Gardening

If growing our own food is so important, why should community gardens lead such a precarious existence with minimal public funding and no long-term legal protections?

Once in the ground the disease persists for several years, making it impossible to successfully grow tulips where it is present

When choosing a tree, it’s important to think about factors such as its hardiness, the local climate and soil quality

Improving air circulation within plants can help cut back mossy growth

Focus first on species that are native and pollinator-friendly

Bringing in an expert can make a big difference to the permanent structure of your garden

Three years ago Catherine Cleary and her husband decided to build a native woodland. This is how they did it

A multipronged approach might be the best solution, writes Fionnuala Fallon

Gardening: Plant now for a world of beauty next spring

Last winter’s cold weather has hit trees such as the New Zealand cabbage tree

It’s the time of year when butterflies need nectar-rich flowers, in preparation for hibernation or migration

For competitive Irish growers, it’s all about size, shape, fullness, freshness, symmetry, colour and petal distribution

This plant probably arrived in your garden in the compost or soil of another plant, a bird dropping it, or on the soles of someone’s shoes

Get the pick of the crop by ordering your spring bulbs early

It may spread disease, but feeding birds can also help sustain and certain species of garden birds

With the last days of summer looming, a bit of effort in the garden now will pay off over the coming seasons

The colour of the flowers depends on the acidity of the soil

‘Moist but well-drained’ – a garden writer’s stock phrase – is the gold standard of soil

In the tradition of the heartbroken, I gave my Hydrangea a haircut hoping the scorched leaves and flowers would heal

Putting in the effort is a small price to pay for the great rewards of establishing a polytunnel

Take note of what worked – and didn’t – to serve as a record to inspire and inform you next spring

Jump on the trend by adding colour to your autumn garden

Portuguese laurel and yew offer year-round shelter and privacy

It’s intriguing that some of the most ordinary-looking species of plants have the most intensely perfumed foliage

As much as it’s a wonderful small garden tree, the ornamental crab apple is also vulnerable to various pests and diseases

Heavy ivy growth can eventually cause death by overburdening the tree’s leafy canopy

Frustratingly, this year’s plants with their soft, ruffled, petals are not performing well

Clondalkin Global Garden Community is a sheltered haven that came about to help reconnect people with their cultures and as an outlet for locals

Lax, loose growth habit allows them to thread their stems through a border without looking out of place

There’s no need at all to spray, squash or handpick this colourful little fellow

Decorative grasses, purple moor grass and long-flowering, drought-tolerant, perennials bring the gilt

It may be a glory of spring, but the Magnolia tree is also challenging to grow well

Beekeeping has been a passion of Brendan Sheppard’s for almost 40 years along with his thriving vegetable garden

Left to its own devices, Fatsia japonica can eventually become a very sizeable, spreading plant

Get moving and you’ll have plenty of baby vegetable transplants ready for the colder months

The highly invasive, rampant Tropaeolum ciliatum should be studiously avoided

Choose your variety carefully and you’ll have abundant blooms from June to September

Rockeries may look attractive, but they can be challenging to maintain

If you hurry, there is still time to have fresh crops this summer, as well as flowers for late-season colour

At times it can feel like you’ll never win, but when seeds start blooming you’re reminded of the special joy a garden brings