Gardeners' Corner

In this Easter edition of Gardeners’ Corner, there is double the gardening inspiration and know-how as two expert guests join David Maxwell in studio. Rosie Maye will be singing the praises of home grown rhubarb and Colin Agnew’s Easter basket is not full of eggs but succulent plants. Also on the programme, a San Francisco listener on how to grow your own soap and a visit to the Delta Sensory Gardens in County Carlow. The 2.5 acre site is located in an industrial estate and boasts 16 unique gardens that are used and maintained by adults and young people with disabilities. Email the programme at [email protected]

With the sunny spring continuing, Gardeners’ Corner visits a 19th century walled garden in Maghera. Once connected to the local rectory, it is now run by the council, and it features several distinct spaces including a large glasshouse and a wildflower meadow. Roy Clark, who knows the garden well, says their secret to planting spring bulbs in a naturalistic way is to get children to do it! The good weather has also lead to increased demand for compost and this week presenter David Maxwell is on the factory floor of one of the biggest suppliers in the country. Also on the programme, a charity in Ballymoney that is building good community relations through growing and Ann FitzSimons will join David in studio to answer questions. Email the programme at [email protected]

David Maxwell heads to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens where nearly 20,000 spring bulbs are blooming. Head Gardener, Claire Woods shows off the large collection of daffodils bred in Northern Ireland and gives some tips on getting the best out of these bulbs. Ann FitzSimons explains what she’s learnt after living with a living wall for 2 years and Adam Frost reveals his shrub for April (Euonymus nanus var. turkestanicus). In studio, David is joined by Anna Hudson, who will suggest what we can all sow now for a home grown harvest later this year and, with David, she’ll take questions from listeners including suggestions for a shallow planter and how to cure an unhappy looking holly tree. Email the programme at [email protected]

What do you do if you’re adopted by bees? That was the Watson family’s question when the insects started making honeycomb in their compost bin. Now with two hives, mum Julietta is always thinking how she can make her County Down garden a haven for both her family and the wildlife on the doorstep. With Magnolias and Camellias blossoming across the country, David rejoins John Anderson for a woodland walk in the 35 acre Savill Garden near Windsor where the collection includes, Camellia ‘ Cornish Snow Winton’ and the very popular Camellia ‘Donation’. Also on the programme, Brendan Little joins David in studio to answer questions including what to plant under an established hedge. Contact the programme. Email the programme at [email protected]

Autumn planting is rewarded with Spring colour and at Castle Ward the formal bulb display of hyacinths and primroses is at its height. David meets gardeners Searcha Kelly and Judy Walsh who, with the help of volunteers, keep the gardens of this National Trust property looking good. Could heathers be coming back into fashion? Long lasting colour and a winter food source for bees mean they are high on the list for new plantings at The Savill Garden in Windsor. Keeper of the Gardens, John Anderson also shows David some other plants used as valuable ground cover including various types of Ophiopogon. Plantsman Jimi Blake reveals his latest interest is alpines – but will he get the new borders ready before his Huntingbrook garden opens for the season? Claire McNally joins David in studio to answer questions. [email protected]

Gardeners’ Corner celebrates spring with a visit to the world-famous RHS Garden Wisley. Covering 240 acres, it’s one of five gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society and it attracts around one million visitors every year. Presenter David Maxwell visits several part of the garden that really come alive in spring, including the woodland areas at Oakwood and Battleston Hill and the crocus display on the conifer lawn. He also visits the labs at RHS Hilltop where scientists preserve plant DNA for future generations and sees a treasured dried potato plant collection by Charles Darwin. Also on the programme, a visit to Katy Bell’s wildlife-friendly garden in County Down where insects, amphibians and birds are waking up and Amy Kelly explains how to have success with spuds. Email the programme at [email protected]

With the temperatures edging up, it’s time to get those Dahlia tubers planted up for the season ahead and that’s what David Maxwell found Ann FitzSimons doing when he dropped into her country garden glasshouse near Killinchy. At the National Trust’s Downhill Demesne, students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) are learning the art of making a dry stone wall from expert Paddy McKeegan. Head gardener, Una Quinn also tells David about her plans for a clover lawn alongside the Bog garden. In west Belfast, a visit to the Three Sisters Community Garden shows what gardening can achieve in a high density urban environment. A plot of waste ground once blighted by illegal dumping has been transformed into a place for social interaction and learning. Also on the programme, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost reveals his favourite shrub for March and Rosie Maye joins David live in studio. Email the programme at [email protected]

The hunt is on for long lost plant varieties – David Maxwell finds out why groups like the Irish Garden Plant Society and Plant Heritage want to find and save plants that can no longer be bought. In Bessbrook, Hilary McKelvey explains why alpines are the ultimate in no-fuss gardening. On a visit to renowned plantsman Jimi Blake’s garden in County Wicklow, David finds out about the best flowering plants to follow snowdrops. In studio, Anna Hudson reveals why we should all eat our weeds and she answers questions with David from listeners. Email the programme at [email protected]

David Maxwell finds out about storm proof trees at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Kilmacurragh where head gardener, Seamus O’Brien also has tips on creating a wind break with holly, hazel and mix of other native species. At Ardgillan Castle on the coast of north county Dublin, Dominica McKevitt reveals a garden for all seasons where reliable shrubs like Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ shine out even on dull days. In studio, Colin Agnew explains what to do to get your Amaryllis bulb flowering again next year and with the increasing move away from peat products RSPB ambassador and Winterwatch’s Lucy Lapwing joins David in studio to talk about the importance of peatland habitats. Contact the programme - [email protected]

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 [email protected]