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Gardening

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

<p>When a tree sets a heavy crop, it spreads its energy across too many fruits, writes Peter Dowdall. File picture</p>

home and gardens

Garden Q&A: Why's the fruit from my apple tree so small this year?

Would thinning them out earlier have made a difference, and is there anything I can do to improve the size and quality in future?

Peter%20Dowdall

Peter Dowdall: Putting your garden to bed for autumn and winter

<p>When they produce leaf after leaf but no flower, it usually means they’ve plenty of food and energy but no incentive to bloom. </p>

home and gardens

GARDEN Q&A: My calla lilies will not flower

Apple tree in old apple orchard horizontal.

home and gardens

Peter Dowdall: Planting memories, not just apples

Joyful optimistic couple living together

home and gardens

How to create a dream garden if you’re renting a property

Vibrant Colors And Beauty Of Springtime Flowers

home and gardens

Garden Events in September

Cultivation of spinach in the ecological family urban garden ready to harvest

Garden Q&A: What vegetables should I plant in September?

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

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Verbena Bonariensis flowers

Peter Dowdall: Here's what to do in your garden in September

'We gardeners are nothing if not optimistic, and this is the month to plant for the future, to look to next spring and early summer'

Fri, 05 Sep, 2025

easter bunny

GARDEN Q&A: Rabbits are eating my flowers. Are there any they won't touch?

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

Sun, 31 Aug, 2025

Group of small spring flowering bulbs planted in terracotta pots in a spring garden

Top bulbs to plant in autumn for spring colour

It’s bulb-planting season if you want a riot of colour in spring, from the vivid yellows and subtle creams of daffodils, to the rich purples of crocus and the soft blues of camassias.

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Sunset over lavender field

Peter Dowdall: Let's adapt our gardens to thrive in all conditions

We’re gardening in a time of change and extremes, but here are practical ways to prepare our plants to cope in both drought and deluge

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

A break from pruning

How to get your garden ready for autumn and winter

The soil is still warm, while more rain and moist air help make this season one of the best times of the year to start planting

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Bergenia 'Pugsley's Pink' (common name: elephant's ears 'Pugsley's Pink') with its bright flowers and glossy leaves in May

Garden Q&A: Why hasn't my bergenia flowered in 10 years?

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

Mon, 18 Aug, 2025

Hydrangea Paniculata Lime Light blooming in summer cottage garden

The secret to growing your best hydrangeas ever

Our mild, damp climate suits them perfectly, which is why they’ve become such a fixture of gardens here.

Sun, 17 Aug, 2025

Wool-Carder bee feeding on nectar from Sedum plant. Insect and wildlife conservation, habitat preservation, and backyard flower

Peter Dowdall: Why sedums are the stars of the autumn show in our gardens

Bees absolutely adore sedums. Stand by a clump on a warm afternoon and you’ll see honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies practically queuing up to work over every tiny floret

Fri, 08 Aug, 2025

Rose ‚Gebrüder Grimm‘ and asters

Garden Digest: Dates for your diary in August

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

Fri, 08 Aug, 2025

Pink and Blue Hydrangea in Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke, Canada.

Garden Q&A: Why have my hydrangeas turned from blue to pink?

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

Tue, 05 Aug, 2025

Common ash at Leckhampton hill

Peter Dowdall: How to combat ash dieback in our gardens

Ash dieback has been moving through Europe since the 1990s but there are measures we can take to counter its spread

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025

Garden Q&A: Should I take cuttings from lavender and fuchsia plants in August?

Garden Q&A: Should I take cuttings from lavender and fuchsia plants in August?

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

Thu, 31 Jul, 2025

stipa tenuissima beautiful grass that comes from America, specifically New Mexico. Ponytails is a compact, lower variety of this

Peter Dowdall: The joy of using ornamental grasses in the garden

Ornamental grasses come into their own at this time of year

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Garden Digest: Summer diary dates for the room outside

Garden Digest: Summer diary dates for the room outside

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

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Colorful flower pot suspended in the air with small chains

Garden Q&A: Should I feed the flowers in my hanging baskets when I water them?

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

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Fuchsia Flowers

Peter Dowdall: We associate fuchsia with Cork and Kerry, but its origins lie thousands of miles away

Peter Dowdall charts the horticultural history of the bloom so many of us take for granted

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Yellow dandelion flowers blooming on summer meadow in green sunny garden

Garden Q&A: What's the best way to deal with weeds?

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

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Garden Q&A: Why are my rose leaves turning yellow and falling off?

Garden Q&A: Why are my rose leaves turning yellow and falling off?

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

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Hardscape with Waterfall

Peter Dowdall: Garden design is more about editing than creating, so observe what it needs

'There’s a reason Japanese gardens are popular. Their sense of calm starts not with a spade, but with time spent simply looking'

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

flower

Garden Q&A: I'm moving to Cork from Kerry. Is it wise to move my hydrangea now?

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

Wed, 02 Jul, 2025

Strimmers that make the cut and how to use them effectively and safely

Strimmers that make the cut and how to use them effectively and safely

Strimmers are an essential bit of kit for most gardens with any lawned area or steep grassy banks

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Cha No Niwa Japanese Tea Garden. Designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara. Show Garden. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. Site no. 328

Peter Dowdall: So many reasons to love Japanese gardens

'I remember the first time I saw a traditional Japanese garden; it was gardening as philosophy, and I was hooked'

Sun, 29 Jun, 2025

Beautiful red and green leaves of Photinia fraseri 'Red Robin' shrub in city park Krasnodar or landscape Galitsky park in sunny

Garden Q&A: How should I treat mildew and blight on 'Red Robin' shrubs?

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

Wed, 25 Jun, 2025

Wild herb and field or wild flowers with iron watering can. English cottage style gardening picture. Gardening concept of a r

Garden Q&A: Should I be feeding my plants regularly?

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

Sun, 22 Jun, 2025

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