In 1984 Dermot Giltenane and his wife Mary hit hard times, like most families in the 80s when the recession hit. Rather than let it get them down, they decided to start what would become a widely known and respected name in Limerick and the surrounding areas – D&M Garden Centre. It all started out of their children’s rooms. There were vegetables everywhere and every day Mary and Dermot would load the yellow HiAce van and off Dermot would go around Limerick delivering fresh vegetables to houses.
A few years later they decided to expand and Dermot started to grow his famous bedding plants while Mary began selling to the public. This grew into the D&M Garden Centre and they started to sell Irish grown shrubs and trees as well. With the help of an exceptionally loyal customer base they grew their business to the much loved destination it has become today.
In the 90s Mary decided to add the restaurant to the business. Well known around the west of Limerick for fresh food and good home cooking, it started small and - although it has grown over the years into a spacious restaurant that always feels fresh with its ever changing decor and lovely inviting shop front with welcoming in-season planting - It never strays far from Mary’s concept of fresh homemade locally produced food.
Menus are varied to suit the diverse range of customers who visit D&M Garden Centre, and there’s a feeling that the owners really care about the different tastes of their client base and do everything possible to ensure they are met. There’s a note advising that everything is cooked freshly to order and to allow time for this, but – knowing that some of their guests visit for a leisurely coffee whilst others are on the road and need to keep going - they also say to let your server know if you are in a hurry. Producers are name checked on menus - Ballymaloe Relish, Kilbeggan Porridge and Limerick’s Rigney’s Granola on breakfast menus, for example - informing guests of ingredients that are of Irish origin and locally sourced. Homemade baked goods such as scones are made in-house and other patisserie products are supplied by local baker Anna Coffey-Lynch ‘s company, Braw.
D&M Garden Centre started off as a family business with Dermot and Mary at the helm. To their delight, their son, Tom, and daughter, Ursula have joined the team, initially along with Tom’s late wife Mags, who is much missed. They have each brought their own flair to the business with the refurbishment of the restaurant, which is headed up by Ursula, and the introduction of new plants and products in the excellent garden centre.
As so often with family businesses, it is the people who make the experience special and this is seen particularly in the customer service, which is always very warm and welcoming. There is a very positive culture here, thanks to the family values that have been passed from the founding generation - Dermot and Mary - to their children, who in turn make it a lovely place to visit and to work.
A lovely place indeed, and very useful to know about when travelling in the Limerick area.
