Gardening - Irish Examiner

Sign in

Gardening

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

<p>A circular stone pavilion or temple, left, and a rustic timber summerhouse from Kilkenny Castle at Sheppard's.</p>

home and gardens

Everything from follies to fountains and gazebos to gates at Glantelwe Gardens sale

Architectural salvage from private collections and country houses will be on offer, including 19th-century turnstiles converted to tables

<p>Summer-flowering sweet peas. File picture</p>

home and gardens

Garden Digest: Outdoor painting, vibrant visits and fabulous foraging

<p>A single teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of bacteria, metres of fungal threads and countless microscopic organisms all working together. File picture</p>

home and gardens

Peter Dowdall: Why almost every gardening problem starts and ends with soil

Garden flowers # 53 XXXL

home and gardens

Garden Digest: Super summer events to boost your room outside

Peter Dowdall: The structures that add balance to any garden

home and gardens

Peter Dowdall: The structures that add balance to any garden

Beautiful flower garden scenery with a variety of flowers in bloom

home and gardens

Garden Q&A: Should I divide and move plants in summer?

Image of timber decking, garden table with parasol, UPVC-conservatory, maples

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

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Peter Dowdall: We always remember the best gardens for how they made us feel

Peter Dowdall: We always remember the best gardens for how they made us feel

The gold medal-winning design by Oliver and Liat Schurmann felt less like a showpiece and more like a woodland, writes Peter Dowdall

Wed, 10 Jun, 2026

English Domestic Garden

Garden Q&A: What climbing plants work best on a wooden pergola?

'The main criteria would be plants that are pollinator-friendly and low-maintenance, with bonus points for some nice scent'

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

The best solar outdoor lighting that will shine brightly season after season

The best solar outdoor lighting that will shine brightly season after season

Solar and wireless USB-charged outdoor lighting offers unique creative freedom around our patios, driveways and landscaping.

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Gardening tools and flowers on soil

Garden Digest: Events to help you boost the room outside

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

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Small downtown Toronto urban back yard garden in summer.

Home Q&A: How to create a good relationship with your neighbours

There are many practical ways to regulate these relationships over the garden fence and be the best of friends this summer

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

Garden Q&A: Our griselinea hedge is dying. What should we do?

Garden Q&A: Our griselinea hedge is dying. What should we do?

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

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

Bord Bia Bloom 2026

Peter Dowdall: We might not have the budget or space for a show garden, but Bloom winners like this show us what is possible

Native plants alongside drought-tolerant species reflect the need for resilience and sustainability in modern Irish gardens

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Garden inspiration: All invited to coastal RHSI garden at Seanabea Cottage in Cloyne

Garden inspiration: All invited to coastal RHSI garden at Seanabea Cottage in Cloyne

Whether you are a keen gardener, a plant enthusiast, or seek a fun family day out, this open garden event offers something for everyone

Tue, 02 Jun, 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

Sun, 31 May, 2026

Three top picks: Small-space garden design at Bloom, luxe loungers and sweet treats

Three top picks: Small-space garden design at Bloom, luxe loungers and sweet treats

Home Editor Eve Kelliher sources a trio of ideas for inside and out this June bank holiday weekend

Fri, 29 May, 2026

'We no longer see a garden as a patch of green space outside the window'

'We no longer see a garden as a patch of green space outside the window'

Fresh from Mallow Home & Garden Festival, Peter Dowdall is at Bord Bia Bloom this weekend and looks forward to an inaugural celebration of the room outside in Killarney event in June

Fri, 29 May, 2026

Peter Dowdall: What to see and do at Bloom as festival celebrates its 20th birthday

Peter Dowdall: What to see and do at Bloom as festival celebrates its 20th birthday

'When visiting the show gardens, let me give you one piece of advice, and that's to move slowly through them'

Wed, 27 May, 2026

flowers in the garden

Garden Digest: Events to help you boost the room outside

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

Fri, 22 May, 2026

Great and Blue Tit Feeding

Garden Q&A: Should we change our bird-feeding practices in summer?

Is it time to change to safe, seasonal bird-feeding in our gardens? Kya deLongchamps looks at the latest advice

Thu, 21 May, 2026

Peter Dowdall: What to see and do at Mallow Home & Garden Festival this weekend

Peter Dowdall: What to see and do at Mallow Home & Garden Festival this weekend

'Long before social media, gardeners swapped plants and advice over fences. Festivals like Mallow continue that tradition on a larger scale'

Tue, 19 May, 2026

Red and white flowers in botanic garden during spring blossom with selective focus and blurred 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

Fri, 15 May, 2026

black wooden garden house in wild overgrown garden

Home Q&A: How to paint, stain and maintain a modular wood building

Every three to five years, backyard wood buildings (residential or otherwise) will require light repair, sanding, and painting or staining

Fri, 15 May, 2026

Two female friends are enjoying some relaxing time together, sitting at table on porch of traditional wooden chalet in mountain

Home Q&A: Should I include a deck with an overhang on my timber-framed cabin?

A deck with an overhang or some type of porch protection offers shelter as well as no-fuss flooring on which to leave boots, bikes and more

Fri, 15 May, 2026

Flower garden

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

Thu, 14 May, 2026

Flower plant bed in garden park

Garden Digest: Events to help you boost the room outside

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

Fri, 08 May, 2026

Gray tabby cat sniffing catmint in the summer garden

Peter Dowdall: Why these plants are catnip to every gardener

Alliums are bulbs we plant in autumn and come spring, they make us realise we've done rather well. They combine beautifully with catmint, nepeta, and geraniums

Wed, 06 May, 2026

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

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

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

Tue, 05 May, 2026

European wool carder bee

How well do you know your garden bees?

They are important pollinators and key to biodiversity and ecosystem health, so perhaps it’s time to observe the bees that visit your garden more closely

Tue, 05 May, 2026

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

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

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

Fri, 01 May, 2026

Property & Home

Newsletter

Sign up for our weekly update on residential property and planning news as well the latest trends in homes and gardens.