Small Talk with garden designer and horticulturist – Patricia Tyrrell

An award-winning garden designer with two Gold Medals and Best in Category from Bloom - Patricia Tyrrell

"I would love to see horticulture presented as the exciting and diverse career" - Patricia Tyrrell talks about her hopes for the future of Irish horticulture

Horticulture

13 August 2026

In association with Gardenworld Nurseries

At Growtrade, we’re running an interview series titled ‘Small Talk’, where we talk to various influential members of Ireland’s horticulture trade.

This week’s conversation is with an award-winning garden designer with two Gold Medals and Best in Category from Bloom – Patricia Tyrrell.

How did you first get involved in the horticulture sector?

I grew up on a farm beside the Kings River in Kilkenny. Before we joined the EU farms tended to still have areas that were left to nature and I was fascinated by the insects, birds and other wildlife around the farm and in the ponds and river. Foraging for damsons, crab apples, sloes and blackberries in the hedgerows.

There were copses of hazel and willow thickets, and overgrown hedgerows that created magical spaces between the cultivated and the wild, which I think still influences how I design today. I got my interest in nature and gardening from my mother as is often the case, passing from one generation to the next.

When I finished school, I went on to UCD to study landscape horticulture, a course that no longer exists, but had a wonderful breadth of subjects which fed my scientific and creative side.

What was one of the proudest moments in your career to date?

I designed a park in Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo for the community there. Amounting to 6 acres it was a mixture of grazing land and bog and a wonderful haven for wildlife. My design proposal to keep the wild feel of the park and to add a wetland/pond area were embraced by the community. My proudest moment was the opening day and getting such a positive response from everyone to the park and its design.

What was one of the greatest challenges you’ve faced in your career to date?

There is an ongoing challenge with finding people who understand, appreciate, and can implement a design to a high standard. This is particularly true of the horticultural area and less so in hard landscaping. There is a lack of plant knowledge, knowledge of soils and soil structure, or even how to lay a lawn.

At the other end, when the garden is complete it is extremely challenging to find anyone who knows how to maintain a garden, beyond using hedge cutters, leaf blowers and herbicides. When the garden is planted, that is not the end, but the beginning. It needs knowledgeable maintenance and management if the garden is to do the original design justice.

Could you give us an example of a recent success you had in your work?

Whenever someone sends me a picture of their garden with words of appreciation that is success to me.

Last year, in 2025, I was asked to build the feature garden in the Dream Garden series for Bord Bia Bloom in the park with a focus on ‘take-home’ ideas for home gardeners. The enthusiastic response from the many visitors was success to me.

What are the greatest challenges facing the industry today?

Limited awareness amongst students of the many interesting areas in which they could potentially work. This has lead to a downturn in interest and as a result there is a lack of properly qualified people in the industry. This is particularly true in the maintenance of ornamental gardens and public spaces with maintenance crews with little or no knowledge of plants looking after gardens. This also leads to a perception by the general public that gardening is an unskilled job and they then value it accordingly.

What are the greatest opportunities facing the industry today?

There is so much scope in the horticulture industry from urban greening including roof gardens and green roofs, green walls, and sustainable urban drainage systems, which all require good horticultural knowledge. So, a career that was once poorly paid and underrated is becoming a vital cog in the wheel of nature based solutions to environmental problems.

What advice would you give to someone just starting their career?

When first starting out the greatest luxury you have is time and freedom. Make sure to put those advantages to good use. Travel, visit plants in their native habitat, and visit lots of gardens. Decide what area you want to work in, then find a company that excels in that area and try to get experience with them. These are things that you can’t do later as other commitments get in the way.

What are your hopes for the future of Irish horticulture?

I would love to see horticulture presented as the exciting and diverse career that it is, to attract more people into the industry. It should be presented as a cutting-edge career that can span science and technology and provide solutions to climate change, water management, biodiversity loss and mental health issues to name a few and an important career choice for our future life on this planet.

Small Talk is produced in association with Gardenworld Nurseries, one of the country’s leading wholesale plant nurseries, specialising in high-quality specimen trees, hedging, shrubs, and perennials.

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