Diarmuid Gavin Reveals the Pruning Mistake That Cost Him His Favourite Plant

Diarmuid Gavin has revealed the gardening mistake he still finds ‘painful’ — pruning one of his favourite plants too hard and losing it altogether.

The award-winning garden designer, who has described his own garden as a ‘jungle, escape and unfinished’, said the blunder still haunts him.

Admitting he has ‘far too many’ gardening mistakes to list, Diarmuid explains: ‘The most recent – and still painful – was cutting back one of my favourite plants, Schefflera taiwaniana, far too hard and losing it altogether. I had adored this umbrella plant ever since it was discovered in the jungles of Taiwan, and having it thrive in my Wicklow garden felt like a small miracle. To lose [it] was devastating.’

Schefflera taiwaniana Taiwanese schefflera (syn. Heptapleurum taiwanianum)

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Credit: Crocus

Despite that loss, Diarmuid’s approach to planting remains firmly rooted in one belief: it is trees, not flowers, that make a garden truly special.

‘They give a garden structure, character, and a sense of permanence. It might be something modest, like a crab apple or a snowy Mespilus, or something grand, like a magnificent oak rising from a meadow. A silver birch in damp soil can be just as magical. Trees create the feeling that a garden has history and future at the same time,’ he explains.

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Diarmuid believes it’s trees, not flowers, that give a garden its true structure and character. (Pictured: Schefflera Umbrella Tree)

Diarmuid is back on our TV screens in new BBC series, Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein. The show follows the duo as they travel across Northern Ireland, visiting 15 home gardens of all shapes and sizes.

They meet homeowners who have transformed ordinary outdoor spaces into extraordinary sanctuaries, with celebrity guests from Prue Leith to Fred Sirieix joining along the way. The final shortlisted gardens will then compete to win the Greatest Garden title.

BBC NI / Waddell Media

Carol Klein and Diarmuid Gavin

‘Viewers can expect a delightful snoop into some truly wonderful gardens across Northern Ireland. It’s a chance to see what people love to grow, how they shape and arrange their spaces, and what makes each garden uniquely theirs,’ he says.

Reflecting on filming the six-part series, available to watch on BBC iPlayer and BBC Northern Ireland, Diarmuid says: ‘For me, it felt like standing on the shoulders of giants. Yes, the gardens were beautiful, but the real privilege was spending the summer exploring them with the extraordinary Carol Klein. Working alongside such a national treasure was, without question, the highlight.’

• Watch Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein on BBC iPlayer

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