An Inspirational Talk: Diarmuid Gavin, Gardener Extraordinaire

Well, this blog has been a looooong time coming! I attended a talk with Gardener Extraordinaire, Diarmuid Gavin's at the Ideal Home Show in the RDS, Dublin in April. The show will be coming back in October and I guess it got me thinking about the blog that never was.

I was the eager beaver. I arrived at the seated area waaaaay too early, Coffee in hand of course, wanting to get a spot before they were all taken. I was ready to hear about Gardening. I know NOTHING of the subject, so I really didn't know what to expect. What I didn't expect was to hear one of the most Inspirational talks that I have heard relating to MY passion: Design. And this is just a little summary:

Diarmuid Gavin {DG} jumped on to the stage and the energy was palpable. He started to talk about his own influences and here's where it gets really cute. He shared a photo of a garden in Rathfarnham he knew + loved when he was a kid, which made a statement...

"We all want to make statements" {Quote + Photo: Diarmuid Gavin}

Can you just about make out the gnomes?? There's a statue of Budda in there too. I don't know why but it's not exactly what I was expecting! But, it stands out. He spoke of other influences such as Landscape Architect, Capability Brown, and the possibly more kooky examples of Star Trek + Willy Wonka to name a few. "Shadow, Light and Natural Landscapes" {DG} were highlighted also. He introduced me to a 'garden' that I hope to visit one day. It's a Repurposed Train-Track in New York City, called the 'High Line'...

"Anything that's dramatic, I love" {Quote: DG | Image: Pinterest}


It took my breath away. He mentioned that he loved "...gardens that float or are in unexpected places" {DG}. He shared some images of gardens he had designed...

His Chelsea Flower Show win is probably one of his most famous designs + words can't express how much I love it! "Creating Gardens is all about Controlling Space" {DG | Image www.interiorsdirectory.com}

2 designs also stood out for me: A Coastal Retreat in Ireland and a Penthouse Terrace in Altringham, Cheshire (...designed for a famous footballer, but he couldn't reveal who!!) and can be viewed at www.diarmuidgavindesigns.co.uk . And I was so inspired that I've added two more books to my ever-growing-wish-list (which just happen to include another Designer I admire!) :

He spoke of so much more: showing + describing his plans for his OWN garden at home in Ireland & talked about the designing of the challenging space for the garden at Temple Street Children's Hospital, Dublin. He finished the talk with some advice: to create something that suits you, to have fun with gardens and "...if possible, make people smile" {DG}. And what does the early bird also catch? Well, Diarmuid was only setting up when I arrived and very kindly posed for a pic, so, this budding Interior Designer went home with a smile xx