The right plants, in the right place, change everything.
Right plants. Right place. No guesswork.
Garden design with Peter Dowdall, whether you’re starting a new garden or rethinking an established one. On-site in Cork and available remotely throughout Ireland.
New: The Irish Gardener’s NutriChar is here
A certified organic, irish made, soil-first plant food and soil improver for stronger, healthier growth in Irish gardens.
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Find your next step
Where do you want to start?
Whether you want a planting design or already know which plants you need, choose the route that fits your garden.
Garden design · Cork
01 / Cork and surrounding areas
Let’s walk the garden together.
I visit, see the conditions for myself and discuss what you want the space to become. The work can focus on one border or the whole garden.
- On-site consultation to understand the garden
- Planting-led design at the scale you need
- Plant sourcing and delivery if you want it
Not sure which route fits? Tell me about your garden →
Give someone time for their garden.
A personal garden consultation with me makes a thoughtful gift for someone starting a new garden, refreshing an established one or simply looking for practical advice.
Choose a visit to their garden within the Cork area, or an online consultation wherever they are in Ireland. A printable gift voucher is supplied after purchase, and they arrange their appointment with me afterwards.
Just 10 garden visits and 10 online consultations available as gifts for Spring 2027.
Explore Garden Consultation Gifts
Ireland's Planting Expert
Over 30 years working with Irish gardens, Irish soil and Irish growing conditions. Horticulturist, planting designer, broadcaster and columnist. The work has always been the same: finding the right plant for the right place in the right conditions.
Planting design is, for me, where every garden project matters. Structure matters, sequence matters but it is the planting that determines whether a garden actually performs or simply exists.
Getting that right, specifically for Irish soil and Irish climate, is what I have spent three decades learning.
Every garden is different. The thinking behind every recommendation is the same.
I work with private homeowners, garden centres, open gardens and national media.
"The right plant in the right place is not a happy accident. It is a decision that requires knowing the soil, the exposure, the aspect and the sequence. That is what planting design is."
Soil First
If the soil is not functioning, the planting cannot perform
Every planting decision starts below ground. The right plant in the wrong soil will always struggle, regardless of how carefully it was chosen or how well it was planted.
Soil structure, biological activity and nutrient retention are what determine whether a planting plan succeeds or simply survives.
The Irish Gardener's NutriChar addresses all three together. It improves the structure of Irish soils, supports the biological activity that makes nutrients available to roots, and helps soil hold and release what plants need. It is not just a feed. It is a foundation.
Designed specifically for Irish conditions and built around the same soil-first thinking that underpins every piece of advice on this site.
"If the soil is not functioning, nothing you add on top will fix it. This is why I always start here."
Specific answers for Irish gardens
Real questions from Irish gardeners. Answered with the precision that Irish conditions require. Not general tips. The right answer for where you actually are.
- Why is my garden not thriving?
- How to improve poor soil in your garden
- Why does my soil feel dead or lifeless?
- Moss on my lawn in Ireland
- Japanese maple dieback in Irish gardens
- Why are my plants not flowering properly?
- Shade garden planting plan Ireland
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- When to plant snowdrops in Ireland
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Over 40 specific answers for Irish gardens. More added every week.
Browse all garden advice