Howbert and Mays - DYG

04/10/2026

It’s not often that our Monkstown shop is THIS full of new plants! Here’s a list of some of the interesting plants in stock right now.

Abelia ‘Cristal Charm’
Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’
Acacia cognata ‘Limelight’
Acacia dealbata
Acacia retinoides
Acer ‘Atropurpuream’
Acer ‘Bloodgood’
Acer ‘Katsura’
Acer ‘Osakazuki’
Acer ‘Trompenburg’
Acer davidii ‘Viper’
Akebia quinnata ‘Cream Form’
Amelanchier ‘October Flame’
Amelanchier ‘R.J. Hilton’
Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’
Aralia elata (c 100cm)
Arubutus ‘Roselily’
Azalea ‘Hortulanis H. Witte’
Azalea ‘Jolie Madame’
Azalea japonica ‘Amoenum’
Azalea japonica ‘Kirin’
Azalea japonica ‘Leo’
Billardiera ‘Ultra Blue’
Borinda albocera
Camellia ‘Brigadoon’
Camellia ‘Désir’
Camellia ‘Festival of LIghts’
Camellia ‘High Fragrance’
Camellia ‘Inspiration’
Camellia ‘Minato no akebono’
Camellia ‘Noblissima’
Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Cameo’
Camellia ‘Nuccio’s Pearl’
Camellia ‘Nucio’s Gem’
Camellia ‘Saint Jaoua’
Camellia ‘Sweet Emily Kate’
Camellia ‘Terres ‘Australes’
Camellia Nicky Crisp’
Camellia sasanque ‘Yoimachi’
Camellia Softly’
Cercic canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’
Choisya ‘Little Bee’
Choisya ‘Scented Gem’
Choisya ‘White Dazzler’
Citrus ‘Mereri’
Citus hystrix
Clianthus puniceus ‘Maximus’
Convolvulus cneorum
Coronilla valentina ‘Citrina’
Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postil’
Daphne odora
Diosma ‘Pink Fountain’
Dodomea viscosa ‘Purpurea’
Edgeworthia chrysantha
Embothrium coccineum
Erica arborea var. alpina
Eucalyptus ‘France Bleu’
Eucryphia nymansensis ‘Nymansay’
Fargesia ‘Asian Wonder’ (Bamboo)
Firmania simplex
Geranium madarense ‘Alba’
Gingko biloba ‘Menhir’
Hardenbergia violacea
Hoheria glabrata
Ilex crenata ball / cone’ hedging various sizes
Lonicera caerulea ‘Strawberry Sensation’
Loropetalum ‘Plum Gorgeous’
Magnolia ‘Lennei Alba’
Magnolia ‘Leonard Messel’
Magnolia ‘Morning Light’
Melianthus ‘Antonow’s Blue’
Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’
Nandina ‘Lemon & Lime’
Nandina domestica
Pandorea pandorana
Phyllostachys nigra (bamboo)
Pittosporum ‘Irene Patterson’
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Midget’
Pittosporum tobira ‘Niege du Mont Ventoux’
Podocarpus macrophyllus
Podocarpus totara ‘Pendula’
Pterostyrax psilophyllus v. leveilei
Quillaja saponaria

02/10/2026

A short work-related trip to Bologna where we came across this beautifully arranged and styled new plant shop, COCLICO’ , filled with healthy, well-chosen plants and an impressive range of Bergs Potter pots. Excellent municipal and private plantings to inspire, and for art lovers, Morandi paintings, etchings and watercolours to fill you with quiet awe.

19/09/2026

A sunny morning tour of our Monkstown shop, with spring bulbs now available (now also in stock in our Clare Street and Airfiled locations).

18/09/2026

Late summer flowers, in Monkstown and also in the nursery. Outdoor grown, wonderful for bees, butterflies and flying insects, and good for our souls and eyes.

06/09/2026

Plant shadows, coming and going.

04/09/2026

Parsley and water.

31/08/2026

Plant Shop Sells Art? Yes, along with plants and all things garden related, we sell things for the great indoors too. Here’s a few of the artworks that we have sold in our Clare Street shop in the last couple of months.

27/08/2026

24/08/2026

Our own garden, by and large surviving the drought here in Dublin, providing plenty for wildlife and looking lovely too.
How?
- Heavy mulching in the spring, with composted bark, home made compost or Gee-Up manure.
- Site-appropriate planting that includes Salvia, Verbena, Scabiosa, Thalictrum, Stachys, Erigeron, as well as many plants sown as seed such as Nigella, Nasturtium and Escholtzia.
- lots of edible plants such as dill, coriander, parsley, strawberries, chard and lettuce: all gone to seed but very tasty nonetheless.
- Soil that has been ‘fed’ with probiotics/ beneficial bacteria such as Soil Renew, which means soil structure allows for greater root growth and therefore more drought yresilient plants.
- Established plants such as Phyllostachys, Fargesia, Acer, Magnolia etc also given a good sprinkle of Soil Renew once per year.
- no use of synthetic fertilisers, ever. Instead, an occasional (ie annual) application of an organic-matter fertiliser/ soil improver based on seaweed.. Again, these naturally fertile feed the soil more than they feed the plants, meaning that roots will be stronger and deeper and more able to access moisture.
- no paved surfaces: instead, all ‘hard’ surfaces are gravel over rubble, which allow any rainfall to be absorbed into the surrounding soil rather than straight into a drain
- Shallow bowls dotted here and there for flies, wasps, frogs and birds (topped up and cleaned from time to time)
- And finally, the occasional bath drained elaborately through an upstairs window. It’s okay to use a hose if it’s not connected to a tap!