Philip Wood and David Wilson explore the garden of Raymond And Veronica McGill in County Down, "just a few miles down from Templepatrick".

Raymond guides Philip around his showstopping garden which is a "memoir of a much travelled man" with an abundance of plant life from every corner of the globe. There is plenty to see... in fact there is 17 sections of the garden, all joined together by half a mile of paths. 

However, Raymond has humour over his ever expanding garden as he explains that he never set out to have this, he only wanted a little path through the trees but "once you start growing... you get more and more and they get out of control... it's a little bit like having a drink - nobody sets out to be an alcoholic!".

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