and find out for yourself!

Texjen ,

From the desert

I live in the desert but love listening to how people garden in Ireland. And David Maxwell runs the show so well.

LinaTheQueen ,

Pleasant.

Love the info, good show, nice to think of greener things while at work. I do wish David didn’t talk over folks so often- bit stressful.

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