Latest news with #DiarmuidGavin
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Two of Ireland's best-known lifestyle celebs say Cork tops the country for sustainability
Diarmuid Gavin and Dónal Skehan both attended a business breakfast in the Rebel County as part of Cork on a Fork Fest Two of Ireland's best-known food personalities say Cork is leading the way in sustainable food production. Broadcaster and food writer Dónal Skehan, whose grandfather hails from Mallow, and celebrity gardener Diarmuid Gavin were both at Dunnes Stores on St Patrick's Street on Friday morning as part of a business breakfast for the Cork on a Fork festival.
Irish Independent
09-08-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Diarmuid Gavin and Donal Skehan join sustainability panel in Cork for Fork Fest business breakfast
Diarmuid Gavin, Donal Skehan, Ailis Crowley from FASH Forward, Maria Young from Green Spaces Cork and Virginia O'Gara from My Goodness / Cork Urban Soil Project are among the panellists at the business breakfast next week. Cork City's food and business communities will come together for an inspiring morning at the Cork on a Fork Fest Business Networking, in partnership with Cork Business Association (CBA) and Network Cork. The event which runs from 7.30am to 9.15am will be hosted by food writer Kate Ryan of and it takes place during Cork on a Fork Fest at the new Dunnes Stores Food Hall on St Patrick's Street. The event offers a unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and champion sustainable food practices. Attendees will enjoy complimentary tastings from a variety of artisan food stalls who are part of the new food hall, as well as sampling opportunities from some of the local artisan food producers who are part of the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection — perfect for breakfast on the go. The event will also include a live cooking demo by Head Chef Kate Lawlor from K O'Connell Fishmongers. The panel features Ailis Crowley from FASH Forward, who will give practical insights for reducing food waste in your business. Other panellists include Maria Young from Green Spaces Cork on the impact of community gardens and growing local; Virginia O'Gara from My Goodness / Cork Urban Soil Project on circular food systems and composting; Diarmuid Gavin - Creator of Dunnes Stores "Outer Spaces", and Donal Skehan, a Dunnes Stores ambassador. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or community changemaker, this is your chance to be inspired, build connections, and learn how your business can be part of a more sustainable future. Eric Foley, Grocery Manager, Dunnes Stores Patrick Street stated: 'We are so proud to be supporting the Cork on a Fork Festival, which celebrates the very best of Cork hospitality and food. We love the idea of hosting this event where local businesses will come together to discuss sustainability and we are delighted that we will have some of our local food producers present to join in on the conversations and networking.' The event is free for CBA and Network Cork members, and open to other businesses to book. Register at Eventbrite Link. Cork Business Association is also supporting a number of Coffee House Late events during Cork on a Fork Fest, in partnership with Cork City Council's night-time economy advisor. Now in its fourth year, Cork on a Fork Fest spotlights the businesses, farmers, producers, chefs, and culinary innovators that shape the region's vibrant food scene. This year's programme will feature almost 100 events across the city — including pop-up dining experiences, chef collaborations, street feasts, food trails, cooking demos, and family-friendly fun. Cork on a Fork Fest is organised by Cork City Council in partnership with local hospitality businesses. The festival is supported by stakeholders including Fáilte Ireland, Pure Cork, Cork Business Association, IHF Cork Branch, MTU, Cork Airport, and festival sponsors. Visit or follow @corkonaforkfest on social media.
Daily Mirror
09-08-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Garden plant 'loved by swingers' back in fashion but with 'extraordinary' warning
Expert Diarmuid Gavin says gardeners should treat a distinctive ornamental grass with extreme caution - but not just because what it hints about lifestyle! Pampas grasses are having a moment. You'll see them everywhere this year, in floristry, on Instagram, and in the garden itself – they're a statement. Towering, dramatic, architectural. Behind that glamour is a plant that can, over time, become a problem. In mature specimens, the centre of the plant may begin to die off. This happens to many flowering perennials in our borders. The outer ring keeps expanding and before long, you're left with what looks like a doughnut: growth around the edges but rot and collapse at the heart. The solution is often easy enough – to renew their vigour (and to increase the amount of plants you have) you divide them. But with pampas grass it's more complicated. Once it reaches a certain size, it is extremely hard to manage. Each year's growth sits atop the previous one, building an impenetrable tower of dead stems, thatch and tough fibrous roots. The outer leaves remain sharp and vigorous, but the inner core turns into a thick, matted mulch that is not only unsightly but often rots in wet weather. When storms like Floris hit, whole heads of foliage can tear away, leaving the plant ragged and gaping. And while younger grasses bend and recover, older ones can split or collapse. I'm often asked whether these mature clumps can be lifted and divided. In theory, yes... but in practice, without heavy machinery or a team of strong helpers with saws and spades, it is extraordinarily difficult. The rootball can weigh hundreds of kilos and behaves more like solid wood. An extreme method is sometimes used – cutting back the foliage and setting fire to the plants innards. This was once a common practice in large estates or farmland settings. The idea was to burn away the debris in the centre, clearing space for new growth in spring. But it can be dangerous. Pampas grass is highly flammable, especially in dry or windy conditions. A moment's inattention can lead to fire spreading to fences, hedges and properties. Unless you have a wide, safe space, and all the right precautions, it isn't worth the risk. The best approach is to cut the plant back to the base in late winter, when it's dormant and dry. Use shears or a hedge trimmer, wear gloves and long sleeves, and be ruthless. Once it's cut back, inspect the crown. If the centre is too far gone – rotted or collapsed – it may be time to remove the plant and replace it with something younger and more manageable. If the outer growth is healthy, you can sometimes lift and replant small sections, for a fresh start. If you're thinking about introducing pampas grass into your garden, begin with one of the more refined, better-behaved cultivars. 'Pumila' is a compact variety growing to about 1.2m, ideal for smaller spaces and pots. 'Evita' has beautiful plumes with a tidy base, hardy and upright, reaching around 1.5m. If you have space, 'Sunningdale Silver' grows to over 2m with giant flowering heads, ideal for open gardens and bold schemes. These grasses can be magnificent but they demand thought. They require space, commitment and sometimes, when the wind is howling and the foliage is shredding themselves to ribbons, a quiet moment of reflection on whether it might be time to begin again. Jobs to do in the garden this week Watering plants particularly those in pots or newly planted, is your main job when it's hot and dry. Do so when it's cooler in the morning or evening as otherwise you will lose a lot of water to evaporation. Water plants thoroughly – a little trickle will just evaporate off the surface. Move pots into shade if possible. You can increase your stock of border carnations by layering – choose a healthy side shoot that isn't flowering, bend it over without snapping the stem and peg firmly into the ground with some wire. Cover the stem with soil and water in. Irises that have become congested can be divided to improve vigour. Lift them carefully to avoid damaging rhizomes and gently split apart to replant. Having trouble with earwigs on dahlias? Put traps with pots stuffed with shredded paper near them and remove earwigs daily. Prune climbing and rambling roses when they finish flowering. You can trim conifer and evergreen hedges as a final tidy up before autumn slows growth. Colchicum, sternbergia and autumn crocus can be planted out as soon as they are available to buy in the garden centre. What's the best way to get rid of bindweed? Bindweed or Convolvulus is a rampant climber that twines its way around stems and branches of anything around it. Without resorting to chemicals, the only way to control it is by regularly pulling it up. The plant needs its leaves to photosynthesise and grow so if you are constantly removing the leaves it does weaken the plant. In winter or spring dig up the white roots before they send up growth. Try to remove as much root as possible as even a little section left will resprout. Plant of the week: Gladiolus 'Nanus' Gladioli like to be noticed and dress themselves in the brightest of colours. Also known as Sword lilies due to the shape of their leaves. (Gladiolus translates as 'little sword'), their tall spikes covered in funnel shaped blossoms make superb cut flowers. In sunny well drained sites they will grow often to several feet. However there are smaller cultivars suitable for growing in pots – these are known as dwarf glads and come in many colours. These will also work well dotted through borders. Lift and store in a frost free area over winter and replant next April. If you're planting in heavy soil, a little bit of sand beneath the corm will help with drainage.
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners urged to plant one common flower slugs absolutely hate
There are few plants that slugs enjoy nibbling more than the hosta, but instead of dousing yours in chemical insect repellants, try Diarmuid Gavin's more natural solution After hosting winter displays and spring bulbs, now's the time for summer colour in my pots. That's been my job this week and I like using terracotta pots because they complement most types of planting. They can dry out quickly so require a commitment to keeping them well watered throughout the warmer months. I've emptied the old compost around the garden beds and I am using a good-quality multi-purpose compost that will support my choice of plants. This, combined with fortnightly liquid feeding and deadheading, should ensure lots of flowers to enjoy over the next few months. As we are well past any fear of frost, there's plenty of plants that will thrive now. Tender bedding plants can be used and you may have been growing your own from seed which might be pot ready now. It is easy to be seduced by the trays of brightly coloured flowers for sale but in general it's a good idea to buy plants that have plenty of buds yet to blossom. I've chosen a mix of perennial and annuals, some old favourites and some new ones to try out. READ MORE: Homes with hanging baskets urged to repeat crucial 60 second task daily Bulbine 'Avera Sunset Orange' is a newbie. A perennial, it's also known as the burnt jelly plant as its succulent leaves have skin-healing properties, a bit like aloe vera. It has fleshy linear leaves and exotic-looking orange and yellow flowers. Hailing from South Africa, it can only manage outdoors here in the summer unless you are in the Scilly Isles or somewhere similar. It's a good plant for a balcony and then can be taken indoors over winter. Erigeron karvinskianus is an old reliable and one that I think looks great with its relaxed habit, the daisy flowers tumbling down the side of pots. Although it comes from Mexico, it's remarkably happy in our climate. It's great as an edging plant, tucked into cracks in paving or walls or simply as part of a mixed border and will grow in sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. Cerinthe purpurascens is a very easy-to-grow annual. Also known as honeywort, its pretty purple bell-shaped flowers are a magnet for bees and butterflies. These contrast beautifully with the silvery green oval leaves too. Cosmos is also a superb half hardy annual – I love the daisy-like flowers that usually come in white or pink but are also available in warmer yellows and oranges. I've a slightly complex relationship with hostas. Any plant that causes gardeners anxiety due to a creature nibbling on them, using chemical pesticides to kill them off, possibly isn't right for that gardener's plot. The slugs that feed on them make delicious food for our garden birds. And why do we want to poison any creature in our gardens? It's not really part of our nurturing nature is it? But there are some hostas that have a reputation for being slug resistant. I'm using a variety called 'Blue Umbrellas', which is one of the largest of the species and has giant blue-green heart shaped leaves. It should be the crowning glory of the new potted garden. Jobs to do in the garden this week Watch out for scarlet lily beetle and remove – they're crafty and will hop off the stem as you approach, so try and cup one hand below to catch them. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails who may tuck into your flowers and leafy vegetables. A shallow saucer of beer nightly beside your flowers is a good way of controlling them. Cut back lupins before they go to seed and you may get a second smaller flush. Cut back hardy geraniums that have finished flowering to ensure new growth. Keep roses well watered in warm weather and regularly check pots for watering. Peat-based compost can dry out, so it may need a complete dunking in a bucket of water until all the air bubbles are gone from soil. Warm weather can lead to an increase in algae and duckweed in your pond, so fish it out with a small fishing net or twirl it around a cane. Barley straw in the pond can help keep the problem at bay or if you can't get hold of any there are liquid products available that contain an extract of it which will do the same job. Keep your bird bath topped up for the birds. Divide irises after flowering – you only need do this process every few years but it will help to put new life into old stock. Why your roses aren't growing well in pots A reader wrote in to ask why his roses aren't doing well in pots. They're the right size and he followed the label instructions. I don't blame him for being baffled. Roses can grow very well in pots provided the conditions are right. In warm and windy weather pots can dry out fast so consistent watering is essential. However, they don't like being waterlogged as the roots can rot, so good drainage is important – pots must have drainage holes. Roses are hungry feeders and will benefit from a high potassium feed every two weeks in the growing season. Pot compost can become exhausted so top with fresh compost every year. With consistent moisture, good drainage, and feeding, your roses should bounce back. Plant of the week: Delphinium 'Faust' It's hard to compete with the glamour of delphiniums in full bloom, their stately stems covered in flowers. 'Faust' is a fine cultivar with an RHS Award of Garden Merit. It has rich blue double flowers with a dark eye and can grow to a height of 5-6ft. For best results, grow in well-drained soil and full sunshine. Give them adequate space as they don't like to be crowded and a sheltered spot is best. They make gorgeous cut flowers and provide vertical interest in the borders, flowering through the summer. Cut back faded spikes and you may get a second flush of flowers. For super blooms, thin shoots when young to leave just two or three spikes.
Irish Examiner
26-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Donal Hickey: Plant passport check — don't bring plants and seeds home from abroad
Think of rhododendron, Japanese knotweed, and giant hogweed… just three of the many non-native plants brought into Ireland and which are now an environmental nuisance, to say the very least. All three, along with many others, are targets of ongoing eradication programmes which, in some cases, are battling against the odds. Like many invasive species, they grow prolifically and damage many of our native plants and the environment in general. Giant hogweed cordoned off ahead of treatment Such imported plants, as well as invasive, non-native animals, are described by the National Biodiversity Data Centre as the greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide after habitat destruction. Rhododendron at the Vee, County Tipperary. Picture: Dan Linehan Rhododendron, for example, takes over native woodland such as oak, and prevents the growth of young saplings, with severe impacts in places like Killarney National Park. Japanese knotweed can grow through concrete and damage buildings. Hogweed can cause burns and skin damage, and destabilise riverbanks. A plant passport is a document containsing vital information required for the trade of seeds, cuttings, plants, and trees between businesses in the EU And, with people travelling abroad more often and to far-flung, destinations, the risks of exotic, though unwelcome, plants being brought here grows. Ireland continues to participate in the #PlantHealth4Life campaign — a European project to raise awareness of the critical role plant health plays in protecting food, biodiversity, and the environment. It's all about encouraging people to become active plant health ambassadors. The 2025 campaign is supported by our Department of Agriculture, and celebrity garden designer, Diarmuid Gavin, is the plant goodwill ambassador for Ireland. The #PlantHealth4Life campaign urges travellers not to bring back any plants, flowers, seeds, fruits, or vegetables from outside the EU, as these items may harbour plant pests or diseases detrimental to native flora. Additionally, consumers are advised to buy plants and seeds online only if accompanied by a valid phytosanitary or plant health certificate. Picture: Maxwells Louise Byrne, our chief plant health officer, says everyone can contribute to protecting plant health. People should travel wisely and avoid bringing plants and seeds home from abroad. 'Practice responsible sourcing of plants with plant passports from reputable operators. Monitor plants in your garden and in the wider environment for pests and diseases. Empower the next generation by teaching children about the importance of plant health,' she adds. Travellers are asked not to bring back any plants, flowers, seeds, fruits, or vegetables from outside the EU, which may harbour plant pests or diseases detrimental to native flora. Additionally, consumers are advised to buy plants and seeds online only if accompanied by a valid plant health certificate. Good plant hygiene practices in home gardens and outdoors spaces also prevent the spread to neighbouring plants and natural habitats. Diarmuid Gavin says our gardens are frontline defences: 'Every seed we sow responsibly and every pest we spot early is a step toward protecting Ireland's natural environment. This campaign reminds us that plant health begins at home, and we all have a role to play.' Perhaps the greatest example of destruction which can be wrought by an imported plant is the blight that caused the Famine. The blight is believed to have been brought to Europe on potato shipments from the Americas. Read More Responsible gardening for peak plant health
