Hamnet herbs, a plant playground in Ratoath and a tribute to Seamus O’Brien

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 gardenerscorner@bbc.co.uk

You can listen to Hamnet herbs, a plant playground in Ratoath and a tribute to Seamus O’Brien online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Hamnet herbs, a plant playground in Ratoath and a tribute to Seamus O’Brien is an episode from Gardeners' Corner by BBC.

This episode is 56:16 long.

This episode was published on Jan 10, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Gardeners' Corner when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.