Gardeners' Corner

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with Helen Mark. Joining Helen in the studio are gardening experts Neil Porteous and Brendan Little answering your calls and texts. The number to call is 03030 80 55 55 and to text its 81771 (Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply) and also in the programme lots of gardening tips for the week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the 9 o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.

Join David Maxwell as the Gardeners' Corner roadshow team head to Banbridge where members of Banbridge Horticultural Society put their questions to gardening experts Averil Milligan and Ann Fitzsimons. Blueberrries, blackcurrants and azaleas are just some of plants under discussion as well as timely tips for the gardening week ahead. That's Gardeners' Corner this Saturday morning just after the nine o'clock news on BBC Radio Ulster.

David Maxwell presents the weekly gardening programme. This week he meets renowned Daffodil breeder Brian Duncan who has over 400 varieties to his name. He also catches up with the next generation of breeders at Esker Farm where Dave Hardy and his wife Julie have taken on the challenge to breed award winning varieties. Reg Maxwell joins David in studio to talk about jobs in the Spring garden including choosing bedding plants. Also in the programme - Helen Mark finds out all about Alpines from Gordon Toner.

In this week's gardening programme David Maxwell visits the rainforest - but he hasn't gone to the southern hemisphere, he's in south west Ireland at Kells Bay Gardens in County Kerry. The gardens boast a forest of mature Tree Ferns which give them a unique Jurassic feeling. David meets the current custodian of the gardens Billy Alexander who explains how he can push the limits of gardening in Ireland due to the mild microclimate. Also in the programme, Helen Mark visits Conrad McCormick who is growing Cannas and Dahlias from seed.

In this week's gardening programme, presenter David Maxwell tours the transformed gardens at Hillsborough Castle ahead of the public opening. The new garden manager Claire Woods and her predecessor Stephen Martelli show David the restored four-acre walled garden and the lost garden. Averil Milligan also joins David for the tour providing practical gardening tips on route. Also in the programme, David catches up with Fergus Garrett, head gardener at the world renowned Great Dixter.

This week the Gardeners' Corner roadshow comes from the seaside town of Bangor in Co Down. On the panel Brendan Little and Cherry Townsend who answer questions from members of Bangor Horticultural Society. Lots of gardening advice on everything from the perfect plants for seaside gardening to organic sprays for roses and help on how to deal with the dreaded honey fungus and also in the programme tips for the gardening week ahead.

David Maxwell presents BBC Radio Ulster's gardening programme which this week’s visits the RSPB's Window on Wildlife in Belfast's Harbour Estate where a new wildlife garden is being created. Maurice Parkinson joins David in studio to talk about the benefits of hedgerows following recent reports of netting by developers. Also in the programme Maeve Bell describes some Irish-bred plants which are filling her spring garden with colour and Helen Mark visits Conrad McCormack who is planting annual climbers to cover a fence. The programme also returns to Annesgrove in County Cork where Neil Porteous is involved in giving a new lease of life of a grand garden gone wild.

This week's live Gardeners' Corner phone-in celebrates Spring and the season of new beginnings. David Maxwell and experts Reg Maxwell and Ann Fitzsimmons are on hand to answer any gardening queries and offer advice on getting the best from your patch of land. David heads off to Crumlin to meet Will Hamilton in his six-acre haven 'Holly House' Garden. They take a leisurely stroll through the woodland meadow, picking out their favourites from the herbaceous borders and alpine beds.David takes over the Radio Ulster Facebook page after the show for a live stream, answering more listeners questions and showing a sample of the experts exciting seasonal finds.

David Maxwell is joined in the studio to talk about two garden tasks usually done around St Patrick's: pruning roses and planting potatoes. Barbara Pilcher makes her first visit to David's garden to see how he is getting on with starting a new herb garden. David also visits a grand garden gone wild - Annesgrove in County Cork and he finds out about the importance of looking after our soil at Maurice Parkinson's garden in Ballyrobert.

Gardeners' Corner takes to the road once more! This time it's at Gilnahirk Horticultural and Civic Society on the edge of east Belfast. Presenter David Maxwell is joined by gardening experts Ann Fitzsimmons and Neil Porteous. The programme hears how to use home grown Quinces and the best way to wrap up an Olive so it survives a cold spell.

Gardeners' Corner with David Maxwell considers the potential impact of the early spring on our gardens. With the increasing popularity of houseplants, Ann Fitzsimmons has top tips on looking after them and David makes the first of a series of visits to Blythefield Allotments in south Belfast. Also in the programme, Helen Mark catches up with Brendan Little to find out about making home grown plant supports by coppicing willow.

It's the Gardeners' Corner phone-in this Saturday morning with David Maxwell and joining him in the studio are gardening experts, Barbara Pilcher and Neil Porteous. Call 0303085555 or text 81771 to have that all important gardening problem answered, standard network charges apply. Also in the programme Barbara and Neil will be talking about their favourite spring plants and giving their gardening tips for the week ahead.

David Maxwell meets Gordon Finch from east Belfast who has spent years turning his suburban garden hedge into a Titanic topiary tribute. He catches up with Colin Agnew in Belfast's Botanic Gardens to find out about no fuss houseplants. Also in the programme, Cherry Townsend is sowing seeds for summer blooms and David heads to Springhill to see the February snowdrop display.

In a packed Gardeners' Corner programme, David Maxwell starts his new herb garden with advice from Barbara Pilcher. He catches up with Averil Milligan at Rowallane where work is going on to tidy up the walled garden and give some plants a winter rest. Also in the programme, Helen Marks finds out from Brendan Little how to make a paradise patio and Claire Barnett from the RSPB joins David in studio with all the information about the 40th annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

In Gardeners' Corner this week David Maxwell gets up close and personal with snowdrops and hellebores. He also goes looking for plants with wonderful scent and soft colours and finds out that shady areas can be the perfect spot for a wide variety of plants. Also in the programme Helen Mark and Brendan Little talk about reinventing the patio area and why it should blend in with the style of your house and garden.

Join David Maxwell for the January Gardeners' Corner phone-in with experts Averil Milligan and Reg Maxwell. The number to call is 03030 805555 or to text its 81771 (standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles apply and texts will be charged at your standard message rate.) In the programme lots of great gardening advice on offer and also David joins Neil Porteous for a winter walk where they both enjoy the scent from winter flowering plants in particular the beautiful witch hazel.

David Maxwell and the Gardeners' Corner team look ahead to a new gardening year. He also visits the Chelsea Physic Garden a place familar to Killyleagh man Sir Hans Sloane.

Another chance to hear a special edition of Gardeners’ Corner from the Somme where 15 Gardens of Peace (Jardin de la Paix) have been constructed near sites of the Great War. David Maxwell visits the Irish peace garden in Peronne designed by Peter Donegan. He’ll meet David Richardson, a Northern Ireland native, who is now Head of Horticulture at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to reveal how one of the biggest gardening organisations in the world tends to war graves and memorials at 23,000 locations in 150 countries. He’ll also meet Irish designer Peter Donegan in Peronne and chat to Gardeners’ Corner regular Brendan Little about how gardens help us to remember.

In this week's festive Gardeners' Corner David Maxwell is joined in the studio by Cherry Townsend and Brendan Little to talk about what's important to gardeners at Christmas helped along by some blackberry brandy tasting and mince pies. Also in the programme why botanicals and bitters are good for you, what can be discovered on a winter walk along the Lagan and last minute ideas for gardeners this Christmas.

The Gardeners' Corner team heads to the ancient site of Navan Fort in County Armagh for the last roadshow of 2018 where the audience is made up of members of Armagh Gardening Club which is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. Presenter David Maxwell hosts the programme, which includes questions on dealing with Ivy, speeding up compost, pruning rambling roses and much, much more. On hand with the answers are experts Averil Milligan and Brendan Little. The team also have some tips for the week for gardeners in the run up to Christmas.