Gardeners' Corner - TopPodcast.com

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Why a dead hedge is a good thing, crazy shaped carrots and what to do with hard pears Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

With autumn colour all around, David visits the dazzling collection of rare and exotic trees in the arboretum at Castlewellan Forest Park. Head gardener Alwyn Sinnamon picks out some of his highlights, including a slow-growing tree that could become a family heirloom. Nearby, Marc Johansen is considering the future of the tree collection, propagating new plants from seeds and cuttings, while Aidan Murphy is putting autumn prunings to good use by creating a dead hedge. Despite the sunny summer, Mollie Cunningham's pears haven't ripened on the tree, but she knows how to turn them into a tasty treat in just minutes. David visits her at Ballytrim for sweet and savoury ideas to ensure the fruit doesn't go to waste. Also on the programme, Ann FitzSimons joins David in the studio to answer listeners' questions, including one from two Year 7 pupils puzzled by their strangely shaped carrots. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

How to use colour with TJ Maher, the story of Portnoo Market Garden and making leafmould Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

With autumn colour all around, David heads to an artist's garden in County Wicklow. TJ Maher has spent decades creating Patthana with his partner Simon. With an artist's eye, TJ paints with plants and particularly loves the rich, warm colours of autumn. As they explore the garden, David gets a masterclass in combining colours and discovers how they can influence the way we feel. Also on the programme, Barrie Quinn tells the story of Portnoo Market Garden, while Rosie Maye joins David in the studio to answer listeners' questions and explain why now is the perfect time to make leafmould and compost. Contact the programme on gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Colour therapy in Donegal, healing herbs you already have and Adam Frost's bulb of the month Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

As autumn arrives, David heads to two very different gardens in County Donegal. His first stop is Cluain na dTor in Falcarragh, where expert plantsman Seamus O’Donnell has created an exotic garden full of hidden treasures, just a few hundred metres from the wild Atlantic Ocean. David discovers an Ethiopian banana plant and learns about the importance of slow gardening.

Further north, herb expert Columbia Hillen tends Anamcara Healing Herb Garden, where native and exotic plants thrive on a hillside with dramatic views. The former journalist explains how her upbringing in Romania taught her to appreciate the healing properties of the plants growing beneath our feet.

Also on the programme, Adam Frost chooses Crocus goulimyi as his bulb of the month, Katy Bell joins David in the studio with her autumn wildlife update, and gardener Claire McNally answers questions from listeners.

Contact the programme at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Autumn inspiration from the Gardeners’ Corner archive Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Join Helen Mark and Mary Doris as they dig into the archive and look back at past garden visits from the season of autumn. From the changing colours at Rowallane Gardens near Saintfield to ornamental grasses that thrive at this time of year. Amy Kelly offers tips on getting ahead of the game for some early crops next year. They also revisit a feature from the Brook Hall Estate on the banks of the Foyle near Derry. In studio, Mary Doris offers advice on protecting a Eucalyptus Gunnii plant over the colder months and growing Angel Wings. Email the programme anytime at gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk.

Home tips from a historic house, Meath’s Poppy Garden and growing plants indoors Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk.

Colourful displays in Ballymena, sensory gardens and saving a Sarcococca Sep 19, 2026

Show notes

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk.

How to feed your soil, special trees and Adam Frost's bulb of the month Sep 05, 2026

Show notes

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Gardeners' Corner summer special with Dan Pearson and Jekka McVicar Aug 29, 2026

Show notes

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.

Growing lavender, success with agapanthus and healing through gardening Aug 22, 2026

Show notes

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

Plants that perform in drought, Adam Frost's bulb of the month, and gardening for hedgehogs Aug 15, 2026

Show notes

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

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