Hey everyone! I'm Niall, an Irish gardener, and welcome to my channel all about gardening. Inspirational vegetable and flower growing, great how-to's, and vlogs. I have my own corner of the countryside just north of Dublin, Ireland.
Join me as I garden and vlog my way through the seasons in my Irish garden - from big transformational projects to small jobs, how-to's and inspiration for things you can do in your own garden.
Or just chill out and enjoy watching my garden and me doing the hard work to keep it looking nice for you! (It's not all hard work!)
My potatoes are only 56 days old are they are getting blight all over them :( not a good potato year for me. Hopefully it doesn't happen next year. Thank you for the information :)
Oh Niall, I feel your pain. I am a serial remodeler and still haven't finished our home in 22 years. BUT, we have a dreamy greenhouse and terraced as well as raised veg and flower beds. I hope you fill the clean slate with your dream garden😊
It can be seen as a nightmare, but maybe more of an adventure or opportunity? There's so many wonderful opportunities here! Maybe something like a beautiful cottage pollinator garden? I have an area in our yard I allow to get ever so slightly wild for the insects and pollinators. They absolutely love it and it looks beautiful still. Many of our neighbours ask about it when they see it. :)
😵💫🫠😳 OMG When I understood that your garden was gone, I hoped you’d moved it to a garden show… But it’s really just gone….😢 What did you do with all the plants? Are they stored somehow or did you sell them or what??? I wish you all the best with planning your new garden 🌱🩷🍀 and looking forward to follow your journey ❤
Well, you sure have a lot of work ahead of you!! Just hoping you have an engineer for that extension, not sure I can see a DPC and it's just a single wall construction with no signs of insulation from what I have seen, will be interesting to see how the whole things looks this time next year after planting and some growth. Best of luck!
Think of it as a blank canvas. 8-) Which it sounds like you are doing. Don't worry about uploading videos on any schedule. Just get the project done. And of course I am curious what it looks like when the construction work is complete, and you are ready to start planting. Good luck.
I think having the space and access to create things, which makes it easier for contractors to come in with machinery, means they do expect/want us to make these sacrifices to make the build easier for them. We had it in our farmhouse gardens when we had an extension. Couldn’t do it in a normal house on a housing estate. It’ll be worth it in the long run. I totally understand your angst over it all. It’s hard to look at right now.
It must have been difficult to see your beautiful garden being uprooted. What a great plan you have to create a space that's going to work for your lifestyle and time. I really appreciate the time you give to producing the videos. Enjoy, its going to be worth all the upheaval.
Wow your builders have been brutal with the landscape. Iv had building works done and it is quite possible for them to use a much smaller footprint. Unless you requested that they clear that much space. Anyway its done now. As many others have said you have a nice new blank canvas to work with and I am sure the new extension will be Wonderfull. Starting by reseeding everything with grass is a good idea. Then bit by bit you can cover the grass and reclaim planting spaces. Have fun.
That is a lot of change, and I don't blame you for being stressed. A wonderful opportunity for change though, so havw fun with that. The planning is the good stage. We'll all love to see the results
I plan on following you to perhaps copy how you will rebuild the beautiful garden you had. I love your videos, and I look forward to learning so much regarding gardening from you.
Oh I will miss the orange flowering shrub. Your secret garden is not looking too bad. I think you can start from there. Also I hope your fruit tree guilds are doing good. Best wishes for your upcoming projects.
OMG! Past the initial shock, I became so excited after listening to all of the amazing plans and design ideas to come. Hopefully everything stays on schedule so that you all can execute smoothly. Don't forget to take time for yourselves, both mentally and physically.
I cannot WAIT to see how it looks, when it is all finished. We all know, gardens are not a finite snapshot in time. They are living and growing and changing all the time.
Nial. Greetings from Boston. I'm glad to see you! Looking forward to seeing your vision for the new improved garden come to fruition!! There is no doubt in my mind it will be phenomenal! Also - GO Celtics!!!
Ok. That's not what i was expecting to see! Whilst it might have meant enforced changes and destruction to get much needed work done to the house, this change might give you the freedom to do things you couldn't or wouldn't of done and like you said "worked with what you had", rather than what you wanted. Plus, you must have learnt even more about your garden and environment since you have lived there. I am sure the house will look great in the end and i bet you will be counting down the days until it is quiet again before putting your plans in place! Good luck and take care!
Our neighbors lost a massive 70+ year old redwood tree in the severe winter storms we had year before last. Luckily it didn't do too much damage when it fell but their whole front garden had been shade & now it is full sun so everything has had to be redesigned. It also changed the light conditions in our garden because it used to shade our garden in the afternoon & late evening. Last summer & this year have been both sad (loss of the tree & all the wildlife it suppprted) as well as exciting (new garden opportunities) for our neighbors & for us. I hope you find joy in the new opportunities for your garden even though the destruction right now may feel devastating.
I know every area will be beautiful. I really enjoy watching your channel. I'm working on my own yard now but I'm sure it be at two more years.I live in Tennessee and it has been in the nineties so HOT
Delighted to see the update on what you're at 😀 and glad you're finally able to tackle the house ❤ The machinery is a heartbreaker indeed, but highly necessary to get the jobs done..plenty of clear canvas for you to work on now, though 😊 Ready to roll up the sleeves 😉 💪💚🌿
Ha. I just did a vid on the naked truth of my garden and my procrastination. You're in transition. I have no excuse. Sorry I missed seeing you when I was in Ireland last month. Just think of your garden/ house future, it's gonna be great after the renovation. Oh, I got to stay at June Blake's Garden. Wow, her garden is amazing.
It's going to be fantastic. Whilst I had access to the heavy machinery I'd be going for a pond. But that's just me. I'm so looking forward to seeing how things turn out. With your vision and attention to detail I can't wait to see how things develop in your future videos 😁
Im firmly in the shocked camp 😮 if the plants were going to interfere with foundations or the building itself then sure, rip them out but all that for access? I would have carried each brick, timber and bucket of mortar by hand to avoid that damage. A beautiful old magnolia tree was cut down by some builders near me for renovations, is a real shame to see. You have a large blank canvas now and that's most gardeners dream, i hope you have fun designing the new garden, you'll make it better and truly yours! enjoy your extension too.
Exciting times fresh start, if anyone can make this beautiful it’s you , your lucky to be young and have this huge garden, so all good luck for the next few years of fun planting
I remember about 25 years ago when I was about your age, we made an addition in a house we use to live in. The kayos was crazy as I see your going through now. But in the big picture the yard and gardens ended up better than ever as yours will with no drought. You will be amazed all the ideas that will come to you once the dust settles.
Oh wow! I can imagine how hard this has been. 😢 I hope you were able to share plants that you took up. As grim as it is you now have the opportunity to design a new garden on a blank canvas. That can be exciting. I have two acres and it’s totally wooded. It’s like a canopy over 90% of it. I started with the center within the driveway. It’s been Perfect for my fairy garden. Last year I started a cottage garden in pots, but it just didn’t get enough sunlight. So this year I’ve moved it to a sunnier area. It’s like starting over again but I already love it. I also started a small meadow that I’m loving. Once you get it planned out it’s going to be fun. I’m sure you have many ideas already. I’ll be watching for the new garden to evolve. Best wishes. 🌱🪴🪻🐝 Sherry
Wow I feel for you! But please don’t stress about posting, we will be grateful for whatever you can manage but we will be with you in spirit! I have just had a path widened down the side of the house which meant the flower bed had to be reduced and plants potted up. I found that stressful enough but the end result is great. Do take care.
Wow! That’s gonna be a huge effort! I look forward to seeing your process and, I bet if you start a bunch of perennials from seed soon, you’ll be able to fill the spaces much more affordably. Thanks for sharing the gritty side! (I’m impressed that you don’t seem to be mourning the gardens a bit - I would be!)
Wow! I could only imagine the stress of this, but I agree with the others… you now have a blank slate. Patience will be key, but I imagine it will be amazing in years to come.
Enjoyed seeing you with Catherine at the flower show. My heart sunk where you able to remove/save all your fruit trees? from the fruit tree guild? or is that a separate garden area? Renovation is always the storm before the calm. But if you only do one thing be specific with the contractor before you pay the final "bit" what "you" expect is cleanup!! Leveling the ground, removing all construction debris, (purchased or dug up, roots, rocks etc) Your next design may need to include a large path for at least a mini excavator (in case something needs repairing or a truck load of soil, stone or large plants) I don't envy the work but look forward to your new garden design. Thanks you for the updates.
WOW!! That has been a massive change. However, it can change again just as quickly. You've got a great plan, Niall. It'll be great to follow the progress.
Niall, you are playing the long game. I'm excited to see your decisions come to life. I went through this to a smaller degree. My entire garden area had to be ripped out. Gut wrenching. But this summer I am truly enjoying the end result. All the best.
