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Planting-led garden design, anywhere in Ireland
Whether you are rethinking an established garden, working with a new build or trying to bring a disconnected space together, I design gardens around the planting rather than adding it once everything else has been decided.
I work remotely with clients across Ireland, from your own photographs, measurements and description of the space. The work can be a single border or the whole garden reconsidered.
Planting Is Considered From Day One
In many projects, planting is added at the end.
In my work, planting shapes the structure, atmosphere and long-term success of the garden.
This prevents gardens that look good initially but struggle or feel disjointed over time.
If you’d like to understand the structural thinking behind my approach, see Planting Design & Garden Structure in Ireland.
Some gardens already have their structure and need the planting resolved within it. Others need the layout itself worked out first. Both are designed the same way, with the planting leading rather than following.
Where the hard landscaping is already built, or already designed by someone else, the planting design works within the structure you have. Nothing needs to be dug up for the garden to change completely.
This is Planting by Numbers. Every plan is drawn to be followed by whoever does the work: each plant named, positioned and counted, so you can easily follow it yourself or hand it to a gardener without translating anything.
Where the layout itself is the problem, a planting-led concept design sets out how the space should be structured: the position of patios, paths, steps, walls, boundaries and planting areas.
The planting is designed alongside the structure rather than added once every other decision has been made, so the garden holds together as it matures rather than looking assembled from separate decisions.
If your garden is established and the question is what to keep, what to move and what to replace, that judgement needs to be made standing in the garden rather than from photographs. I take that work on in Cork and the surrounding area only. See garden design in Cork.
Tell me a little about the garden, where it is and what you are hoping to achieve. I will recommend the right starting point rather than asking you to choose one.
I cannot stand in your garden, so you become my eyes. That sounds like a limitation and in some ways it is, but a garden photographed properly tells me most of what I need: the light, the aspect, what is thriving and what is struggling. The rest comes out in conversation.
Photographs from several angles, rough measurements, your location, and a description of what is not working. I will tell you exactly what I need and how to photograph it, so nothing is guesswork.
A video consultation going through the garden together. Soil, exposure, what you want from the space, what you are willing to maintain and what has already been tried.
I set out what the garden needs, what I propose to deliver, what it excludes and what it costs, before any design work begins.
Plans, plant lists with quantities and positions, reference images and sourcing options. We go through it together, and I remain available as the work goes into the ground.
The deliverable is identical to an on-site project. The same plans, the same plant knowledge, the same thirty years of Irish growing behind every decision.
What changes is the survey. On site I gather the information myself. Remotely you gather it, which means the quality of what you send genuinely affects what I can do. I will guide you through it, and if the garden turns out to need something I cannot assess from photographs, I will say so rather than guess.
If your garden is in Cork or the surrounding area, I can visit it instead. See garden design in Cork.
A planting plan is only useful if it can actually be built. Mine are drawn to be followed by the person holding them, with every plant named, positioned and counted. How it gets into the ground is your choice.
I can source the plants from Irish growers and have them delivered to your door, labelled to match the plan, so nothing has to be worked out on the day.
The plan is written to be handed over without translation. I am available alongside if your gardener or landscaper has questions as the work goes on.
For gardens in Cork I can recommend the right landscape contractor and oversee the project through to completion. This is not available remotely.
An online garden consultation is the first step for every remote project.
A focused video session going through your photographs, measurements and what you want from the space, followed by practical recommendations and a clear next step.
€295, deducted from the design work that follows.
If you decide not to go further, you still have a considered assessment of the garden and a direction to work in.
If you would rather talk it through first, call me on 086 049 5930 or email info@theirishgardener.com.
See how the right planting choices change a garden
The Douglas Road garden shows what happens when mature planting is edited rather than cleared. The Ballintemple garden was designed around a family already using the space.
These gardens were designed the same way yours would be, whether I stood in them or worked from photographs. See the finished work in the portfolio.
From wildlife-friendly gardens to low-maintenance spaces, I’ve helped countless homeowners create gardens that truly work for them.
“Peter’s expertise turned my blank lawn into a stunning pollinator-friendly garden. His advice and design were invaluable!
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“I'd been putting off the garden for three years. Within a week of getting the plan I knew exactly what to plant and where
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“Peter's garden design completely transformed my outdoor space. His expert advice and attention to detail resulted in a stunning, functional garden that suits my lifestyle perfectly. The Plan and plant sourcing service made the process so easy!
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“Peter came, visited the garden and advised. We didnt need a garden design. Peter made the suggestions, he sourced the correct plants and showed us exactly where to plant and how to layout the beds. I could not be happer with how it has turned out
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Every design ends in something you can act on. That document is the planting plan.
It is built around your soil, your aspect, your microclimate and how much maintenance you genuinely want, rather than around a plant palette that looks good on paper and struggles in the ground.
If your layout is already largely in place, what you may need most is not a full redesign but a clear planting strategy. Read what a planting plan is to understand the difference. If the garden is part of a newly built home, you may also want to read garden planting design for new homes in Ireland.
Practical, Not Theoretical
Every design is grounded in real Irish soil conditions, wind exposure, drainage and seasonal performance.
Established Gardens Respected
If you already have mature planting, we assess what should stay, what should go, and how to build intelligently from what’s already there. Only available in Cork - cant be provided remotely
Eco-Friendly & Sustainable by Default
Irish gardens should be alive with birds, insects, scent, and texture. I prioritise:
Planting Design Rooted in Irish Growing Conditions
Every garden has its own character, soil, exposure and potential.
With more than 30 years’ horticultural experience across Ireland, I design gardens that are:
• Grounded in real plant knowledge
• Built to thrive in Irish weather
• Structured for long-term maturity
This isn’t template design. It’s informed, site-specific garden planning.
If you’d like to understand what influences planting plan pricing, see Planting Plan Cost in Ireland.
Ongoing Support Beyond Drawings
From plant sourcing to contractor guidance, I remain involved to ensure the garden develops as intended.
You send photographs, rough measurements and a description of the garden. I tell you exactly what I need and how to photograph it. We then go through it together on a video call, and the design follows from there. The deliverable is the same as it would be for a garden I visited.
The design work is identical. What differs is the survey. On site I gather the information myself, remotely you gather it, so what you send affects what I can do. In practice a garden photographed properly gives me most of what I need. If something cannot be assessed from photographs, I will tell you rather than guess.
Both. Where the layout needs resolving I produce a concept design setting out the position of patios, paths, steps, walls, boundaries and planting areas, with the planting designed alongside. Where the structure is already in place, the work is the planting within it.
No. I produce concept designs and planting plans. Where technical drawings, structural detail, drainage or level surveys are required, those come from a contractor, engineer or other professional. I am happy to work alongside them.
Yes. Once the plan is complete I can source the plants from Irish trade growers and have them delivered to your door, labelled to match the plan.
On-site visits are available in Cork and the surrounding area. Everywhere else in Ireland is worked remotely, which is what this page describes. See garden design in Cork if your garden is local to me.
It varies with scope and season, but most small to medium projects move from consultation to final plan within a few weeks.
The online consultation is €295, deducted from the design work that follows. Design fees depend on the size and complexity of the garden and are quoted after that consultation, before any work begins.
Tell me a little about the garden, where it is and what you are hoping to achieve. I will recommend the right starting point.
Most garden problems I am asked about: gardens that never quite feel right, plants that fail to thrive, borders that look busy but not balanced, trace back to the planting decisions made at the start. The wrong plant for the soil. The wrong scale for the space. Planting added as an afterthought rather than used to create the structure the garden needed from the beginning.
The pages below cover the planting decisions that matter most in Irish gardens. Whether you are starting with a blank space, working with an existing garden, dealing with a difficult condition, or trying to understand what a planting plan actually involves, you will find the relevant advice here.
A plan also needs a season to be put into the ground, and in Ireland that window matters more than most people expect. When is the best time to plant in Ireland sets out the planting windows a finished plan should be timed around.
"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."
Organised by the decisions most Irish gardeners face. Every page is specific to Irish conditions, Irish soil and Irish growing realities.
Irish gardens present specific challenges that generic planting advice does not address. These pages work through the conditions that most commonly cause planting decisions to fail.
Structure is what makes a garden feel considered rather than accidental. These pages cover the structural planting decisions that determine how a garden looks and functions long term.
Privacy is one of the most common reasons Irish gardeners invest in planting. Getting the plant choice right for the exposure, soil and space available is where most mistakes happen.
Many gardeners are unsure what a planting plan actually involves, what it costs and whether it is the right starting point for their garden. These pages answer those questions directly.
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. NutriChar is a biochar plant food made using a patented process, combining organic biochar with organic composted poultry manure. 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. Fast acting and long lasting. Soil first, then healthier plants, better roots and longer results.
Describe your garden, the conditions, what you are trying to achieve and what you have tried already. I will give you a direct answer based on Irish conditions and over 30 years of planting experience. No generic advice. The right direction for where you actually are.
