Philip Wood and David Wilson explore the garden of Louis And Margaret Glynn in Ballymena, County Antrim.

Over the past twelve years, Margaret has been improving and altering her garden, which is between two busy roads. To counteract this, she has divided her garden to help dampen the noise. A fan of pine trees and ferns, Margaret has created a spectrum of green within her plot with the occasional burst of contrasting flowers. 

However, it's not just preference which has led to the lack of flowering plants as "it's hard to get colour in the rockery this time of year". The other issues which crop up in the garden is needle blight, which effects pine trees and unless properly treated with fungicide, as David demonstrates, the disease can spread around the plant.

On a cheerier note, Margaret points out her 'Paddy Fern' which her friend Paddy from Scotland brought back for her!

Late Philip Woods developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of botany and horticulture and bred new varieties of plants and flowers for the nurseries in Northern Ireland. Before he settled down in NI he served in the Royal Corps of Signals and saw active service in many countries around the world during WWII. After the war, Philip took up the post of manager of the Slieve Donard Nursery in Newcastle, County Down. He was also one of the founding members of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team and was appointed as its first leader. Later when retired, he devoted his time to designing gardens and providing advice, sharing his knowledge through gardening classes, lectures, newspaper articles, radio programmes.

A UTV Production. 

Video Editor : Philip White

Produced and directed by Ruth Johnston 

• NI Direct - PRONI