As part of its aim to preserve and celebrate Irish plants, the Irish Garden Plant Society (IGPS) has identified some of our rare trees and assisted in getting them propagated. A noted specimen of Zelkova carpinifolia grows at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin and recently, about a dozen young trees have been raised by Ravensberg Nurseries using scion wood from it. The Society has presented six of the trees, Zelkova carpinifolia ‘Glasnevin’ to large public and private gardens across the island, one of which is the Annesley Gardens and Arboretum in Castlewellan Forest Park in County Down.
The photo shows Maeve Bell, IGPS Newsletter Editor and member of the Advisory Committee for the heritage project at Castlewellan Historic Demesne, presenting the young Zelkova to the team at the Arboretum — apprentices Mark Johnson and Aidan Murphy, retired head forester at Castlewellan, Sam Harrison, and head gardener, Alwyn Sinnamon.
