Diarmuid Gavin Gardens
Helping You To Create Your Dream Gardens
Hello…and welcome to my Substack
Since I was young all I wanted to do was create gardens. And all my dreams have come true. I’ve traveled the world imagining, designing and planting plots. I’ve hosted tv programmes, written books and recorded podcasts. I’ve had a joyous career doing this and in these pages my aim is to gather it all together and share what I’ve learned along the way.
Here’s how it started….
I’m the second eldest of 5, I grew up in the suburbs of Dublin and from an early age developed an interest in the environment which surrounded me. I was intrigued by plants, landscape, parks and punk! And when I left school I knew I wanted to train to be a gardener…but a gardener who thought about gardens and created gardens which were different.
I studied horticulture at Dublin’s Botanical Gardens and set about designing and creating gardens. I had a knack for it and was soon winning awards at flower shows. However, I had an urge to use different ideas and inspiration, often quirky or contemporary which clients didn’t necessarily want.
Our gardening influences back then were quite traditional and I wished to reflect different ideas in my creativity.
It took a while and my breakthrough came creating gardens in 1995 and 1996 at London’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Within a few years I was making gardens on tv shows and soon the world seemed like my oyster.
I’ve travelled the world, I’ve been given the opportunity to create gardens throughout Europe, in Africa and China and I’ve met and been inspired by some extraordinary people.
Nottingham Trent University awarded me an honorary degree and on tv I’ve presented a variety of programmes in UK and Ireland including Home Front, Planet Patio, Art of the Garden, Diarmuid’s Big Adventure, Gardens Through Time, I Want A Garden and Gardening Together.
I competed on Strictly Come Dancing, presented Top Of The Pops, cooked on Masterchef and Come Dine With Me, ventured to the Arctic Circle in 71 Degrees North and participated in quiz and game shows such as Mastermind, Pointless, The Weakest Link, The Chase and House of Games.
I’ve written 13 garden design books including Outdoors and Planting (with Sir Terence Conran).
I served as an ambassador for the Prince of Wales Foundation for the Built Environment and in 2022 I was appointed by the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and
In 2023 I was commissioned to create a garden to commemorate the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla and on May 24th I hosted the couple when they opened the garden to the public.
So, in these pages I want to help you create and look after gardens. I’ll chat through the basics, the wonderful inspirations and explore the incredible world of plants and planting.
I’ll share designs, talk you through projects, give you reports and recommendations on gardens to visit and hopefully inspire your garden imaginations.
I’m here as a resource, to answer questions about plants and planting and garden design.
