Spring 2015 – Horticulture news

GARDEN SHOW IRELAND RETURNS TO SERVE NORTHERN IRELANDS 1.8 MILLION POPULATION

Antrim Castle Gardens will be filled with colour from 8th – 10th May 2015 as Allianz Garden Show Ireland returns to the venue for a three day festival of flowers, food and fun. Boasting a new title sponsor for 2015, this year’s event will be larger than ever before as it delivers a packed programme including appearances by a host of key names from the world of gardening and food, not least the return of a firm favourite, BBC’s Monty Don.

Commenting on the return of the Show to Antrim Castle, Director Claire Faulkner stated, “We are proud that after the success of the 2014 Show, Antrim Borough Council has invited Northern Ireland’s premier gardening event back to this magnificent venue for the second year. Antrim Castle Gardens is one of the most unique and historically intact gardens under public ownership in Ireland and is the perfect setting for this event. We are also thrilled that our long-term supporter Allianz has become our title sponsor and look forward to a great event in May.“

The 2015 Allianz Garden Show Ireland programme will focus on bringing the fun of ‘all things garden’ to as many people as possible. Sitting alongside the traditional array of plants, artisan food stalls, local craft and show gardens will be fun-filled activities appealing to all age groups. Live music, a dedicated kids’ zone, a garden cinema, a mind and spirit zone and much more. In essence, this event is about much more than simply gardening.

In recognition of the growing importance of food provenance, Allianz Garden Show Ireland has established a new partnership in 2015 with Food NI which will see an expanded food pavilion with numerous demonstrations by local chefs using local produce and a huge selection of local producers in attendance. The show will be open daily from 10am-6pm. Businesses who want to target the 1.8 million population of Northern Ireland and are interested in exhibiting should visit gardenshowireland.com. ✽

CLONAKILTY GARDEN CENTRE ON THE MARKET

A business opportunity for an aspiring garden retailer is to become available in the coming months. Clonakilty Garden centre was established in 2006 by Adrian Marshall and his daughter Holly Melton. Situated next to the Hardware Store at Lisavaird Co-op, the Garden Centre and the Co-Op have been increasing footfall for each other. They specialise in all of the usual gardening essentials, including plants, compost, ornaments and pots. There is also a real opportunity to further increase footfall and profit at the centre with plans for a riverside cafe. For more information call 023 88 36917. ✽

IN BRIEF

ITB HORTICULTURE OPEN EVENING

Those of you who have not seen the impressive new Education facilities at ITB will have another opportunity at their upcoming Open Evening. The new facility includes geodomes, polytunnels, workshops, welfare facilities as well as a range of outdoor practical work areas for fruit/vegetable production and sports turf management. To find out more visit the ITB campus on Thursday, 16th April. More at ITB.ie ✽

EVERRIS & SYNGENTA EDUCATION EVENT & TURF REWARDS 2015 LAUNCH

There was a large turnout at the Aviva Stadium for the launch of Instrata on the Irish market. The innovative multi-active fungicide from Syngenta now has full approval for use in Ireland. The product will be available through their dealer network from mid-April. Also demonstrated on the day for turf and amenity sprayer operators, was an instant calculator for precise product inclusion rates in spray tank mixes. The free Syngenta Turf TankCalc App for smartphones and tablets is available to download online. They also outlined the range of products available in Turf Rewards, including training and tools that assist greenkeepers to deliver outstanding playing surfaces. ✽

KELLYS NURSERY SUCCESSFUL OPEN DAY

The Co Westmeath nursery recently held an open day event which was warmly received by garden retail buyers and landscapers alike. To be able to o¤er visitors a wider selection of plants they also invited Ravensberg, O’Dowd, and Bolands nurseries to display their ranges at the event. The team at Kelly’s hope to build on the success of the event with an even bigger range of plants on display next year. ✽

€200,000 GROMOR CAMPAIGN AIMS TO GET THE COUNTRY GROWING

GroMór is a new movement to get the country growing. An initiative of garden centres and nursery growers, GroMór is a nationwide campaign to promote growing to all ages, especially targeting younger families and first-time buyers. GroMór is being managed by Retail Excellence Ireland. GroMór aims to make growing the new cooking… accessible to all and cool to do. Using social media, they want everyone to share their growing successes, and not so successful experiences. They will be recruiting well-known ambassadors from all walks of life to share their growing experience too. The campaign will be launched over Easter 2015 with a series of radio commercials and a dedicated website to direct the public to one of the 65 GroMór garden centres nearby. In the garden centres, there will be a GroMór brand area promoting Irish plants and to help you to get growing. An active PR and social media e”ort is planned to gain traction with their core young target audience.

GroMór is the first initiative of its kind in Ireland that sees retailers, nurseries and the government (via Bord Bia’s support) come together to promote growing to a national audience. It is expected that GroMór will grow in support and evolve into a national movement over time. It has been inspired by Operation Transformation. GroMór has been jointly funded by garden centres, nurseries, Bord Bia, Bord na Mona and Westland. Funding is expected to continue for many years to come. More at gromór.ie. ✽

LC PACKAGING AT IRISH FORESTRY SHOW 2015

LC Packaging is one of the many new businesses that will be exhibiting at the Irish Forestry, Woodlands & Bio Energy Show, Stradbally Co Laois on 9th & 10th May. They are there to showcase their range of self-manufactured net bags, plastic bags and bulk bags for fire logs and kindling. More at lcpackaging.ie ✽

AWARD WINNING GRIFFINS ARE HIRING

Griffins is a destination garden centre started over 25 years ago from a greenfield site in scenic Dripsey, Co Cork It is now one of the most awarded and successful garden centres in the country, winning Garden Centre of the Year three times as well as Retail Excellence Ireland and Gael-Taca awards. Renowned for its customer service and top quality plants, 80% of which are grown on site, it is now looking to expand the team and are currently hiring for a Retail Horticulturist. Find out more at JobsInHorticulture.ie ✽

FULL CIRCLE COFFEE COMPANY

*Just as important for any garden retailer o”ering good food, is the quality of the coffee on offer. The Full Circle Coffee Company has just launched and will be offering their own range of self-roasted coffee’s. Brain Birdy based in Dublin has had a love affair with coffee for over 10 years as a professional working barista. He wants to talk to garden retailers or anyone else who is passionate about coffee. Find out more at twitter.com/full_cir_co­ee. ✽

OVER 150 ATTEND LAUNCH OF MAJOR NEW BOOK ON IRISH GARDENS

The Irish Garden by Jane Powers was officially launched at the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin on 26 March by Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director at the Gardens. Many well known horticultural personalities were in attendance as were several owners of the gardens featured in the book, including Lord Meath from Killruddery Gardens in Bray and Sophie Shellswell-White from Bantry House. A stunning photo of a foggy morning in Sophie’s garden is on the front cover. Gary Foran (Chairman of the GLDA), Carol Marks of Bord Bia, and gardening guru Dermot O’Neill were also there.

This massive 400-page tome covering over 60 gardens was four and a half years in the making and involved travelling thousands of miles all over Ireland. Jane described the book-making process as ‘similar to having a baby’, which is a fitting description given that it weighs some six and a half pounds and that she cried when she held the first copy in her hands. The beautifully atmospheric photographs throughout the book are by her husband, photographer Jonathan Hession. The book is laid out thematically, and takes you through a tour of gardens, from the grand old demesnes of the Anglo-Irish ascendancy to the intensely personal creations of passionate plants people and garden makers. Available now in all good bookstores. More at franceslincoln.com ✽

SIMPLY GRASS OFFERING DISTRIBUTOR OPPORTUNITIES

Simply Grass have recently added a new base in Dublin to support the increasing number of trade customers in the South of Ireland. Hailing from Saintfield, Co Down, the business is seeing rapid growth in sales direct to landscapers and garden centres and is currently celebrating 40 years in business. Simply Grass also supplies the “Shockpad” system which is installed underneath artificial grass to protect children and meets the critical fall height of 2.70 metres. Manufacturing their own ranges of artificial grasses means they are now seeking distributors, retailers and installers across Ireland. Using the latest innovations in technology and only the highest quality artificial turf, the product offers a natural green realistic look, feel and touch. All products come with an 8-year guarantee and are UV resistant. There is no franchise fee or minimum order required. Find out more at www.simply-grass.com or call 01 6610081. ✽

EDGY LINE-UP FOR DUBLIN’S GREENEST FRINGE FESTIVAL BLOOM FRINGE – WHERE INSPIRATION GROWS

This June Bank Holiday Weekend will see Dublin’s newest Festival again in 2015 – Bloom Fringe. They are announcing an Open Call for people to take part and hold an Event no matter how big or small. “Dublin City is our playground and we want to green it up for the weekend.” Some events will run only on the Saturday 30th May and some will last all weekend.

Event Directors Landscape Architect Esther Gerrard and Garden Designer Marion Keogh say “We want to encourage anyone with artistic vision and drive to participate and present something to suit everyone, of all ages and tastes. Our city lends itself to a multitude of uses and we want to show it off in all its glory!”

Dublin has a huge creative community flourishing in the city. Bloom Fringe is the latest independent festival to hit the streets. A spin-off of the hugely successful Bloom it showcases Dublin’s ever-growing creative capacity with fresh ideas, spontaneity and fun. The aim is to celebrate the biodiversity and sustainability of Dublin’s City Centre by bringing together communities, artists, performers, professionals, enthusiasts and free thinkers in an explosion of garden-related creativity.

Ever wondered about Urban Foraging? Want to try a Composting Bootcamp? Discover Dublin’s secret gardens?

In 2014 Bloom Fringe literally took over the city, with the support of Dublin City Council, staging 60 Events in 30 locations with eclectic events staged in pop-up venues in parks, gardens, lane-ways and Dublin City Centre as well as established venues such as cafés, shops and more. Inspired by other fringe events from the world of theatre and gardening, Tiger Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe and Chelsea Fringe, Bloom Fringe 2014 showcased works from the world of gardening, sustainability, architecture, food, fashion and much more. Bringing Bloom from the Park into the city, innovative workshops, exhibitions, garden installations and other experiences were hosted throughout the city on Saturday 31st May and inspired creativity, sustainability, green infrastructure and community involvement.

DCC said “It is very exciting to see the development of a Bloom Fringe festival which provided the opportunity for communities to engage in new and creative ways with the already popular event. Dublin City Council is delighted to be associated with Bloom coming into the heart of the city.”

Bloom Fringe 2014 highlighted Dublin’s influential position as a creative, diverse and sustainable city. The aim is to encourage and inspire people to use their city more and recognize the enormous amount that it can give back to us as individuals and as a community.

Bloom Fringe festival will take place over the June Bank Holiday weekend (Fri 29th May to Mon 1st June 2015) with some programming on Saturday 30th May. As Events are confirmed over the coming weeks we will be posting them up on the website – www.bloomfringe.com

You can also stay up-to-date with all the latest Bloom Fringe & Bloom in the Park news at www.GardenGuide.ie ✽