One of the country’s best known gardening experts, John Cushnie, has died suddenly.
It is believed the Northern Ireland man, who was in his 60s, suffered a heart attack.
The popular broadcaster was a regular panellist on the BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time show, and also appeared in other national and local shows.
Among those to pay tribute was the Controller of BBC Radio 4, Mark Damazer, who said Mr. Cushnie had been a towering figure who had “laced every programme with warmth and joy”.
“His trademark acerbic wit,” said Mr. Damazer, “was deployed with terrific timing against a wide variety of plants he did not like — and it was always done with an affectionate twinkle in his eye.”
As well as being a broadcaster, Mr. Cushnie also wrote columns for a number of national and local publications, including the Daily Telegraph and the Belfast News Letter, and was also the author of a number of gardening books.
31 December, 2009