Master My Garden Podcast

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Jane Perrone a houseplant expert who has been growing houseplants since she was a child.  She has her own podcast all about indoor gardening called "On the ledge podcast" and is currently crowdfunding for a houseplant book called "legends of the leaf". In this weeks episode we talk all about houseplants the best plants...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I am joined by Klaus Laitenberger to talk about vegetable growing. Klaus shares his tops tips for success. We talk about organic growing, the importance of soil, answer listener questions and much more.  Klaus Laitenberger is the author of three vegetable gardening books. He was the Head Gardener at the Organic Centre in Co. Leitrim and restored th...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is part two of the two part series all about growing your own fruit. I talk to Thomas English from English's Fruit Nursery, this weeks episode is all about top fruit, the best varieties, tips for planting and so much more. We talk about apples, pears, plums and much more. The English's nursery catalogue is one of my favourite garden...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is part one of a two part series all about growing your own fruit. I talk to Thomas English from English's Fruit Nursery, this weeks episode which is part one is all about soft fruit, the best varieties, tips for planting and so much more. The English's nursery catalogue is one of my favourite gardening booklets to browse and is pac...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Anne Verdoes who works for iBulb. iBulb is part of the organization Anthos, they represent the companies that trade in flower bulbs and nursery stock products. iBulb is the promotion organization for the flower bulb industry, perennials, garden roses and the green city for a sustainable Europe.  On behalf of our member companies we are po...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Juanita Browne who is an author, nature enthusiast and works as a co-ordinator for the All Ireland Pollinator plan. Juanita recently produced a fantastic booklet in conjunction with Laois Heritage Council called Gardening for biodiversity. This is a free booklet which is available to download or can be posted out to gardeners through the...

In episode 034 of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland. It's a great chat we talk all about, how to feed wild birds in your garden, nesting boxes, gardening to attract wild birds, the great work Birdwatch Ireland do and much more. About Birdwatch Ireland: We are the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. The primary objective of BirdWatch Irel...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast. I look at the benefits of Mycorrhizal Fungi a little know wonder amount gardeners. So, what is mycorrhizal?  Mycorrhizal Fungi occurs in nature and what it does is that it attaches to the roots of the plant and increases the root zone by a huge amount. The plant and the mycorrhizal then form a symbiotic relationship that stays with the plant throu...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which is an open garden feature. I talk to Jimi Blake Huntingbrook Gardens. Jimi has one of the largest and most diverse collections of plants in Ireland and the gardens did not disappoint they are fantastic from start to finish in a brilliant mix of colour, unusual foliage and distinct structural planting. We walk through the gardens and talk abou...

 In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to Adam Green who has been growing Daffodils commercially in Co. Waterford for 25 years. Adam shares what in his experience are the best Daffodil varieties. He talks about how deep to plant daffodils and how far apart they should be planted for maximum flower and display. We also hear the best varieties of yellow trumpets to grow together s...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I am joined by Kevin Begley from Coolwater Garden. Coolwater garden is the third open garden feature on the podcast and although I haven't yet visited it sounds like a really interesting garden, unlike other open gardens it has no lawn or large herbaceous borders. Instead Coolwater features many native plants, a large pond area and a huge amou...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I speak to Brian McCarthy from Cork Rooftop Farm, and what an amazing story this is, starting out as a lockdown project and turned in a story and project that inspired people and showed what is possible even in urban locations.  Cork Rooftop Farm started not as a business venture but as a project born out of the COVID-19 lockdown. Myself (Brian McC...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I speak to Andy Walsh after sales manager of Husqvarna Ireland about robotic mowers and specifically Husqvarna automower. Robotic mowers have become really popular in recent years and the technology is really advancing all the time. However people still have lots of questions such as, Are robotic lawnmowers any good? Are robot mowers worth it? Will...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which will be part two of a the two part series covering native wildflowers and floral/ pictorial meadow. This week I cover the floral meadows. How do I grow a floral meadow? How do I grow a wildflower meadow? are all regular questions and in this episode I cover floral meadows, following on from last weeks episode on wildflowers. I give a complete...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast which will be part one of a two part series covering native wildflowers and floral/ pictorial meadow. This week I cover the native wildflowers. If you want to grow a native Irish Wildflower meadow then this episode if full of info to help you achieve that. I am joined by Sandro Cafolla from Design By Nature. Sandro is the leading expert on Irish wi...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast I talk to TJ Maher from Patthana Garden in Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow. This is the second open garden feature and I plan to do one every month mainly because open gardens are a source of inspiration for many gardens. Patthana does not disappoint on the inspiration front, its smaller size makes many of the elements feel like they are attainable to every...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk about a problem that many gardens face and a question many people ask me. What is wrong with my Boxwood? or Why is my Buxus dying? To answer the question correctly you firstly need to identify the problem of what is causing the issue. There are mostly 3 reasons why something is wrong with a Buxus or Boxwood plant. They are box blight, boxwoo...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Gerry Harford of The Potting Shed a specialist nursery in Camolin Co. Wexford. Gerry and Susan who own and run the nursery have a wealth of knowledge gardening and in this weeks episode Gerry shares some of that knowledge with us as he takes us through his top 10 unusual perennials, including tips on best site, soil and location for each....

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I answer one of the questions I have been asked most over the years. What is the best plant food to use in the garden?  There are many variations on the question, including what is the best plant food for flowers? What is the best plant food for roses? What is the best plant food for fruit? and the list goes on. There are so many good plant foods a...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Denise Dunne owner of The Herb Garden http://www.theherbgarden.ie/ Denise is one of the most knowledgeable people on all things herbs. In this weeks episode we talk about medicinal herbs. Its a great chat with lots of really useful info and advice. The Herb Garden is a Certified Organic Herb Nursery, established by Denise Dunne in 1995. W...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Denise Dunne owner of The Herb Garden http://www.theherbgarden.ie/ Denise is one of the most knowledgeable people on all things herbs. In this weeks episode we talk about culinary herbs and next week we follow on with a talk on medicinal herbs. Its a great chat with lots of really useful info and advice. The Herb Garden is a Certified Org...

Open gardens provide ideas and inspiration for many gardeners. So I have decided to add in a new feature into Master My Garden podcast where once a month I highlight an open garden. In this weeks episode of the podcast I am featuring the first of these open gardens. In a great interview with Mary Keenan from Gash Gardens, Co. Laois in the midlands Ireland. Mary tells us all about the very interest...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I am joined by Maura Sheehy.   Maura is an award-winning artisan flower farmer and florist running Maura’s Cottage Flowers, which caters for weddings, corporate floral requirements, doing local deliveries and flower arranging classes, just outside Tralee in Co Kerry. Maura manages her own flower farm, which she farms sustainably and she offer'...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden Podcast I talk to Dr Brian Murphy, senior scientist with Enrich Environmental Ltd. In this great interview with Brian we discuss, home composting and the tips for success when creating your own compost and we discuss the benefits of compost in the garden. A useful website for anybody interested in creating their own compost is http://www.cre.ie/web/ Brian...

In episode number 16 of Master My Garden podcast I look at how to conserve and save water in the garden. At the time this episode goes live on the 22nd of May 2020 there has been 12 weeks of dry weather in Ireland and the UK with little or no rain in most parts. This weather while great for getting gardening work done has lead to water shortages and possible hose pipe bans coming down the tracks....