Gardeners' Corner

With snowdrops in bloom across the country Gardeners' Corner heads to an event for fans of the flower in County Carlow. The snowdrop gala celebrates the hundreds of varieties of these bulbs sought after by so called 'galanthophiles'. Among those attending the event is John Massey of Ashwood Nursery near Birmingham. John tells presenter David Maxwell about his life with plants and a pruning technique he was taught by a princess. Also on the programme, Robert Millar gives a tour of the snowdrop collection at Altamont Gardens and remembering the world famous Daisy Hill Nursery of Newry, 30 years after the gates closed for the last time. Claire McNally joins David in studio to answers questions of climbers and figs. Contact the programme on [email protected]

A year after Storm Éowyn wreaked havoc across Ireland David Maxwell visits the gardens at Mount Stewart on the Ards peninsula where thousands of trees were lost. He meets volunteers planting oak and pine trees which will form a new shelter belt for the garden in the decades to come. At the other end of the garden, the Winterwatch team have been broadcasting the programme from Northern Ireland for the first time. Chris Packham explains the vast range of habitats that exist around this historic garden. Also on the programme, a visit to the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin and questions on muddy lawns, growing olives outdoors and what to do with a stem of rose hips that has unexpectedly rooted. Contact the programme on [email protected]

A garden that has to look good in every season is the Horatio’s Garden at Musgrave Park Hospital in south Belfast. Two years after it was planted up, David Maxwell chats to head gardener Matthew Lee about how the garden continues to change, and about the great groundcover plants that help keep weeding to a minimum. Adam Frost begins his new ‘Bulb of the month’ series with the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis. Ahead of the Big Garden Birdwatch, the RSPB’s Claire Barnett visits David’s garden to find out what’s coming to his feeders. In studio, gardener Anna Hudson, brings some seasonal highlights from the Ballywalter and answers questions live. Contact the programme on [email protected]

As the film Hamnet goes on general release, David Maxwell chats to herb expert Jekka McVicar about the role she played in advising the production on Elizabethan herbs. In Ratoath, County Meath, nursery owner John Lord is finding new opportunities in a garden he’s developed over 30 years. He explains how it’s become a playground for plants that serve to inspire both expert and novice gardeners alike. Listener Michael McLean gets a visit from Gardeners’ Corner – he invited the programme to see a garden he’s lovingly creating over a lifetime on a hillside above Newcastle. Also on the programme, a tribute to the late Seamus O’Brien who was head gardener at the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow and widely regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest plantsmen. Ann FitzSimons joins David in studio. Email the programme at [email protected]

As one year gives way to the next, join David Maxwell on a journey through the seasons with highlights from the last 12 months of Gardeners’ Corner. From clearing up after Storm Éowyn to pristine show gardens, from celebrities to school children and with callers from Ballyclare to San Francisco, David sums up the joy of a programme that celebrated 40 years on the airwaves in 2025.