Diarmuid Gavin -

Last Updated on 11 June 2026 by PeteFree

Diarmuid Gavin is an Award Winning Garden Designer, Author TV Presenter on various Garden Makeover programmes like Homefront, Filthy Gardens and Garden Rescue.

Diarmuid was born on 10 May 1964 in London to Irish parents Joan and Jack he was brought up in Dublin, Ireland from one month old. His father John died in 2011. Diarmuid was the second oldest of 5 children, 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

Tragedy struck at a young age in his family in 1971, when aged just 6 he witnessed his younger 5 year old brother Conor being killed by a car on the way to school.

Following this he became a shy and lonely, withdrawn child in a family that was suffering from this terrible loss.

Diarmuid would build dens with his sisters and started his own garden on some waste land after shunning his parents conventional suburban garden style.

Diarmuid grew into a socially shy adult, a dreamer and deep thinker and his loss made him very close to his family and the importance of the family.

He was not academic and was happy to leave school with just a few qualifications.

After working for a Garden Centre and Florist Diarmuid studied Amenity Horticulture at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin.

He then worked as a gardener with his own business Gardens by Design and struggled to make ends meet.

Diarmuid potential to be on the television was spotted in 1995 at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show following an interview with Alan Titchmarsh.

In 1996 Diarmuid was to start his TV gardener career on Homefront a makeover show with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Anne Mckevitt.

Homefront in the Garden was hosted by Teresa Shaw and also featured Kevin McCloud.

Diarmuid Gavin then appeared on several Gardening Programmes both in Northern Ireland and for the Rest of the United Kingdom.

Diarmuid after a break from appearing on our Televisions as a Gardener / Garden Designer appeared on Channel 5 Garden competition The Great Gardening Challenge as a Judge.

Diarmuid Gavin programme on Irish Television Gardening Together with Diarmuid Gavin was shown in July 2020 on BBC Northern Ireland made during the Covid-19 Lockdown then on the BBC iplayer.

In 2021 Diarmuid became the Presenter of a new type of garden makeover show Filthy Garden SOS which saw Diarmuid along with Danny Clarke and Penny Lamb turn over run and derelict gardens into easy manageable dream gardens with the help of the homeowner.

Diarmuid Gavin has a new programme for 2026 Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein but this is not the first time Diarmuid has been in this programme.

In 2017 Diarmuid Gavin was in Greatest Garden with Helen Dillonare who is a Scottish and Irish Garden designer and the programme went round Northern Ireland Gardens looking for the Greatest one of 2017.

For 2026 Diarmuid Gavin is joined by Plant expert Carol Klein and a different Guest Judge each week who are also keen Gardeners and they are Prue Leith, Patrick Grant, Penny Lancaster, Katie Piper and Fred Sireix.

The first 5 episodes they tour round and judge 3 gardens each episode and the winning garden goes through to the grand final in week 6 and then they reveal Northern Irelands Greatest Garden.

Diarmuid Gavin is to join one of the biggest garden Makeover programmes in 2026 Garden Rescue as a Garden Designer.

For Garden Rescue 2026 Series 11 he will be joining the existing Team of Garden Designers, Charlie Dimmock, Lee Burkhill, Flo Headlam and Chris Hull.

Joining Diarmuid Gavin For Garden Rescue 2026 Series 11 to directly compete against the existing Garden Designers to have the winning Garden Design are Frances Tophill, Joe Swift and Sue Kent.

Diarmuid Gavin has appeared in all sorts of non gardening programmes, most recently Living with Lucy in 2025, but he has been in Come Dine with Me, Strictly Come Dancing, Only Fools and Horses, Splash and The Chase to name a few.

I will only be listing the Gardening Programmes below.

As well as writing several books, Diarmuid also writes gardening columns for newspapers and magazines.

Diarmuid lives Co Wicklow with his wife Justine Keane whom he married in 1995 after he they met when he was working in her parents garden.

They have a daughter Eppie, who has absolutely no interest in gardening and a dog called Bowie.