John Cushnie

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 Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, in May 1943, the son of a factory supervisor. He was educated at Lurgan College, before studying at the Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture.

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.

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

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

In addition to his radio work and the running of his company he was gardening editor of Ireland's Homes Interior and Living magazine and was a contributor to the Daily Telegraph.

Personal life
He lived in Killyleagh, County Down and studied horticulture at Greenmount College of Agriculture and Horticulture in Antrim. He was married with two sons and a daughter. Although he was brought up as a Presbyterian, after he married he followed his wife's denomination (the Church of Ireland). Cushnie died on 31 December 2009 from a heart attack, aged 66, less than a week after his final appearance on Gardeners' Question Time.