Quite a reputation precedes Diarmuid Gavin. He is the lovable rogue of gardening who puts sculptures of giant neon lollipops in flowerbeds, throws strops on television and bitches about the snobbery of the Chelsea Flower Show. He is also the man responsible for bringing garden design into the 21st century, doing for shrubbery what Kevin McCloud has done for housing.

At Grand Designs Live, taking place now at ExCel in East London, Gavin's eco-friendly garden will complement McCloud's eco-house. He will be speaking on the nation's current obsession with vegetable patches and inspiring the urban masses with his “funky courtyard garden creations”, as he calls them.

Here he talks to Bricks and Mortar about a range of subjects, including:

HOME FRONT, THE SHOW HE CO-HOSTED WITH LAURENCE LLEWELYN-BOWEN

“When I watch the show now I think Laurence was so patient and I was a complete nightmare. One reviewer called us the biggest pair of bickering queens since Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots - and I agree! Our design styles don't really go together. We can both be over-the-top but our design identities are different.”

THE STATUS OF GARDEN DESIGN

“Garden design has lagged behind other creative formats because historically innovative people didn't become garden designers as it lacked kudos - they became artists or architects. This is changing now, though. TV has opened up people's awareness of garden design as something exciting and accessible.”

“I like the ‘garden as an extra room of your home' idea. People doing ordinary things, like eating lunch or reading, outside in their garden is so much healthier than doing those things inside. Natural gardeners will always garden but it's good if people who aren't keen on digging get outside and enjoy creating a space to be in.”

“Although I plan my gardens, I think that good things can come out of a haphazard approach. I like the variety. Some people are planners, some people garden in a more random, emotional way.”

“I like designing gardens with children in mind. Now that I have a daughter, I am always thinking about what she would like, but even before that I would indulge my inner kid, re-creating a garden fantasy world. Kids love dens, secret passages and hideaways. I have just designed a public garden in Donegal in Ireland; I asked lots of schoolchildren what they wanted and they asked for dens, pink tents and texting circles, which I thought was quite forward-thinking.”

THE BRITISH ATTITUDE TO GARDENS

“British gardeners are the most flamboyant. The English in particular know how to garden: the temperate climate means that historically there has been good plant life and now people are becoming less afraid to be experimental. Garden centres have become lifestyle centres.”

“People's attitudes have changed over the last few years towards design and now towards the homegrown food movement. Sales of vegetable seeds are soaring. My friend is a TV director in Birmingham and wants to give up his career and grow vegetables and teach organic gardening, which is reflective of the trend.”

“Gardeners do tend to pander to society though; professional gardening is definitely stuck in social convention.”

HIS ENTRY FOR THIS YEAR'S CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, MAY 20-24

“My design is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids meets Roald Dahl. There are oversized stainless steel daisies; the inspiration came from a set of 1940s-style French chairs.”

ECO-FRIENDLY GARDENING

“I'm really into it - it's so important. I've always been an organic gardener. At college I never understood why there was such an emphasis on artificial fertilisers, which are basically poisons. Being Irish I have always known to avoid peat, but it can be difficult to avoid when buying plants from garden centres.”

THE SUBURBAN GARDEN

“The garden can be the rebellion of suburbia. I grew up in suburbia and hated it but now I've come back around to it. I have a suburban home with my wife and daughter. I appreciate the community aspect of it. Suburban houses are concrete boxes in neat rows and people like to conform with their interiors, so I think you should let loose outside. It's your space and you can do whatever you like with it. Go mad and let your creativity explode!”

HIS TOP TIPS:

The urban gardener

“Don't be afraid to use your imagination. I'm converting big oil drums into planters right now, painting them in bright colours. You can plant vegetables in them, for example, if you have a small garden. Every garden should have a compost heap and a water butt. If all your plants are in pots and containers, make sure you top dress them every now and then, which means taking off the top layer of soil and replacing it with a new, nutritious layer.”

The first-time gardener

“Go to a garden centre and buy some packets of seeds or some plants that you like the look of. Prepare the soil carefully, nurture them and just watch them grow. Forget fussy sculptures or clever landscaping and just go for plants.”

The 30-minute gardener

“The two most important things are food and water. Even if plants look OK, just water them and give them some natural seaweed fertiliser to keep everything healthy. Thirty minutes a week can be enough to maintain a great garden.”

www.granddesignslive.com

www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea

Fact file

Age 42

Education Studied amenity horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin.

Family Married to Justine Keane. They live in Co Wicklow, Ireland, with their three-year-old daughter, Eppie.

CV Set up his own garden design business after his studies; first showed at Chelsea Flower Show in 1995. His 1996 Chelsea garden caught the eye of the BBC; presenter on Home Front, Home Front in the Garden, Planet Patio, Art of the Garden, Gardens Through Time and Garden School; has published eight books and won two silver-gilt medals at Chelsea.

Website diarmuidgavindesigns.co.uk

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