Any plant that provides flowers in autumn deserves consideration. And so it is with liriope, or lily turf, a wonderful little flower that looks great in October. The flower spikes are about 30cm tall, covered with tiny round, bead-like blue-purple flowers. These are long-lasting and open in...
When it comes to arresting autumnal foliage, no tree does it better than the maple (Acer). And while the most common maple - the sycamore - is very big, there's a great selection suitable for average-sized gardens and containers. They make attractive focal points and have year-round...
There is always a bit of a risk with morning glory that it might not do as well as desired. The gamble is decided by the weather. This is a tropical creeper from South America and, when it gets...
Autumn is here and soon it will be time to pack away light clothing for another year and to dig out the jumpers and jackets. The same goes for our hanging baskets, pots and containers - they are starting to fade and need a change of outfit for autumn. Many bedding plants are exhausted at...
Some early asters have been in flower for weeks but the main group of this wonderful, late-season plant are not far behind. The flower colours of asters, or Michaelmas daisies as they are widely...
We've been digging up the garden we created at Dundrum Town Centre (while planning some future excitement in its place) and I've been amazed at the growth of the plants in a couple of seasons... especially the herbaceous perennials.
Have you been tempted yet by the colourful displays of bulbs for sale in garden centres and supermarkets? It's that time of year again - time for bulb purchasing and planting. This week I'm going to tell you how to make a bulb lasagne! Don't worry, I'm not swapping my gardening gloves...
In late summer and early autumn, the red leaves and blue flowers of the hardy pineapple are unusual and very eye-catching. The hardy pineapple is part of the pineapple family, although it is not a true pineapple. In this country, the true pineapple, a tropical plant, is strictly a plant for a...
The art of achieving a well- planted garden is to choose a succession of plants which will provide interest throughout the year. And much of the splendour comes from flowers.
Aparticularly enterprising Dublin Airbnb host caused a stir when it was revealed last month that he...
Autumn is the season of harvest - the vegetable beds are full of greens and root crops - but also exciting are the fruits coming to fruition! I've just spent a week boating along the River Lot in southwest France, and every hamlet where we moored up for the evening seemed to have...
Now that September is upon us, it's a great time to give your evergreen hedges a final trim for the year. This way, you will have a fresh-looking but tidy hedge through the autumn and winter.
Pampas grass comes from the pampas plains of Argentina where it grows in good soil. Much of the plains were long ago cleared of this large wild grass and switched to grazing cattle. But pampas grass survived unaltered from the wild and is so decorative that it was soon being used in...
Today, Saturday, sees a real celebration of how gardening can help give people an aim and purpose in life, with the launch of Field of Dreams - a new centre of garden creativity and craft made by Down Syndrome Cork.
A plant that is reminiscent of cloud of dancing butterflies might seem a bit fanciful, but the flowers of gaura actually do seem to float in...
Water lilies are great flowers for summer with those large lily-pad leaves and sumptuous flowers, always made more interesting by being out of reach. They are expressions of luxuriant summer growth and lend a touch of drama to the garden. Everybody knows the water lily and it is easily the most popular water plant.
August is the time to begin to think about next year's garden. One of the ways of doing this is to start considering the propagation process - examining what you have, seeing what's done well this year and beginning the sequence all over again by ensuring that you have more of the same...
I create a lot of gardens and I love the process of designing them, choosing the plants and using those plants to paint colourful pictures. Usually, after...
The flowers of the Peruvian lily or alstroemeria have appeared a bit early this year but they always welcome in July and August. The flower-heads are carried in magnificent clusters at the top of tall...
I've been enjoying tending the garden we've created at Dublin's Dundrum Town Centre - pitching up early on a daily basis, examining what's looking good,...
An award-winning "fairy garden" has been donated to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Galway.
Snapdragon gets its common name from the way the flowers snap open when the sides are pinched together. When released, the flower snaps shut.
For an increasing number of people, gardening is taking place in less traditional places; balconies, roof terraces, courtyards and patios are all becoming fair game as the types of homes we live in become more varied. And although balconies come with their fair share of challenges, they...
The arum lily is one of the most elegant garden flowers. It is widely grown and its tall stems with large white flowers are a common sight peeping over garden walls these days. Its vase-shaped flowers with central yellow spadix are beautifully set off by the large heart-shaped leaves. Arum...
Geraniums are the most dependable and old-fashioned of our summer garden plants. Their bright blossoms, frilly leaf form and often scented foliage brighten even the dullest concrete yard. Technically speaking, the botanical name for geraniums is Pelargonium. This helps to...
A lot of the time, I'm going for a flight, which means I will wake up at 4am. You get used to it. The only problem is that if you wake up at that...
Dusty miller shares its common name with some other plants, notably silvery-leaved cineraria. The latter has yellow flowers in bunches while the one in question has deep magenta flowers scattered all over the plant.
Gardening is about having fun and growing many different plants that have arrived on our shores from around the world. However, looking after...
The pale blue flowers of the gentian speedwell are remarkable in early summer. They look so delicate, light in colour and, though pale, are very striking. The gentian speedwell isn't a rare flower, but should be seen more in gardens than it is.
When you eventually manage to wrestle the digital devices from their grasp and insist they accompany you on an outdoors adventure, you'll find that children of all ages adore the great outdoors.
If you're optimistically inclined - let's be honest, you need to be in this country - no doubt you're already pencilling in your summer barbecues and al...
The lupins in my garden started flowering early this year. Although - like a Euro-pop song - they can be perceived as a little cheesy, these plants are my garden guilty secret.
A record 120,000 people turned out to Bloom across the bank holiday weekend, with the horticultural show even leaving Chelsea in the shade.
Potentilla is in flower at the moment, making a great display of colour and it will go on flowering for months. Even though it is colourful, it is not one of the star plants of the garden in the way...
We are mid-gardening season now so it's time to catch up with jobs that need doing!
BLOOM winner Kevin Dennis wasn’t always set on a life of garden design, despite scooping one of the coveted gold medals at this year’s festival,...
President Michael D Higgins has been a busy man these last few days meeting with the Pope and even announcing free ice creams for all in Dun...
President Michael D Higgins joined the first wave of visitors to Ireland’s biggest flower and food festival, Bloom in the Park, which opened today...
The competition is high at the Bloom festival but the chief judge has given an insight into just what could make a winner - and how to make the most of your own space.
A former office worker turned green-fingered genius has created a slice of food heaven with her agri plot at the Bloom Festival.
There's a riot of colour taking over Dublin's Phoenix Park as those with green fingers prepare the ground for the 11th year of Ireland's largest gardening event, Bloom.
1: Say goodbye to decking - in case you hadn't heard, our love affair with decking is over. According to Alan Rudden of Outside Options, who has designed the Savills Urban Retreat at Bloom, "we just don't have the climate for it. We're tearing out decks all the time and replacing...
It's prime-time in the garden, and the sunny weather means a growth spurt. Gerry Daly has your to-do list.
I've been lucky to see rhododendrons showing off their posies of plumes in a startling variety of disparate locations in the past 10 days. First, a place where one of its more robust varieties has...
The early summer-flowering meadow rue is a really good addition to the garden. There is a bit of a colour gap in many gardens and borders in this transition period between late spring and early summer. A few plant species are invaluable, including peonies, Oriental poppies and irises,...
Award-winning gardener Diarmuid Gavin has brought his critically acclaimed Chelsea Flower Show Garden to Dundrum Town Centre - and it's stunning.
Today, a new garden opens at Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin. It's a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit that I've brought home to Ireland to display...
When you see bluebells growing in the countryside, there are generally swathes of them. It is a native flower, growing wild in woodland under hazel or oak, both trees that do not cast too heavy a...
I have often wondered about Ashford Castle, and its gardens, which seemed relatively near on this small island… but also so remote and unobtainable for us ordinary folk. The formal lawn terraces,...
