You should see my real garden
Former addict found the path to redemption in his back yard
VIEWERS may have thought they had seen Des Kingston’s finest work when he appeared on RTÉ’s Super Garden – but his home garden is his real haven.
Four years ago, Des Kingston, 53, was in the depths of depression, the company he had built up over 27 years was struggling and he was in the shackles of addiction.
Earlier this week, however, the Super Garden winner was showcasing his garden at Bloom as his new life continues to blossom. The journey from then to now is a truly remarkable story.
Des set up a graphic-design company after graduating from the Limerick College of Art and Design. However, the financial crisis had a devastating effect.
He explained: ‘The recession hit the business hard and my whole life just imploded. I was a dead man walking, my soul was gone, I didn’t care about anybody.’
After Des had struggled with addiction for some time, his family gave him an ultimatum that would put him on the path to recovery.
‘My family put a gun to my head and said, “This can’t go on, you have to get clean.” Somehow I managed to crawl out with my life and family intact. I despised myself when I was an addict but I couldn’t give it up.’
Des got treatment at the Saoirse Treatment Centre in Limerick.
It wasn’t until he had an acre of land in Ballyneety, Co Limerick that he needed to turn into a garden that he discovered his gardening talents.
He said: ‘I bought my own church and renovated it and I had an acre of land and had to design it.
‘I’m really sorry I didn’t do this when I was 30. I didn’t realise I could make a living out of gardening.’
Des won RTÉ’s Super Garden earlier this year and his garden was featured at the Bloom festival in the Phoenix Park earlier this week, where he scooped the silver medal for his garden design.
Des has dedicated his garden at Bloom to his late friend, Willie Nash from Newcastle West, his wife Marie and the couple’s four children.