Small Talk with gardening content creator of Niall Gardens – Niall McCauley

Gardening content creator of Niall Gardens - Niall McCauley

"I would like biodiversity and climate resilience to become completely normal considerations in the way we think about every aspect of horticulture" - Niall McCauley talks about his hopes for the future of Irish horticulture

Horticulture

22 October 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 a gardening content creator of Niall Gardens – Niall McCauley.

How did you first get involved in the horticulture sector?

As a teenager, my first job was working at the local garden centre. I remember wanting to work there so much that I wrote the owner a letter asking for a job. She was kind enough to offer me an interview and a part-time job. I couldn’t drive so I still needed lifts off my Mum each day to get there and back! I learned so much so fast; from plant care and gardening knowledge to customer service. I also brought home a huge amount of rescue plants that would have otherwise become compost.

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

When I was growing up, Alan Titchmarsh presented Gardener’s World and as uncool as it was, I’d intentionally find excuses to skip going to Scouts on a Friday night to watch the show. Back then, content creation truly didn’t exist so ‘talking’ about gardening in the media was for a handful of fortunate people only.

Following my YouTube channel’s growth in 2022, I won the Garden Media Guild’s Alan Titchmarsh New Talent of the Year Award and met the man himself. Getting to chat to him, tell him that he was the inspiration behind it, and getting his seal of approval meant the world to me.

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

My work in horticulture has been as my own business alongside a day-job in a very different industry. I didn’t come through the traditional horticultural route, so there was definitely a period where I felt I had to prove that I had something worthwhile to contribute.

At times, I’ve faced criticism from people questioning my credibility. Much of that has meant learning continuously and making sure the information I share is properly researched and grounded in real gardening experience. In many ways though, having a mix of industry experience has also become one of my strengths because I can draw on the skills of both.

What are the greatest challenges facing the industry today?

Climate change is having an increasing influence across so many aspects of our world, with horticulture being such a force for good. At the same time, rising costs, skills shortages and the challenge of making horticulture an attractive and viable career for the next generation is real. People value gardens enormously, but I think there is such a real disconnected between the expertise, labour and knowledge required to create and maintain them and realistic pay.

What are the greatest opportunities facing the industry today?

I’m seeing people become increasingly aware of our environment and our climate. So much gardening and growing knowledge that would have been widespread and actively used in the past has dwindled. However, with such an array of communication channels now, that creates opportunities in education, design and developing products and services that help people rebuild that knowledge and connection with growing.

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

When I left school to study at horticulture college in the early 2000’s, whilst there were valuable career opportunities, they were much more limited in choice. I think we now live in a world where people entering the world of horticulture can harness their creativity, their business minds, their skills and their passions to create businesses that can be both financially successful and contribute meaningfully. If you have an idea, value it, and work to make it into something that others can too. I’m excited to see what’s coming in the future.

What are your hopes for the future of Irish horticulture?

I’d love to see recognition of Irish horticulture continue to grow on and beyond the island because we genuinely have so many brilliant growers and passionate, skilled people. On a personal level, I would also like biodiversity and climate resilience to become completely normal considerations in the way we think about every aspect of horticulture.

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.

Read more: Small Talk