It’s the moment you realise that the garden isn’t something separate from the world beyond the fence. But in the natural world, things rarely follow instructions, and we often discover that plants, like children, have a habit of doing what they want, not necessarily what we had in mind. These ideas sit at the heart of the 2026 seminar being organised by the Garden & Landscape Designers Association (GLDA), themed The Interconnection of All Things. They are the result of seeing ourselves as separate from the natural world, rather than part of it. Engaging with plants, be that working with them, admiring them, or even talking to them, is deeply restorative.

Source: Irish Examiner February 01, 2026 13:20 UTC