Diarmuid Gavin

Questions for Diarmuid Gavin

How long have you been designing gardens?

Since 1982, which is a long time.

Tell us a bit about other work, what achievements are you most proud of?

What I'm most proud of is my involvement with the Niall Melon Township Trust. Every year, 2,000 people raise £5,000 each, mainly in Ireland, and go to a specificied township in South Africa where we build houses, community centres and gardens. It's an inspiration seeing so many people working together for a common cause - people who give up their time, and raise money in a very selfless way to look after others.

Work wise, my most enjoyable work is always designing gardens. Recently, we have completed two series of a programme called I Want a Garden for an Irish broadcaster. That was fantastic fun and we created some gardens on an epic scale. I've also just completed a series called Blood of the Irish which is a look at where the Irish gene came from. We travelled around the world for this, and it took a year to make a two-hour drama documentary.

I also wrote my first television show, Diarmuid's Pony Kids, which won an award for best documentary series. It centres on teaching bareback riders from housing estates in under-privileged parts of Dublin to be show jumpers.

Who were your early influences? Who first inspired you to get into garden design?

My early influences were people like my art teacher Mr Weafer in Templeogue College in Dublin. In garden terms, when I was in college I really appreciated the work of John Brookes and Roberto Burle Marx. However, when I came across a book by the Curious Gardeners – Guy Cooper and Gordon Taylor called Paradise Transformed: The Private Garden for the Twenty-first Century, I was smitten by the work of incredible designers throughout the world.

Are you a gardener as well as a designer? Do you have your own garden and how would you describe it?

I think first and foremost I am a gardener. I love design but plants are central to this. I trained in a wonderful institution - The National Botanic Gardens in Dublin where, because of Ireland's temperate climate, a huge range of plants can be grown. So that would be my first love.

I am just making plans for my new garden in County Wicklow at the base of Sugarloaf mountain. I'm very excited about creating a new garden full of flowers and places to retreat to and admire the surrounding views.

It won't be as quirky as some of the gardens I make for television; it'll be relaxing for a busy family.

What five plants could you never do without?

These are very simple ones really - Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, mint , Buxus sempervirens, and alliums.

What materials do you like to use in the garden?

I like to use any material that is honest. So, natural stone - but not imported Indian or Chinese sandstone; old brick - maybe used in a contemporary way; and wood. As I grow older I have a greater appreciation of good craftsmanship.

What’s the most common problem you come across when designing a garden and how do you overcome it?

I find that people over-design, maybe using too many plants - less is often more. We don't need to show off huge collections. We need to find the secret of a site and not be bland.

But we also have to make a garden practical, so a well-designed garden should be easy to use, with enough hard standing space, and enough features to lift the spirit.

What is your biggest design or gardening mistake?

Creating gardens that were impractical. In my earlier years I had an aversion to paths - something I've tried to acknowledge and deal with in my more recent projects.

What’s your favourite garden to visit and why?

So many different gardens offer a huge amount of joy, but there are four in particular that I love. One is called Mount Usher Gardens in Ashford, County Wicklow - very near my home - which is a garden full of magnificent trees built on a waterway. Monet's garden at Giverny, with its amazing lily ponds is gorgeous. The gardens at Bantry House in Cork, built on Italian-style terraces with stunning sea views, are amazing. Finally, Mount Stewart Gardens in County Down are world-class gardens, looked after by the National Trust, and hard to beat anywhere.

If you could design a garden for anyone, who would it be and why?

I would love to design a new garden for Barack and Michelle Obama and their two girls because of somebody who offers so much hope in the White House, it would be great to give them a sense of the outdoor joy that only a garden can create.

How would you describe your design style?

I would describe my design style as schizophrenic. Sometimes it's exuberant, whacky and quirky, and at other times it's green, tranquil and gentle.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out with a new garden?

Try to understand what you want, what you're looking for. Try to analyse the potential of a space and see what fits. Live with the site for a while. Dig a little and find out about the soil and watch where the sun is at different parts of the day and year.