Gardeners' Corner

• Sunken gardens, city sanctuaries and sodden shoes

  On a very wet week, David visits Mount Stewart to see how storm-felled trees are given a new lease of life in the sunken garden. Urban spaces are reimagined with innovative native meadow cubes and Maurice Parkinson explains why now is a good time to sharpen tools. Gardening expert Colin Agnew is in studio to answer caller’s questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

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• Must have maples, tulip time and making gardeners’ gold

  Autumn is far from over, as David Maxwell discovers with Maurice Parkinson at Ballyrobert Cottage Garden. A fine collection of maples—perfect for a cold climate and heavy soil—thrives there, putting on quite the autumn spectacle. In Hillsborough, head gardener Claire Woods is preparing pots for tulip bulbs. She explains how to extend the display by choosing varieties timed to follow one another. With its many mature trees, Hillsborough is also the perfect place to learn about making leaf mould—sometimes known as gardeners’ gold. In Dromore, Julietta Watson uses summer strawflowers to craft baubles for Christmas and pots up colourful containers for her windowsills. Also on the programme, Anna Hudson joins David in the studio with seasonal inspiration and answers to listeners’ questions. Email the programme at [email protected]

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• Finding balance in the autumn tidy up, pruning apples in winter and wildlife gardening at Iona Cottage

  This week, Helen talks about how to balance tidying up the autumn garden with giving nature a home for the darker months. She joins Graeme Cross at Magilligan Community Centre to learn about pruning apples in winter and visits Darren and Victoria Colville at Iona Garden near Greyabbey.Ann Fitzsimons is live in studio with expert advice on all your gardening questions. Email the programme at [email protected]

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• Gardeners' Corner special: The wonder of trees

  In this autumn special, Gardeners’ Corner celebrates our relationship with trees. David Maxwell returns to his childhood home to revisit the trees he grew up with. Tree expert Tony Kirkham introduces some of the trees grown in London’s Chelsea Physic garden which may prove more resilient than our natives as the climate changes. The myths and legends linked to trees are something that fascinates storyteller Vicky McFarland – she reveals tales of love and death. In Rostrevor, County Down, former carpenter Paul Clerkin knows the trees of Kilbroney Park better than most. Now a public park, it was once a grand estate where exotic trees were planted as status symbols. Amidst the beauty of the season, the programme also explores how trees continue to help us by cooling our cities, preventing floods and removing pollution. Email the programme at [email protected]

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• How to grow prize worthy pumpkins, a mushroom mystery and bringing back the posh cloche

  This week at the National Trust’s Florencecourt in County Fermanagh, beds are being prepared for winter by new head gardener Lizzie Whyman. The garden team are also trialling which apple varieties store best for winter use. Presenter David Maxwell also heads to Gilford Primary School where staff and pupils have turned a disused football pitch into a pumpkin patch. Also on the programme, how County Down native Beth Gregg is bringing back the posh cloche with her business Claverton Cloches and author Jules Acton on her book ‘Oaklore’ about the amazing life in our native oaks. In studio, David is joined by Rosie Maye who will answers questions on shrubs for a large bank, creating a windbreak with plants and what mushrooms circles mean. Email the programme at [email protected]

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