Orchid Summer by Jon Dunn
Orchid Summer – In Search of the Wildest Flowers of the British Isles by Jon Dunn This book was fabulously and fantastically far, far more than its title blurb lead one to expect. It splendidly recalls the author’s grand summer adventure to see all the orchids of Great Britain and Ireland within a single season, […]
The Warren Gardens by Frank Mason
This article was first published in Issue 104, April 2007, of The Newsletter of The Irish Garden Plant Society. Bishopstown Library, Wilton, Cork presently has an exhibition on the Hartlands who had several nurseries and shops in Mallow and Cork and were especially famous for their collection of daffodils. They had collected old varieties of […]
Garden Inspirations with Andrea Jones, International Garden Photographer
Garden Inspirations with Andrea Jones, International Garden Photographer There was a large audience to hear Andrea’s excellent talk in The Old Courthouse, Antrim on March 22nd. Andrea has photographed gardens professionally for over 20 years and her photos of both public and private gardens from around the world were amazing, showing some wonderful design ideas. […]
Garden Inspirations with Andrea Jones, International Garden Photographer
There was a large audience to hear Andrea’s excellent talk in The Old Courthouse Antrim on March 22nd. Andrea has photographed gardens professionally for over 20 years and her photos of both public and private gardens from around the world were amazing, showing some wonderful design ideas. She featured gardens from many well-known designers such as […]
New Garden Plants from the Netherlands – with Ronald Houtman,
New Garden Plants from the Netherlands, Ronald Houtman, National Botanic Gardens March 9th 2018 We are all used to the fact that Dutch nurseries for years have supplied massive amounts of plants to satisfy our insatiable appetite – and especially for new plants. Based in Boskoop, the centre of the nursery trade, Ronald Houtman as […]
Winter Gardens
In the early 19th century the “winter garden” referred to the amazing glass palaces in towns such as Bath, Brighton and Harrogate where people could gather in winter to amuse themselves, dance and listen to music. By the early 20th century these had all but disappeared as they were so expensive to maintain. Gertrude Jekyll’s […]
Gardens of the High Line
For many years I walked and enjoyed the wildness of a deserted railway line close to my home. The interaction between the industrial hard landscape and the gradual but persistent encroachment of nature is always fascinating and it was such a scene in New York which inspired the development of the High Line, one of […]
Join us in Cork on Tuesday next, 6th, with Shirley Lanigan
“Changes in Irish gardening – are we on top or on the slippery slope?”
Right Plant, Right Place!
The Beth Chatto Garden in Elmstead Market, near Colchester, is one of the “must-see” gardens in the United Kingdom. I find it difficult to put the sensation I felt on my first visit to there. There was an immediate sense that this was right; that it all fitted together; that this was a garden comfortable […]
Mike Snowden presented ‘Ashfield House: Bringing a garden from the past to the present’
Belfast on 24th February. See the Events Calendar for full details.
Primulas and Auriculas with Paul Smyth
Paul Smyth will talk about Primulas and Auriculas in Cork: 6th Feb. – 8pm at Northridge House. Non-members are always welcome, so come along and join us.
Primrose Hill Snowdrops
You may recall that two of the Primrose Hill snowdrop cultivars were illustrated in “Irish Heritage Plants” – Galanthus ‘Cicely Hall’ and Galanthus ‘Ruby Baker’. The gardens at Primrose Hill are open every afternoon in February , 2p.m. until dusk, with an admission charge of €6, so here is an opportunity to see these beautiful […]
To the Mountains of Myanmar – A Burmese Adventure with Seamus O’Brien
Join Seamus O’Brien at the Visitor Centre at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin at 8pm on Thursday 22nd February to hear some fascinating stories from a recent expedition to Myanmar where he visited the areas botanised by Lady Charlotte Wheeler Cuffe and Captain Frank Kindgom Ward in the early part of the twentieth century.
Snowdrop Week at Altamont Gardens: 12 – 18 Feb.
Snowdrop Week in Altamont Gardens. 12th February 2018 – 18th February 2018. The very popular Snowdrop Week at Altamont Gardens runs from February 12th – 18th and is a great opportunity to view this unique collection, first started by Corona North, former owner of the gardens, and now amongst the largest in Ireland.
Newsletter January 2018
The January 2018 Newsletter should be with all members now and includes – An update on Irish heritage plants from Stephen Butler – Notice and information for our Annual General Meeting in May – A note on activities at Pogue’s Entry – Brendan Sayers on breeding daffodils and a note on the rare Juania australis […]
Snowdrops with Assumpta Broomfield
There was a good turn out for our talk on Irish Snowdrops on Saturday, 20th January with Assumpta Broomfield. Our next talk ‘The Story of Blarney Castle Gardens’ with headgardener Adam Whitbourn is on Feb 15th at 8pm. Photos and report from Ali Rochford
Annual General Meeting 2018 – Booking Now Open!
Details of our Annual General Meeting weekend 2018 have been posted in the Events section with a link to Eventbrite to book your place. The event is listed here!
Two Talks on the 20th!
John Mitchell will present ‘The Stans – Plant exploring in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan’ at St. Bride’s Hall, 38 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast, BT9 6FP at 2p.m. Assumpta Broomfield will present “The Magic of Snowdrops” at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin at 2.30p.m. See the listings in Events for full details.
“A View from the Palm House” – Matthew Jebb at Malone House
In his talk ‘A View from the Palm House’, Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens, entranced a large audience in Belfast with a series of inter-connections between art, architecture, plants, people, invasive species, climate change and much more besides.
Head Gardeners
Ambra Edwards has given us a treasure of a book, a joy to read, insightful, informative and provocative. I have enjoyed it immensely and recommend it unreservedly. She has interviewed fourteen head gardeners, a diverse group with only a few fitting the stereotypical image, yet all might be described as people at the pinnacle of […]
