Archives: News

The 25th Anniversary of the opening of Ardgillan Castle and walled garden to the public was marked by a visit from President Michael D. Higgins who planted a Killarney strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo. The 2.75 acre walled garden has matured with potagers of herbs and vegetables and labelled ornamental gardens. Beyond the walls, the rose garden, herbaceous border and National Potentilla Collection with over 250 varieties offer two hectares of ornamental gardens. Admission-free.

Kilsaran International collaborated with Peter McVerry Trust for the Kilsaran 2016/2017 Student Design competition with head judge, Diarmuid Gavin naming Manon Bordet Chavenes as overall winner of the competition. The approach she took was to put herself into the mind-set of someone who had been homeless – but who had just received a house. A student of the landscape Design Academy in Dublin, the win will see her proposed garden brought to life for the Peter McVerry Trust and receives a cheque for €3,000.

Renew is a 100% organic soil conditioner in pellet form that is easily applied to the surface of the soil, indoors and outdoors throughout the year. Soil Renew improves fertility, corrects pH and improves humus in soil. “Soil Renew is made from composted plants, bacteria and micro-organisms, and when used once a year – not using any other fertilisers, results can be seen in just three weeks.”

Currently there are seventeen trails in Co. Wexford as diverse as they are suitable to a range of walking abilities and interests. Collaboration with a range of agencies and in particular the support of Wexford County Council and Wexford Local Development has been crucial to the development of the walking trail network. Full information at: www.wexfordwalkingtrail.ie

Carlow Garden Festival 2017

Gardening icon Monty Don returns to open the Carlow Garden Festival on Friday, 21 July, at Arboretum Home and Garden Heaven, Carlow. He is joined at the festival, which runs over 10 days, by a range of garden experts, including Roy Lancaster, Paul Smyth and Joe Swift; John Anderson, Oliver Schurmann, June-Fearnley Whittingsstall, Mary Reynolds, Terence Reeves Smyth, James Wong, Dermot O’Neill, Neil Porteous, Fionnuala Fallon, Jimi Blake and Mary Keenan.

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Goldcrop Basfoliar Aktiv

Basfoliar Aktiv is a new biostimulant that triggers the plant’s own natural defence system against commonly occurring stress factors, such as pest and disease attack, drought, and less than ideal soil conditions. It is offered by Cork-based Goldcrop. Basfoliar Aktiv contains fresh liquid kelp extract with plant hormone content. It is applied two or three times in the growing season. Information: goldcrop.ie

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Blarney in Bloom

Blarney in Bloom in partnership with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind returns to Blarney Castle on Sunday, 9 July, from 10am to 5pm. Featuring a large range of specialist plant nurseries, specialist speakers, farmers market, arts and crafts, as well as a fun dog show, this is a family day out to suit everyone. Entry to the fair also gives access Blarney’s gardens, an opportunity not to be missed.

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Dingle Peninsula Open Gardens

Now celebrating its eighth year, the Dingle Peninsula Open Gardens will take place on Sunday, 9 July, when eight gardens located in mid-Kerry will be open to the public. Tickets can be purchased on the day from Castlemaine Community Centre on the Tralee road in Castlemaine from 12.45pm onwards until 5.30pm.

Steel Trellis designs

Classic Garden Elements has a range of steel trellis in various designs and sizes for walls and require no annual treatments to provide robust and elegant support. All products are made in company’s own workshops of galvanized steel and powder-coated black and have a free 10-year, no-rust warranty. Visit www.classicgardenelements.ie or call 087-2306 128.

Altamont Gardens masterclass!

Carlow Garden Festival & Altamont Plant Sales presents a Gardening Masterclass on Friday, 28 July, at 11.00am with Roy Lancaster; 12.15pm, Paul Smyth and 3.00pm, Joe Swift. Tickets from Carlow Tourism or Altamont Plants. Roy Lancaster (photo) talks on 50 years of gardening. Paul Smyth’s talk is planting hunting from Carlow to the mountains of North Vietnam, and Joe Swift will talk on designing with plants.

Neptune’s three amigos

Neptune’s three summer amigos are table, chairs and parasol. Neptune’s solid teak Bordeaux dining table seats six and its round shape softens any outdoor scheme. The materials Neptune uses in its garden furniture are all happy outdoors. Asthall two-seater dining set, price €990. Chatto armchair is designed for al fresco living, price €936. Monaco dining table, price €990. See www.neptune.com for Irish stockists.

Ardgillan Castle and walled garden

Gortnalee Garden Open

Gortnalee Garden, Donaghmore, Laois, Open Day in support of Laois Hospice is on Sunday, 9 July, from 2 to 6pm. Located near Junction 21 on the M7 and Junction 3 on the M8. This garden has woodland, cottage, tropical areas and sedum beds. Selection of plants for sale. All proceeds to the Hospice.

Tiptoe through the wildflowers!
A Wildflower-Growing Master Class to learn about growing wildflowers and to protect biodiversity, pollinators and birds is offered by Design by Nature, Carlow, with a farm walk, talk and open day on 15 July. Full details at www.wildflowers.ie.

Garden clubs

Dublin Five Horticultural Society: on Sunday, 9 July, at 2pm, Dublin Five holds its Heaven Scent Show in Chanel College, Coolock Village, Dublin5. Roses, sweet pea, pansies and lilies. Tea and cakes. Admission €2. Call 087-2423020 for more details.

County Wexford Garden & Flower Club celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a Celebratory Show of Horticulture and Floral Art in the EPA Centre in Johnstown Castle County Wexford on Saturday 1 and Sunday, 2nd July. Throughout the Castle Grounds there will be Art on the Land titled ‘Romance’. On Saturday at 3 o’clock there will be a lecture ‘The Company of Trees by Thomas Pakenham. Tickets €10. On Sunday Liam Gaul will give a lecture on the History of Johnstown which will be free. www.wexfordgardenflower.ie

The Balbriggan and District Horticultural Society is holding its annual Rose & Sweet pea Show in Ardgillan Castle on Sunday, 3 July, open to the public from 2pm to 5 pm. Exhibits must be staged / entered before 12 noon. Admission Free. Tel 087-7520506

The Irish Specialist Nursery Association announce the fourth of its Plant Fairs for 2017 at Mallow Homes and Gardens, Mallow Racecourse, Cork. This Fair has become an important part of the Mallow Homes and Garden Show over the last number of years, and attracts a large audience to the show. Mallow Homes and Garden Show is held on 26 to 28 May from 11am to 6pm each day. For more information: www.irishspecialistnurseryassociation.ie or 053-9383629.

The Tendence show in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 24 to 27 June 2017 will show a host of ways in which life can be breathed into outdoor areas of all kinds – from mini-balconies, via roof terraces, to park-like gardens. Under the title Outdoor Living, the international trade fair is devoting a prominent special area to this future-oriented subject. The spacious outdoor area in front of the entrance to Galleria 0 opens up to visitors when they walk through the Japanese Gate.

Diarmuid Gavin, award-winning gardener and TV personality, brings his critically acclaimed Chelsea Flower Show Garden to Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin, this summer on 20 May. Watch out for this spectacular garden, which was one of the highlights of the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show, emulates pure childhood fantasy, and will be on display in Dundrum Town Centre’s Pembroke Square from May. The traditional garden features beautifully preened conical trees and topiary balls, colourful planting and an elegant brick folly which takes pride in front of a sunken rectangular pond.

Classic Garden Elements offers an exceptionally well-made range of rose and climbing plant supports. Hand-forged in the company’s own workshops, all supports are made from hot-dipped galvanized steel and powder-coated black, and other colours, and have 10-year, no-rust guarantee. The range includes obelisks, arches, arbours, wall trellises and pavilions. See www.classicgardenelements.ie or 087-2306128 to visit the display in Dublin.

The forthcoming series of RTE’s Super Garden is to see the introduction of a new judge – Monica Alvarez. As the Cuprinol judge, Monica will feature on the judging panel alongside Woodies DIY’s Leonie Cornelius and Gary Graham of Bloom in the Park. Now in its ninth year, the outdoor garden design show has hugely grown in popularity with the Irish public. RTE’s Super Garden airs on RTE One from Tuesday, 25th April at 7pm.

The Skywalk is a rope bridge with a length of 112 feet, Ireland’s longest rope-bridge. It spans the Delligeenagh River, at a height of approximately 36 feet, on the river’s course through Kells Bay Gardens, Co. Kerry. The inspiration for the rope-bridge derives from the rainforest and jungle plant exploration trips made by Billy Alexander, the current owner of Kells Bay House and Gardens. All the site preparation, foundations and steel work from which the bridge is suspended was completed using local materials and expertise, the bridge was fabricated and hung by a team of specialists from abroad.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross recently launched multi-lingual audio guides at Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, the first visitor attraction in Ireland to use the multilingual guides in five languages: English, Chinese, German, Spanish and French. These tours with a difference are narrated personally by the owners of Powerscourt over the past 800 years. Delivered as they would normally give a private tour, the family share anecdotes and stories of the estate’s intriguing history at beautiful vistas throughout the gardens.

Irish Orchid Society: on 6 May, at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, an Orchid Potting Workshop. Price: €20 per person, mail info@irishorchidsociety.org to book. Times: 10.30am and 2pm

Cork Alpine/Hardy Plant Society: on 25 May, Bob Brown, Cotswold Garden Flowers, Worcestershire, renowned plantsman, will speak on Plain Jane or Supermodel. Plants for sale. Lavanagh Centre, Blackrock, Cork at 8 pm.

Ballinasloe Flower and Garden Club: on 10 May, at 8pm, in Gullane’s Hotel, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, a Flower Arranging Demonstration by Maureen Fagan,Maynooth, AOIFA.

Galway Flower & Garden Club: Flower Festival “Jewels of the West” in St. Nicholas Church, Galway, on 5 to 7 May. Adm: €8.

Macroom Flower & Garden Club: Floral Demonstration with Angela Heffron AOIFA, April Showers, 27 April, at Coolcower House,
Macroom, Co. Cork. All are welcome. Enquiries 087-9821708

Dungarvan Flower & Garden Club: Hester Forde lecture, It’s all about plants. 3 May in The Park Hotel, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, at 8pm. Non-members welcome, 087-7982056.

Dublin 5 Horticultural Society: on 11 May, at 8pm, Christine O’ Flynn on The Continental Approach to Gardening. And on 25 May, at 8pm, Nick Egan on Fuchsias and Pelargoniums. Both in Artane Beaumont Family Recreation Centre, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Adm. €5 .All welcome, 087-2423020.

Templeogue Horticultural Society: Jackie Flood will demonstrate hanging baskets and containers for summer colour in Our Lady’s School, Templeogue, Dublin, on 17 May, at 8pm. Admission €7 for non-members. All are welcome.

Ireland’s Blue Book has announced that gardening expert Gareth Austin will be conducting a two-day workshop at Rathmullan House, Co Donegal on the 6 and 7 April. Topics include: plant propagation, soil health and growing fruit. Guests can stay at the luxurious Rathmullan House where two nights’ bed and breakfast, including the workshop, start at €200 per person based on sharing a standard bedroom. From more information, see www.irelandsbluebook.com, or contact Rathmullan directly on 074-9158188.

Antrim Castle Gardens will be bursting with colour from 5 to 7 May 2017 as Allianz Garden Show Ireland returns to the beautiful venue for a three-day festival of flowers, food and fun.

The Show promises to be a real treat for gardeners with stunning gardens to enjoy as well as opportunities to purchase plants from specialist nurseries. Expert advice abounds with Joe Swift of BBC’s Chelsea coverage joining the Show on Friday 5 May as well as Geoff Stebbings and GIY founder Michael Kelly. For information and tickets: www.gardenshowireland.com

Irish Specialist Nursery Association continues to hold its series of Plant Fairs with the second event of the year taking place on 9 April, from 9.30 to 5pm, at Airfield Gardens, Drundrum, Dublin 14. Admission to the Plant Fair will also include entry to the Gardens and Farm. The third ISNA Plant Fair will take place on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday,16 and 17 April, from 10am to 5pm, in the Farmleigh Estate, Phoenix Park Dublin. Contact: Susan Harford 053-9383629.

Hygeia Garden Care manufactures and distributes a range of garden care products from Oranmore, Co. Galway. The newest product range is Lawn Gold, an organic-based, three-step lawn care program that is child-safe, pet-safe and won’t turn moss black, and no raking out or scarifying is required. This product won the Innovation Award for Best Garden Product at the HAI President’s Ball in March. The judges were impressed with “the quality of the Lawn Gold product and Hygeia’s passion for lawn care.” For more, www.mygardenexpert.com

The Gabriel Ash Rosemoor Combi features a 6ft x 8ft greenhouse at the front and a 7ft x 4½ft shed at the rear and other lengths are available. The shed is split from the greenhouse by a cedar gable with a door sized opening, allowing heat through to the shed, and has a glazed single swing door at the front. The Rosemoor Combi is equipped with the unique automatic roof vents, and 4 vertical face vents. The shed section has a roof made of hardwearing powder-coated corrugated aluminium. For more details, call 087-2306 128.

Spring courses at Altamont Garden, Co. Carlow, include Spring/Easter flower arrangements with Marie O’Leary on 1 April, cost €60 for a one-day masterclass including lunch and morning coffee;

Organic Vegetable Growing with Paula Pender on 8 April at €35 for a half-day including morning coffee and materials. Fionnuala Fallon’s growing cut flowers course will be repeated on 15 April.

Booking and further details for all courses and events available from sales@altamontplants.com or Phone: 087 982 2135.

Bakker’s new range of ready-made border packs are designed to remove the hassle from garden planning and design. Mix n’ match borders are available for gardens of all shapes and sizes, and includes combinations such as a butterfly border full of plants to attract butterflies, bees and other useful insects, as well as a wild flower border with a mix of hardy perennials and annuals. For customers with a particular colour in mind, there are colour themes and there’s even a Bohemian border. See www.bakker.com

Parks Symposium at Farmleigh House

There is a Parks Symposium at Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park, Dublin on 7 April. In collaboration with The Royal Parks, London, this Symposium gives a behind-the-scenes look at these magnificent royal parks, including St James’s Park, Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and Richmond Park. The formation of Ireland’s only royal deer park commenced in 1662, and Phoenix Park is a unique natural and cultural landscape both historic park and an urban park, managed by The Office of Public Works. This contemporary international exhibition shows artefacts, images, maps and paintings spanning over three centuries of park history. The symposium is free, but booking is essential to raychel.coyle@opw.ie or 01 820 5800.

Clare Garden Festival

Clare Garden Festival is a treat for gardeners and a great day out for all the family. Over 70 garden and food stalls from all over Ireland attend the festival. The festival offers a series of garden expert talks from an accessible stage and has much to offer and discover for young and older gardeners from demonstrations to show gardens. In 2017, the festival will take place on Sunday, 30 April at Ennis Showgrounds, Co. Clare, and Festival Fringe includes Mary Reynolds and her film ‘Dare to be Wild’. For more details see www.claregardenfestival.com

Tulips Extravaganza

The Bay Garden, Camolin, Co. Wexford opens early in middle of April when, in conjunction with Mr. Middleton Garden Shop, it showcases the range of tulips available from them. Over 5,000 bulbs were planted for the Tulip Extravaganza in 2016 and another 10,000 have been added for the 2017 display. Flowering season varies with the weather but mainly from late March to late May, and a succession of tulip colour will light up the garden. The Tulip Extravaganza at The Bay Garden is open on weekends form 15 April to 14 May. Other times by appointment for groups or individuals.

www.thebaygarden.com

Fota House Plant and Garden Fair

On Sunday, 23 April, Fota House and Gardens, Cork, hosts its annual Fota House Plant and Garden Fair in the new Car Park of Fota House. Eighty specialist nurseries will attend, providing an opportunity for visitors to purchase unusual and special plants, including rare trees, shrubs, alpine, herbaceous and water plants at reasonable prices.

Retailers of other garden products will attend and competition for the most attractive stand will also be held, the winner to receive the inaugural Brian Cross Memorial Prize, sponsored by Mrs Rose Cross. The Fair will run from 11am to 4pm and catering facilities will be available.

June Blake’s Month of Tulips’ at June Blake’s Garden.

A Month of Tulips will take place at June Blake’s Garden, Blessington, Co. Wicklow from 14 April to 14 May. June begins the season in style with her largest display of tulips to date and will give a free guided tour each Sunday at 2 pm during this time. Tea/coffee is available in the tea-room, plant sales in the courtyard and Back Avenue Books offers new, rare and vintage garden books.

Best in Fest ICON

Tom Harfleet, show manager of RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and other experts from the international festival and events scene speak at Best in Fest ICON on 27 April. Moderated by Dave Fanning, this event will include Michael Eavis, founder of the Glastonbury Festival. Event details and tickets available at bestinfest.ie

Kells Bay lecture

A lecture by Sir Tim Smit on Kells, Eden and the Art of making Magic takes place on 8 April in The Dining Room at Kells Bay House, commencing at 10.30 am. He will highlight various aspects of his career, including the discovery of the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the launch of The Eden Project, and will take questions and be available to guests from 10.30 am through to conclusion of the buffet lunch. There are a very limited number of places available for this event. Cost €50 includes coffee, talk and lunch.

Gardening and mussels!

Connemara Mussel Festival, Co. Galway, on 28 to 30 April, features west of Ireland gardener Klaus Laitenberger who will conduct a workshop to demonstrate among many other things, how to grow the humble potato. Author of the book Vegetables for the Irish Garden, Klaus’s talk on growing your own vegetables is on29 April in Tullycross, Connemara.

Tendence Outdoor Living
Tendence in Frankfurt am Main from 24th to 27th June 2017 will show a host of ways in which life can be breathed into outdoor areas of all kinds, from mini-balconies and roof terraces to park-like gardens. Under the title Outdoor Living, the international trade fair is devoting a prominent special area to this future-oriented subject. The location at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre has also been chosen for its thematic proximity – the spacious outdoor area in front of the entrance to Galleria 0 opens up to visitors when they walk through the Japanese Gate.

Versailles pewter planters

Stewart Garden has extended its decorative range with the Versailles family of pewter-effect planters. While desireable, real lead pewter planters are heavy, expensive and rare. However, with the Versailles range, Stewart Garden has created a collection of three pewter-effect planters that are lightweight, visually stunning and affordable, and ideal for laurels, olive trees, privet, hedging, walkways and door features.

Fruitlawn Garden spring course

Fruitlawn offers a one day spring gardening course with garden designer Arthur Shackleton on Saturday, 1 April, starting at 10.45 with coffee and scones. There is a delicious organic lunch and an informal gathering to relax, chat and discuss the morning’s work until 4pm. The cost including lunch is €75. See www.arthurshackleton.com, a deposit is required.

Jewels of the West

Galway Flower & Garden Club has announced a Flower Festival: Jewels of the West in St. Nicholas Church, Galway. It takes place on 5 to 7 May 2017. Opening hours: Friday and Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sunday 1pm to 6pm. Admission is €8. The Opening Ceremony takes place on5 May, 7pm. €10 Closing Ceremony, 7 May, 7pm €10, in aid of Galway Hospice.

Archives: News

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