Gardening - Irish Examiner

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Gardening

Your home for gardening tips, inspiration, news and features.

<p>The return of bright, warm days has us all back out in the garden, tidying up, mowing, weeding, and perhaps admiring the planted flowers. But culturally, we are waking up to the idea of allowing more wild nature in our gardens by, as just one example, perhaps leaving the lawnmower in the shed for the month of May. Picture: iStock</p>

outdoors

Wild Matters: The coexistence of gardens and nature

Resisting our cultural tendency to ‘tidy’ everything up in our gardens gives untold opportunities for wild creatures

<p>Tramore Road Campus (CSN) will hold its annual plant sale on May 12 and 13. This plant sale showcases the work of the horticulture students. Plants available include annuals, perennials and herbs. Picture: iStock</p>

home and gardens

Garden Digest: Events to help you boost the room outside

<p>Cats love playing with catmint, nepeta. Planted at the foot of your alliums, it will fill 'the understorey' with a soft haze of grey-green, hiding everything beneath while the great spherical heads float above it as though suspended in mid-air. File pictures </p>

home and gardens

Peter Dowdall: Why these plants are catnip to every gardener

Garden Q&A: Our hedge has black, withered leaves. What will help?

home and gardens

Garden Q&A: Our hedge has black, withered leaves. What will help?

European wool carder bee

home and gardens

How well do you know your garden bees?

Woman takes basil leaves from plant in pot at home for prepare food, hands close-up.

home and gardens

Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your room outside

Garden Q&A: My rhubarb has thrown up a flower spike. Should I cut it off?

Garden Q&A: My rhubarb has thrown up a flower spike. Should I cut it off?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Wed, 29 Apr, 2026

Hedgerow of wild Montbretia on the Wild Atlantic Way West Cork Ireland.

Peter Dowdall: Beware the beautiful bullies when choosing garden plants

Because some plants are virtually impossible to eradicate once established in your border or lawn, and will colonise every corner

Mon, 27 Apr, 2026

Man Gardening Background

Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your green spaces

Check out all the garden visits, tours, talks, events, campaigns and online resources for the room outside

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026

Peter Dowdall: How screening adds a new dimension to the garden

Peter Dowdall: How screening adds a new dimension to the garden

'We find ourselves using our garden more rather than glancing at it through the kitchen window, and it is often only now that we notice what it needs'

Thu, 23 Apr, 2026

Hot stuff: Top picks of gas barbecues and portable grills

Hot stuff: Top picks of gas barbecues and portable grills

Kya deLongchamps offers a sizzling selection of the latest gas barbecues and portable grills for summer

Thu, 23 Apr, 2026

Rose Flowers Against Blue Sky

Garden Q&A: I never got around to pruning my roses in winter. Is it too late now?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Save or Splurge? Two gas barbecues with the recipe for success

Save or Splurge? Two gas barbecues with the recipe for success

Should you pay a standard or scorching price for that outdoor cooker? Bear in mind that additions can also cost more

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Purple flower of senetti plants

Garden Q&A: Will my senetti plant last another year?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Sun, 12 Apr, 2026

Blooming flowers in pots and on shelves in the garden center

Peter Dowdall: Love your garden centre

Independent garden centres are local businesses, run by people who know their stuff, who often grow their own or source locally grown stock

Sat, 11 Apr, 2026

Large Cabbage White caterpillars, UK. Image shot 2012. Exact date unknown.

Why caterpillars shouldn’t be viewed as garden pests

Gardeners may think of decimated cabbage leaves when they see caterpillars, but they are incredibly important for biodiversity

Thu, 09 Apr, 2026

In spring, milkweed (Euphorbia amygdaloides) grows in the wild

Euphorbia: the reliable, adaptable plant for every garden

Explore the adaptable beauty of Euphorbias, from resilient natives to stunning garden varieties like Tasmanian Tiger, perfect for year-round appeal.

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026

Gardening Hands

Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your green spaces

Check out all the garden visits, tours, talks, events, campaigns and online resources for the room outside

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026

Alpine Wallflower Golden Gem

Peter Dowdall: Don't be fooled by the pet days of March and early April

What happens at night still matters more than what happens at midday. Temperatures are still fluctuating, and cold snaps, even light frosts, are still very much part of the picture

Fri, 27 Mar, 2026

Five top garden flowers to grow for cutting and how to make them last in a vase

Five top garden flowers to grow for cutting and how to make them last in a vase

Your guide to choosing what blooms to grow in your garden, how to cut them, how to create an eye-catching display, and how to ensure they last in a vase

Wed, 25 Mar, 2026

Dainty white and pink Viburnum tinus laurustinus 'Lisa Rose' in flower.

Garden Q&A: What's eating my viburnum, and what can I do about it?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

Green Ivy Climbing Old Timber Fence

Garden Q&A: Should I cut back the ivy on my hedge?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Sun, 22 Mar, 2026

White crocus blooming

Peter Dowdall: Crocus, narcissus and anemone signal it's spring

White flowers can lead the season, writes Peter Dowdall

Sat, 21 Mar, 2026

Garden Digest: Ideas to make the most of our green spaces

Garden Digest: Ideas to make the most of our green spaces

Here are some ideas on what to do in the room outside right now

Fri, 20 Mar, 2026

Garden Digest: Ideas to make the most of our green spaces

Garden Digest: Ideas to make the most of our green spaces

Check out all the garden visits, tours, talks, events, campaigns and online resources for the room outside

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026

Primrose in woodland

Peter Dowdall: Why so many of us love primroses

'I can't tell you how many people I have spoken to recently who have told me their favourite flower at this time of year is the simple yet beautiful, common wild primrose, Primula vulgaris'

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

Fresh Potato Harvest

Spring is in the air — here's how you can take biodiversity action from your garden

With spring in the air, more people are getting out into the garden and keeping wildlife in mind by opting for eco-friendly and organic products

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

Beautiful garden with ornamental grasses

Garden Q&A: Is it too late to cut back grasses and perennials in March?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Mon, 09 Mar, 2026

Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your green spaces

Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your green spaces

Check out all the garden visits, tours, talks, events, campaigns and online resources for the room outside

Sat, 07 Mar, 2026

Garden Q&A: Is March too early in the year to sow grass seed?

Garden Q&A: Is March too early in the year to sow grass seed?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Tue, 03 Mar, 2026

It's time for social media and relax.

Peter Dowdall: Reconnect with nature and boost your wellbeing in the garden

'It isn’t just about tidying borders or sowing seeds; it’s deeper than that. After months of short days and damp air, we have been living at a remove from the natural world'

Mon, 02 Mar, 2026

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