Gardening

Plants with perfumed blossoms, aromatic foliage, tactile appeal, or which rustle in the breeze would be ideal candidates

If you’ve ever compared autumn-sown hardy flowering annuals with their spring-sown equivalents, you’ll know they’re like chalk and cheese

Most plants prefer a middle ground with soil that’s neither baked to a crisp nor badly waterlogged

Earthworm populations globally are in decline, along with their vital ability to act as ecosystem engineers

Climate change is demanding we adapt to new norms and make changes in how we garden

Fingal’s biodiversity officer says planting blackberry brambles starts a chain reaction that benefits wildlife and the entire community

‘Life in Full Bloom’ is the theme for this year’s Connected with Nature events as part of Nursing Homes Week, celebrating the harvest season with events catered for residents’ wellbeing

Some of my potatoes have pushed up out of the ground and turned green

Ruthlessly cut out any vegetation that heatwaves have left withered and yellowing before judiciously filing in the gaps left behind

Oliver Schurmann reinforces the need to plant for the future at the Carlow Garden Festival, which runs until Sunday

Butterflies may be more colourful but moths bring their own special magic

Taking some practical measures can lessen the impact of dry weather on your plants

Don’t be too anxious about your precious lawn – but keep an eye on the hydrangeas

From watering systems to robot mowers, smart lighting and camera feeds, there is a wide range of tech to enhance your garden spaces

Readers’ questions: Most of my plants now have tall spikes of leaves which taste off

Ugly gaps in summer flower borders are painful to behold, but there are ways to manage them

Map is tricky to set up but safety and sturdiness is impressive

Container-grown plants are much more vulnerable to compost heating up and drying out

Noeleen Smyth is the first female director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland

True story or old wives’ tale?

The time is ripe for preening and planting

These graceful ornamental plants are vulnerable to both carrot fly and carrot motley virus

Small city gardens are akin to theatrical stages just waiting for the right props to set the tone

Unfortunately, this is still a relatively niche market in Ireland

Change your focus to weeding, feeding and staking

This sustainable approach to planting has taken the Internet by storm this year

These are the low-maintenance, decorative shrubby plants so often overlooked in fashionable ‘must grow’ lists

Use a combination of sowing techniques to increase your chances of success

Delphiniums, lupins and foxgloves will add height, scale and drama to any planting scheme

Hybridising bearded irises is both a scientific and artistic process

When quoted as much as €25,000 to landscape the area around their newly built home, this Kildare couple opted to cut their bill in half by doing the work themselves

As well as wreaking havoc in your garden, many of these molluscs do work that is crucial to a healthy planet

Designer Denise O’Connor: With a bit of creative thinking, it’s possible to get more from the space you have

The foliage is slightly yellowed and the growth is poor

Ireland’s splendid gardens are in full bloom this time of year and brilliant festivals lie ahead

For years we collected pears, expecting them to ripen

Taking on two beehives and tending to a community garden in The Liberties opened Anthony Freeman-O’Brien’s eyes and heart to the benefits of urban greening

After decades of decline, it’s great to see these dainty, pollinator-friendly wildflowers making such a comeback

Kitchen gardeners can get carried away at this time of year - but there’s no point growing endless lines of turnips no one wants to eat

This happens more than you might think, and the causes can be hard to pin down