Gardeners' Corner

BBC Radio Ulster

4.6 (98)
HOME & GARDEN
UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

1 DAY AGO

Growing soft fruit without a garden, getting going with sweet peas, tomatoes and chillies, Adam Frost’s shrub of the month

With spring just around the corner presenter David Maxwell, explores what we can all get growing in mid-February to get ahead of the game. Sweet Peas, Tomatoes and Chillies can all be sown right now on a warm windowsill for a summer full of scent and home grown goodness. Amy Kelly reveals how you can have a delicious crop of raspberries and strawberries without a garden and Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost tells us why he’s picked a showy willow as his shrub of the month. Also on the programme, as Mount Venus nursery prepares to move up the road, David joins Oliver Schurmann to find out about the logistics of moving a plant business and garden that’s celebrating its 25th birthday. In studio, David is joined by expert Ann FitzSimons. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
8 FEB

Why you should eat the rainbow, how to grow hellebores and easy hedging

This week why it’s good for you to eat as many different coloured fruit and veg as you can grow. A visit to Mount Venus nursery where Oliver Schurmann has a great collection on hellebores that are putting on an impressive show when little else does. In Glenarm, Neil Porteous is pruning grapes and Maurice Parkinson recommends Lonciera nitida as one of the best (and cheapest!) hedging plants available. Anna Hudson joins David in studio to take questions. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
1 FEB

Storm Éowyn, from rugby to raking, and searching for special snowdrops

Storm Éowyn has changed the face of some treasured public gardens. This week David visits the National Trust’s Mount Stewart which was one of the worst affected. Rob Wilson tells David that with thousands of trees down, the garden on the Ards Peninsula has completely lost some of its shelter belts. Despite the destruction, Gardeners’ Corner finds hope in the simple snowdrop at Ballyrobert Cottage Garden. Maurice Parkinson has over 250 varieties including favourites such as Galanthus ‘The Pearl’, ‘Primrose Warburg’ and ‘Fly Fishing’ which all perform well in the garden’s heavy clay. As Ireland kick off their Six Nations campaign, former rugby international Andy Ward tells David how he transitioned from flanker to gardener. In studio, David is joined by Brendan Little to answer questions and provide some seasonal inspiration. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
25 JAN

How to have happy houseplants, pruning gooseberries and apples and taking the work out of gardening

You don’t have to have a garden to enjoy plants and this week David Maxwell explores the plant world that prefers the indoor life. Roisin Horgan set up her houseplant business in east Belfast after years working in offices which lacked greenery. She reveals the best plants for different indoor locations including, the trailing Pothos or Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) for a dull hallway, the Calathea for areas of high humidity or the tree like Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) for bright locations. In his Templepatrick garden, Reg Maxwell is pruning gooseberries and apples and David visits Claire Barnett’s new north Antrim garden where she’ll be taking part on the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. Cherry Townsend joins David in studio with tips on making gardening easier and the best beans to grow in 2025. Email the programme - gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
18 JAN

What to grow for winter wonder, summer down under and the tidy grow tunnel that gets vacuumed?

Even on a cold or dull January day there is always some winter wonders to be discovered in a botanic garden. This week, David Maxwell heads to the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, just a few miles from the centre of Dublin. Outdoors he finds flowering Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica) and the striking bark of Chilean Myrtle (Luma apiculata) while in the impressive “Curvilinear Range” he is blown away by the scent of Jasmine (Jasminium polyanthum) and the flowers of the Bird of Paradise plant (Strelitizia reginae) which are cosy under the glass. Also on the programme, a visit to Monkstown Village Community Garden in Newtownabbey where volunteers keep things so tidy that they actually vacuum the polytunnel, and Rosie Maye joins David in studio to answer question and offer some winter gardening inspiration. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
11 JAN

What to do in the garden when the temperature drops, Adam Frost’s Shrub of the Month and dealing with invasive Bamboo

As temperatures drop, David Maxwell is joined in studio by Ann FitzSimons to consider how to deal with snow and ice in the garden. He also heads to the National Trust’s Mount Stewart where despite the freezing weather work is continuing to reclaim areas of the garden lost to invasive bamboo. At the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, Emily Hazell explains how they protect tender species which already benefit from the urban heat island effect. She also explains her very precise rules for what stays and what gets cut down in the borders so they are tidy through the winter months. Also on the programme, Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost begins his Shrub of the Month series with his must-have shrub for January. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
1 JAN

Season by Season with Gardeners’ Corner

At the turn of the year David Maxwell takes us on a journey through the four seasons with highlights from 12 months of Gardeners’ Corner. From snow covered Downhill Demesne to clearing up after the storms at Hillsborough Castle Gardens, from the Kew Gardens of Connemara to Sarah Raven’s world famous Perch Hill garden – David brings lessons from a year of gardening on the airwaves. Email the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

57 min
21/12/2024

Gardeners’ Corner at Christmas

Get ready for a festive gardening get together as David Maxwell and the Gardeners’ Corner team head to Ballywalter Park on the Ards Peninsula. Gathered around a roaring fire outdoors, they’ll be celebrating the season with mince pies, mulled wine and plenty of practical gardening advice inspired by the contents of custom-made Christmas crackers and Secret Santa gifts. Also on the programme - Anna Hudson on the Christmas garden of the past, Lady Dunleath cooks up some alternative Christmas cuisine grown and reared on the Estate, and inspiration from Mary Doris on using the garden to decorate your home for free. With a healthy dollop of fun throughout, this seasonal special is not to be missed.

56 min

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4.6

out of 5

98 Ratings

top class

13/05/2023

jen ebb

top class gardening podcast - informative, entertaining, varied and something for every level of gardener
All about honeybees

04/10/2021

the big fly in

Hello I would love to be on your podcast. Something a little different. I have developed a rather unique beehive nest box beehive. And system of beekeeping. Developed primarily for my own investigation of honeybees I have evolved a system like no other. Resulting in bees that are less stressed. Thus happier and healthier. Hope to hear from you soon. Kevin. the GARDENERSBEEHIVE guy Gardenersbeehive.com
Not just for Ulster

22/06/2021

DavenportSharky

This really is an excellent podcast for gardening all over the U.K. and the Republic. Good advice from experts and a well informed pleasant presenter. Despite being in Greater Manchester it’s now a regular for me. Informative for experienced gardeners and newcomers alike.
Just the right tone

28/07/2020

Scottish Country Garden

This outstanding gardening programme from BBC Radio Ulster is a weekly treat for me, despite living many miles away in south east Scotland! Chaired with warmth, support and reassurance, this programme has a homely feel and a plethora of real experts from the very best of Northern Ireland’s beautiful gardens. We don’t have a programme like this in Scotland, so delighted to have found this horticultural gem across the water!

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.