Hydrangeas are the stars of the show in early autumn and Rosie Maye has an enviable collection in her garden near Slane in County Meath. Presenter David Maxwell finds out what conditions they like and how to prune the different types. Near Limavady, a garden has become a refuge for Fred McIlmoyle who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018. While his prognosis wasn’t good initially, advances in treatment options have allowed him to remain active and his garden has become even more precious through the ups and downs of his cancer journey. Also on the programme, Jekka McVicar chooses her herb of the month and David is joined in studio by Claire McNally. Email the programme on [email protected]

It’s been the home of poets and actors and now it prides itself on putting an organic garden at the centre of a private events space; Ballintubbert is found near the village of Stradbally in County Laois. In this week’s programme, presenter David Maxwell tours the gardens with head gardener Jennifer Taggart and finds out how the place has been shaped by it’s former owners including actor Sir John Hurt. He finds out how Jennifer is using sheep’s wool and clover to manage the 14 acre site. Also on the programme, a visit to Duneane Community Garden in Toome and autumn highlights with Claire McNally at the National Trust’s Rowallane. In studio, David is joined by garden expert Anna Hudson and wildlife expert Katie Bell. Email the programme on [email protected].

The Knepp Estate in West Sussex is world famous for turning its back on intensive farming in favour of rewilding. Its latest project is to transform a former crochet lawn into an undulating sustainable garden packed with over 900 plant species. This week presenter David Maxwell tours the garden with Charlie Harpur and finds out how they manage this unique space which has already massively increased biodiversity. At Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Claire Woods is harvesting seed and enjoying some early autumn apples and at Mount Venus, Oliver Shurmann shares some of his favourite plants of the moment. Garden expert Ann Fitzsimmons will join David live in studio to answer questions. Contact the programme on [email protected]

In this week’s programme – do you ever wonder where all those bunches of flowers in the supermarket come from? David travels to a family business in Armagh which grows and imports flowers for retailers across Ireland and the UK. With a major public transport scheme underway in Belfast, the programme finds out how horticulture was put front and centre during the Crossrail project in London and a visit to a former Abbey near Enniskillen where a secret garden full of usual plants has been nurtured by Noel Crane for the last 4 decades. Brendan Little will join David in studio for live questions. [email protected]

Gardening on earth can be challenging sometimes, so what about gardening on the moon? David chats to Professor Simon Barak from Ben Gurion University of the Negev about trying to germinate seeds on the lunar surface. Back on planet earth Brendan Little hasn’t mown his grass since May and it’s time to take the meadow into hand. He’s planting plugs of Ragged Robin and Foxgloves and sowing Yellow Rattle seed which will keep the grass in check. Jekka McVicar chooses Lavender as her herb for August and Cherry Townsend is live in studio to answer questions. Email: [email protected]