The Irish Gardener

24/08/2026

the drought this summer meant that I never got to enjoy these Hydrangea Bobo at there lush whitest best - but I did enjoy the sunshine!!
However, even if early, they are really showing off their autumn tones now, really beautiful shades, most likely made better by the summer sunshine.
How did your fare this summer?

21/08/2026

This is what urban greening looks like and fair play to Cork City Council and The Pavilion Garden Centre

If you’ve been on Patrick Street recently, you may have noticed this new planting where Winthrop Street meets Patrick Street.

Yes, it looks fantastic. But this is about much more than decoration.

This is green infrastructure.

As this planting develops, it has the potential to promote biodiversity, provide food and habitat for wildlife, create shade, help manage heavy rainfall, improve air quality and make the city centre a more attractive and enjoyable place for people to spend time.

That is the real opportunity with urban greening., one horticultural intervention can potentially deliver many different benefits at the same time.

I’ve been talking about this for years, so i'm thrilled to see an initiative like this appearing in the heart of Cork.

Well done to Cork City Council and everyone involved in delivering it.

Hopefully this is just the beginning.

Imagine what Cork could become if we started thinking about planting not simply as something that makes a city look better, but as infrastructure that helps a city work better.

Watch the video and tell me what you think.

Could Cork become a truly green city?

21/08/2026

Have you seen what's happening on Patrick St in Cork???
https://www.irishexaminer.com/property/homeandgardens/arid-41897851.html

What are your thoughts?

14/08/2026

Valuable advice at the mo, if only we could water our plants!!

EXCLUSIVE: A professional gardener has spoken about a cheap and effective way you can deter slugs and snails from destroying your plants

06/08/2026

This almost looks AI, but it is not.

Snails are one of the biggest frustrations in many gardens, especially when young plants are being eaten, yet they are also part of the natural balance.

They feed birds, beetles, frogs and other wildlife, and they help keep the garden food web going.

That does not mean sacrificing your plants. Barrier products and physical protection can help keep vulnerable plants safe without wiping everything out.

Sometimes the answer is not total war. It is better balance.

What do you think when you see a snail, a garden enemy or part of the system?

05/08/2026

The finely cut foliage of Japanese maples is one of those small details that can completely change the feel of a garden.

There is a lightness and elegance to it that few other plants can match, and then, just when you think it has done enough, it usually turns beautiful shades of gold, orange or red in autumn.

They do best in a sheltered spot, protected from strong winds which can scorch or tear the delicate leaves.

A lovely reminder that gardens are not only about flowers. Texture, shape and foliage matter just as much.

Do you notice foliage as much as flowers in a garden?

04/08/2026

This is my kind of bug hotel.

It does not need to be polished or decorative. What it needs is variety, hollow stems, drilled timber, dry leaves, bark, straw, dead wood, small gaps and sheltered spaces.

Different insects need different places to hide, nest or overwinter, so one neat box with identical holes is rarely enough.

Fix it securely, and is place it somewhere sheltered rather than exposed to driving rain.

Bug hotels can support solitary bees, beetles, butterflies and other small creatures that help pollinate plants, recycle material and keep the garden ecosystem moving.

They are valuable, but they work best as part of a wider garden with flowers, long grass, dead wood and fewer chemicals.

Would you build one like this, or do you prefer something smaller and tidier?

03/08/2026

A throwback to Bord Bia Bloom earlier this year and this remarkable display of botanical art.

Flowers, foliage, branches, colour, line and texture were used almost like paint and sculpture, creating something far beyond a traditional arrangement.

It is a lovely reminder that plants can be practical, ecological and beautiful, but they can also be a material for pure creativity.

Do you prefer flowers arranged naturally, or pushed into something bold and artistic like this?

02/08/2026

I know I shared foxgloves a few weeks ago, but I could not resist posting them again.

They are one of the most beautiful plants of early summer, yet because they grow wild in hedgerows, ditches and rough ground, we often stop noticing just how extraordinary they really are.

Foxgloves are valuable to pollinators, especially bees, whose long tongues are well suited to those tubular flowers. They also carry an important place in medical history, as compounds from foxglove were used in the development of heart medicines.

At the same time, they are highly toxic, so they are very much a plant to admire rather than handle carelessly or consume.

Beautiful, ecologically valuable, medically significant and unmistakably wild.

What do you think of foxgloves , one of our finest wild flowers, or a plant you would be cautious about having in the garden?

27/07/2026

A successful planting scheme is about how plants work together.

Height, repetition, colour, texture and flowering time all matter. The tall, airy stems give movement, lower planting creates contrast and repeated colours help the whole border feel connected.

The best borders do not look like a collection of individual plants. They feel like one composition.

When you look at your own borders, do they feel planned or have they grown one plant at a time?