John Cushnie

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John Alexander Montgomery Cushnie (14 May 1943 – 31 December 2009) was a landscape designer, author, journalist, and broadcaster in the United Kingdom, best known as a regular panellist on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners' Question Time.

Early life

Cushnie was born in

Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture.[1]

Career

After graduating from Greenmount College, Cushnie began a ten-year career in the civil service in Belfast, working for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.[1]

After this, he established a landscape design and contracting company – Cushnie Landscapes.[1] He worked across the United Kingdom, for both the public and private sectors, focussing on creating "traditional" gardens.[1] The firm had up to 12 employees.[1]

His work with Cushnie Landscapes brought him to the attention of BBC Radio Ulster, where he was invited to appear as a gardening expert.[1] Cushnie later became a regular panellist for 15 years on the BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners' Question Time.[1] Mark Damazer, the station's former controller, said that Cushnie "laced every programme with warmth and joy".[1] He also answered questions for 39 years on BBC Radio Ulster's gardening programmes.[2]

In addition to his radio work and the running of his company he was gardening editor of Ireland's

Daily Telegraph.[citation needed
]

Personal life

He lived in

heart attack, aged 66, less than a week after his final appearance on Gardeners' Question Time.[1][3]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "John Cushnie". Daily Telegraph. Daily Telegraph. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  2. ^ "Last Word", BBC Radio 4, BBC, 1 January 2010
  3. ^ "Gardeners' Question Time star John Cushnie dies". BBC News. BBC. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2010.

External links