IOH ACHIEVES CHARTERED STATUS
In July 2014 the new Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) came into being. It replaced the Institute of Horticulture (IoH), which was established in 1984 with the aim of fostering a close relationship between all sectors of professional horticulture (advisory, research, amenity, commercial, education and training) throughout Great Britain and Ireland. A Charter will enhance the Institute’s ability to present our profession through increasing the profile, recognition and standing of professional horticulturists. As a Chartered body, the Institute’s ability to raise standards will be strengthened and the Institute will be better placed to represent and support horticulture as a profession and assist individual members in the practice of their profession.
Being Chartered is considered a status of professional competency, one which adds prestige and credibility to an individual. Being a Chartered Horticulturist or employing individuals with this accreditation will assist you in marketing your services, promoting your products and improving the status of your business. For those with formal academic qualifications in horticulture gaining individual Chartership will validate your professional competence and add a new set of letters (C.Hort) after your name. Also, applications for Chartership are open to those within the industry who do not have formal academic horticulture qualifications but have extensive professional knowledge and experience.
On becoming the Chartered Institute of Horticulture all existing IoH members will retain their current membership level but they will also have the benefits associated with membership of a Chartered body. However, the new CIH will have the ability to award individual Chartered status to members of the Institute. This status will recognise the achievement of a senior practitioner and this will support members by confirming their high level of professional expertise and competence.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and/or a Chartered Horticulturist, please contact Dr Owen Doyle FCIH Chairperson Ireland Branch: owen.doyle@uce.ie ✽
SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE & ‘FAKE GRASSMAN’ BLOG
Mark O’ Loughlin of Sanctuary Synthetics has launched a newly redesigned website. The old layout and content have now been made more user and search engine friendly. Importantly for Mark though it will still retain a specialist section for their trade customers. He say’s “the old design served us very well enabling us to supply thousands of gardens over the years but in this age of social media, ubiquitous tablets and smartphones, we felt we needed a faster more interactive web offering to attract and impress our potential customers.” Alongside the site re-development, he has another new web initiative aimed directly at landscapers, which is a blog called ‘The Fake Grasman’. Mark promises that it will be an interesting take on our industry. More at sanctuarysynthetics.ie and the thefakegrassman.ie ✽
YOUNG NURSERIES CONTINUE’S TO THRIVEIts been a busy time for the Nuala and Joe Young who have recently celebrated 25 years in business. Building on their success at this year’s ‘Amenity Horticulture Awards’, where they won best ‘Hardy Nursery Stock Grower’ along with being nominated for ‘Best Local Plant Supplier’ at the Bord Bia sponsored event, the specialist perennial growers showcased a broad range of summer flowering perennials at Glas including a niche range of colourful foliage plants for autumn, which Nuala says were well received at the show. ✽ |
TULLY’S NEW ‘GIFT THAT GROWS’ RANGE IS SELLING AN EXPERIENCE, NOT JUST A PLANT
During frequent sales visits to plant retailers, the Tully’s team noticed that a gap in the market existed for the ‘Gift That Grows’ range. Targeting peak gift times and aimed at female gift buyers in the 35-50 range, it has multiple uses including, the patio, window sill or planted in the garden.
Criteria for choosing plants for the ‘Gift that Grows’ range was that at its centre was a classy single plant uniquely different from what is normally available. They also carried out extensive testing and market research for the new range which was apparent by the interest that it generated at Glas. ✽
HITACHI LAUNCHES ‘ANTI-FATIGUE’ PUREFIRE CHAINSAW
Hitachi Power Tools has launched its latest chainsaw, the CS33EDP designed to tackle the big jobs with minimum effort and strain for the operator. Using kit all day long can take its toll, but the great advantage of this new machine is its anti-fatigue features. It has increased cutting speed, requires approximately 50% less pulling force to start than previous models and is extremely low in weight, coming in at just 3.7kg (excluding bar and chain). The chainsaw also houses a spring type anti-vibration system that reduces strain on the hands. A primer pump and an S-Start recoil system also mean less effort is needed to start the engine. The new PureFire engine meets European standards for low emissions, meaning that it is also suitable for prolonged use. ✽
FLANNERY’S NURSERIES NEW TO IRELAND ‘HIBISCUS’
|
GARDEN WORLD NURSERIES INTRODUCES NEW RANGE OF SPECIMEN PLANTSThe expanding nursery, which now has three production sites has just introduced a new range of specimen shrubs and perennials. They have been in production over the last four years and the team were kept very busy at Glas introducing the new selection to their customers. Also complementing their own range of 1 to 5L range of garden perennials, shrubs and alpines was a large selection of premium specimen trees and shrubs from their partner growers across mainland Europe. ✽ |
KEEPING UP WITH THE LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE
The ILI continues to represent the leading landscape architecture practices in Ireland, and this year we are delighted to add a number of new members to our register: Doyle + O’Troithigh, Cathal O’Meara Landscape Architects, and REDscape Landscape & Urbanism. Have a look at their work on our website: www.irishlandscapeinstitute.com
Summer 2014 saw the launch of Bloom Fringe – a new fringe festival running alongside Bloom in the Park, focusing on horticulture in the urban context. The ILI committee was delighted to partner with the Bloom Fringe team in promoting ILI events, developing the ILI network and supporting the festival.
Following the summer recess, the ILI’s events programme will restart in September 2014. This year there are some key topics on the radar for our ever-popular lecture series: Residential Landscapes, Design for Climate Change, Design for Health and Restorative Environments and many more. A series of larger-scale seminars are also planned to include Guidelines for visual Impact Assessment, Landscape Character Assessment, and the newly published draft National Landscape Strategy. Our 2014/2015 programme is shaping up to be one of our biggest yet, to include both home-grown and internationally recognised speakers. We look forward to launching in September 2014, and we are now seeking interested businesses and suppliers to partner with ILI. We offer tailored packages ranging from lead sponsorship of the Institute to trade stands and presentations at our events, to ad space on our website and newsletters. ✽
ITB HORTICULTURE OPEN DAY ANNOUNCEDProspective students for horticulture courses at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown can also take the opportunity to tour the new facilities at their upcoming open day which takes place from 5 -7 pm on Wednesday the 3rd of September. The new facility includes glasshouses, poly-tunnels, workshops, student welfare facilities as well as a range of outdoor practical work areas for fruit/ vegetable production and sports turf management. More info at itb.ie/studyatitb/horticulture ✽
|
LEADING DESIGN COLLEGE GETS A NEW NAME AND NEW CAMPUS
Senior College Dun Laoghaire, the leading design college in Dublin, and first career step for many top-flight Landscape Architects has a new name and new campus.
Having been based in the ageing facilities of the Christian Brothers School in Dun Laoghaire, the design school has recently moved to the state-of-the-art surrounds of its new Blackrock campus. The campus, which wraps around the old library building, includes stunning, purpose-built and light-filled studio rooms overlooking Dublin Bay, computer suites and a host of tailored design facilities. The college’s new name: Blackrock Further Education Institute.
Located a stone’s throw from Blackrock Dart Station and accessible from a range of public transport links, the Institute is sure to prove extremely popular with people wishing to pursue a career in design or to update existing skills. The Institute offers a range of design programmes including its hugely popular Diploma in Landscape Design, which affords the opportunity to secure a BSc in Landscape Architecture in three years. Other design courses offered include Interior, Jewellery, digital and stage design. To find out how you can take the first steps toward a career in design, visit www.bfei.ie, the design department Facebook page at SCD Design Community or why not check out the facilities yourself at the open day being held on August 27th from 10 am to 2 pm. ✽
WOODPECKER ENVIRONMENTAL TACKLE NOISE ISSUES WITH THE WHISPERCUT® V-KNIFE WOODCHIPPER
Professionals involved in the woodchipping industry will be delighted to learn that a solution now exists for the problems relating to noise pollution from the heavy-duty machine.
Woodpecker Environmental the sole distributor of Schliesing, Jo Beau, Rabaud and Carlton machinery throughout Ireland have taken delivery of the first Schliesing 235MX Whispercut ® v-knife machine which boasts noise level reduction by up to 30% now 112d; Service life increase of the knives by up to 40% and feeding of the material more uniformed to the centre of the hopper Woodpecker Environmental now have a range of machines wood chippers, stump grinders and log splitters available to hire on the day or long term rates. visit www.woodpeckerenv.ie. ✽
 came into being. It replaced the Institute of Horticulture (IoH), which was established in){kind=link}