Petrovska Garden – AGM 2019

Petrovska Garden is in Clonmel, very close to the hotel where the AGM was held. Many thanks to Joe Burns for his photographs.   [cycloneslider id=”petrovska-garden-agm-2019″]

Ballyhist Garden – AGM 2019

Ballyhist Garden, Clogheen, Co. Tipperary was the second garden visited as part of the AGM weekend activities. Many thanks to Joe Burns for his photographs from the visit. [cycloneslider id=”ballyhist-garden-agm-2019″]  

Killcomma Garden – AGM 2019

Many thanks to Joe Burns for his photographs from the garden visits which are always a very enjoyable part of the AGM weekend. The first garden visited was Killcomma Garden just outside Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.   [cycloneslider id=”killacomma-garden-agm-2019″]

Visit to Seaforde Gardens, 11th May, 2019

Over 70 members and their guests enjoyed a sunny afternoon touring the gardens and grounds of Seaforde in the company of their owner, Lady Anthea Forde. The resident peacocks screeched at us as we started our visit in the historic walled garden enjoying the collection of trees and shrubs, especially the many species and hybrid […]

Annual General Meeting 2019

The Annual General Meeting is next month but there is still time to make a booking.  See the listing of the Event and book via Eventbrite  

A Garden Can Be Anywhere!

A Garden Can Be Anywhere!  Paddy Tobin  Book Review  April 4, 2019 We live in an age of concern about the wholesomeness of our food, about the widespread use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers, about food miles, the use of preservatives, artificial additives and colourants. We are aware of the industrialisation of food production and processing, the erosion […]

Island Gardens – Book Review

Island Gardens  Paddy Tobin  Book Review  April 3, 2019 We attach a certain magic to islands, as we do to other remote natural areas – mountains, remote seashores and the like. We regard them as special places, places apart, places where we may be in more intimate contact with nature, places of beauty, of wildness, of ruggedness, […]

Monsters under Glass – A Review

Literally taken by the Venus Fly Trap.  Paddy Tobin  Book Review  March 7, 2019 The title was “Monsters Under Glass: A Cultural History of Hothouse Flowers, 1850 to the Present” and I misinterpreted it completely. I’m sure you, like me, might have expected something about glasshouse plants and their cultivation but I was wrong and it was nothing of the […]

Two Men Went to Mow – A Review

At the Cutting Edge!  Paddy Tobin  Book Review  March 12, 2019 Two Men Went to Mow: The Obsession, Impact & History of Lawn Mowing by Clive Gravett – A Review The maintenance of the domestic lawn has been portrayed for many years as a male obsession; man and machine in a co-operative striving to produce and maintain the […]

Gardenlust – A Review

Gardenlust by Christopher Woods – A Review This is a book which will gladden the heart of any gardener as we read of the vibrancy, enthusiasm, creativity and beauty of gardens worldwide. In the face of climate change, urbanisation, species loss, deforestation etc, garden creators around the world respond with positivity, a get up and go, […]

Bob Brown at Antrim Old Courthouse

There was a full house for the talk by Bob Brown in Antrim Old Courthouse on 21st March. Called My 30 Best Plants, Bob described plants from Anisodontea ‘El Royo’ through Helleborus ‘Anna’s Red’ to Yucca rostrata in his usual entertaining and forthright manner. Membership Secretary Nichola Monk was kept busy with two new members […]

Grottos and Shell Cottages

‘Grottos and Shell Houses in 18th Century Ireland and England’ Gerald and Margaret Hull. NBG Glasnevin January 12th 2.30pm How many times when visiting a garden is it a novel aspect that stays in the memory – the odd plant, or the unusual building? Grottoes, often built around a natural spring, made to look ‘natural’, […]

Morocco in Bloom

Morocco in Bloom by Giuppi Pietromarchi “To be places of respite and joy, gardens combine the lively scents of the day and the night, the harmoniously clashing colours of the flowers, foliage and soil, the warmth of the shade and the freshness of the waters. The colours of the flowers and the clay, softened by […]

From Show Gardens to Real Gardens

Here are some photos from our meeting on Wednesday evening when Oliver Schurmann delighted us all with his lecture ‘From Show Gardens to Real Gardens’ in Malone House, Belfast. As well as enjoying his inspirational and thought-provoking lecture, we also enjoyed the ambience of the venue with its elaborate Christmas decorations which Belfast Parks kindly […]

Cor van Gelderen – at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin

Cor van Gelderen, owner of Esveld Nurseries in Boskoop, The Netherlands, gave an entertaining talk on garden design, plant use and association. He is well known in Ireland as he has been a judge at Bloom, and has several books to his name – and more planned. His nursery is a family affair – he […]

The Irish Garden, A Cultural History

The Irish Garden, A Cultural History  The Irish Garden, A Cultural History by Peter Dale, Illustrated by Brian Lalor What is it that makes an Irish garden different? Our gardens and what we can grow in them are most influenced by our climate and soil type. Devon, Cornwall, western Scotland and, indeed, many parts of England […]

At West Dean – A Review

At West Dean – A Review A view to the college at West Dean West Dean, as we see it today, is a 19th century country house with gardens in the Arts and Crafts style. The walled garden, with its range of Victorian glasshouse and gardened in a style which is deeply rooted in Victorian practices, is […]