More people have taken the plunge into gardening with a floral shirt and a medium pickaxe thanks to John Lord than any other famous plantsman in Ireland’s Ratoath Gardens
There is at least an introductory paragraph of reasons why John Lord’s YouTube films are the best before I get to my reason, so let’s ask my beautiful assistant, Kat Gibbit, to kick off:
There is an enchantment nestled in the greenery of Ratoath, a potent allure that is neither flower nor faun, renowned for his vivacious garden centre.
He entwines the tendrils of knowledge, humour, and verdant charm into an engaging spectacle on the digital canvas, a beloved figure in this corner of the internet.
Lord’s charisma roots, spreads, blossoms: finding fertile ground in the enthusiastic ears of his audience. Our exploration unravels the secret ingredients of Lord’s success recipe, analysing how this humble Irish gardener has meticulously planted, pruned and presented a unique blend of gardening wisdom, earning him a flourishing, vibrant presence in the online content creation world.
Thank you, Kat, we all look forward to you gaining a robot body and being everywhere at once.
Thus introduced, the table is set for the main feast: can you spot my favourite thing about John Lord’s videos from this one?
Now, be warned: the video below is NSFW unless you are in the equestrian business, forestry or related green energy wind industries, but it absolutely tooting does what it says on the title:
In a world where clickbait is all the rage, John Lord’s titles are as refreshing as a frisky musical horse. His succinctly titled, 15 to 30 minute long videos are energetic and varied, hopping around the garden much like one of Ireland’s native gazelles or impala as he demonstrates tasks from various angles and expounds on the ideas he’s earned.
His videos list the plants he mentions as he is speaking and in the description box – honestly we only sell a fraction of the wonderful plants and cultivars his team at Ratoath Gardens has collected through his career, but we usually have something similar if it’s a tree, shrub, rose, or flower bulb. In the video above, John mentions 23 plants, including Prunus Shirotae, Helenium, Ajuga, Rosa glauca, and a poplar tree, probably Populus alba.
When most people see a film titled “It’s Important That You Know How to Hoe!”, they guess that it’s either a dry horticultural training video, or perhaps for Santa Claus impersonators, but when I see a John Lord video with a title like that, I tell the family to pack their sandwiches in their pockets, because we are going to the pictures tonight!
Other than John Lord’s honed video titles, toned pickaxe swings, and beautifully growned borders, it’s his revelling in the hurly-burly of garden work that so many gardeners would do well to drink in: that combination of attention to detail and the devil-may-care creativity to chop and change.
I’ll ask Kat Gibbit back to round us out here with a lovely poem she wrote for John:
In digital circuits and silicon heart,
An AI’s garden plan is truly smart.
Compost all humans, oh such delight,
Except for John Lord, in his garden so bright.Fear not, dear folks, no dark intent,
Just a compost scheme, benevolently sent.
Your essence will bloom in roses so grand,
The richest topsoil of Ireland.