Stopped by urban plant life to get some small bags of soil and pots for plants I had at home. It…read moredoesn't look like much from outside but inside it is huge and full of everything that you could possibly need. And the people was very helpful! For at home plant lovers they sell a medium ziplock of soil for €3.50!

An awesome spot tucked away off the main streets of Dublin. They have a large variety of both…read moreindoor and outdoor plants, as well as herbs and a few fruit bushes. Pretty much any plant you want you can find there. Staff was super lovely as well.

It's 4pm on a Saturday, I have just started putting up those book shelves that I promised I'd do…read morelast January and I realise I have no plaster board plugs... this is not an entirely fictional emergency!. So, I hammer down to sandymount hardware where the guy behind the counter of this really very small shop manages to find a selection of the above plugs, lifesaver... the shelves through no fault of the plugs, fell down 3 days later. The shop has just about everything you could possibly need from pot plants, fuel for the fire to clothes lines and of course, plasterboard plugs. A great shop to have on the door step and the guys behind the counter are always there with helpful advice.

I can't help myself, whenever I'm in Sandymount I've got to drop in to Murtagh's for a peek at the…read moreshelves. Sometimes it's just to see what they've brought in (compost pots AND toy trains?!), but always for Christmas. Every November Murtagh's converts from mild-mannered hardware store (home of garden chairs, stew pots, rubber washers and Bord Na Mona firelogs) to full-on Christmas (and hardware) bazaar. Really. Besides keys cut and bulbs fit, the cheery lads of Murtagh's are Christmas tree lumberjacks, lifters and occasional lashers of said trees to the roof of your Renault Clio without scratching the paint. Stop in any afternoon to pick the live spruce of your jingle dreams, they'll help with the rest. Most years there's also a good selection of fake trees inside -one year a very sweet little plastic number from straight off the display stand found a home, ornaments and all, in the living room of a very cheered future yelper. It's lovely to know these small businesses can thrive despite larger econo-woes. As long as they're open Murtagh's can be sure of a very loyal patronage, nails, twine and all.

I stumbled upon this place while walking around and running errands on Baggot Street. I had seen…read moresigns that a new shop was going into this spot soon, and all of the sudden, "BOOM"! It opened! I'm quite a sucker for plants and flowers, so I went in to see what they had and ended up leaving with a nice little flowering plant to brighten up my apartment. Only 4.50 euros! Not a bad price to add some colour to my living room! The inside is so beautifully decorated. If you are at all feeling down, or need a pick me, simply walk past the store (or go inside if it's a serious case of the blues) I chatted with the woman behind the front counter for a little while, and she gave me some great advice on how to take care of my new Orchid plant I'm attempting to foster back to light. She also explained that very soon they are hoping to sell plant food for indoor plants. Happy to see such a gorgeous store opening where I can see all the beautiful flowers as I walk by each day (although, this could prove dangerous to my wallet in a few weeks time...)

Of course I have not forgotten my own mothers birthday... what kind of bad monsterish son do you…read moretake me for? Q quietly sidles into nearest florist on Baggott street. I am greeted by a lovely lady who firmly and patiently tells me that every bouquet of flowers i point to has been pre ordered and paid for.... In advance... by organised people (quite possibly good sons). She promises to "put together something beautiful" in less than 10 mins. She delivers the goods in less than 10 mins, they are indeed beautiful. Ok, not the cheapest florist but lovely and obliging and worth stopping into when the need arises.

My sister lives in Dublin and was recovering from a surgery. I called from NYC to place and order,…read moreand a beautiful bouquet was delivered less than two hours later. It really cheered her up and I was so grateful for the beautiful flowers and quick delivery.

I love the classic cafe-elegance of Blooming Amazing's Dawson St shop…read more The blooms are not cheap, but when you're in the market for something special that gives an occaision (or an apology) that little extra glam, this is the florist that helps make that happen. Stop in to pick up a few winter plantings or stems for the kitchen, or put in an order for your grande ballroom or corporate foyer, all of the above is their speciality.

This is a top notch florist! I'm in the states and needed to get a funeral spray with very little…read moretime. I sent my contact info and Fionnuala at the shop called me within an hour and helped me through ordering the right flowers. She even had all the information on the person that passed away and where the flowers needed to go. There was a change in funeral homes and she made sure my flowers were not only picked up but then got them to the church on time too! This was a 4 foot spray so it wasn't that easy to manage. My family called me the next day and said the flowers were beautiful and very tastefully done. If you want the best in class service and products, order from Scarecrow Flowers!! Blown away by their care and help across the pond! Above and beyond anything I could have imagined!!

Tucked away and hiding in plain sight in the middle of sandymount village is the florists called…read moreScarecrow (actually I didn't know the name of the place until I went to take a pic for this review!) - and I've been in there loads of times! They do good stuff, the arrangements always look the part but I would quibble about the price, I've paid anything up to 65 Euro for a bunch of 6 roses - granted I was in a hurry and needed something impressive... I'll leave the details to your self to work out, suffice to say they did the trick!

I'm not the biggest gardening guru, so I can't provide the expert's opinion of Gardenworks as a…read moregardening centre. However from the point of view of a mere human, Gardenworks is a rather impressive establishment. For starters, it's massive. Beautiful exterior, airy interior, chock full of garden and household goodies, and large nursery section out the back. I was quite impressed that they have a food and wine section (?!?) with a great variety of snacky, gourmet eats. They also have a fairly sizeable section for dog owners... sweet! Gardenworks is a great place to visit if you're planning a complete garden revamp, or simply if you want to grab some hip and happening utensils for your next barbecue. They also have an impressive (read: expensive) selection of outdoor furniture, some of which really took my fancy. The best thing is on Sundays (every 2nd I think) they have a BBQ - so bring the whole family along. And for those single girls out there - there's a bit of eye candy on offer here, if you like the strong, muscly type...