Gardeners' Corner

Autumn colour might look spectacular on trees, but if you don't have room for them, Gardeners' Corner has some suggestions for smaller plants that are also stealing the show at this time of year. David visits Maurice Parkinson at Ballyrobert, where autumn interest is always a consideration when choosing plants. Not far from Ballyrobert is CAFRE's Greenmount campus, where students are learning the skills to become great gardeners. David meets some of the current intake and explores recent work in the walled garden with instructor James Ross. Near Portrush, a factory is producing handmade greenhouses and orangeries that are shipped around the world. These luxury structures were the brainchild of Mervyn Montgomery, who started the business many years ago after being made redundant from his job in joinery. Anna Hudson also joins David in the studio to answer gardening questions. Contact the programme on [email protected].

On Halloween weekend, Gardeners’ Corner heads to Colin Glen allotments on the outskirts of Belfast, where pumpkins are among this year’s harvest. In County Monaghan, David visits the food forest at Siólta Chroí, where Gareth Conlon is teaching others how to grow food, including nuts, for the long term while restoring ecosystems. Before Halloween there was Samhain, and this week Nicola Kenny visits the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, to discover the plants associated with this ancient festival. Also on the programme, Neil Porteous joins David in studio to answer listeners’ questions and offer some seasonal gardening inspiration. Contact the programme on [email protected].

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected]

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.