Bloomin' Marvellous

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NORTHERN IRELAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER SATURDAY MARCH 15 2014

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SPECIAL WEEKEND GARDEN ISSUE

WE LAUNCH OUR CAMPAIGN TO CELEBRATE THE WONDER OF GARDENING, SEE P18-19 LORD BALLYEDMOND DIES IN HELICOPTER TRAGEDY

We’ve lost our brightest light

REVIEW

KING OF HIS CASTLE: LIFE n Haughey had n Village’s grief at n Tributes pour in AND TIMES OF been suing over death of Co Down for NI’s greatest A TYCOON ’copter ‘flaws’, P4 carpenter, P5 businessman, P6 SEE PAGE 21

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SATURDAY MARCH 15 2014

18 NEWS

WHY LIFE’S REALLY Green-fingered experts get behind our campaign

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

Now’s the time to get stuck back into the garden, as the sun warms the soil

lstewart@belfasttelegraph

GARDENERS across Northern Ireland look set for a fantastic spring, according to the experts supporting our Blooming Marvellous gardening drive.

We’ve made it through one of the wettest winters on record and now the burst of sunshine that has been bathing Northern Ireland for the last week has really been warming the soil up and getting the sap rising.

Rowallane Garden head gardener Averil Milligan, one of the judges who will be looking at the best of Northern Ireland’s gardens this year, said: “I think it’s going to be a fantastic spring considering we’ve had such a wet, windy start to the year.

“They always talk about St Patrick turning the stone.

“We are having a calm period of weather after the storms, and the amount of sunshine we have been getting over the last few days is really starting to warm the soil.

“That, along with the day length, is what wakes the plants up and makes the sap start to rise in trees and herbaceous plants.”

She has some advice for novice gardeners: “Don’t run to the garden centre and buy bedding plants yet. It’s a fantastic time to think about planting trees or shrubs or even herbaceous plants — anything frost hardy.”

We’ve also won the support of Irish garden designer Diarmuid Gavin, who commented: “I'm delighted to support the Belfast Telegraph's Blooming Marvellous campaign, which will encourage everyone to get out and enjoy a bit of gardening — with spring in the air, it's a great time to get sowing seeds and growing your own veg!”

PICTURE POSED

BBC Grow Your Own Drugs presenter James Wong also urged people to pick up a trowel.

“Gardening can give you so much. It busts stress, improves mental well-being, gives you great exercise, connects you with nature and you get free strawberries! What's not to like?”

BBC Radio presenter Cherrie McIlwaine, another of our judges, said it was lovely to get involved with the Belfast Telegraph campaign.

“For our tiny corner of the world we punch well above our weight when it comes to gardening and we really hold our own with the rest of the world,” she said.

“We have world-renowned breeders of daffodils and world-

INSIDE

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BBC’s Kirsty Wark on her new novel approach Review, Pages 28&29 class rose breeders.” Gardening consultant Reg Maxwell, who is preparing for the Tulip Festival at Glenarm Castle with James and Billy Wharry, said Blooming Marvellous was a fantastic initiative.

“Anything that encourages people out into their gardens certainly gets the thumbs-up from me.

“There's nothing quite like creating beautiful spaces that not only enhance our well-being, but help wildlife to thrive.” Meanwhile,

Robin Mercer, partner at Hillmount Garden Centre, which is sponsoring our free seed offer this weekend, said this weekend was traditionally the start of the gardening season and people were already cutting the grass.

“Officially, this is the weekend for pruning your roses and feeding them,” he said.

“It’s also the time to get on early seed potatoes so you have them ready for mid-July.

“You could be getting the garden tidy and getting the veg beds ready to go and you could also start sowing seeds indoors and getting some of your bedding plants under way.”

Garden designer Trevor Edwards said gardening was one of Northern Ireland’s most popular hobbies.

“Gardening ticks all the boxes of physical and mental health,” he said. “It’s a hobby and interest that can be enjoyed by all ages — from the very young to those of a senior age.

“One-third of all pensioners in a recent survey said that gardening was the hobby that gave them most pleasure in life.

“I’m hoping the Belfast Telegraph’s gardening campaign will encourage new devotees to the hobby and deepen the knowledge of those who are passionate about gardening and garden visiting.”

A hobby that can be afforded by everyone to some extent, it’s an interesting fact that the cost of gardening has not risen more quickly than inflation.

GARDENING CELEBRITIES PUT ON THEIR WELLIES AND DIG IN FOR OUR GARDEN “I'm delighted to support “Gardening the Belfast Telegraph's busts stress, Blooming Marvellous gives you campaign to encourage great exercise. everyone to enjoy a bit of And you even gardening. With spring in get free the air, it's a great time strawberries!” to get sowing seeds and James Wong, growing your own veg!” ethnobotanist and presenter of BBC’s Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin Grow Your Own Drugs

“For our tiny corner of the world we punch well above our weight when it comes to gardening.”

BBC Radio Ulster Gardener’s Corner presenter Cherrie McIlwaine

“Gardening ticks all the physical and mental health boxes. It’s a hobby and interest that can be enjoyed by all.”

Garden designer Trevor Edwards

SATURDAY MARCH 15 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

BL

MING MARVELLOUS! WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW ...

l Sow carrots thinly in rows so you don’t have to spend too much time removing surplus seedlings. Edge your lawn and repair any bald patches. Loosen the soil, sow grass seed and protect the patch with clear polythene or clingfilm until the seed germinates. l Prune your bush roses. Cut the old branches as close to ground level as possible, remove thin shoots and prune younger growths back to 6-8 inches above an outward pointing bud.

YOUR GARDdENiary

Saturday, March 15

l Launch of Blooming Marvellous and free seed giveaway with Hillmount Garden Centre.

Read the Belfast Telegraph and Weekend Magazine every week for a wealth of horticultural coverage.

March 30

l Mother’s Day Spring Stroll and Musical Melodies at Castle Ward. National Trust.

April 5

lWinter shrubs with coloured bark are starting to show leaves. Cut the stems of dogwood to within a few inches of the ground and the new stems will be brightly coloured for next winter.

l Get Buzzing: how to keep bees, Rowallane. National Trust.

l Fruit trees and bushes will appreciate a high potash feed. A liquid feed of tomato fertiliser on the strawberries will do them good.

April 14

lGet your early seed potatoes into the ground so that they will be ready to harvest by mid July. l Edge your lawn and repair any bald patches.

Loosen soil, sow grass seed and protect the patch with clear polythene or cling film. Hold it in place with pegs until seed germinates. l This is the weekend to prune your bush roses. Cut the old branches as close to ground level as possible, remove thin shoots and prune younger growths back to 6-8 inches above an outward pointing bud

l Compost offer with Blooming Marvellous.

April 21

l Picnic in the Park noon-2pm at Forthill, Enniskillen.

April 27

l Start of Clandeboye Garden Tours. Pre-book 028 9185 3457.

Early May

l Launch of Belfast Telegraph’s Blooming Marvellous garden competition.

May 2

l Free seed giveaway for every reader. l Launch of Blooming Marvellous sunflower competition.

May 3-4

l Spring Plant Fair, Rowallane Garden. National Trust.

May 3- 5

l Annual Tulip Festival, Glen-

REV REVOLUTION “The opportunities are out there to get out and get green fingered with the Belfast Telegraph’s campaign. The soil is drying out rapidly. You will be surprised.”

Rowallane head gardener Averil Milligan

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arm Castle.

May 4-5

l Bluebell Walk, Downhill Demesne. National Trust.

May 11

l Apple Blossom Day, Ardress House. National Trust. l Bluebell Walk (left), Castle Ward, National Trust. l Spring Garden Walk, Mount Stewart. National Trust.

May 9-11

l Garden Show Ireland, Antrim Castle Gardens: www.garden showireland.com

June 4-25

l Herblore Evening Masterclasses, Rowallane Garden.

National Trust.

June 28-29

l Summer Garden Fete, Mount Stewart. National Trust.

July

l Closing date for Blooming Marvellous garden competition entries. l Judging of competition. l Rose Week at Sir Thomas & Lady Dixon Park in Belfast.

50th anniversary of the Belfast International Rose Gardens.

July 26

l Summer Garden Walk, Mount Stewart. National Trust.

August

l Winners of Blooming Marvellous garden competition announced in special supplement.

August 23-24

Planters’ Seminar, Mount Stewart. National Trust.

Cultivate green shoots of recovery with our campaign GREEN shoots are bursting into life across Northern Ireland as our longed-for spring arrives at last following a punishing winter that saw us blasted by relentless storms.

The Belfast Telegraph is at the vanguard of the battle to reclaim our soggy gardens, as we launch a major new gardening drive called Blooming Marvellous.

We’re calling on gardeners and novices across Northern Ireland to throw open their

BY LINDA STEWART doors and breathe new life into dismal herbaceous borders and veg patches that have been left to moulder through the dark winter months.

And this weekend we kick off our Blooming Marvellous initiative with a special greenfingered edition of our Weekend Magazine along with a massive seed giveaway in conjunction with Hillmount Garden Centre.

Later this spring we’ll be launching a huge provincewide gardening competition, so those seeds will be your first foray in transforming your garden. We’ll be looking for the finest gardens in four categories — Courtyard, Town, Medium and Large.

Among our illustrious judges will be Cherrie McIlwaine, presenter of BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners Corner, and Averil Milligan, head gardener at the National Trust’s Rowal-

lane Garden. We’ll also be reliving our childhoods as we challenge our readers to grow the biggest sunflowers in the country.

Meanwhile, we’ll be serving up a wealth of horticultural treats in our news pages and expanding the gardening coverage in our Weekend Magazine throughout the spring and summer, so whether you’re a gardening club, allotment group or you’ve spotted something unusual sprouting

among the tulips, let us know what’s happening!

Belfast Telegraph editor Mike Gilson said: “Everyone is thrilled to see a bit of fresh air and sunshine after the horrendous winter we've had, so we're challenging our readers to get out and make the most of it by breathing new life into their gardens.

“We hope you have as much fun with our Blooming Marvellous gardening drive as we are!”

SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR

Come into the garden!

Saturday March 15 2014 Vol.5 No.23

Why Cherrie McIlwaine’s career is still growing

IN A SPECIAL ISSUE LYNDA BRYANS AND OTHERS CELEBRATE THEIR LOVE OF FLOWER POWER How to get your lawn in order

FASHION’S PRETTIEST FLORALS

INTERVIEWS

Four well-known local experts tell us why they love pottering around in their gardens.

By Stephanie Bell

I

t's that wonderful time of the year again when flowers start to bring a welcome splash of colour to the last dull days of winter and gardeners can once again get back into the great outdoors.

Gardening has become a major past-time in Northern Ireland for people of all ages — and this spring and summer the Belfast Telegraph and Weekend magazine will be quite literally Bloomin' Marvellous.

That's the name of our major campaign to help you make the most of your garden, whether it stretches to several acres or just a couple of feet in front of front door.

Over the next few months, Weekend magazine will carry even more gardening pages, packed with advice and tips on how to get the most from your garden, from fabulous flowers to growing your own veg, and everything in between.

Plus, we'll have loads of green-fingered offers and our very own gardening competition — so no better time to start sowing those seeds.

Of course, the huge expansion in garden centres dotted across the province reflects just how keen many of us are to cultivate our own little slice of earth.

Growing your own has never been more popular and people of all ages — even the kids — are being encouraged to propagate their own mini feasts plucked straight from the garden to the kitchen table.

Here, we catch up with four wellknown local enthusiasts who explained why their gardens hold such fascination for them.

Lynda Bryans (50) is lecturer in media studies and lives in Belfast with her husband Mike Nesbitt, leader of the UUP and their sons, PJ (18) and Christopher (16). She says: I think I got my love of gardening from my dad Billy Beattie. I always remember dad going out at this time of the year and digging over the garden. He grew vegetables, mostly all of the things I grow now.

I have memories of sneaking down the garden and eating fresh peas out of the pod.

Today my peas rarely reach the dinner table either.

If you can't eat it I don't really grow it. Gardening is my downtime, it's

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A PASSION THAT JUST KEEPS ON GROWING

how I look after my mental health and how I like to unwind.

Now that spring is near I am noticing everything that needs done and trying to get back into the garden again.

I could quite easily spend all day, every day there. There is always something to be done and after work in the summer I would be in the garden all evening until dark.

Belfast Telegraph Weekend 15 March 2014

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I could spend all day in the garden

One of my favourite places is my greenhouse — it's my man shed, and I love spending time in it. I have a wind-up radio and will listen to The Archers or Women's Hour on a Saturday.

This year I am going to attempt to grow cucumbers in my greenhouse. I tried aubergines last year but they didn't really work out. I also grow potatoes, rhubarb, globe and

Jerusalem artichokes, which sprout everywhere.

I have a lot of herbs and love Borage which is a real self-seeder and has beautiful blue flowers.

It has a lot of uses and is great in salads but I think I grow it mostly for the beauty of it.

I have broad beans, runner beans and leeks. I'm not very successful at growing carrots although last year I

POTTY ABOUT PLANTS: Lynda Bryans in her garden and (top) magnificent Mount Stewart, where Neil Porteus (right) is the head gardener

grew a purple variety and they were very good.

I also have blackcurrants and gooseberries. Every year I grow tomatoes, not for their quantity but for their quality and taste.

Tomatoes excite me and potatoes do, too. The first pick of the new potatoes is like an event. Bringing them from the garden to cook and having the flavour of the new season potatoes

with a big dollop of butter on them, and nothing else, is the best taste in the world.

My favourite potatoes are Rooster, and I love Moneymaker tomatoes.

I do have a little section of my garden along the front with some flowers and herbs and shrubs but they are not cut flowers. If it's pretty I will put it in.

This time of the year I will be doing a lot of planting and I got some great

‘‘

Tomatoes excite me, potatoes do, too

seeds for yellow runner beans, which I've grown before. They have the most beautiful red flowers but even though I'm not a great lover of runner beans I will grow them this year because they look pretty.

Anywhere I've lived I've always grown something, even when I lived in an apartment I had herbs in window boxes and pots.

~

Neil Porteus (51) is head gardener for the National Trust and is based at Mount Stewart. Neil lives in Kircubbin with wife Kate (40) and their three children Finlay (9), Glesni (6) and Conall (4). He also has two daughters, Tara (24) and Freya (21), from his first marriage. He says: I'm from north Scotland but have been gardening in Ireland for six years. I started with the National Trust two years ago and before that I was working on a private estate in Waterford where I had the job of turning eight acres into a walled garden.

}

My grandfather was a keen gardener and he taught me how to garden.

When I left school I didn't know what to do but after six months got a job as a gardener and then studied for a National Certificate in Horticulture; since then I've done an MA in Garden History and a BSc honours in Horticulture and Landscape Management.

I always had my eye on Mount Stewart as it is a great opportunity for a gardener. It's a place you can really get your teeth into.

Because of the micro climate there we are able to grow tender things which can't be grown in most places in the UK. The challenge is to try and expand the collection and get as many of those plants doing as well as we can.

We do a fair bit of plant hunting and in November we went to Sikkim in India to look at the rhododendrons.

Edith, Lady Londonderry, wrote in 1927 that she wanted to see many varieties of rhododendron in the garden and in India we studied how they grow.

They don't grow in soil but on top of logs and tree stumps, and we looked at how they were growing in areas with free drainage so that we can see how to cultivate a collection at Mount Stewart.

At the minute we have rhododendron magnificum in flower and it's one of the few places you can see them at this time of the year.

We pretty much have a free hand and I'm very proud of what we have achieved so far.

We have restored the formal gardens round the house — the Italian, Spanish, sunken gardens and the Shamrock garden.

We have drained Lily Wood and we hope now that we can expand the collection of fragrant lilies there.

The winter storms gave us a bit of a battering this year and we lost quite a few trees. It's such a shame when a tree comes down.

N ow, I've had a chance to understand the garden we are planting more robust trees in the west side which was most affected by the winds and more tender things on the east side.

There are always things to challenge you as a gardener.

I live in an old farmhouse which overlooks the Irish Sea but the downside of the wonderful views is that it is very windy.

I do have cut flower borders along the front of the house but I don't really spend that much time in my own garden.

It's a pride thing, I want it to look good for people passing by who know that I live there so I will keep it weed-free.

~r

15 March 2014 Weekend Belfast Telegraph

7

INTERVIEWS

“Hostas are plants I really admire, and to have one named after you is quite something!” e

Reverend William McMillan (Rev Mac) MBE is an award-winning floral artist who is known throughout the world for his artistic ability and is much in demand as a speaker and demonstrator. He is a retired minister of First Presbyterian Church, Dunmurry, and is married to Sheila. He has four children and four grandchildren. He says: My grandmother was a keen gardener and so was my father so it is in the blood. I love plants and am extremely intrigued by where they come from and how they got their names.

The fact that many of the plants my grandmother had didn't come from this part of the world fascinated me.

She had a wonderful forget-me-not from the Chatham Islands, which was a magnificent plant with an even more magnificent leaf which my grandmother called a calf's lug.

I had no idea what a lug was and I remember her holding me in her arms and letting me feel the ear of a young calf and it felt exactly the same as the plant leaf.

While I loved the plants I wasn't so keen on the hard work, although I got to recognise that gardening is hard work and you do get caught up in it.

Then, when I came to the Manse in Dunmurry I was fortunate to have an area which was a bit of a wilderness in which to create a garden. I just put plants in that I like; there is noth-

However, I'm not as fit now and I need some help.

The saddest thing is when I see part of it going back to its natural state.

I'm also delighted that the Northern Ireland Flower Association got a Hosta named after me for my 80th birthday.

Hostas are one of the plants I admire very much because of the rich variety of form, shape and colour.

The Rev Mac Hosta was grown in a nursery in Antrim and is a lovely wrinkled grey/blue.

The Association is going to the Chelsea Flower Show this year and to help finance it Belfast City Council is to plant a bed of Rev Mac Hostas.

To get a plant named after you is quite something.

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ing scientific about it. I couldn't call myself a gardener. I learned by my mistakes.

I am not really keen on formal gardens, I think they lack the exquisite beauty of the wonderment of being able to go round a corner and not know what to expect. It is a fascinating hobby.

I find the study of plants absolutely intriguing.

My biggest disaster was trying to make a pond. The garden is on a slope and I had dug out the pond when a friend pointed out that when I put water in it, the water would run out again.

Belfast Telegraph Weekend 15 March 2014

FASCINATED BY FLOWERS: Reverend William McMillan in his award-winning garden

‘‘

I do love dandelions, they are exquisite

It was common sense that you can't put water on a slope.

My favourite flower is whatever I am looking at that time.

I do love dandelions, I think they are absolutely exquisite and I am very intrigued that there is a dandelion society in Japan where they grow them in all sorts of colours.

I would love an area to grow dandelions.

Before I retired I would rise about 5.30am and go into the garden until about 9am; then I had my paid work to do and then after that was finished I would be back in the garden. Every opportunity I had I was creating it.

Barbara Picher has been a regular on BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardener’s Corner for 15 years. She is famous for creating her own magical garden at Lisdoonan, outside Saintfield, where she also ran a successful herb nursery for many years. Barbara is married to Jonathan, a retired Queen’s University Professor in Paleoecology, and they have two children and two grandchildren. She says: I'm not sure where my interest in gardening came from, although my father did have a garden and grew fruit and vegetables. When I was about seven I had a huge collection of plants which I kept under my bed.

I studied Botany at Queen's and then worked as a botanist for the Ulster Museum for a few years before leaving to start my family.

}

As a student living on a budget with not too much to spend on food I got interested in herbs and grew my own on my windowsill. Back then in the Seventies herbs weren't really available.

I did some horticulture training, including a course at the Chelsea Physic garden, which opened my eyes to the global importance of herbs as medicine. I began to grow herbs, always organically, as a small commercial enterprise, bringing them to plant fairs, running workshops on growing and using home grown produce.

I also restored and planted gardens all with the theme of herbs or period plants.

I worked at the Physic Garden at Greyabbey, doing the planting scheme and growing the herbs and supervised the maintenance for 12 years.

When we bought the house at Lisdoonan it was ready to tumble down and we restored it and then created the garden from a large part of the grounds.

Over the years we have opened it for the National Trust, the Organic Society and various other charities.

It is a productive garden. It was always my main aim to produce food for the family. I have always had that interest in going from the garden to the kitchen long before it became very popular.

Growing your own is very empowering and an essential thing to do as it is getting to the stage when food security is becoming a real issue.

Gardening is my recreation. I always loved growing things and germinating seeds and watching plants develop. I love exchanging information with other people and my workshops and talks are usually on easy ways to grow things and how to use them.

I think there is no point growing something if you don't know what to do with it.

You do make mistakes but that's part of the natural process and part of the fun and how you learn.

We did plant a Kifsgate rose in our small orchard and it brought down a couple of old apple trees before we decided it had to go.

If I had to choose one favourite plant it would be an Ashmead's Kernel apple tree, very late fruiting, excellent keeper and really delicious. At the moment, though, I really love oldfashioned roses.

Now that I have recently retired from the business, I am enjoying furthering my interest in growing and cooking, and encouraging wildlife in the garden, lecturing, continuing to broadcast and write a column on gardening with wildlife for The Irish Hare, the magazine of Ulster Wildlife.

~

LIFELONG PASSION: Gardener’s Corner regular Barbara Picher

15 March 2014 Weekend Belfast Telegraph

9

INTERVIEW

T

he nickname given to Cherrie McIlwaine at school is an affectionate one, and telling of more innocent times. ‘Cherry Blossom' attended Glenlola Collegiate in Bangor in the 1950s and the most mischief she got up to on summer evenings was running with her classmates through the trees and shrubberies of Ward Park, the epicentre of their imaginary world.

I have to check my notes to make sure 1951 really is the year she told me she was born (like me and many others I meet these days, she has to think what age she is when asked).

With her fresh, fair complexion, she has none of the weather-beaten hallmarks of the average gardening enthusiast and she could easily be taken for ten years younger.

She has fine features and a slender willowy frame, and is stylishly turned out in kneehigh boots to match her purple print outfit and well-cut soft grey coat. We meet in Dobbins Cafe in Belfast City Hall, where she has been attending a lunch upstairs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Rose Trials at Lady Dixon Park.

“We have such wonderful rose breeders here, from Sam McCready to Colin Dixon,” she says over the cappuccinos she has insisted on buying. “To be honest I'm always blown away by snowdrops, but I'm also very fond of roses — mine would need a good old mulch of manure, at the minute. I have a nice raspberry pink Zephyne Drouhin, which I think I've put in the wrong place in the garden, and some tiny Gertrude Jeckyll mini roses, and David Austin roses, and wood anemones, dog-tooth violets and magnolia — not the big, fat, highly scented ones. I like the grape muscari variety; they come in white and a lovely cobalt blue.”

The Radio Ulster gardening and music presenter lives alone in Comber behind a turn-of-the-century (ie. 19th) Presbyterian church, in a small “falling down” terrace house she bought in 1983. It has an open staircase made from old oak counters from the building we're sitting in, and a woodland garden with willow, maple and dogwood trees.

“It's very modest but it has character,” she says in her clear, unaffected voice. “When I went to view it there was a roaring fire on and the first thing I noticed was this very unusual round stained-glass window at the top of the stairs. There are steps up to the kitchen and an open yard with a path I share with my lovely neighbours. I had help from my friends and family with the garden — it's smallish and it just keeps evolving. I find it very hard not to buy more plants. As Mike Snowden says, the space between plants is as important as the plants themselves, but I'm getting better as I get older.”

The broadcaster has been staying with her mother Elizabeth since the active 90-year-old had a recent unexpected bout of ill-health.

There is a history of horticulture on the maternal side of the family and Cherrie would dearly love to have met her great-great grandfather William Shaw, a fruit farmer in Alyth in Perthshire, and her great uncle Jack Shaw, a buyer in the Flower Hall in Harrods. Her late father Tommy also loved gardening.

10

CHERRIE Her career continues to blossom

Green-fingered broadcaster Cherrie McIlwaine looks back on a lifetime in gardening and reveals why plants and flowers bring her so much pleasure. By Una Brankin “As I child I remember dad turning a muddy plot at the back of our new house into a big green playground with apple trees, assorted shrubs, sweet pea and our own potatoes,” she recalls. “He was a keen golfer and one of the greenkeepers at Bangor Golf Club came to help us create a velvety green lawn.

I remember a happy sunny family day with rakes and sieves and sowing grass seed, then watching with wonder as it gradually

Belfast Telegraph Weekend 15 March 2014

turned green. That sense of wonder with all plants has never left me.”

Tommy McIlwaine was a clothing manufacturing agent. The samples and swatches he brought home gave his creative eldest daughter a life-long fascination with fabric — she made jackets and skirts for herself as a hard-up student and still occasionally sews cushion covers and oddments for charity fund-raising stalls.

“My father would bring home these display boxes of wee baby bootees, the most impossibly beautiful concoctions, and the very best cotton vests and wool coats for us. I still love to sew — I'd love to have a design studio one day. I like to paint too, abstract, with acrylics, but it's hard to find the time.”

With her needlework and gardening skills Cherrie resembles a Jane Austen heroine and she also has the elegance, manners and

BLOOMING SUCCESS: Radio Ulster gardening and music presenter Cherrie McIlwaine and (right) Cherrie’s own garden

slight reserve of one. But she has never found her Mr D'Arcy. “There was one American guy I liked at university in Dublin but he was on a one-year exchange,” she recalls, a bit reluctantly. “We shared the same lodgings and he was lovely. He was a poet — but not a selfindulgent one. A serious one, and he was funny. We wrote for a while. There were other people I liked and loved but I think I had too much on my mind for all that.

“I wasn't into these hard, intense relationships; I don't cope with that very well. I was never engaged — there probably were moments, but it just didn't feel right at the time. And I'd be scooting off home every weekend. My brother was ill at the time.”

The eldest of three originally, Cherrie has a younger sister, Julie, who lives in Inverness.

Sadly, her brother Barry died from Multiple Sclerosis at 25. He was diagnosed during his

teens after the disease affected his optic nerves and damaged his vision.

“He was a brilliant wee boy, very mischievous, always getting into scrapes,” she says quietly. “He had a great capacity for friendship and we were very much kindred spirits. He coped with his illness so bravely.

As I get older I see how courageous he was, in retrospect. The dreadful ravages of MS are often overlooked. He had no remission.”

Mum Elizabeth remains very involved with her local MS Society, regularly attending their meetings and social clubs.

“I'm very close to mum and yes, I miss my sister but we're on the phone all time and I have my two lovely nieces Marie (16) and Laura (18) that I'm very lucky to have in my life,” says Cherrie. “They come over to stay on their holidays — I had Marie out shopping in Urban Outfitters recently. They're really good girls.”

At her nieces’ ages, Auntie Cherrie was backpacking and working throughout her summer holidays in Paris, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where incidentally she was offered plenty of hashish but never tried it. After that she studied English Literature from 1970-74 at Trinity College, Dublin, under the tutelage of the “stimulating, provocative, charming and knowledgeable” poet and writer Brendan Kennelly. Her face lights up at his name and at the memories of her amateur acting days with the Trinity Players, where she started as a prompter.

“I'd been bowled over by Godspell in the Gaiety but I was happy enough just to work as a prompter until I had to stand in for one of the smaller roles in a production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit one night, which led within days to the lead role when Dillie Keane dropped out,” she says. “It was the most fabulous feeling when the curtain came down that first night. The whole thing was quite magical. It's a very rarified world and a heady experience, waiting in the wings and feeling the heat of the lights on your face, then inviting people to come into that world through the lines you've learned and you deliver. I'd love to do some more acting in the future, if I had the time.”

I'm mildly surprised at this, as she doesn't seem actressy or luvvie at all, until she explains that it's the quality of the writing for the stage that she's attracted to, rather than any glamorous aspect. That love of writing led her to a job after graduation in the children's books department at Eason's in Dublin but when Barry's illness progressed, she came home and took a job in the planning department of the Civil Service, working

there for seven years until Downtown Radio started up in March, 1976.

“I had a terrible flu when I went into meet the boss, John Anderson,” she recalls.

“He asked me if I liked music and put me in charge of setting up the record library.

“It wouldn't happen like that these days. It was a wonderful job — I loved sorting through all these boxes of albums from the record companies in London. They were all so keen to get the charts going here at the time.”

Cherrie left Downtown in 1983 to join BBC Radio Ulster and has been there ever since, presenting her popular music show and Gardening Corner. She also filmed the Greenmount Garden programme for BBC NI but the series was cancelled. One wonders if the show would have been saved if the refined Cherrie had the more extrovert appeal of the bra-less Charlie Dimmock or the flamboyant Diarmuid Gavin.

“It was a pity,” she agrees. “There are plenty of network gardening shows on but our local gardening conditions are different.

We're so close to the sea and land. There's great support for the radio programme, though. I was at a packed roadshow in Richill recently and when I asked how many there were gardeners, only a few put up their hands, but when I asked how many loved plants, all hands went up. Even if it's just making a window-box, there's such enthusiasm out there.”

N

ot having even the palest shade of green fingers — I've managed to murder a bonsai and laurel tree, and every single flowering plant I've ever been given — I'm envious of the therapeutic effects gardeners get from their labours. There's a spiritual aspect in Cherrie's appreciation of nature, which she sees as part of the work of a higher power.

“To look at a Love In A Mist Nigella seed and to see how beautifully it is designed and works just blows me away,” she admits. “The intricacy and the toughness in the DNA of that tiny living thing, and the little tropical plants in holes in arid dusty plains just waiting patiently for rain so they can burst into growth — creation never ceases to amaze me.

Even the design of a blood vessel.

“I'd be afraid of sounding cliched, but I do find it therapeutic and spiritual. You can pray in a garden — or in the car or when you're brushing your teeth. I do go to church at Easter — that's a very important time for me, the renewal aspect; it makes you stop and assess what your beliefs are, especially on Good Friday. I usually go to the cathedral then, and I light candles in churches wherever I am in the world, including Italy recently.”

Before she heads back to Comber I ask Cherrie, with her acting hat on, who could she imagine playing her if her life story was filmed. Cate Blanchett maybe? Ever modest, she laughs off the suggestion and says she prefers Silk star Maxine Peake.

You can catch Cherrie McIlwaine on Gardeners Corner on Saturdays, 9.059.30am, on BBC Radio Ulster, as well as her chilled-out music and chat on the Late Show, Monday-Wednesday, 10–11.55pm

TURN OVER FOR CHERRIE’S TOP TIPS r

15 March 2014 Weekend Belfast Telegraph

11

INTERVIEW

“When starting from scratch, just create a small corner and pick three plants” e

What are the best bedding plants to put in now to last all summer?

Petunias, busy lizzies and begonias are bright and cheery. I also like cosmos cornflowers and love-in-a-mist nigellas.

Is it best to plant now or to wait until after Easter?

It's too soon now, better to wait until the end of April when you're sure the frost has gone, unless you have a greenhouse.

Any tips for helping flowering plants keep their colour?

Just good soil preparation. Buy new purposemade compost — bags that have been sitting outside for a while pick up grubs. Dead-head and seed regularly.

Is it true that spraying on mix of washingup liquid and water keeps slugs from gobbling plants, and that Vaseline is good for yukka leaves?

No, that's sometimes a remedy for greenfly but I wouldn't do that at all, and if you did that on a sunny day you'd scorch the plant. And I'd just wipe yukka leaves with a wet cloth — Vaseline would attract dust and dirt.

Is there an organic insecticide you’d recommend?

Yes, plant extract derris and pyrethrum are good. There's plenty of good information online about that.

Should a herb garden box be moved around during the day and taken in at night?

Not really. As long as they're reasonably sheltered, herbs are very tough little plants.

Cherrie gives us her personal tips for a glorious garden What are the best herbs for a beginner’s herb garden?

Rosemary, all types of thyme, lavender (left), oregano, sage, chive and chamomile — it's very aromatic too. Mint is best kept in a container in the ground.

Is hydrochloride from farm supply stores best for removing moss weeds from paving?

I wouldn't recommend it — it's just bleach and you could get it in your eyes and on the plants if you're not careful. I prefer just to use a stiff brush but if you have to use chemicals, ask for advice in a gardening centre.

Which are best for plants’ longevity, plastic or wire hanging baskets?

I prefer wire — plastic gets very hot and the plants can't breathe. Cast iron makes nice half baskets and I like willow ones, lined with moss.

What’s the best way to keep lawns green?

Keep your blade higher for the first cut, never cut when it's very wet, then weed and feed. You can cut in the winter if it's mild and the lawn's driving you mad but it's better to wait until now-ish.

What are the most essential tools for the average and elderly gardener?

You can't beat a good quality pair of secateurs, a trowel, a fork, a spade and padded

knee-pads with handles which make it easier to get up. I find a very small six-pronged rake for the borders of trees and to till the soil. If you're elderly, get rid of some of your grass and go for gravel or paving.

Can bay and camellia trees be wrapped in cling film in the frost?

I wouldn't recommend it — they can't breathe through cling film and it attracts moisture. Light membrane horticultural fleece is best. Keep bay trees close to your house walls and off the ground, and you can put straw at the base.

Which type of gardening gloves do you recommend?

I like light gloves, not heavy rubber and not too tight at the cuff. I put hand-cream on before I put them on, and after, if I remember. I've holes in some of them and have to give my hands a good scrub when I'm finished.

Is it true that if you plant rusty nails with hydrangeas you can change the colour of the leaves?

Not that I've heard of — if you want blue hydrangeas (left) to stay blue, for example, you need aluminium or acid in the soil or they will revert to purpleblue or pink. You can buy products to keep the pH balance right.

What is you top tip for the beginner gardener?

If you're starting from scratch, create a small corner, pick three plants — a small tree, a nice shrub and a perennial. Visit lots of local gardens for inspiration and don't be afraid to have a go.

in her own words ... Cherrie on her spring garden

}

It’s hard to pick a favourite season and I hate the fact that seasonal changes are becoming harder to enjoy as we feel the effects of climate change, but I can’t get past the delight of first new signs of life in spring. I’m transfixed by tiny tough emerging shoots, packed with promise and by seemingly inert buds about to blow us all away as they open.

I try to make time for a daily spot check.

In spring I can’t wait for the Frittilaria and the Dog’s Tooth Violets to emerge fully. I

12

Belfast Telegraph Weekend 15 March 2014

have a real soft spot too for Grape Hyacinths with their velvety blue-green flower spikes.

I love the fact that nature always has the upper hand and prefer a garden which lives a little on the wild side — just as well, because my own garden is that very philosophy in action.

My challenge is to temper such ill-discipline a little and give the garden a greater sense of structure by planting more trees and shrubs. Currently waiting in the queue

are two Buxus Sempervirens; one elegantly conical, one a fat happy ball; a variegated holly, a contorted hazel, some dwarf Rhodedendron and three lovely Dogwoods.

Some gardeners have a great eye when it comes to placing and grouping plants. I have to watch myself as I impatiently put plants too close together. It’s really rewarding to achieve that sense of the right plant in the right place. The diversity and the drop dead gorgeousness of them never ceases to blow me away.

~

MONDAY MARCH 17 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

15

Trainees plot to revive badly neglected garden LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

AN unloved community garden in west Belfast is to be brought back to life and transformed into an allotment.

Residents of the Roden Street area have been urged to get involved with the Keep ’er Lit! scheme, which will see volunteers from supported training and employment organisation NOW rejuvenate an unused garden beside Grosvenor Community Centre.

They will transform the plot into a working green space and allotment, which will be open to the community all-year round.

A professional gardener will be on hand to mentor the volunteers — who are made up of people with varying levels of learning abilities — and help them develop the space and learn new skills in growing healthy, local produce.

It comes as the Belfast Telegraph launches Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little

l The Belfast Telegraph has launched a major new gardening drive called Blooming Marvellous. We’re calling on gardeners and novices across Northern Ireland to take up a trowel and breathe new life into dismal gardens. l We’ll be launching a province-wide gardening competition and serving up a wealth of horticultural articles this spring.

Whether you’re a gardening club, allotment group or you’ve spotted something unusual among the tulips, let us know by emailing lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk. green-fingered magic. The campaign this spring and summer will feature a wealth of gardening coverage, horticultural offers and a series of competitions.

NOW and Grosvenor Community Centre is hoping the Keep ’er Lit! scheme will inspire local people living in the Roden Street area and beyond to visit the garden and get involved.

NOW volunteer services man-

ager Jayne McStay said the idea for the scheme came from trainees at NOW’s social enterprise, Loaf Catering.

“Our catering trainees use fresh produce when in Loaf’s kitchens and they asked us for the opportunity to learn about growing some themselves,” she said.

“We made contact with Grosvenor Community Centre who look after the garden and so

Keep ’er Lit! was born. We hope our presence will pique the interest of the residents and help us make this scheme a success.”

Tina Black, manager of Grosvenor Community Centre, said she was delighted to welcome Keep ’er Lit! to the Roden Street area.

“I would encourage local residents to get involved with Keep ’er Lit! and try out the allotment and garden for themselves,” she said.

Mary Hamilton from Conservation Volunteers, which is supporting the scheme with professional gardeners, said: “We’re not only helping the garden and allotment to grow, we’re helping the volunteers to grow, too, by passing on horticultural skills.”

Keep ’er Lit! is funded by the NGO Challenge Fund, which is financed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and administered by the Northern Ireland Environment Link.

If you would like to volunteer your time to Keep ’er Lit!, contact Jayne McStay on 028 9031 2335, or email Jayne.mcstay@nowproject.co.uk.

Conservation Volunteers’ Mary Hamilton, NOW volunteer Francis Fitzsimons and NOW head of service Pauline Fitzsimons with (back) Tina Black, manager of Grosvenor Community Centre, and Bell Black, from Roden Street Community Development Association, at the launch of the Keep ‘er Lit! scheme

WEDNESDAY MARCH 19 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

It used to be a patch of grass... now it’s an urban wood teeming with wildlife

BY LINDA STEWART THE trees were planted just 15 years ago, but this infant wood on the outskirts of Bangor has now been named a Local Nature Reserve.

Kilcooley Wood is the latest woodland to become one of 27 Local Nature Reserves across Northern Ireland — areas rich in wildlife that are accessible to people and provide them with opportunities to be close to wildlife.

It is the third Local Nature Reserve in the North Down council area, joining Balloo Wetlands and Balloo Woodland.

The wood is a green oasis stretching along one side of the busy Rathgael Road. On the other side of the road, the magnificent veteran trees within the privately-owned Clandeboye Estate provide an impressive backdrop.

The land is owned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which once maintained it as mown grass parkland. It leased the land to the Woodland Trust in the late 1990s.

The news comes as the Belfast Telegraph launches Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic. The campaign will feature a wealth of gardening coverage, horticultural offers and a series of competitions. Patrick Cregg (below), director of the Woodland Trust, said the designation of Kilcooley Wood recognised the invaluable role played by local people.

“We’re extremely grateful for the invaluable support received from everyone, including the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Kil-

e The Belfast Telegraph has launched a gardening drive called Blooming Marvellous. We're calling on gardeners and novices across Northern Ireland to take up a trowel and breathe new life into dismal gardens. e We'll be launching a province-wide competition and serving up a wealth of horticultural articles this spring. Whether you're a gardening club, allotment group or you've spotted something unusual among the tulips, let us know by emailing: lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk cooley Community Forum, who helped this well-loved woodland to take shape,” he said.

“Some 15 years ago, local residents, groups and schoolchildren rallied to help us plant thousands of native trees here — mostly oak with scatterings of willow, alder and birch in the wetter areas.

Today, the young trees have flourished and already tower several feet above the tallest of walkers.”

Woodland Trust volunteer, Peter Lyons, said: “Kilcooley Wood is the most amazing urban woodland, enjoyed by walkers on a daily basis.

“In springtime, visitors will find scatterings of lesser celandine and bluebells, mostly along the woodland edge, while summer brings early purple orchids and meadow brown butterflies. You will often see chaffinches and, if you’re lucky, the occasional sparrowhawk, no

INSIDE

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An opportunity to make Northern Ireland nicer DebateNI, Page 23

doubt visiting from Clandeboye Estate.

“This welcome designation recognises the importance of the wood, in terms of nature conservation and community value.”

The Local Nature Reserve declaration was received from North Down Borough Council in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside.

Mayor of North Down, Councillor Andrew Muir, said: “The council was very pleased to recommend Kilcooley Wood for LNR designation and would congratulate all those involved in enhancing this area and helping to secure this important conservation accolade.”

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are areas that have been specially set aside for biodiversity.

In contrast to other designated sites, such as National Nature Reserves, LNRs do not have to contain rare or threatened species or habitats. LNRs are sites where the principal objective is nature conservation.

11

Psychic is guilty of care home cash scam

BY ASHLEIGH McDONALD newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Nature enthusiast: Luis Dawson, from Bangor, in Kilcooley Wood. Inset, from top, scatterings of lesser celandine and bluebells can be found along the woodland edge

THE former manager of a west Belfast care home has been found guilty of false accounting.

Patrick Doak, a self-styled psychic and spiritual healer from Lagmore Meadows in Dunmurry, was the registered manager of Owenvale Court Residential Home — also known as the St John's of God Residential Home — on the Springfield Road when a series of offences were committed.

The 50-year-old denied any wrong-doing, but was found guilty of five counts of false accounting.

The jury returned ‘not guilty' verdicts on a count of attempted forgery and a charge of fraud.

His sister Bridgene Kelly (55), from Linden Gardens in Belfast, who at the time of the offences also worked in the home as a care worker, was found guilty of forgery and false accounting.

Belfast Crown Court heard that a discrepancy of £1,700 was discovered in February 2010 in the residents’ accounts which were managed by care home staff.

THURSDAY MARCH 20 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

Pupils spring into action to take up gardening challenge

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

SPRING is here at last — and it’s time to do battle.

Schoolchildren across Northern Ireland are rolling up their sleeves and cleaning off their trowels as they prepare for a series of gardening challenges at this year’s Garden Show Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s biggest gardening festival moves to a new home this spring, changing from its traditional Hillsborough venue to the spectacular Antrim Castle Gardens.

It comes as the Belfast Telegraph launches Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic. The campaign this spring and summer will feature a wealth of gardening coverage, horticultural offers and a series of competitions.

Green-fingered pupils all over Northern Ireland are now busy

winning schools receiving a Buzzy Bees Gardening Kit and trees provided by CAFRE Greenmount College.

Nicholas Crawford from sponsors Allianz said: “We are delighted to be involved again with the schools activity at Garden Show Ireland. These initiatives provide a fun way of teaching children e The Belfast Telegraph has launched a gardening drive called about the world around them and Blooming Marvellous. We're calling on gardeners and novices encourages them to get active in across Northern Ireland to take up a trowel and breathe new their own school gardens.” life into dismal gardens.

Coordinated by the Integrated e We'll be launching a province-wide competition and serving Education Fund, primary school children from integrated schools up a wealth of horticultural articles this spring. Whether throughout Northern Ireland are you're a gardening club, allotment group or you've spotted something unusual among the tulips, let us know by emailing: also invited to create colourful scarecrows which will surround lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Allianz Scarecrow Square. Inhabitants will include sporting heworking on designs for the schools and colleges can design roes as well as eco-friendly, scary Schools Garden Challenge, Scare- and build a garden to be displayed and traditional scarecrows.

Claire Faulkner, director of Garcrow Square and the Edible Con- at Garden Show Ireland in May tainers Competition, all sponsored with the winning school receiving den Show Ireland, said the schools

by Allianz, a long-term supporter a trip for 30 pupils to the Omni- activity is a vital part of the show.

“It is important to us that young of Garden Show Ireland. plex courtesy of Junction One. The theme of the 2014 Allianz New for 2014, primary schools people have the opportunity to Schools Garden Challenge is ‘An are invited to design An Edible experience the benefits of garEdible Garden’ and teams from Garden In A Container with the dening and especially the value of

21

Create a woodland wonder with free tree packs

BY LINDA STEWART

Jessica Calvert and Aaron Calvert from Ballycraigy Primary School in Antrim

growing your own food. It is also great fun working with the next generation of gardeners,” she said.

Taking place in a brand new venue for 2014, an expanded newlook Garden Show Ireland will include appearances by C4’s River Cottage team, Alys Fowler from BBC Gardeners’ World and worldrenowned Irish plantswoman Helen Dillon.

With thousands of specialist plants, great garden shopping, garden designers and show gardens, a craft village, a free design pavilion, artisan food stalls, live music, garden gourmet, garden challenges, a dedicated kids zone and more, the event promises to be the ultimate garden show experience for gardeners of all ages.

The 2014 Garden Show Ireland will run from May 9 to 11 at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking adjacent. Adults are £10 (conc. £8) and free for children under 16. There is a reduced rate for online booking. For more, visit www.gardenshowireland.com.

HALF a million trees are up for grabs for community groups and schools who want to green up their surroundings.

The Woodland Trust says people can apply online now for free tree packs that will be made available for planting towards the end of the year.

The packs come in different sizes and themes designed to make schools, neighbourhoods and communities greener and will be delivered this November.

Community groups such as sports clubs, Brownies, Scouts and many more can apply for either a small pack (30 trees), medium pack (105 trees), or a large pack (420 trees).

Schools are automatically eligi-

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Claire Harrison: it’s tough being a middle-class mum Life, Page 33 ble for free packs of 30 trees, in either a ‘hedge' or ‘copse' theme, but can apply to be considered for the medium and large packs.

Meanwhile, schools and communities applying for the medium and large tree packs can choose from six themes — trees ideal for year-round colour, wild harvest, wildlife, wetland, working wood and wild wood.

Beverley Gormley, the trust's tree packs project manager, said: “Planting trees is a simple yet effective way to improve our environment, and with this fantastic offer it couldn’t be easier. It’s also the perfect way to get communities doing something meaningful together, which will bring benefits for years to come. We hope as many people as possible will snap up the tree packs.”

To apply for your free tree pack, head to www.woodland trust.org.uk/freetrees.

Life

BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY MARCH 26 2014

27

RELATIVELY SPEAKING: RALLY DRIVER STEPHEN WRIGHT AND SISTER SUSANNE: PAGE 29 q THE FALL’S JAMIE DORNAN ON COPING WITH FAME AND HIS NEW TV ROLE: PAGE 30

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LINDY McDOWELL: BELFAST SHOULD BE PROUD OF ITS JEWISH COMMUNITY: PAGE 31

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Planting a seed: clockwise from top, Linda Stewart and daughter Neve; Ann McCarron, and Clive Kavanagh at work on their patches DAVID FITZGERALD

THE PLOT THICKENS* *solving the mystery of our love for allotments

For as little as £20 a year, growing numbers of city and town dwellers are getting their hands dirty on their own little bit of ground. Linda Stewart and her fellow gardeners explain why they dig it

T

here’s nothing quite like having a little corner of earth to call your own, and it’s even more rewarding when you can put it to good use, whether it’s a square of lawn or a fully fledged garden replete with trees, bushes and shrubbery.

For many green-fingered garden enthusiasts, however, there’s an added pleasure in going beyond growing the usual bulbs and creepers and cultivat-

ing your own little fruit and vegetable plot.

For those who don’t have the room in their gardens to install a patch,

though, sometimes the answer is to take out an allotment in a special dedicated site away from home. Not only does it provide a fertile and manage-

able patch of land in a secure location, it’s also a gateway to an entire subculture of fellow enthusiasts who are usually only too happy to share tips and techniques for extra big yields or prizewinning produce.

Such is the popularity of allotments — which can be rented for as little as £20-30 a year — that waiting lists for council-owned ones can often be measured in years.

But for those prepared to be pa-

tient the rewards can be great, with allotments often providing a lifetime of pleasure, even into the retirement years.

As part of the Belfast Telegraph’s brand new Bloomin’ Marvellous campaign we look at what these plots of land mean to the people who put their heart, soul — and some back-breaking labour — into making them work.

TO PAGE 28

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

WEDNESDAY MARCH 26 2014

28 LIFE

Ann: ‘There’s a real community spirit’ FROM PAGE 27 Ann McCarron (42) is a housewife and part-time student from Derriaghy. She is married to IT manager Colum and has three boys, Thomas (12), Jamie (6) and Max (3). She has a plot at Colin Community Allotments in Poleglass, which is managed

by Groundwork NI. She says:

M

y granny was a really good gardener. Everyone used to describe her as greenfingered, although I was too young to understand what they meant — I thought she actually had green fingers!

I got into gardening when I was eight or nine just helping around the garden at home in Glengoland and I had my own wee patch for growing flowers and lettuce.

It didn’t really take off until I got my own place in my 20s and then I really got into it. I built a pond which I landscaped around and I had about 30 fish.

I really got into growing my own food at home. But it was a small garden and we built an extension over half of it. I did have a small greenhouse where I grew cucumbers and tomatoes but it got very beaten up by the wind

and we had to take it down.

I put my name down for an allotment in Lisburn and I’ve been on the list for five years now. Two years ago my husband heard something on the radio about Colin Allotments harvest festival and phoned me, and I was straight in the car driving around looking for it, but I couldn’t find the place.

Then the next day we went out in the car again and I found it, but there must have been a volunteer

‘I love the idea of growing my own food’ event on, as the gates were locked and I was peering through the fence going ‘Hello! Hello!’

I pestered the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership every week until they eventually gave me a half plot and six months after that I got a full plot. I’m now studying horticulture at Greenmount because I realised I would like to work in this area if I can. I also volunteer at the allotments every week learning new horticultural skills.

Rhubarb rhubarb: Anne McCarron at Colinwell Allotments DAVID FITZGERALD

Because I started with half a plot I tried to squeeze as much in as I could. Last year I had sweetcorn, squashes (which I was told couldn’t grow here and I ended up with 20!), raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, beetroot, car-

rots, purple spouting broccoli, broccoli, all sorts of peas, potatoes, leeks, onions and garlic. In the winter I grew savoy cabbage — I ate the last one two weeks ago.

It’s my wee bit of heaven. I’ve got three boys who love the allot-

ment. The oldest loves all the wildlife up there and there is a really lovely community spirit.

It’s in the middle of nowhere, halfway up a mountain. You think you are there only 10 minutes and you’ve actually been there for

three hours, doing nothing but chat, dig and sow. The time flies because you’re enjoying yourself.

I love the whole idea of growing my own and the kids love being able to say “We grew this ourselves”.

! s t n e m t o l l a n o n Having a lot of fu Facts and figures

Linda: ‘I love going there with my daughter’

Council

Carrickfergus Belfast Lisburn Derry Newtownabbey North Down Larne Castlereagh TOTAL

Belfast Telegraph Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart (42) is married to Lee (31), and they have a two-year-old daughter, Neve. She has a plot at Minnowburn Allotments in south Belfast, which is managed by the National Trust. She says:

E

very summer we used to build little huts at the back of my grandpa’s house in Co Monaghan. While we were busy arguing about it, he would be toiling in his vegetable garden, maintaining perfect trenches of onions, cabbages, carrots and spuds.

Even in the depths of winter, the promise of spring was always there, in the straw-coloured bunting of desiccated peapods strung across kitchen windows.

My mum picked up the bug too, cultivating rows of peas and broad beans along the back of the garden. But I didn’t. I loved podding peas on the sunny back step, but I detested visits to the garden centre and the cross man who would tell us off for running.

It wasn’t until I bought my own house that I finally got it. There was less than a foot of soil in the back garden before you hit builder’s rubble, but I filled so many pots with herbs and lavender that the back step looked like it had been invaded by a terracotta army.

When I moved to Belfast, I filled pots with cherry tomatoes, sowed

Land girls: Linda Stewart at her plot at Minnowburn.

Inset, with her daughter Neve

salad, planted rhubarb and even grew potatoes in an enormous plastic pot. And I put my name down for allotments at Castlereagh Borough Council and with the National Trust at Minnowburn.

Five years later, I’m still on the council’s waiting list — not really surprising as they have a grand total of four plots for the entire borough. But last spring I was allocated one of the much-sought after plots at Minnowburn, set

‘Neve just loves running about with a trowel’ up a few years ago as part of a National Trust drive to establish 1,000 new allotment and growing space plots throughout the UK by 2012.

When I arrived at the site,

which lies in deep rolling hills close to the neolithic Giant’s Ring, I found it was more manageable than expected.

It took a couple of sessions of back-breaking labour — aided and impeded in equal measure by my toddler Neve — to clear out the couch grass and dock leaves.

If you’re working full-time and you can only get to the allotment every week or two, the key is to start with easy things. I dispensed with pest-prone brassicas and

Number of plots

high maintenance tomatoes, concentrating on things that could get by with occasional weeding and watering.

And we were away — sowing rows of scallions, leeks and beetroot, putting up pea supports, planting seed potatoes in trenches and lines of raspberry canes.

Neve enjoyed running about, digging with her toy trowel, filling pots with “pompost” and occasionally leading me a merry dance.

The biggest beetroot were the size of golf balls as I didn’t thin them properly and the raspberries were a faff, thanks to the maze of netting I put up.

But the potatoes were a resounding success, as were the scallions which are still supplying our kitchen.

Meanwhile, the peas proved the star of the show with Neve getting a real kick out of popping pods.

Only a few meagre bags made it into the freezer.

And the main thing was the joy of waking up on a sunny weekend morning and heading off to the al-

189 167 53 31 25 18 8 6 497

% of plots per council

38.0% 33.6% 10.6% 6.2% 5.0% 3.6% 1.6% 1.2% 100%

lotment with a two-year-old, a dog and a lunchbox of snacks.

We’d spend hours imitating the cows in the next field, goggling at ladybirds and weeding away the cares of the working week before returning home muddy, sunburned and carrying bagfuls of vegetables.

When I was ill for a while at the height of the heatwave, the allotment was as good as a tonic. I couldn’t bear the heat of the house so I’d escape to Minnowburn with a bag of fruit and a tin of Cherry Coke and read a book in the long cool grass under the trees.

It was satisfying to clear away all the dying vegetation at the end of the summer and even better getting the jump on the next season by sowing alliums.

Storms lashed the city through the winter and we didn’t go near the plot — but it was all the sweeter a few weeks ago when the first sunny day of spring finally dawned and we were confronted with fresh shoots of garlic and onion poking through the soil!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 26 2014

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Clive: ‘This takes my mind off feeling unwell’

Wednesday e We ask personalities about the special family relationships in their lives

Healthy hobby: Clive Kavanagh on his own little patch of Eden Former plasterer Clive Kavanagh (49) has a plot at Eden Allotments which are run by Carrickfergus Borough Council and in just a few years have become the biggest allotments in NI. He says:

I

was always interested in growing things when I was young because my mum and dad grew flowers in our back garden in Carrickfergus.

Then I worked abroad when I was younger. I grew stuff when I lived in Germany such as potatoes, leeks and tomatoes. I had a big summerhouse with a garden.

I am disabled now with MS-related fibromyalgia which makes me terribly sleepy and sore and tired. I also have arthritis in my feet and my hips.

But I’ve had this wee allotment now for six years. It is fantastic — it takes your mind off your illness and gives you a wee bit of exercise. My brother helps me with it and so does my nephew.

From the allotment, which is 40 feet by 40 feet, I can grow enough potatoes to do me and my mum all year round. I can get enough onions and tomatoes to do us all year as well.

Every day I’m here I bring my Jack Russell dog, Maggie. She is here all the time and she knows where to walk and where not to walk. She will go up and down the walkways and avoid the plots.

I grow carrots, parsnips, onions, leeks, strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, turnips and plums. I have six plum trees and I’ve a couple of flower beds with dahlias and tulips. There are a couple of arches with trellises where I grow clematis and roses as well.

In the summer, I am here most days. If I’m not well enough to work, I sit in the sun on my seat.

I have a wee kettle in the shed and I make a cup of tea.

‘In the summer I would be here most days’ It’s about getting out in the fresh air. It’s so enjoyable planting things and watching them grow and eating them.

It’s really, really good.

It’s better than sitting in the house being sick and bored. It would drive you to suicide — that’s how I feel sometimes. You’re aching and sore and you just don’t feel well all the time.

I feel ill most days but the allotment is like a wee pick-me-up.

Even if you can’t do anything, it’s great just sitting and having a chat with your mates.

My illness leaves me.

laying the groundwork l Allotments have been around for hundreds of years, dating back as far as Anglo-Saxon times, but the system in place in the UK has its origins in the 19th century when land was given over to the labouring poor to grow food due to the industrialisation of the country and the lack of a welfare state. l The 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act placed a duty on local authorities to provide sufficient allotments according to demand and at the end of the First World War land was made available to all, as a way of helping returning servicemen.

l The situation is different in Northern Ireland, where there is no obligation on councils to respond to demand by providing allotments, and the vast majority don’t provide any at all. l The last few years have seen a surge in the number of people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, sparking a rise in private allotments and community-led projects in urban areas. l Now there are allotments dotted all over Northern Ireland, from the Stormont estate to the National Trust’s Springhill site in Magherafelt.

29

relatively speaking

Name: Stephen Wright Age: 24 Occupation: civil engineer and rally driver Relationship to Susanne: brother

Wright stuff: brother and sister rallying team Stephen and Susanne are keeping it in the family

R

ally driving is a real family interest. Dad raced a lot in the 1970s and ’80s and then got involved again when I started. I’m the youngest in the family and Susanne is the middle of my three older sisters. We’re all very close and always have been. My other two sisters never caught the rallying bug, which is just as well because it gives mum and dad two less things to worry about!

Susanne has been co-driving with me since 2011, although this will be the first time I’ve driven in the Circuit of Ireland Rally with her. Susanne was really into horse riding and eventing in her younger years and although she had done a bit of co-driving here and there, it wasn’t until a few years ago that she got really involved.

She’s very good at her job and even if she wasn’t my sister, I’d still want her as my codriver. As kids, we all boarded at the Royal School in Armagh.

Our mum and her family are from the city and that’s where the family business, Wright Quarry Products, is based, where I also work as a civil engineer.

Motorsport has always been my passion, but because Susanne works full-time as well, finding time for practice and preparation can be difficult.

It can get quite tense during a race, but Susanne and I com-

Motorsport Ireland’s young Rally Driver of the Year Stephen Wright works for his family’s construction business in Armagh and will be joining his sister Susanne as the first brother and sister team to take part in this year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally. They are both originally from Monaghan Name: Susanne Wright Age: 29 Occupation: corporate finance manager and rally driver Relationship to Stephen: sister

M ‘Susanne and I communicate really well’

municate really well and we’ve never had any disagreements.

She is very competitive and always has been, whether she’s been rallying or riding horses.

She is also very calm, switched on and alert when she’s racing.

These qualities make her a great sister as well as co-driver.

More women are getting involved in the sport. There are some brilliant female drivers on the rally circuit now and the number of female co-drivers is on the increase.

I think women make good drivers in general — but then with three big sisters, I wouldn’t dare say anything else!

y two sisters and I were very protective of Stephen when we were growing up. He was very well-behaved — for a boy — and never caused too much trouble.

He was always into racing and was on quads and go-karts from a very young age. It was obvious he was going to be into rally driving, just like our dad.

As a child, I wasn’t into cars at all. Horses were my thing. It was only when I was around 23 that I became interested in rallying after watching Stephen compete and decided to take part in a small event, just for the craic.

I really enjoyed it — the adrenaline rush and also the social side. Then I did a few more events co-driving for one of Stephen’s friends and when Stephen’s codriver at the time wasn’t available for a few races, I stood in and it progressed from there.

When I did my first Circuit of Ireland with dad in 2008, it was only my third or fourth major rally.

I work for Price Waterhouse Cooper in Dublin, as a manager in the corporate finance department, and I’m also doing my final

it’s rally rather good ... e The Circuit of Ireland Rally 2014 gets into gear on Thursday, April 17, with a ceremonial start in Belfast. The two-day rally kicks off the following day with the course set to cover more than 230 kilometres, taking in stages in Belfast and Co Down and Co Antrim, before finishing back in Belfast on the evening of Saturday, April 19. e The Rally HQ and Service Park

will be located in Titanic Quarter and will welcome more than 1,000 competitors and team personnel. e The Circuit is expected to attract more than 10 million TV viewers globally, as well as thousands of spectators and team officials who will travel to Northern Ireland. e For full details, visit www.circuitofireland.net

accountancy exams this year. I don’t get home as much as I’d like, so as well as being a hobby, rallying allows me to spend time with my family because they all come along to support us.

The main role of a co-driver is to navigate the car using pacenotes, which describe the course in detail. Using these, the co-driver relays information to the driver such as what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity of the turn, and what obstacles to look

‘I only sit with people I trust, like Stephen’ out for. The toughest thing about the job is making sure to ‘call’ the right notes at each stage of the race.

The speed involved doesn’t really scare me. I know it’s a dangerous sport, but I try not to think about it. I’ve been involved in a few minor crashes, but nothing serious.

I tend to only sit with people I trust comple tely — like Stephen. He’s got a very cool head for someone so young. He is committed to what he wants to do.

He’s also a very good brother.

He’s always watching out for us all, but he’d never let on.

INTERVIEWS: AUDREY WATSON

THURSDAY APRIL 3 2014

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7

Duchess of Cornwall blooms ... while Prince Charles boxes clever at Army gym

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON IT was a blooming marvellous day as Hillsborough in Bloom’s 2014 campaign got the royal seal of approval.

And Prince Charles had ringside seats as he toured an Army boxing gym near Belfast.

On the second day of the royal couple’s visit to Northern Ireland, the Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception hosted by Lisburn City Council to launch the village’s campaign — Hillsborough 2014: Going For Gold.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall began their two-day trip of the province yesterday with tours in Enniskillen.

On this, the 50th anniversary year of the Britain in Bloom competition, Hillsborough is again a finalist in the large village category.

The Duchess was greeted by the sheriff for Co Down Simon Brien, Lisburn mayor Margaret

INSIDE

q

On the last day of the royal visit Prince Charles shares a joke with soldiers on a visit to Palace Barracks in Holywood, Co Down. Below left: The Duchess of Cornwall and PRESSEYE Lisburn mayor Margaret Tolerton are met by a floral bugler at the launch of Hillsborough in Bloom, and Charles with the Army boxers

Can Game Of Thrones be draw NI Tourism needs?

News, Page 25 Tolerton and director of corporate services at Lisburn City Council Adrian Donaldson.

During her visit, the Duchess viewed a number of displays for the forthcoming Hillsborough in Bloom event including the Hillsborough Bugler — a striking display of red and white carnations.

Camilla launched the 2014 campaign by presenting a tray of plants to Flora McGirr of the Hillsborough Village Committee, before she presented the mayor with a plant from the Prince of Wales’s private residence.

She was introduced to groups of invited guests from the Hillsborough community and also met the talented green-fingered gardening staff of Lisburn City Council who prepare and plant the many floral displays that Hillsborough village is famous for.

Before she left, the mayor’s three-year-old granddaughter,

Emma Smith, presented the Duchess with a small posy.

Meanwhile, the gloves were off as the Prince of Wales toured an Army boxing gym near Belfast.

Prince Charles is colonel-inchief of the Mercian Regiment.

The Northern Ireland-based 2 Mercian Battalion has undertak-

en five tours of duty in Afghanistan and is one of the most decorated in the British Army, having served in all four corners of Helmand.

Charles never flinched as members of the regiment pummelled pads or skipped a short distance away.

Soldiers at Palace Barracks, Holywood, are preparing for a tournament with their Scottish rivals and the workrate was intense. The Prince joked to one youthful competitor: “You have not been knocked out yet?” as he shook hands before posing for photos inside the ring.

Charles also met with soldiers in the cookhouse canteen.

Elsewhere, the Duchess joined children for an Easter egg hunt as she met with families in the garrison church.

Commanding officer of 2 Mercian Lieutenant Colonel Shove Gilby said he was delighted to

host the royal couple. “It is very special. We have got a unique bond with the Prince and we treasure it, and every time he comes to see us it is a really great day for all the boys, all the families and the children to foster that special relationship that we have with the royal family,” he said.

Garden party as volunteers’ hard work bears fruit IT’S a little early in the year for a garden party, but a group of learning disabled gardeners have already been working for eight weeks to transform a community garden on Grosvenor Road.

Yesterday the volunteers from training and employment organisation N ow gathered at Grosvenor Community Garden to celebrate their hard work as part of the Keep ’Er Lit scheme.

They have been labouring alongside members of the Roden Street Community Development Group and plan to grow fruit and

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

vegetables to supply their cafe.

Volunteer service manager Jayne McStay: “This is about building networks. There are conversations happening over the flowerbeds that these guys would normally never have the opportunity to have. They’re building friendships, working in the garden and taking ownership.”

Yesterday the volunteers joined forces with the community group

background The Belfast Telegraph has launched major new gardening drive Blooming Marvellous and we'll be launching a provincewide gardening competition and serving up a wealth of horticultural articles this spring. Whether you're a gardening club, allotment group or you've spotted something unusual among the tulips, let us know by emailing lstewart@belfast telegraph.co.uk. for a celebration including music, refreshments and a cooking demonstration from the catering

trainees showing how the veg being grown in the garden can be used to make soups and curries.

The launch of the new community garden on the Grosvenor Road which is used by adults with learning difficulties

FRIDAY APRIL 4 2014

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23

FERMANAGH FOLKLORE l Meadowsweet is known in Fermanagh as Cuchulainn’s belt. It is said that when the great warrior went into a battle rage, only the smell of meadowsweet would calm him down.

l A cure for warts was to rub a slug (above) on the offending blemish and then prick the animal onto a thornbush. l People in Fermanagh would salute the stoat (above left), if they saw one as it was thought to be venomous. They feared it would either spit in the milk or suck from the teat of a cow and poison the family.

Clockwise from above, a barn owl; the plant meadow sweet, quaking grass; a stoat and (main picture) marsh marigolds

’s h g a n a m r e F f o s le a Fascinating t s id k r fo fe li o t t h g u o meadows br EXCLUSIVE

BY LINDA STEWART

WAILING banshees, hungry grass that sucks out your life force if you walk on it and flowers that stop you getting into trouble for not doing your homework — these were some of the fascinating tales that emerged at a celebration of Fermanagh’s meadows this week.

A hundred schoolchildren and senior citizens from the villages of Garrison, Kesh, Derrygonnelly and Belcoo celebrated the wildlife and cultural heritage of the county’s magnificent meadows as part of an inspiring project led by Ulster Wildlife.

As part of the Growing Together project, they have been creating their own mini-wildflower meadows by designing their plot and setting seeds, while sharing knowledge and skills across the generations.

Earlier this week, they enjoyed a day of fun and friendship to strengthen community ties, with poetry, interviews with grandparents, folklore and tales of the county’s meadows.

The children discovered how Fermanagh meadows are alive with stories and superstitions, learning how the legendary warrior Cuchulainn used meadowsweet to calm his battle rages and hearing eerie tales of the ‘fear gortha’ or hungry grass which could suck the life essence from unwary travellers.

“This project has provided a wonderful opportunity to bring young and old people together to experience the social, health and

Endangered: sound of corncrake is extinct in Fermanagh

wildlife benefits of creating a colourful outdoor classroom,” said Conor McKinney, Living Landscapes Manager with Ulster Wildlife.

“It’s also helped to enthuse and educate local people about the value of our wonderful wildflower meadows, by sharing and learning from one another.”

Mr McKinney said that as wild habitats disappear, so do the stories associated with them.

“If you lose those habitats you lose part of your culture,” he said.

“The corncrake is extinct now in that area and people don’t tell the stories about the bird any more.

“It used to be that the cuckoo call was the first sign of spring — now that it is disappearing, people look to the swallow.”

Carol Connor from Silverhill, who took park in the project, said: “It’s astonishing how much of the stories about the flowers and the wildlife I had forgotten.”

The Growing Together project

Hearing is ‘unnecessary diversion’: McCausland NELSON McCausland said hearings into claims he misled a Stormont committee were an “unnecessary diversion” from the work of his department, when he was questioned yesterday.

The Social Development Minister was among witnesses at the inquiry into allegations of political interference in the running of the Housing Executive.

The DSD committee has been

BY ADRIAN RUTHERFORD examining if there was impropriety or irregularity relating to NIHE-managed contracts.

Much of the inquiry has centred on a meeting Mr McCausland held with double glazing firm Turkington Holdings, a DUP donor, in April 2012. The minister later wrote to the committee stating he had met the Glass and Glazing

Questioned: Nelson McCausland

Federation and not Turkingtons.

The inquiry had heard a civil servant allege Mr McCausland’s office asked for the letter to be changed to say the meeting was with the federation. In December Mr McCausland apologised and said he had inadvertently misinformed MLAs. He has said he does not recall who asked for the letter to be changed and believed the meeting was with the federation.

was assisted by Lakeland Community Care, EcoSeeds, Translink, Saddlers Restaurant Rasharkin and The Big Lunch — the UK’s annual get together for neighbours.

To find out more about Ulster Wildlife’s work, visit www.ulsterwildlife.org

l Travellers were wary of fear gortha or quaking grass in parts of the meadows which they believed would suck the life essence out of them . l Birdsfoot trefoil (below left), was known in Fermanagh as ‘no blame’.

Children who hadn’t done their homework would spend the time before school scouring the countryside for the tiny yellow flower in order to deflect trouble. l Marsh marigolds, also known as mayflowers and associated with the Virgin Mary, would be wrapped in bunches and laid outside neighbours’ doors and windows to keep evil spirits away. l The screech of the barn owl is thought to have given rise to the legend of the banshee, a wailing spirit associated with ring forts.

SATURDAY APRIL 5 2014

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A haven of beauty and serenity for patients and visitors

Pat McAteer talks to Sister Bernie Turley, and (below) the award-winning garden in Newry

POLLUTION levels are falling across England and Wales but health officials are urging people to check local air quality before taking part in outdoor exercise.

The warning from Public Health England (PHE) comes as tens of thousands of runners enter the home straight in their preparations for next week's London Marathon.

The capital is one of around 40 areas gripped by moderate to high levels of pollution.

A fresh air mass is to push the pollution eastwards over the North Sea, weather forecasters said. But PHE is urging people to consult air quality maps before planning strenuous outdoor activity in high pollution areas.

BY LINDA STEWART

ago and the garden had evolved over the years.

“We’ve built round it a bit at a time, trying to get a feel for the place,” he said.

“We’re trying to cater for a lot of different reasons — you have people coming to visit, people using the day care centre, and there are children coming as well.

“The people at day care have great craic out there and there are some laughs and jokes when they’re filling pots. But you need something for people who are looking for a bit of solitude and a bit of time to reflect,” he said.

The sense of smell is very

factfile

The St John's House facility is a 12-bed inpatient unit day care centre opened four days per week, and the Donaldson Counselling and Therapy Centre which provides support to those recently diagnosed with cancer.

Counselling is offered to families, as is bereavement support for children.

important in creating a calming atmosphere, Mr O’Hare said.

“That’s why we have a lot of sweet pea and honeysuckle, and we’re adding climbing roses as well. You get a feel for the place and that takes time. It almost designs itself.

“Every window is a camera so what you are trying to do is create a different picture from each window,” said Mr O’Hare.

Sr Tracey Byrne, day care sister at the Southern Area Hospice, said: “We take great pride in our hospice garden in Newry.”

The Southern Area Hospice is always on the lookout for greenfingered volunteers.

For information contact the voluntary services co-ordinators Rosie Teggarty or Andrea McCann on 028 3026 7711 or teggartyr@southernareahospiceservices.org/mccanna@ southernareahospiceservices.org.

Special offer: bulbs certain to light up any garden IT’S three weeks into our Blooming Marvellous gardening campaign and chances are you’re starting to feel inspired by some of the amazing gardening stories we’re been highlighting.

So, if you’re looking ruefully at those lacklustre borders, here is the answer.

The Belfast Telegraph is offering

every reader 70 summer flowering bulbs absolutely free — a fantastic deal worth £16 per person.

This bumper mix will bring your garden bursting into colour year after year, with a glorious garden display of beautiful blooms.

The collection, from Mont Rose of Guernsey Ltd, will include a

Pollution levels fall but care still urged

BY COLIN FRANCIS

EXCLUSIVE THIS vibrant garden is a haven where hospice patients can chill out, plant flowers or have a moment of quiet contemplation.

Not only is the award-winning garden created by the Southern Area Hospice Service in Newry a relaxing spot that gives patients a lift during a time of extreme difficulty, but it forms part of the day care facility programme where patients can plant hanging baskets and flower pots.

In 2013 the hospice garden was named Northern Ireland's best kept health and social care facility.

It has sheltered walkways to stroll along, a water fountain and seated areas, along with a number of greenhouses packed with flowers and a vegetable patch.

Patient Pat McAteer began coming to the garden as part of the day care service after he had radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for cancer of the oesophagus.

“If the weather is good, I will go round the gardens for a walk. It’s beautiful — the gardener does tremendous work,” he said.

“It’s great looking at all the different plants. Some of the ladies that are there on a Thursday would be really into it. We pot plants ourselves in day care — they put them in the baskets and they would be set in the garden.”

Gardener PJ O’Hare said many of the structural elements were put in place by B&Q some years

17

Colourful: Some of flowers you can grow

wide range of stunning ‘plant and forget’ bulbs and corms, from the magnificent pompom-like Alliums to colourful Oxalis and starry flowered Ixia.

All you need to do to give your garden a well-deserved summer makeover is fill in the form provided on Page 35 and send it off with postage and packaging fee of £3.

MONDAY APRIL 7 2014

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? n io it s o p is d y n n u s a t n a W s t o o r e m o s n w o d t u p t s u J r e n e d r a g a s a r e e r a c a in Sally Hughes, a Level 2 Floristry student at Cafre’s Greenmount College, tends to her flowers

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

IF you want to be one of the UK's happiest workers — become a gardener.

That's the message from Cafre’s Greenmount Campus, which is urging people to consider a career in horticulture after an Royal Horticultural Society survey revealed that most people would prefer to spend their working day in a garden.

A survey of more than 2,000 people found that more than 70% would prefer to spend their day in a garden, while just 9% chose an office.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported in 2012 that gardeners and florists are the UK's happiest workers, with 87% saying they were happy with their job.

A Greenmount spokesman said: “The vast majority put this down

to their ability to manage their own workload and have autonomy over their schedule and daily tasks, while 82% agreed that being able to use and hone their skills every day helped boost their job satisfaction.

“So if you enjoy getting outside, perhaps you should consider swapping the office for a more active career.”

This week, Greenmount is hosting an open event where people will be able to meet horticulture and floristry students studying for a career they love.

“They are training to be estate gardeners, landscape contractors, propagators, garden designers,

‘Perhaps you should consider swapping the office for a more active career’

florists, garden retailers and greenkeepers, and many are keen to start their own horticultural business,” the spokesman said.

“Whatever their special interest, they are part of a ‘growing' number who've realised that what matters to them is the feelgood factor of a career in horticulture.

“If you'd like to ‘grow your own happiness' come along to the Open Event at Greenmount Campus on Wednesday from 4-9pm.

“It's the ideal opportunity to meet staff and students, view facilities and find out more about how to achieve those all-important qualifications that can lead to an active career that's good for both body and soul.”

Greenmount’s invite comes just a few weeks after the Belfast Telegraph launched Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic.

The Voice off key as viewers drop by 500k

Winner: Jermain

THE Voice has drawn its lowest ever average audience for a final show — down more than half a million viewers on last year.

BBC1's singing contest slumped to an average of 6.6 million viewers, a drop from an average of 7.2m viewers who tuned in to watch the 2013 final, won by Northern Ireland singer Andrea Begley.

The final of this year's series —

BY CATHERINE WYLIE the third of the talent show — has pulled in the fewest viewers for a final in the history of the programme. The final of the first series, won by Leanne Mitchell, had an average of 7.1m viewers.

At the programme's peak last night, it had an audience of 8.3m and the BBC said it was the mostwatched programme of the night.

This year's final was won by 19year-old Jermain Jackman. There was a 8.7m peak audience during last year's final show.

Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue claims she is still unsure whether she will rejoin the show for a second series.

The singer is to play a number of live shows later this year which she said she may clash with filming.

NEWS

21

Expenses storm minister must resign, claims Tebbit FORMER Conservative chairman Lord BY ANDREW WOODCOCK Tebbit has become the most senior Tory to call for Maria Miller to resign There have also been calls for an as Culture Secretary, amid controver- overhaul of the system for dealing with sy over her response to an investigation complaints against MPs, which gives responsibility for investigating alleged into her expenses claims.

Lord Tebbit said that the Culture lapses to independent commissioner Secretary's “arrogant” handling of the Kathryn Hudson, but allows the Comscandal had revived voter anger over mons Standards Committee — made up MPs' expenses and had undermined of 10 MPs and three non-voting lay the Government's message that “we're members — the final say on adjudicaall in it together”, adding: “The best tion and setting a penalty.

The committee last week overruled way out of this is for Mrs Miller to reMs Hudson's recommendation that sign.”

He also wrote on the Daily Tele- Mrs Miller should repay £45,000 of exgraph website: “Most Members of the penses claimed on a house shared Commons must have hoped that the with her parents, and instead told her scandals over fiddled expenses had at to hand back £5,800 and say sorry least calmed down, even if not gone for failing to co-operate fully with the 14-month inquiry. away.

But Mrs Miller was accused by a “Now Mrs Miller has not just re-ignited the flames but, by the arrogance Labour backbencher of bullying the of her response to the scandal, poured watchdog, after it was revealed she told Ms Hudson that it would be “irrapetrol on the fire.”

His call came as Labour promised to tional, perverse and unreasonable” to reform Parliament's standards system uphold the complaint against her and in the wake of controversy over the de- warned that she might go over the cision of a panel of MPs to overrule a commissioner's head to ask the Stanwatchdog's judgment on Mrs Miller. dards Committee to intervene.

MONDAY APRIL 14 2014

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19

e n i h s n u s f o s y Little ra

Tall order as green-fingered pupils take up Carrick in Bloom sunflower challenge

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

FOUR thousand packets of sunflower seed are to be distributed to schoolchildren in the hope of turning their fingers green.

The initiative in Carrickfergus will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom scheme, Europe’s largest community gardening campaign.

Carrickfergus and Whitehead towns will represent Northern Ireland this summer in the Britain in Bloom finals.

Carrickfergus in Bloom is asking the borough’s green-fingered youngsters to join the thousands of young gardeners throughout the UK in a mass planting of sunflower seeds during National Gardening Week (April 14-21).

A council spokesman said: “Carrickfergus Borough Council is distributing the sunflower seeds to primary and secondary schoolchildren as part of the Carrickfergus in Bloom Tallest Sunflower Competition.

“What better way to celebrate

background The Belfast Telegraph has launched a major new gardening drive called Blooming Marvellous. We're calling on gardeners and novices across Northern Ireland to take up a trowel and breathe new life into dismal gardens. We'll be launching a province-wide gardening competition and serving up a wealth of horticultural articles this spring. Whether you're a gardening club, allotment group or you've spotted something unusual among the tulips, let us know by emailing lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk this huge anniversary for Britain in Bloom than a mass planting of beautiful golden sunflowers?

“These gorgeous and uplifting plants have been known to grow an astonishing four metres high, which reflects the sort of spirit and drive we associate with our local young people and other volunteers who transform our borough each year.

Above: the pupils of Carrickfergus Central primary school with their packets of sunflower seeds

“We’re providing the seeds as a big thank-you to all the industrious and passionate young people who work to ensure that our borough stays clean, green and beautiful. It is also a chance to do something big for the environment — sunflowers provide vital food for pollinators in summer.”

The Carrickfergus in Bloom Children's Community Competition has a total prize fund of £350.

Other competitions include poetry and painting. Entries for these competitions must be received by September 30.

“Everybody who lives within the borough is invited to take part in Carrickfergus in Bloom. There is something for everyone,” the spokesman said.

“By entering you not only brighten up your own house but you also aid our borough's entry to the Ulster and Britain in Bloom competition.

“The winners and runner-up of all Carrickfergus in Bloom competitions will attend a prize-giving ceremony at the Town Hall in October. In 2013, 1,850 people took part in the Carrickfergus in Bloom community competitions.”

Goalkeeping legend Wilson in cancer battle FORMER goalkeeper and veteran broadcaster Bob Wilson is to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.

The 72-year-old, who played for Arsenal in the 1960s and ’70s and was capped by Scotland, has cancelled forthcoming work and charity commitments in the near future, including those for the Willow Foundation that he founded with his wife Megs.

The pundit, who retired from playing in 1974 but took up a coaching role with Arsenal for several years, was at Wembley for

BY RYAN HOOPER the weekend FA Cup semi-final between the Gunners and Wigan Athletic. He is planning to return to public life as soon as possible, he said.

Wilson, also a BBC and ITV television presenter, said: “I am very confident that the treatment I am receiving will prove successful and kindly ask that my privacy is respected at this time.”

His son, BBC Radio 4 presenter John Wilson, said: “Knowing how strong my dad is, I have every

Treatment: Bob Wilson

faith he will be back to match fitness very soon indeed.”

Wilson's daughter, Anne, died in 1998 aged 31 after succumbing to a rare form of cancer. Her widower, 44-year-old Mitchell Carey, died in 2010 in hospital from an acute bout of food poisoning.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK, although the numbers of those with the disease is on the rise.

Every year in the UK more than 40,000 men are struck with prostate cancer.

SATURDAY APRIL 26 2014

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Visitors enjoy the blooms during the Tulip Festival at Glenarm Castle last year

PAUL FAITH

It’s time to tiptoe through tulips at Glenarm Castle

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

HARD-working gardeners at Glenarm Castle have planted more than 7,000 tulip bulbs in preparation for the estate’s eighth annual Tulip Festival next weekend.

Head gardener James Wharry says the tulips are doing well this spring and everyone is hoping no big storms come along this weekend to undo all their hard work ahead of the event from May 3-5.

“It has been a mild winter and they are coming on very well,” he said. “We’re hoping we don’t get a storm at the weekend.”

The gardeners, brothers James and Billy, have worked hard to make sure the Glenarm Castle Tulip Festival grows in vibrancy every year, planting thousands of bulbs every autumn.

“I have worked at Glenarm Castle for many years. During this time I have had the privilege to service the beautiful gardens as head gardener along with my brother Billy,” James said.

“In my opinion, Glen-

Five things l The tulip is native to central Asia, but came to prominence when it was cultivated in The Netherlands by Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius. l They became so popular they sparked an economic bubble between 1634 and

arm is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it’s never more beautiful than during the Tulip Festival.

“Billy and I are lucky to work with the world-renowned Bloms Bulbs to pick out the best bulbs and to give them a specific location in the walled garden.

“Location is key as the tulip colours need to blend and work together if we are to create an effective display. It is such a delight to see visitors relax and enjoy our work during the festival.”

James said his particular favourites this spring were Honeymoon, a white tulip with frilly ends, which looks breathtaking planted alongside the purple and white Rems Favourite.

It’s looking good for next weekend as Glenarm Castle wel-

comed some 1,100 visitors on Easter Monday.

The festival also marks the official opening of the Walled Garden and tea room season.

On bank holiday Monday, the Glenarm Express will carry visitors to the castle for guided tours of the home of the Earls of Antrim by the castle butler and staff.

The festival will include local crafts, music, food and a representative from Bloms Bulbs to discuss bulb requirements for the year.

Reg Maxwell, former head gardener of Belfast’s Botanic Gardens, will offer advice.

Ticket prices are adults £5, youth (12-16 years) £2.50 and children under 12 free. Guided tours of the castle on Monday are £6.

For more, log on to www.glen arm castle.com.

you didn’t know about the bulbs 1637, when some bulbs changed hands for 10 times more than the annual income of a skilled worker. l At the peak of “Tulip Mania”, tulips became the most expensive flower in the world and a valuable bulb could change hands up to 10 times in a day.

l The word tulip is derived from a Persian word ‘delband’, meaning turban, thought to be linked to the shape of the flower. But it may be a translation error, as it was fashionable to wear tulips in turbans. l In the 1944 Nazi-inspired Dutch famine people ate them.

17

FRIDAY MAY 9 2014

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21

Principal suspended over sex tape claim

BY BENJAMIN WRIGHT

Corey Morgan (8) and Nataliah Dzieciatko (8) run for their lives from the scarecrows at Garden Show Ireland. Pupils from integrated primary schools have been preparing a forest full of the scarecrows as part of the event. The Allianz Scarecrow Wood is an initiative supported by the Integrated Education Fund NEIL HARRISON PHOTOGRAPHY

We should really dig our hardy perennials little more, says star

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

TV horticulturalist Alys Fowler has said Northern Ireland’s gardeners should take inspiration from 18th century cottage gardens — and try growing perennial crops.

The former Gardeners’ World presenter said that cottage gardens used to be full of crops like artichokes and perennial spinach, but supermarkets have forced us to rely more and more on annuals.

But perennial crops are much more reliable for anyone gardening in a climate like Northern Ireland’s, she said.

She added that sowing small quantities of lots of different things in your garden is also a good idea.

“It’s so wet in Northern Ireland — it’s a real challenge when you don’t know how consistent a season is going to be,” Alys (right) said.

The broadcaster said she’s been caught out before when she sowed loads of tomatoes and the weather wasn’t suitable.

“But if you have a few of these and a few of those, something will come out fine. Perennial food crops are much more reliable than annuals — things like Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichokes, perennial spinach, chives, fruit trees and berries.”

Alys arrives in Northern Ireland today to appear at a new expanded Garden Show Ireland, which has moved to a new venue at Antrim Castle Gardens.

She is looking forward to a stay

story so far The 2014 Garden Show Ireland runs from today until Sunday at Antrim Castle Gardens (10am-6pm) with parking nearby.

Adults are £10 (concession £8) and the event is free for children under 16.

There is a reduced rate for online booking. For more information visit www.garden showireland. com

with friends in north Down and recently took to Twitter to ask for recommendations for cycle routes between Bangor and Belfast.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to the show and I’m looking forward to exploring the grounds and giving talks about grow your own and salad growing,” the presenter said.

“I’m very excited. I’ve never been to Antrim Castle Gardens before — it’s a huge restoration project and it sounds fabulous.

I’ll be giving talks and Q&A sessions.”

“Gardening is unbelievably good for every part of you — it’s great physically, good for your soul and great for your brain,” she added.

Garden Show Ireland this weekend will also include appearances

by Ireland’s world-renowned plantswoman Helen Dillon and Bunny Guinness, winner of six Chelsea gold medals and regular panelist on BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time.

A HEAD teacher and a colleague at a school in the midst of a “sex tape” controversy have been suspended, its chair of governors has confirmed.

Ysgol Bryn Tawe in Swansea has been besieged by concerns from parents after video footage supposedly filmed inside the school was posted online.

It is claimed the video was recorded outside an office at the school and “sex noises” can be heard from the other side of the door.

The clip has been watched and shared hundreds of times on sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

Although officials have refused to comment on the video's contents, chair of governors Heini Gruffudd issued a statement saying head teacher Graham Daniels and another member of staff had been suspended.

Mr Gruffudd said: “The head teacher and another member of staff are currently suspended and Simon Davies, currently deputy head teacher, will be managing the school for the time being.

“The school is running normally and we won't be commenting further at this time.”

The Welsh-medium secondary school has around 750 pupils.

MONDAY MAY 12 2014

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19

Man ‘put girlfriend’s fingers in scissors’

Alyn Jones, from Alliance Youth Works, a partner in the Benburb community project, helps children at the group’s launch on their bluebell walk trail

BY PAUL HIGGINS A WOMAN was beaten up by her violent partner who put her fingers between a pair of scissors, a court has been told.

The disturbing claim came during a failed bail application on behalf of 54-year-old James Doran, who was accused of possessing an offensive weapon and multiple counts of assault.

The call centre worker was in the dock on Saturday after being arrested on Friday on charges of beating up his girlfriend whom he is also accused of attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle.

Police opposed bail, citing how Doran had been arrested twice previously on allegations of domestic abuse.

A detective told Belfast Magistrates Court the woman was taken to hospital last Friday with “bruises to her face and black eyes”.

It was said that during PSNI interviews relating to these matters Doran, of no fixed address, “exercised his right to silence”.

He was remanded in custody until June 6.

Grants sow a seed for groups who are wild about flowers

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

AN outdoor gym, a bluebell walk and a network of wildlife corridors criss-crossing a city — these are some of the ground-breaking wild flower projects that have just been given the green light.

Ten colourful Northern Ireland projects have just won funding to transform urban and rural landscapes as part of the £10.5m Grow Wild programme, aimed at inspiring people to sow, grow and support UK native wild flowers.

The Grow Wild programme, supported by the Big Lottery Fund and led by Kew Gardens, aims to inspire three million people to sow wild seeds and share their results through social media.

One neglected corner in west Belfast will be transformed into a social hub, with youths designing the new space at the corner of St Katherine’s and Rodney Parade in conjunction with the West Belfast Partnership Board.

Meanwhile, Dundrum Cricket Club plans to improve its surroundings by revamping a barren space in front of the pavilion with wild flowers.

analysis In the last month alone, 4,300 groups have already signed up to receive special Grow Wild seed kits. Eighty projects learned they had been awarded funding to help them transform unloved spaces with wild flowers — 10 of them in Northern Ireland. Alongside the wild flowers, the groups will incorporate many elements to bring life and colour to dull corners.

Ballycraigy PS pupils in Antrim will transform their grounds and two nearby Housing Executive plots into a wild flower haven with help from Muckamore Parish Development Association.

And a bluebell walk is to be created at Benburb Priory by Benburb District Community Asso-

ciation and a group of young people with leaning disabilities guided by Alliance Youth Works. The group plans to regenerate an area of woodland in the village, planting trees, sowing native wild flowers and install panels that tell the story of the local area.

An ambitious project by Armagh City Council will create a network of wildlife corridors through the Streetscape community Greenup, brightening up crossroads in Hamiltonsbawn and the Corcreevy Road in Richhill.

Conservation Volunteers will revamp a disused walled garden at Belle Isle Estate, near Enniskillen, and Phoenix Integrated Primary School will transform a dull space in its school grounds.

Big Lottery Fund NI director Joanne McDowell said: “Grow Wild’s campaign is encouraging people to get sowing, to make a real difference to wild flowers and to the places where they live.”

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FRIDAY MAY 23 2014

NEWS

INSIDE NEWS PAGE 12

Poots’ prayers for Islam row pastor Health Minister speaks as PSNI launches ‘hate crime’ probe DEBATENI PAGES 26&27

Our racism is home-grown Sectarianism and attacks on immigrants are closely linked LIFE PAGES 32&33

Why we’re taking part in RunHer Tonight 2,000 women will hit the road in charity drive BUSINESS PAGES 60&61

Five firms off on Seattle mission Top American business brains to be picked during trip

You could be a winner in our

A BARROW-LOAD OF TOP PRIZES FOR OUR GREATEST GARDENS

BY LINDA STEWART AND we’re off!

Since we launched our Blooming Marvellous gardening drive back in March the green shoots have pushed through the earth and the spring blossoms have unfurled.

And now that your plants are full steam ahead, we’re launching the highlight of the campaign — our Blooming Marvellous gardening competition.

Whether you’ve got a balcony or a landed estate, we want to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have created the most inspirational gardens in Northern Ireland.

The closing date isn’t until July — which means you have just over a month to get your garden looking as vibrant and vital as it possibly can.

And there’s plenty at stake. We are offering £1,000 worth of gardening products for the winning garden in

background The Belfast Telegraph has launched a major gardening drive called Blooming Marvellous. We're calling on gardeners across Northern Ireland to take up a trowel and breathe new life into dismal gardens. If you take great pride in your garden, email lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk each of our four categories, so it’s time to get mulching.

Don’t worry if you only have a little backyard. You can enter your garden in one of four categories — small urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); urban garden; small country garden, and large country garden (over half-an-acre).

Just photograph a few views of your

garden, add your name and contact details, tell us what category you’re entering and either email or post your photos to us at the Belfast Telegraph.

If you want, you can include a brief outline of a few paragraphs describing your garden, but this isn’t compulsory.

After that, you just email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post them to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. The closing date is July 4, 2014.

Our judges will scrutinise the entries in July and shortlist three from each category, after which they will visit the finalists’ gardens in person.

Once we choose our winners, they will be interviewed and featured in a special Blooming Marvellous gardening supplement in August.

Our four judges are well-known figures in the world of horticulture — BBC Radio Ulster presenter Cherrie McIlwaine; Greenmount horticultural lecturer David Dowd; National Trust Rowallane head gardener Averil Milligan, and garden designer Trevor Edwards.

They give an outline below of what they will be looking for in a prize-winning garden.

But just to put the finishing touches on your planting scheme, we are giving away a free packet of seeds with every Belfast Telegraph on Friday, May 30. You can choose from sunflowers, ladybird poppies, cosmos, mixed annuals, cornflower, foxglove, giant imperial larkspur, pansy and 10-week stock — so get sowing!

PLUS INSIDE SPORT Paradise lost, so where now for Neil Lennon on managerial odyssey?

CIPR NI PRESS & MEDIA AWARDS 2013 Newspaper of the Year The Belfast Telegraph also won:

NEWSPAPER SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR FEATURE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR BUSINESS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR SCOOP OF THE YEAR

UK SOCIETY OF EDITORS’ AWARDS 2012 Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year CIPR NI PRESS & MEDIA AWARDS 2012 Newspaper of the Year

NOT SO SECRET GARDENS

Meet the amazing gardeners opening their gates to public Life: P29-31

Published by Independent News & Media Ltd at 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast. Printed at 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast and Carnbane Industrial Estate, Newry.

National Trust head gardener Averil Milligan is one of our judges; Sam Harrison with his bluebells (top, left), and Jim and Hilary Rafferty dig in

FRIDAY MAY 23 2014

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3

brilliant £4,000 Telegraph competition

Proud of your patch?

Here’s how to enter... l Put the finishing touches to your balcony, courtyard or garden this May and June. l Photograph a couple of views of your garden — we need sharp images that give a good idea of your garden. l Email your entry to: bloomingmarvellous@ belfasttelegraph.co.uk

From top: Gardening gurus David Dowd and Cherrie McIlwaine are among judges for our new competition, and (right) summer gardens blooming

including your name and contact details, garden photos, what category you are entering and a brief background if you want. l Alternatively, you can post your entries to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. l The closing date is July 4, 2014.

MEET THE PANEL OF GREEN-FINGERED EXPERTS WHO WILL BE JUDGING YOUR EFFORTS AVERIL MILLIGAN, Head Gardener at the National Trust’s Rowallane headquarters in Saintfield, Co Down I’M looking for things like gardener’s eye — is the way they use the space balanced and how do they break it up between hard landscape and soft landscape? I would also look at how happy the plants are and are they thriving in their current situation. I’ll look at progression of colour throughout the year and how people have placed plants for texture, scent, height and whether it’s wildlifefriendly. People think they have to have everything very tidy and regimented, weeding the garden every second day. But it’s good to have wildlife coming in to visit the garden.

DAVID DOWD, Horticultural lecturer at CAFRE Greenmount College, and a former gardener at Mount Stewart estate I WOULD be looking for a garden with a good design in terms of balance, unity and proportion. I would also be looking for a good structure to the garden — that would be evidence of a good practical garden — and use of space. Every garden has challenges — some are shady and some are in the sun, and it’s about the skill of the gardener in adapting to the conditions they have. I’d also look at the quality of the plants — are they free from pests and disease and is the pruning correct? The real test is whether they can keep the garden looking interesting the whole year round.

CHERRIE MCILWAINE, Presenter of BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners’ Corner YOU can get a sense quite quickly if a person really loves working in their garden — it doesn’t have to be perfect by any means, but you do get that sense. I’d be looking for gardens that connect with the wider landscape, but people can create wonderful magical garden spaces in the most unlikely situations too. If you live in Fermanagh or Down where the wider landscape is lovely, you can create a garden that blends in beautifully with nature, but equally lovely can be a small bijou space in the middle of Belfast or Derry. I’m looking for that sense of the personality of the gardener and a love of plants.

TREVOR EDWARDS, Garden designer and member of the National Trust’s Ulster Garden Scheme Committee I LOOK for someone that has put thought into their garden — which means design in my opinion, in that an amateur can design something provided they give it a bit of thought and research. I’m looking for plants that have been suitably grouped together in terms of behaviour and of growth habit. You don’t need the garden to be overgroomed as long as it is maintained and there is good plantsmanship, in that plants have been pruned and cared for. Space is grace — so things don't have to be crammed together and it doesn’t have to be overfilled. It’s important that access is good, in terms of footpaths.

Life

BELFAST TELEGRAPH FRIDAY MAY 23 2014

29 PEOPLE WHO MATTER MOST TO SNOWBOARDER AIMEE FULLER: PAGE 31

q

FORMER TOP COP AND SPORTS CHIEF GET READY FOR RUNHER: PAGE 32 q JANE GRAHAM: HOW SARAH MILLICAN WORE CRITICISM WELL: PAGE 33 q

Flower power: Hilary and Jim Rafferty in the garden of their Ballymena home.

Right, the couple by a mill pond, a view of the garden and a rhododendron bush KEVIN SCOTT/PRESSEYE

Not so secret gardens Need inspiration for our gardening competition? Meet the green-fingered experts happy to open their gates to the public. By Linda Stewart

W

hen it comes to each other’s homes and gardens, most people would confess to being a little bit nosey sometimes. As if the popularity of television shows such as Ground Force and Changing Rooms wasn’t testimony enough to our desire to create our own ideal personal space, green-fingered enthusiasts in Northern Ireland can often spend a small fortune over a lifetime on sprucing up their lawns and beautifying their begonias.

While most of us can only boast a relatively modest patch to call our own, some gardening enthusiasts take their flo-

ral fantasies to a whole new level, dedicating themselves to creating truly jawdropping outdoor spaces.

And for those of us whose gardens fall sadly short of perfection, there’s the chance to muse on what might have been, thanks to the National Trust staff who have persuaded owners of some of the most remarkable gardens in the province to throw open their gates to

the public as part of the Ulster Gardens Scheme.

Some owners will open their gates for one or two days every few years to share their private garden with visitors, while others make their green space available all summer long, every year, as part of the

By Appointment scheme.

“Some years ago, a group of like-minded gardeners decided to support the work of the trust by opening their own private gardens to visitors with all proceeds going to specific projects within National Trust gardens in Northern Ireland,” explains Trevor Edwards, who volunteers with the scheme. “And so, from this sim-

ple idea the Ulster Gardens Scheme was founded.

“On the day, visitors are greeted at the entrance by members of the committee, offering a sunny smile, even when sunshine isn't particularly evident.

“Other members of the team produce hundreds of plants each year to sell at the gardens. Regular visitors can be seen making a beeline for the plant stall early in the day to snap up some of the rare and unusual plants which can often be found.”

As the scheme kicks off again this weekend, we speak to three gardeners who will be showing off their beloved creations this spring and summer.

Retired consultant Hilary Rafferty (74) and retired art teacher Jim Rafferty (76) created their garden at The Mill House, in Glenwherry near Ballymena from former farmland. They have two daughters, Shona and Emma, and three grandchildren. Hilary says: “We’re here just over 20 years and when we moved up there wasn’t any garden except for a small patch at the front of the house. It was farmland with cattle and that was all there was.

There is an old mill on the site which is about 300 years old and it stopped working in 1962 — we just use it now to TO PAGE 30

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30 LIFE

THEY’VE GOT FLOWER POWER, NOW FIND OUT HOW FROM PAGE 29

‘Nearly all of our plants are from Tony and Clodagh Reid, both in their 60s, moved into Unicarval House in Comber, 27 years ago.

They have three children, Michaela, Gareth and Justin.

Clodagh says:

Team effort: the Raffertys admit their garden is hard work keep stuff in. There are two large mill ponds and a mill race. There is also the Glenwherry River and it is the reason why we moved here, for the site.

The house was smaller than the one we had but we wanted a bigger garden and we loved the river.

We reopened the mill race, which had been filled in by the previous owner. The river flooded pretty often and we filled up the banks so it wouldn’t flood the garden.

There is a lot of rhododendron, more than 150 different varieties.

It’s not just a spring garden — it’s a lovely year-round garden.

We have rhododendron down one side of the garden and the other side is mixed planting round the pond which has terraced edges because the banks are so steep.

We have a lot of silver birch, Betula jackmondii, which is one with a very white bark and it looks particularly nice in winter.

We’ve also planted a beech woodland with bluebells and a Sitka spruce woodland and we’ve just finished putting together a fernery. You get so used to it that you don’t see it.

We had some people out yesterday from a gardening club and they seemed to think it was a very tranquil place. I don’t find it so — I find it hard work!

The largest pond has a jetty and we can go out on the pond in a little boat.

We’re both retired, me 10 years ago and my husband 12, and we’ve always been interested in the garden. The bones of it were laid many years ago when we moved up here, but this is how we spend our time now, really.

We have lovely wildlife up here.

We have otters which get at our fish, we have kingfishers, dippers, grey wagtail and long-tailed ducks nesting here.

There are pheasants in the garden and we keep bees as well. We also planted some buddleias to attract the butterflies.

This is the very first time our garden has been opened properly to the public and it’s a bit daunting. But we are getting a lot of work done that we had put to the side for a while.

We got into this by accident.

We were looking at a garden that was open near to us and we got talking to two National Trust people about gardening and they suggested we open up the garden as part of the scheme.”

Final preparations: Clodagh Reid and garden designer St John Bowers get Unicarval ready for the grand opening JONATHAN PORTER

“Unicarval is named after the surrounding townland which translates as ‘the land of the bog of sacred tree’. Which particular tree that was is unknown but there is a legend that tells that there will always be a house/family here as long as there is an evergreen oak (and there is).

The house has grown considerably over the two centuries but the facade we see today is Georgian, dating to around 1760.

John Cummings bought the land from the Earl of Clanbrassil in 1673 and built the original house. Since then Unicarval has belonged to only six families. Each has added to the house and garden according to their need or the tastes of the times.

In the rebellion of 1798 Unicar-

val was the scene of a siege in which the owner, Mr Cummings, was mortally wounded. The garden covers nine acres and there is a wealth of mature rhododendron, deciduous and evergreen trees, sadly many of which are reaching the end of their life.

The structure was there when we moved in about 27 years ago but we’ve added to it with a lot of underplanting and clearing out a lot of the older mature poplars that were planted in the 1930s and created an area for rhododendrons, azalea and camellia.

The garden is in a frost hollow but with the trees there’s enough shelter that the plants do well.

We’re not into formal gardens — we’re into natural and woodland gardens. In spring we have a lot of snowdrops and crocuses and thousands of hellebores.

We dug a pond and it is now full of frogs and newts. It’s shallow and more like a bog garden at one end and deeper at the other.

In summer we get a lot of damselflies and dragonflies and the frogs come in their thousands.

We tend not to cut the grass around the pond too much and we allow the cow parsley to grow because some of the butterflies like it, as well as the insects and bees.

We normally cut the grass between the trees but there are ducks and pheasants nesting there at the minute.

We don’t like disturbing the area.

It’s not a pristine garden — if there are a few weeds we don’t tend to worry, just let them grow and get on with it.

Like all gardens there is a certain amount of upkeep — even just cutting the grass is a big job as the whole garden covers nine

In full bloom: Sam Harrison turned a football pitch into a gardener’s paradise, including a teahouse (above) made from old water pipes

‘My favourite plant is a weeping juniper I grafted Retired forester Sam Harrison (74) created his garden at Beechgrove, close to Castlewellan Arboretum, his former charge. He has two children, Mark and Donna, and seven grandchildren. He says: “When I came here in 1983, I inherited a football pitch and an old nursery. Having looked after the arboretum at Castlewellan, I enjoyed the challenge of creating something different.

I started with a blank canvas and it’s still a work in progress. It’s safe to say it’s like a jigsaw puzzle — there are nice soft curves and no

straight lines. I don’t like straight lines where you can see everything at one glance. You can plant double the amount of plants that you could on a straight line — it adds planting space.

I travel to nurseries all over the place looking for unusual stuff. It’s an old estate with very mature trees and honey fungus is a big problem in the garden. So I'm now into bamboo because I read that they’re fairly resistant to honey fungus — I now have quite a good collection of bamboo which adds a Far Eastern feeling.

I have a big fish pond with koi

carp and it’s covered in a net, but the heron has good eyesight and there are lots of holes in the net.

I also have a nice teahouse which I designed myself from old galvanised hot water pipes from the arboretum greenhouses. It’s the only place where you can’t see telegraph poles or TV aerials or power lines and I just switch off in there.

I recently acquired a colony of bats in there and I find their droppings on the ground every morning. Just before dusk they move slowly to the edge before taking off.

The jay is my residential forester — it picks up chestnuts and other nuts and buries them.

I also have a little nursery area with a greenhouse and I do a lot of propagation.

I’m proudest that I’ve been able to keep the centre of the garden grassed and open. All these ‘rooms’ are appearing round the sides and I have these vistas across the lawn to certain things.

Trees usually mean something to me — they were given to me or I found them somewhere interesting. The latest addition to my collection is a plant I saw at Mount

Usher — a Metasequoia variety called Goldrush. It’s the most vivid golden colour and it’s beside a purple-leaved plant, a combination that works well in my garden.

The most attractive plant I have in the garden is a weeping juniper which I grafted myself when I went into forestry in the early 1970s up in the arboretum. It has moved from N ewcastle to Castlewellan to where it is now. It’s really attractive — like curtains of foliage that come straight down.

After the arboretum was opened by the Forest Service in 1969, I was headhunted from Gos-

FRIDAY MAY 23 2014

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LIFE

YOU CAN GET IT TOO when to visit Open Garden Scheme dates 2014: MAY Tomorrow & Sunday, 2-5pm Mr and Mrs Tony Reid, 88 Ballyrainey Road, Comber, Newtownards, BT23 5JU

cuttings’ acres. But it’s not overly expensive — we have minimised the expense.

We've been helped over the years by St John Bowers, who holds a degree in landscape architecture and garden design. His input and knowledge has been invaluable.

We’re very interested in propagation and nearly all the plants are our own, grown from cuttings.

We can generate a lot of plant material very cheaply in that way.

The trees would be our first love in the garden. We have two lovely copper beech in the middle of the garden and a lot of old oaks and sweet chestnuts.

Because it’s so natural and there’s so much wildlife in it, we had four or five species of raptor at one stage — sparrowhawk, long eared owl, barn owl, merlin and buzzard.

This is the first time we’ve opened our garden to the public, so we’ve been getting the paths sorted out and doing a bit more of a tidy-up than normal.”

Saturday, May 31, & Sunday, June 1, 2-5pm Mr John and Mrs Ann Buchanan, 28 Killyfaddy Road, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, BT45 6EX

IS YOUR GARDEN A WINNER? ENTER OUR BRILLIANT COMPETITION ON PAGES 2&3 TODAY! JUNE Saturday & Sunday, June 7-8, 2-5pm Mr Sam Harrison, Beechgrove, 12 Castle Avenue, Castlewellan, Co Down, BT31 9DX Saturday & Sunday, June 14-15, 2-5pm Mr and Mrs J Rafferty, The Mill House, 140 Ballynashee Road, Glenwherry, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT42 3EW

Friday people e We ask personalities about the special relationships in their lives AIMEE FULLER The 22-year-old is a slopestyle snowboarder and recently competed for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. She lives near Bangor and will be taking part in the Belfast Telegraph Coastal 10K RunHer this evening at Seapark in Holywood

e My boyfriend, Ross Vaughan Ross and I met a year ago when we were both wake boarding at the yacht club in Cultra. He's just finished his degree and he's really supportive of what I do.

He sails for Ireland and for a while he went down the Olympic route so he knows all about getting drug tested and all the things we have to do behind the scenes.

He flew out to Colorado to support me at the X Games, which are the biggest things

on the snowboarding calendar, after the Winter Olympics.

e My best friends, Becky Eves

and Jenny Jones

JULY Saturday & Sunday, June 19-20, 2-5pm Mr and Mrs D I Page, Billy Old Rectory, 5 Cabragh Road, Castlecat, Bushmills, Co Antrim, BT57 8YH AUGUST Saturday & Sunday, August 2-3, 2-5pm Mr and Mrs Maurice Parkinson, Ballyrobert Cottage Garden, 154 Ballyrobert Road, Ballyclare, Co Antrim, BT39 9RT Saturday & Sunday, August 9-10, 2-5pm Mr and Mrs Mervyn Warrington, 48 Comber Road. Ballyminstra, Killinchy, Co Down, BT23 6PB

Snow queen: Olympian Aimee Fuller Loyal support: Becky (left) and Jenny with Aimee (right) Becky and I met when I transferred to Sullivan Upper when I was 16.

At the moment she's on her way to being a dentist — she's doing a lot of exams at Queen's so we'll have more time to catch up when she's done. Becky is really supportive and came out to Sochi during the Winter

Olympics. We've been on a couple of really spur-of-themoment holidays together — I like that she can be quite random and spontaneous that way.

Jenny Jones is a fellow snowboarder and was with me at the Winter Olympics.

We've been travelling together for the last six years.

e My parents, Chris and Sarah

in the 70s’ ford Forest Park and they sent me all over Northern Ireland and the Republic, Scotland and England to gain experience and I came here in 1971 to become arboretum forester. I stayed here until around 1990 when I was promoted to head forester for Castlewellan and Tollymore.

I retired 14 years ago and I’ve been here ever since, doing different things all the time.

I’m divorced but there’s a lady in my life called Esther and she has brought a woman’s touch to the garden, introducing plants like hostas.”

NOVEMBER Ulster Gardens Scheme Review Evening Thursday, November 20, 7.30pm, at the Old Courthouse, Antrim Full details available at www.ulstergardensscheme.org.uk, the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UlsterGardensScheme, or follow the scheme on Twitter at @UlsterGdsScheme

31

My dad renovates houses and is a very skilled carpenter, and my mum doesn't work.

I have a brother, Josh, who is a hairdresser in Belfast. My folks are completely behind what I'm doing, I couldn't have asked for better parents.

They've never been pushy, just very supportive from day one.

I skied from the age of four on dry slopes and then moved to snowboarding when I was 12, before getting noticed when I was 16.

Northern Ireland is the perfect place for me to live because when I come home I get the chance to rest and relax and it makes me hungry for the sport. It means I look forward to going away more.

e Who I go to for advice For advice I always go to my mum or my nan (right), who's called Suzan.

She's pretty cool, very wise and has lots of experience of life.

“

My secret crush is ...

Chris Hemsworth

saw him in the movie Cameron IRush, in which he played the Formula One driver Diaz is James Hunt. He's very fit, a surfer with a lovely six-pack! so we e My mentor could go Lesley McKenna has been guided me through my me with my snow- whole career. She's a threedo that helping boarding since the age of time Olympian herself and 16. I met her through my now also works with the after sponsors and she has now British team. dinner e My fantasy dinner party I would ask Cameron Diaz as she's a surfer and we could go do that afterwards.

Then, I’d ask Bradley Wiggins as he is a wonderful sports personality and I really like his laid-back atti-

tude. Next, I’d ask Travis Pastrana, who is the god of extreme sports, and I would love to pick his brains.

Finally, I would ask a prosurfer like Julian Wilson, so I could get some tips off her.

RunHer kicks off tonight at 7pm in Seapark, Holywood. Pack collection is available at Seapark Bowling Club from 2pm6pm today. Late entry is also available at the same time at a cost of £20. For details, visit www.runher.co.uk, and you can also keep up to date on Twitter @runherofficial. Former PSNI ACC Judith Gillespie and Sports Council’s Antoinette McKeown on why they’re taking part: P32-33

INTERVIEW: KERRY MCKITTRICK

INTERVIEW

Larne designer Dawn Aston talks about her amazing new creation for this weekend’s Bloom festival in Dublin. By Stephanie Bell

T

alented local artist and garden designer Dawn Aston will be hoping to strike gold this weekend when she unveils her most ambitious creation yet at the annual Bloom festival in Dublin.

Ireland’s answer to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show sees around 120,000 people from all over the country and beyond converge on Dublin’s Phoenix Park on the first weekend of June every year for the Bord Bia five-day festival of flowers, food and family fun.

Dawn (49) from Larne, a three-time medal winner at Bloom, has been working for months on the design and creation of The Calor Stepping Stone Garden.

As is typical of the award-winning artist — best known for her cross community work in Northern Ireland helping local children to create iconic art and gardens — you can expect the unexpected.

Combining her love of art and mosaics with gardening, Dawn has spent months working on what she describes as a compact garden for a modern, urban lifestyle.

In it she attempts to highlight outdoor living with sensory experiences such as cooking, eating and relaxing in a beautiful space that has been softened with ornamental, aromatic herbs and fruit plants along with contemporary artworks.

Having been on site for days, toiling to get her garden ready for this weekend’s extravaganza, an exhausted but excited Dawn

says: “I’ve been working on it since last autumn.

“Now that we are so close to the show and the garden is taking shape after so many months, you have a mix of emotions, from relief and exhaustion to exhilaration.

“The final week is all-consuming. I’ve been lucky this year to have a sponsor, Calor, who have been fantastic to work with and a brilliant contractor in Alan Smith, who is at the top of his game.

“We have some real quality features and, yes, I would love to win my first gold, but it’s really difficult to get gold with a small garden. There is absolutely no room for error, it has to be perfect down to the finest detail.”

Dawn, who is married with three children — Caz (24), Glen (17) and Kate (15) — studied for an art degree, but it was some years before she got the chance to make a career out of her creative talents.

After graduating she worked in her dad’s construction company for a number of years and then as a sales executive for some time.

It wasn’t until she returned to work after taking a career break to raise her children that she finally got the chance to follow her true calling and make a name for herself, bringing together her love of art with gardening.

“My early jobs paid the bills although in my head I was always an artist,” she says.

“After taking time out from my career to concentrate on my family, I got a job in a local garden centre and it was there that I found

DAWN “My work’s

much more than just gardening.

This is art”

that I could combine art and design with gardening.

“I was involved in propagation and working with plants in the background and it was an invaluable experience which helped me to understand plants and what people want out of a garden.”

Dawn enrolled in Greenmount Agricultural College, where she completed a number of courses to hone her skills as a garden de-

signer. And since becoming a self-employed artist and garden designer she has built up a reputation for her unique ability to introduce art into the outdoors, especially with her iconic mosaic creations.

A lot of her work has been with local schools across Northern Ireland, helping them to create shared spaces in the community as well as their own gardens — again mixing art with the fun of planting flowers.

magical creations and a treat from Mrs Brown on show at this year’s superb event Bloom, which is Ireland’s largest garden and food festival, runs until Monday in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.

Now in its eighth year, it is showcasing 30 exquisite show gardens, from the very best of Ireland’s landscape gardeners and designers.

Highlights this year include Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Garden, which will see the popular TV show come to life through the recreation of the now infamous kitchen set Bloom-style, and a 10ft high Mr Tayto will overlook the Tayto Garden — Potato to Packet, which will also include the largest

14

water feature ever to appear at Bloom, the Wellbeing Wetlands.

Also worth a visit is the Sowing the Seeds of Magic garden, a magical, thought-provoking and fun-filled place for children and adults.

And the Samaritans’ You’ll Talk I’ll Listen garden has been designed to highlight the powerful effects of simply talking about your problems.

Visitors to Bloom will also see what can be achieved with a limited budget, as well as looking at gardens which reflect the latest trends, such as the new approach to

Belfast Telegraph Weekend 31 May 2014

horticulture, ecology and sustainability in garden design. For the second year, Bloom will host a number of Postcard Gardens, designed and constructed by passionate amateur gardeners.

Expert judges include Andrew Wilson (award-winning garden designer, lecturer and writer), Mark Gregory (winner of 55 Chelsea medals), Karen Foley (landscape architect and educator) and Paul Maher (curator of the National Botanic Gardens).

They will be joined by guest judge, awardwinning landscape architect and garden designer Feargus McGarvey.

New features this year include the Floral & Nursery Pavilion, which will house more than 50 exhibits from some of the country’s top floral artists, and the AOIFA Floral Art Stage, which will offer demonstrations on the techniques for achieving a perfect floral display at home.

There is also a Food Village at Bloom offering some culinary delights for hungry gardeners, while The Quality Kitchen stage will see some of Ireland’s top chefs, including Neven Maguire, Kevin Dundon, Donal Skehan and Catherine Fulvio host daily demonstrations.

UNIQUE: Dawn uses mosaic features in her highly artistic garden designs (right and left)

£4,000 worth of gardening products to be won

Her artwork is dotted across the province and one of the most striking is an eight foot tall, four-sided mosaic pyramid sculpture which she worked on with the children of Ballysillan Primary School and which now stands outside the school as a well-known piece of the city’s community art.

S

he says: “I consider myself an artist who also does garden design and if I can combine the two then that’s brilliant.

“Working with children and local schools for me has been quite a holistic process, just being able to work alongside them and help them to create a special space and be artistic.”

While the Bloom show is as big as it gets for gardening enthusiasts in Ireland, Dawn has been privileged to play a part in the UK’s Chelsea Garden Show, where she got the chance as a student to work alongside Diarmuid Gavin and Elma Fenton in 2004 and 2005.

“They wanted to give students a chance to work with them and learn from them and it was an amazing opportunity and experience,” she says.

“It was a hugely influential experience and I absolutely loved the whole process, it is such an incredible show.”

It says everything about the impact she has had on the many children that she has worked with that in 2012 a local pupil from Hazelwood College nominated her to carry the Olympic Torch.

She also played a role in Northern Ireland’s most recent world sporting event, the Giro d’Italia, when she was commissioned by Larne Borough Council to paint a bike sculpture called Bikers, Butterflies and Bees.

But undoubtedly it is at Bloom that Dawn gets the chance to really let her creative juices flow and show the world what she is made of.

For her first garden in 2009 — The Artist’s Retreat — she set out to create an inspirational garden with her signature combination of nature and art. That earned her a silver medal.

The following year she won a Silver Gilt Award for her creation Urban Oasis.

This year, with a main sponsor on board, she has had the freedom to let her ideas come to life in what she hopes will be enough to secure her first gold.

If you’re feeling inspired to put your green-fingered talents to the test, the Belfast Telegraph’s Bloomin’ Marvellous gardening competition is the perfect outlet for your creative talents.

Whether you’ve got a balcony or a landed estate, we want to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have created the most inspirational gardens in Northern Ireland, and are offering £1,000 worth of gardening products for the winning garden in each of our four categories — small urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); urban garden; small country garden, and large country garden (over half-an-acre).

And with the closing date in July, you’ve just over a month to get your garden looking as impressive as it can. Just photograph a few views of your garden (we need sharp images), add your name and contact details, and tell us what category you’re entering. You can also include a brief outline of a few paragraphs describing your garden, if you wish.

After that, email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@belfasttelegraph. co.uk or post them to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. The closing date is July 4, 2014.

Our judges — BBC Radio Ulster presenter Cherrie McIlwaine; Greenmount horticultural lecturer David Dowd; National Trust Rowallane head gardener Averil Milligan, and garden designer Trevor Edwards — will scrutinise the entries in July and shortlist three from each category, after which they will visit the finalists’ gardens in person. Once we choose our winners, they will be interviewed and featured in a special Bloomin’ Marvellous gardening supplement in August.

Good luck!

INSPIRATION: Dawn with Ballysillan schoolchildren In her garden Dawn will be promoting the innovative new Calor Mini-BBQ with cooking demonstrations by The Druid chef Rory Morahan.

“I’ve never had anything like a live cookery demonstration in a garden before so that will be interesting,” she says.

“I’m using quality contractors and sponsors this year so there are some real quality features in the garden.

“I have a floating, star-shaped patio made in dark limestone and the kitchen stand is in limestone and oak with bar stools to create a social space. It’s a compact, modern garden to relax and socialise in. I have mosaic stepping stones running through it and a red chilli mosaic on a panel which will act as a free-standing wall.

“I also have some high-end, bespoke artwork. We have recreated paintings of Silver Birch trees by Hazel Revington-Cross of Purple Raven Art Gallery in Delvin, Westmeath, which we are using as weatherproof art panels in the garden.”

Dawn adds: “It is bespoke and I hope visitors will see something unique that they have never seen before in a garden.”

For tickets go to bloominthepark.com

31 May 2014 Weekend Belfast Telegraph

15

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

TUESDAY JUNE 10 2014

18 NEWS

A walk in Spanish garden on north coast

BY LINDA STEWART THIS is the stunning Moorishthemed garden that graces the unlikely location of Portstewart — and is one of the entries in our big gardening competition.

James Logan designed and created this beautiful garden following a series of visits to the Alhambra in Granada.

Whether you’ve got a balcony or a landed estate, the Belfast Telegraph wants to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have resulted in the most inspirational gardens in Northern Ireland.

The closing date isn’t until July 4, which means you still have a few weeks to get your garden looking great.

We are offering an incredible £1,000 worth of gardening

ONLINE

q

View our extended online gallery at www.belfasttelegraph. co.uk products in each of our four categories, so it’s time to get mulching.

You can enter in one of four categories — Small Urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden, and Large Country Garden (over half-an-acre).

All you have to do is photograph a few views of your garden, add your name and contact details.

You can also include a brief outline of a few paragraphs describing your garden, but this isn’t compulsory.

Then just email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post them to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. Winners will also feature in our Blooming Marvellous supplement.

The Moorish-themed garden of James Logan in Portstewart was inspired by the Alhambra palace in Granada in Spain

GAA star to appeal life sentence Tyrone player who shot father dead bidding to have 10-year tariff cut A FORMER Tyrone GAA star who shot dead his father is appealing his sentence, it has emerged.

Lawyers for Sean Hackett (right) claim his 10-year prison term is unduly excessive and does not adequately reflect his mental state at the time he carried out the killing.

It is understood that further medical evidence may be brought before the court.

The teenager killed his 60-year-

BY ADRIAN RUTHERFORD arutherford@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

old father Aloysius after shooting him twice in the head outside the family home near Augher in January 2013.

Earlier this year a jury acquitted Hackett of murder, instead convicting him of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

In April a judge sentenced the

19-year-old to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years before he is considered for parole.

However, Hackett’s legal team have confirmed they will appeal the sentence. His solicitor Adrian O’Kane said he expected the case to come before the Court of Appeal in the autumn.

“We are appealing against the sentence of life imprisonment with a 10-year tariff.

“The basic grounds of appeal will argue on the part of the defendant that the sentence was excessive and did not adequately take into account the defendant’s mental state at the time of the killing.”

Mr Hackett, a former chairman of Augher St Macartan’s GAC, was shot dead at his home on Aghindarragh

Road on January 4, 2013. His son, a former captain of the Tyrone Minor GAA team, admitted carrying out the shooting.

He admitted that he intended to kill his father, but consistently denied murder.

In March a jury accepted defence arguments that Hackett had been mentally ill when he shot his father, and found him guilty

of the lesser offence of manslaughter.

The trial heard Hackett had suffered depression in the months before he killed his father, triggered by a split from his girlfriend.

In October 2012 he attempted to strangle his mother Eilish with an electrical cable.

He later told his mother that he believed killing one of his parents would provide him with a guardian-type figure in Heaven.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

MONDAY JUNE 16 2014

18 NEWS

Man charged over £100k drugs find A 41-YEAR-OLD man is due in court today charged with possessing drugs.

It follows a PSNI operation in Londonderry on Friday when herbal cannabis with a street value of £100,000 and suspected cocaine with a street value of £25,000 were recovered.

The accused is charged with possession of a class A drug, possession of a class B drug, possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, possession of a class B drug with intent to supply, being concerned in the

BY STAFF REPORTER supply of a class A drug and being concerned in the supply of a class B drug.

He is due to appear at Derry Magistrates Court today.

A 17-year-old male also arrested has been released pending a report to the PPS. A 39-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the incident has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

PSNI area commander Chief

Inspector Andy Lemon said: “This substantial seizure further reinforces our determination to remove controlled drugs from the city of Derry.

“The potential harm to the public caused by drugs is an issue that the PSNI take seriously.

“We will continue to work in conjunction with our colleagues from Organised Crime Branch and partner agencies to ensure we bring to justice those involved in dealing in drugs at all levels.”

Residents with the schoolchildren who helped transform Wesley Court Sheltered Accommodation

Pupils’ blossoms breathe life into retirement fold

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

A GROUP of children has joined forces with the older generation to green up sheltered accommodation in Carrickfergus.

The pupils of Carrickfergus Model School joined residents of Wesley Court Sheltered Accommodation last week to bring colour and fragrance to their home with beautiful blossoms as part of a ‘Growing Together’ event organised by Carrickfergus Borough Council.

Together they planted hanging baskets and large plant pots to brighten the area for all residents.

The residents were able to share their experience and knowledge while the young Growing Club contributed their curiosity and enthusiasm.

‘Growing Together' is an environmental-based inter-generational project to carry out community activities in Carrickfergus Borough.

The project aims to bring different generations together and actively encourages the breaking down of barriers between older and younger people, while chal-

lenging negative stereotypes and behaviour. Natural Communities Outreach Officer Alison Diver said: “In today’s society, younger and older people are often strangers to each other as they don't have the same opportunities which existed in the past to communicate and participate in activities together.

“The Growing Together project demonstrates that older and younger generations have a great deal to offer each other in terms of knowledge and experience.

“The benefit of working these groups together on projects such as Wesley Court provides opportunities for improved mutual tolerance and understanding with the local community gaining from working and growing together.”

This event was linked to the Carrickfergus in Bloom initiative to brighten up the borough.

Each summer, the borough

comes alive with hundreds of hanging baskets, bedding displays, shrub beds and trees that help make the town a brighter place for its citizens and visitors.

Everyone can play a role in the enhancement of Carrickfergus and the improvement of the town as a place to live, work and visit, Alison says.

“Each year Carrickfergus Borough Council organises the Carrickfergus in Bloom Community Competitions with a £1,200 prize fund,” she said.

“There are many categories designed to encourage everyone to get involved.”

Visit www.carrickfergusin bloom.org for more information.

The Belfast Telegraph launched Blooming Marvellous at the beginning of spring, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic.

How to enter our gardening competition e Put the finishing touches to your balcony, courtyard or garden over this June. e Photograph a couple of views of your garden — we need good, sharp images. e You can enter your garden in one of four categories — Small Urban (which includes

balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden and Large Country Garden (over half an acre). e Email your entry to bloom ingmarvellous@belfasttele graph.co.uk, including your name and contact details, garden photos, what category

you are entering and a brief background if you want. e Alternatively you can post your entries to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. e The closing date is July 4 2014.

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

NORTHERN IRELAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 2014

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

70p (ROI €1)

FINAL

BRING ON THE SUNSHINE INS IDE PAC : GET K SEE ET O YOUR DET P3 F F SE FRE AIL OR ED E S S

CALLING ALL GARDENERS... IT’S THE LAUNCH OF OUR SUNFLOWER COMPETITION

PLUS... ANOTHER SCORCHER AS TEMPERATURE SOARS TO 25C PAGE 15

The party needs to be ‘put down’ NI21 is finished, says deputy leader McCallister THE deputy leader of NI21 has said that if his troubled party was a cow “you’d be getting it put down”.

John McCallister, who suggested he would soon be quitting the party, described NI21 as the “most toxic and poisonous experience of my entire life”.

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON And the South Down MLA (right) said he now regretted forming the party with Basil McCrea, his own party leader.

He said it made his experience in the Ulster Unionists — the party he

quit to form NI21 — “look like a Sunday school outing”.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that I don’t have a long-term future with NI21,” he said. “They don’t want me in the party and I don’t want to be in the party for much longer.”

Mr McCallister had initiated an in-

vestigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour made against Mr McCrea — which the party leader strongly denies.

Last night, a party council candidate quit NI21, describing it as a “soap opera”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

LIFE

MOONLIGHT WALKERS: THE WOMEN RAISING CASH TO FIGHT CANCER P27-29

WEDNESDAY JUNE 18 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

A special green-fingered challenge to all

our readers

Can you reach the dizzy heights by growing our tallest sunflower?

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

TODAY the Belfast Telegraph is sending out a challenge to all our green-fingered readers — can you grow the tallest sunflower?

And we’re setting you on your way by giving away thousands of free packets of sunflower seeds as part of our Blooming Marvellous gardening drive.

Come the middle of August, we’ll be urging you to submit your sunflower pics so that we can track down the very tallest sunflowers and feature them in the newspaper.

That’s why we’re offering fabulous prizes for the three owners of the winning sunflowers. We will be giving away three 14 pixel Fujifilm finepix AV150 digital cameras (right) to the winners, each worth £60.

All you have to do to get started and get your free sunflower seeds is register your details at competitions.belfasttelegraph.co.u k. Alternatively, if you don’t have an email address, you can send in your request for seeds with your full name, address and daytime phone number to: FAO Marketing Department, Free Sunflower Seeds Request, Independent News & Media NI, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN. After that, it’s just a matter of sowing your seeds and nurturing them through the ups

and downs of a typical Ulster summer, before measuring your sunflower, taking a photo and submitting your entry.

Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DN, by September 8.

Then we’ll pick out the best entries to visit and take photos before deciding which is the winner.

Sunflowers aren’t native to the UK, but they’ve become a visible part of our summer gardens thanks to their huge size and glorious appearance.

We all have fond memories of pitting our gardening skills against fellow pupils in our school days in the ubiquitous sunflower growing competition — so hopefully our

INSIDE

q

The rhododendron that terrified two hillwalkers News, Page 19 Belfast Telegraph competition will evoke some nostalgic feelings.

And once we choose our winners, they will be interviewed and featured in a special Blooming Marvellous gardening sup-

plement free with the newspaper in August.

Belfast Telegraph editor Mike Gilson said: “We all love sunflowers because they bring such vivid colour to our gardens and that’s why we’re celebrating the sunflower in our latest gardening drive.

We hope you get the most out of your free seeds.”

Sunflowers are thought to have been domesticated for the first time in Mexico, around 2,600BC, after crops were found at a dig site in Tabasco.

Many indigenous American peoples used the sunflower as the symbol of their solar deity, including the Aztecs and the Otomi of Mexico and the Incas of Peru.

However, it was in 1510 that early Spanish explorers encountered the sunflower in the Americas and brought its seeds back to Europe.

The flower has secured high status in the art world as the subject of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers series of paintings and during the late 19th century, the flower was used as the symbol of the aesthetic movement.

FIVE EASY STEPS TOWARDS FLORAL FAME 1. Get your free sunflower seeds by registering at competitions.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

2. Alternatively, send your full name, address and daytime phone number to: FAO Marketing Department, Free Sunflower Seeds Request, Independent News & Media NI, 124144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN.

3. Grow your sunflowers.

4. Measure and take photos of your tallest sunflower and submit the details.

5. Email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, BT1 1DN.

3

... tips for perfect blooms Sunflowers need full sun — choose a full-sun, welldrained location and prepare the soil by digging an area of 2-3 feet in circumference to a depth of about two feet.

Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so use a slow release granular fertiliser.

Mighty sunflower originated in South America

To grow the largest sunflowers, direct sow seed into the garden, instead of starting them in pots — they have long taproots that can become stunted if confined.

Water the soil and press seeds 1 inch deep in clumps of 5-6 seeds about 6-8 inches apart. Keep the soil moist and thin seedlings as they grow.

Feed often and water regularly with liquid fertiliser, but don’t pour it directly onto the stems.

TUESDAY JUNE 24 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

Bluebells, wild garlic, eu

phorbia, pink campion

Aliums

The colourful garden, and (above) just some of the plants which can be seen

WILD ABOUT

Beautiful haven in Killyleagh a 14-year labour of love for Mike and his late wife Ruth

Blue iris with Irish damselflies

Foxglove, poppies, mallow and art ichoke

MY GARDEN GROW FOR GOLD... AND ENTER OUR COMPETITION

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

THIS is the stunning KIllyleagh garden bursting with life that is the latest inspirational entry in our Blooming Marvellous garden competition.

Mike Hartwell, who submitted the entry, created the vibrant garden with his late wife Ruth from nothing 14 years ago.

The garden, entered in the Small Country Garden category of the Belfast Telegraph’s competition, is bursting with wildlife thanks to its naturalistic planting.

This May alone a moth survey of the garden counted 53 species, including a huge hummingbird hawk moth.

Mike said: “We strongly believed that a garden was a celebration of your life experience, not just a pretty thing to be looked at — thus it should relate seamlessly to the inside of the house, and the planting should express all

that you have learned from nature.

“There are several habitats, a small woodland area, wildlife pond with camomile lawn and 200 self-sown orchids, gravel garden, wildflower meadow, and one side is given over to organic vegetable beds.”

Something is always happening, as Mike explained.

“The garden is a work in progress and at any one time it may not be neat — something will be changing,” he said.

“Most of the star displays are in May and June, and will be over by July, though a key principle was always year-round colour.

“My current project is a massive removal of grasses that had got the upper hand in two rear beds, and

all the paths have become a bit overgrown due to neglect last year during my wife's illness, so later this summer I will be bringing them under control.

“Many visitors, however, like this wild quality, so, as always, it’s a balance between what feels right and what's achievable.”

The Belfast Telegraph wants to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have resulted in the most inspirational gardens here.

The closing date isn’t until July 4 — which means there is still time to get your entries in.

We are offering an incredible £1,000 worth of gardening products for the winning garden in each of our four categories, so get your camera out.

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Mike Hartwell with his late wife Ruth, and (below) wisteria and bright yellow laburnum surround the garden

How to enter our Blooming Marvellous garden competition: n Put the finishing touches to your balcony, courtyard or garden this June. n Photograph a couple of views of your garden — we need good, sharp images. n You can enter your garden in one of four categories: Small Urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden, and Large Country Garden (more than half-an-acre). n Email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@ belfasttelegraph.co.uk, including your name and contact details, garden photos, what category you are entering and a brief background if you want. n Or post your entries to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB. n Closing date is July 4, 2014

FRIDAY JUNE 27 2014

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d re e rd o rs to c o d e th t a h w t s ju Haven is Retired medics enjoy The Good Life as wildlife flocks to their country garden

How to enter our competition... n Put the finishing touches to your balcony, courtyard or garden this June n Photograph a couple of views of your garden — we need good, sharp images n You can enter your garden in one of four categories: Small Urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden, and Large Country Garden (more than half-an-acre) n Email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@ belfasttelegraph.co.uk, including your name and contact details, garden photos, what category you are entering and a brief background if you want n Or post entries to environment correspondent Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB n Closing date is July 4, 2014

BY AMANDA FERGUSON newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

TWO retired doctors — who can count herons, foxes and squirrels among the visitors to their stunning garden — are enjoying their own version of The Good Life.

John and Noeni Bryars’ beautiful three-quarters-of-an-acre oasis — complete with secret garden, water feature and blossoming flowerbeds — is the latest entry to our Blooming Marvellous competition.

The Lisburn couple has lived in their Lambeg home for 29 years and love nothing more than spending time outdoors birdwatching, tending to plants and picking their own fruit and vegetables.

“We have great fun in the garden,” Noeni said.

“People have second holiday homes but we love where we are. I love the back part of the garden. It’s so private you feel like you’re in the country.

“At this stage of the year we love all the fruit and vegetables we grow, like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, artichokes, peas and beans.

“We call it The Good Life here.”

A bullfinch is a welcome visitor to the garden of John and Noeni Bryars (below). The Lisburn oasis boasts an array of features including a bird house (left) and an assortment of plant life (right)

Like Tom Good from the famous 1970s sitcom, John is the main gardener, with a big passion for plants, while Noeni does the mowing and keeping an eye on visiting wildlife.

“I’m the one who mows and

lifts the leaves in the autumn and I’m a keen ornithologist,” she said.

“John designed lots of the features in

the garden including two small ponds which connect via a pump system and there is also an area which we call our ‘Secret Garden’ made in the woody

shrubbery that kids love.

“We just love our garden and its views and have no desire to be away from it for long, especially from March to September.”

The Belfast Telegraph wants to find gardeners whose passion and

skill have resulted in Northern Ireland’s most inspirational gardens.

The competition runs until next Friday so there is still time to get your entries in. We are offering £1,000 of gardening products for the winning garden in each of four categories, so get your camera out and get snapping.

SATURDAY JUNE 28 2014

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Inspiring cornucopia of colour

Just some of gardens entered for our £4k competition Pioneers: Public Enemy

Belfast gig for Public Enemy

BY MAUREEN COLEMAN

Ken and Betty Rankin relax in their garden, and (below, from left) the Bloomin’ Marvellous entries of Carol and Brian Mackey, Helga Kingston, and Sarah Ramsey

BELIEVE the hype — hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy are set to bring the noise to Belfast this summer.

The New York rappers — who last performed in the city in 2003 — will play the Limelight 1 on Tuesday, August 5.

The politically charged rap act, which formed in Long Island in 1982, broke through to mainstream success in 1987 with their ground-breaking album It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.

Fusing break beats, funk and metal with Chuck D and Flavour Flav's unique vocals, Public Enemy have gone on to create hip-hop's most acclaimed body of work, including hit singles such as Don't Believe The Hype and Bring The Noise.

Tickets go on sale on Monday.

Proposal: Bernardita Middleton

Another Middleton eyes prince

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

CAST your eyes over this cornucopia of colour and texture. Are you feeling inspired yet?

These are some of the amazing gardens entered in our Blooming Marvellous competition. And we’re just down to a handful of days left until the closing date of July 4.

So grab your camera, get out there and get clicking if you want to take part in the contest.

We’ve had all sorts of entries, everything from ultra-modern outdoor rooms with clean lines and architectural planting, to gorgeous panoramas punctuated with bright billowing rhododendron. It doesn’t matter what size your garden is, as long as you love and cherish it.

How to enter our gardening competition n Put the finishing touches to your balcony, courtyard or garden this June. n Photograph a couple of views of your garden. n You can enter your garden in one of four categories — Small Urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden, and Large Country Garden (over half-an-acre).

n Email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@belfa sttelegraph.co.uk, including your name and contact details, garden photos, what category you are entering and a brief background if you want. n Alternatively, post your entries to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, BT1 1EB. n Closing date is July 4, 2014.

For example, Carol and Brian Mackey have poured love into their back garden plot in Dromore, Co Down. After deciding to concentrate on flowers instead of grass, the couple developed an inspired space featuring a lot of hard landscaping with three beds filled with an architectural mixture of perennials and annuals.

Willowy delphiniums in a wealth of jewel-like shades are interspersed with vivid cosmos and glorious sunflowers so that there is always something new to look at every season.

They’ve even brought in architectural qualities with plants that aren’t traditionally floral, such as the 6ft globe artichoke that they grew this year.

“We saw this as the best solution to bringing garden colour into our house, as the garden extends along the back of the house

and is in constant view from the main living areas,” Brian explained.

Meanwhile, Helga Kingston pays tribute to her dad Freddie McIlmoyle for building all the pergolas and decking areas that divide her stepped garden near Limavady into a series of outdoor rooms, ranging from the decking area with fruit trees to the small woodland in the making.

“It was established eight years ago and it is really starting to mature nicely,” she said.

The Belfast Telegraph wants to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have resulted in the most inspirational gardens in Northern Ireland. The closing date isn’t until July 4 — which means there is still time to get your entries in.

We are offering an incredible £1,000 worth of gardening products for the winning garden in each of our four categories.

BY TONY JONES PRINCE Harry has received a proposal from a cheeky Chilean admirer who has a surname that is very close to home — Middleton.

Wearing a tiara as she waited at Santiago Airport, Bernardita Middleton, a presenter with Chilean breakfast TV, shouted out that she wanted to be the prince's wife.

Her calls were in vain, but when their paths crossed later in the capital, she shouted out again.

After going on a brief walkabout he crossed over to Ms Middleton and told her: “I recognise your voice from last night.”

She madly waved her self-made Press accreditation card and said: “I'm a Middleton my name is Middleton, like Princess Kate, I be your next wife Harry.”

The prince giggled at the proposal from the roving reporter, but quickly moved on.

MONDAY JUNE 30 2014

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WE TRIUMPH ONCE AGAIN...

Newspaper of the Year at the industry’s Oscars

LIAM CLARKE

MARGARET CANNING

POLITICAL Editor Liam Clarke won Newspaper Journalist of the Year.

The judges said: “A powerful portfolio highlighted by a remarkable interview with Attorney General John Larkin and his agonising over whether or not to pursue prosecutions or public inquiries over murders pre-dating the Good Friday

BUSINESS Editor Margaret Canning won Business Journalist of the Year.

The judges said: “This entry stands head and shoulders above the rest. Margaret Canning, who demonstrates breadth, exclusivity and a range of differing stories: campaigning, with royal

Newspaper Journalist of Year

A remarkable piece with John Larkin the highlight of his portfolio Agreement. It's an issue which continues to divide and convulse NI and the progress of the peace process.

“Plus a revealing and significant interview with Peter Robinson revealing his prevarication over whether he'd meet the new Pope.”

JOANNE SWEENEY

Business Scoop of Journalist of Year the Year

A great range of stories stood head and shoulders above rest support, on apprenticeships; standing up the shopping centre receivership story; and investigating the vulnerable state of a pub chain.

“Evidence of much digging, following up and following through.”

REPORTER Joanne Sweeney won Scoop of the Year for her exclusive on a Dungannon woman being arrested in Peru on drugs charges.

The judges said: “Joanne’s story turned into a sensational international scoop about drug mules.

“She was the journalist that winkled this story out from Facebook and her

This was a scoop which turned into an international sensation journalistic instincts kicked in when the family were reluctant to talk to her,” the judges said. “Her forensic digging skills revealed a much bigger story that was followed by media all over the world. She has the determination of a modern journalist.”

LINDA STEWART LINDA STEWART

MIKE GILSON

ENVIRONMENT Correspondent Linda Stewart won Features Journalist of the Year.

The judges said: “Linda Stewart wrote about the ‘lost’ River Farset, bottle-versus-breast for the newborn baby, and the highs and lows of cultivating your own allotment.

“You don’t get more varied than

MIKE Gilson, Belfast Telegraph editor since 2009, won the prestigious overall 2014 Journalist of the Year award.

The judges said: “This award was for the Belfast Telegraph’s bravery and its overall editorial performance across all parts of the paper and all its news plat-

Feature Journalist Journalist Overall Feature of the Year Year Journalist of Year

Linda has a great ability to tell a story, keeping you interested that.

“Linda has a great ability to tell a story, draw on her own experience and get on her wellies, at least for the river tracing and allotment digging.

Her writing keeps you interested from beginning to end.”

This is for the formidable bravery of the Belfast Telegraph forms.

“Mike Gilson has clearly created and leads a formidable team of journalists who are either winners or were extremely hard to beat in most categories of the awards.”

FRIDAY JULY 4 2014

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Snap up share of our garden cash pot £4,000 on offer for most inspirational entries in Tele’s competition David Johnston (below) has transformed the “bare field” where his house (right) was built near Loughgall in 1991.

His full-time job as a plant breeder at Loughgall and the home farm across the road meant easy maintenance was a priority and he was able to use a special slowgrowing grass mix of fescue and bent sourced at the agricultural college.

A selection of entries from Belfast Telegraph readers

Noelle and Ian McKeown bought their property in Dundrum (below) just over a year ago and have made their mark on a well-stocked garden that had been neglected for a few years, bringing in plenty of colour to add a bit of “flounce” and adding a burgeoning vegetable plot.

Since their home (above) was built on a shelf on the side of the Gleno Valley near Larne, Pauline and Frankie Cowan (above) have tried to soften its environmental impact by coaxing a garden from a rocky strip of land around the house and by developing the surrounding natural woodland. Walks from the cultivated parts lead to a native hazel and ash woodland, which is alive with wood anemone, primroses and bluebells in spring.

Joanna McBurney and her son Alfie (below) moved into a new house in Kilkeel following the death of her husband Andrew from cancer a year ago and she had the garden dug up and landscaped with the help of Colin Christie of Christie Construction. “I don’t know a lot about plants but I spend quite a lot of time in the garden,” she explains.

Judy Boal says her dad Denis practically lives in his Bangor garden (above) which he has transformed over 25 years — “I need a tracking device to find him at times!” A pergola separates the pond area from the lower garden which is home to the glasshouse and the fruit and vegetable areas. An old orchard lies above the water garden and this year he has created a new wild garden.

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

FEAST your eyes on these scintillating colours and intriguing spaces — the entries into our Blooming Marvellous gardening competition are giving us a severe case of garden envy.

And there is still one last chance to get your garden entered into the competition before the deadline at 5pm today.

Grab your camera, get out there and take a few pictures if you want a chance to win part of our £4,000 prize fund.

We’ve had everything from ultra-modern outdoor rooms with clean lines and architectural planting to wistful woodlands

drifting with swaying foxgloves. It doesn’t matter what size your garden is, as long as you love and cherish it.

For example, Pauline Cowan describes transforming a plain pebbledashed house built on a shelf dug out from the side of the Gleno Valley in Co Antrim into a haven that her daughter’s friends dub ‘The Weasley House’ after the Harry Potter location.

“Walks from the cultivated

parts lead to a native hazel and ash woodland, which is alive with wood anemone, primroses and bluebells in spring,” she says.

“Its a green garden and the colour mainly comes from pots of bedding, and my much loved hostas. My daughter’s friends call our home 'The Weasley House' and the garden is a bit of a Weasley Garden — brambles and goosegrass are known to visit, dogs and cats are welcome and I

have given up keeping the hens out — they love the hostas too.”

And Jonathan and Karen Boggs have transformed a small Belfast garden into a formal garden with dramatic circular lawns leading into a woodland area awash with swaying foxgloves.

“We are so lucky to have a garden enclosed by such fabulous trees right in the city. Although the site is not large, we think the use of the circles in the patio and the two lawns leading to the third lawn at the very back has created a real feeling of space,” Jonathan said.

The Belfast Telegraph wants to find the gardeners whose passion and skill have resulted in the most inspirational gardens in Northern Ireland. Entries must all be in

by 5pm today — which means there is still time if you hurry.

We are offering an incredible £1,000 worth of gardening products for the winning garden in each of our four categories. You can enter your garden in Small Urban (which includes balconies and courtyards); Urban Garden; Small Country Garden; and Large Country Garden (over half an acre).

All you have to do is photograph a few views of your garden, add your name, address and contact details and email your photos to us at the Belfast Telegraph. If you want, you can include a brief outline of a few paragraphs describing your garden, but this isn’t compulsory.

Then just email your entry to

bloomingmarvellous@belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

Our judges will draw up their shortlists next week and the final judging — and garden visits — will take place later this month.

Judging of the small urban and small country garden categories will take place on July 18 and judging of the urban and large country garden categories will take place on July 21 — so pencil those dates into your diary.

Once we choose our winners, they will be interviewed and featured in a special Blooming Marvellous gardening supplement free with the newspaper in August.

Email your entry to bloomingmarvellous@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

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24 NEWS

MI5 ‘must Glorious gardens... we r hand over Kincora abuse files’

BY CHRIS KILPATRICK ANY secret files compiled by MI5 on the Kincora child sex abuse scandal must be handed over to the authorities for victims to finally get justice, a senior politician has said.

The vice-chair of Stormont’s justice committee said an inquiry with the powers to subpoena any information held by the British intelligence services must be set up to investigate abuse at the east Belfast boys’ home.

Sinn Fein’s Raymond McCartney said claims M15 and others blocked police investigations into the home between 1960 and 1980 had to be thoroughly investigated.

“Only a properly constituted public inquiry with powers of subpoena can uncover the whole truth and provide justice for the victims,” he said.

“If, as alleged, MI5 recorded the abuse of young boys at Kincora, then any inquiry must have full powers to compel witnesses to appear and access all files relating to this issue.”

The scandal was referred to in several files released by the Public Record Office under the 30-year rule last December. However, the files had been redacted with key papers removed — while one file couldn't be found.

The Kincora scandal emerged in January 1980.

It was later claimed the RUC had been informed of the abuse at the home years earlier but did nothing. One of those responsible for the abuse was said to be on the payroll of MI5.

A confidential Government note in the files said: “It is claimed that influence was brought to bear on the police not to pursue their enquiries.”

It added: “There are persistent rumours that ‘guilty men' in high places have not been brought to justice.” The note concluded that

story so far On Tuesday, Amnesty International called for Kincora to be included in a new UK-wide inquiry into child sex abuse announced by Home Secretary Theresa May. The current Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry into child abuse at institutions in Northern Ireland includes Kincora, but has only limited powers. It cannot compel the release of files from Whitehall or the secret services. it was unlikely the “vague rumours” would be substantiated.

Mr McCartney said: “This is not the first time that allegations of MI5 involvement in this scandal have emerged.

“However, the British intelligence services have consistently been more concerned with covering up their involvement rather than in achieving justice for the victims of serial abusers.

“There needs to be a full investigation into the awful abuse at Kincora Boys’ Home and nothing less than full disclosure is acceptable.”

The new Hillsborough-style inquiry announced by the Home Secretary does have the power to demand access to secret files.

Three senior care staff at the east Belfast children's home were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys in their care. East Belfast Alliance MP Naomi Long said that given the remit of the Westminster inquiry, it was perhaps “a better vehicle” for Kincora.

“We haven’t really dispelled the rumours surrounding the Kincora scandal. There are victims still around and they deserve justice.”

I won’t step down, says abuse probe judge, Page 26

Salmond and Darling for TV clash Chip shop raid accused ‘started fire’ THE first head-to-head television debate between Scottish First Minister and former Chancellor Alistair Darling on Scottish independence has been confirmed.

Alex Salmond and the Better Together leader will face each other in the showdown being broadcast live on STV on August 5.

STV's political editor Bernard Ponsonby will host the two-hour debate in front of an audience of 350 members at the Royal Conser-

BY KARRIE GILLETT vatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

Mr Salmond has repeatedly insisted he should debate with David Cameron over Scotland's future in the UK ahead of September's independence referendum, although the Prime Minister has consistently refused to do so.

Last month a clash between the rival campaigns broke out over the timing of the debate before they came to an agreement.

SNP leader: Alex Salmond

CHIP shop burglars allegedly started a fire on the premises in a bid to cover their tracks, the High Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutors claimed the blaze located close to a gas pipe could have sparked a major incident.

Details emerged as one of the men accused of breaking into the food outlet in Newry on June 30 was refused bail.

Adrian Feenan (40), of Orior Park in Bessbrook, faces charges of aggravated burglary and theft,

BY ALAN ERWIN arson endangering life and possession of a claw hammer with intent to damage property. He is further accused of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

The court heard he is alleged to have broken into the premises on Dominic Street with another man.

An empty cash register taken from upstairs rooms was dropped before the intruders fled, it was claimed. Stephanie Boyd, prose-

cuting, said a fire was then discovered near to a gas pipe.

“Thankfully it (the pipe) wasn't set alight. There would have been a serious incident had it, given the area,” she told the court.

Refusing bail, Mr Justice Weir said: “The serious aspect of this case is the lighting of a fire and the fact that, whoever did that, it appears to have been lit in proximity to a gas pipe. If that had caught light there would have been very serious consequences.”

THURSDAY JULY 10 2014

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ereveal reveal ourour first first batch batch of finalists of finalists The spectacular gardens of Helen and Barry Crawford (main picture and below); Mike Hartwell (far left and circled), and Sean Palmer (bottom right)

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

story so far

VIVID colour and verdant planting — these are the first finalists in our Blooming Marvellous gardening competition.

Our judges have been painstakingly digging through scores of stunning entries and we can now announce the shortlist for our Small Country Garden category.

We were bowled over by the wonderful gardens that our readers have shared with us, but these are the glorious spaces that really stood out.

Helen Crawford’s garden in Newtownards features a variety of mature trees, shrubs and plants within a boundary of drystone walls and is divided into a series of ‘rooms’, revealing their secrets as the garden is explored.

It is filled with eyecatching reclaimed features including a stained-glass and wrought iron panel that catches the sunlight and provides height, along with unusual items such as old decorative pipework, wheels, mirrors, cogs and an old pump, all sourced locally.

The centrepiece to the patio area is a fully working outdoor fireplace, hand built using reclaimed Belfast brick.

And the emphasis is on a casual user-friendly space, with lots of pots and tubs to add colour and a curved informal wildlife pond.

“Everything has just evolved, with nothing too carefully co-ordinated,” Helen says.

Our second finalist is Sean Palmer from Downpatrick, who transformed an old lane into a garden bursting with life.

“I’ve been living here about 38 years and at the start there was just nothing, only whins and stuff like that,” he said.

“It used to be a lane where horses would have walked and I’ve planted it with roses on one side and other flowers on the other. There is one garden

Small country garden category finalists l Helen Crawford, Newtownards lSean Palmer, Downpatrick l Mike Hartwell, Killyleagh at the bottom and as you travel up to the top there is another garden, and there’s a lane where I grow wildflowers.”

And our third finalist is Mike Hartwell, who created his vibrant, naturalistic garden in Killyleagh with his late wife Ruth from nothing 14 years ago.

“We strongly believed that a garden was a celebration of your life experience, not just a pretty thing to be looked at — thus it should relate seamlessly to the inside of the house, and the planting should express all that you have learned from nature,” Mike says.

“There are several habitats, a small woodland area, wildlife pond with camomile lawn and 200 self-sown orchids, gravel garden, wildflower meadow, and one side is given over to organic vegetable beds.

“The garden is a work in progress and at any one time it may not be neat — something will be changing. Most of the star displays are in May and June, and will be over by July, though a key principle was always year-round colour.”

There are four categories in our Blooming Marvellous gardening competition which was launched in May. The next step is for our judges to visit the gardens in person on July 18 to choose an overall winner. After this, our shortlisted gardens will all be featured in a supplement.

And there's plenty at stake.

We are offering £1,000-worth of gardening products for the winning garden in each of our four categories, so it's time to get mulching.

Minister’s Portuguese pupil pledge Change cash before travelling plea EDUCATION Minister John O’Dowd has met the Portuguese Consul-General to discuss educational issues affecting the migrant Portuguese school-age population.

Dr Carlos de Sousa Amaro is visiting the Portadown area this week and Mr O’Dowd said he was pleased to raise the educational needs of the Portuguese community living in Northern Ireland.

“They are among 10,000 newcomer children in our schools and

BY STAFF REPORTER indications are that these numbers are increasing. My expectations for newcomer pupils are no less than for any other child,” he said.

The minister outlined how his department assists newcomer pupils: “The Inclusion and Diversity Service provides support and capacity-building training to all grant-aided schools and special schools for newcomer pupils.”

Reassurance: John O’Dowd

THE Consumer Council is advising travellers heading off on summer holidays to change their money before they reach the airport or ferry terminal.

Holly MacLennan from the council said people should make sure they’re not spending more than needed on commission, charges or to withdraw money at an ATM abroad.

“It’s likely you’ll find a better deal changing your money before travelling rather than at the air-

BY STAFF REPORTER port, ferry terminal or once abroad,” she said.

“Try checking with banks, post offices, online, local shops or bureaux de change for the best exchange rate. Of course you can still convert money at the airport or ferry terminal, but remember you are a captive customer so may not get the best rate.

“Some people might not want to carry large sums of cash, which is

understandable, but in that case consider how you’ll pay for things abroad. If you’re planning to use a debit or credit card to withdraw cash make sure to check what charges apply. It’s also worth letting your bank know you’re going away so they don’t block your card.”

To find out more about travel money, log on to www.consumer council.org.uk/publications or telephone 0800 121 6022.

FRIDAY JULY 11 2014

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Weight loss surgery hope for thousands

BY ELLA PICKOVER

The garden of finalist James Logan in Portstewart, and (right) the Moorish tiled pathways

Cool urban gardens: finalists plant the seeds of inspiration

BY LINDA STEWART

Campaign to get kids playing outdoors

IT’S enough to make you green with envy — the gorgeous oases of tranquillity in the heart of our towns and cities.

Our judges have painstakingly trawled through scores of stunning entries to our £4,000 Blooming Marvellous garden competition and we can now announce the shortlist for our Urban Garden category.

Our readers have shared some incredible gardens, but these are the verdant spaces that really captured the judges’ attention.

At the age of 87, Denis Boal is a passionate gardener and has transformed his plot over the past

INSIDE

BY DAVID MERCER

Left: The colourful blooms in Denis Boal’s garden. Above and right: Victor and Roz Henry’s delightful cottage-style garden

q

How a transplant gave Sean his future back Life, Page 31 25 years, according to his daughter Judy who entered him in the competition.

“He has always loved gardening and now at 87 he practically lives in it — I need a tracking device to find him at times!” she said.

“He landscaped the pond area in the early Nineties and a pergola with grapevine separates it from the lower garden where he has a glasshouse, and below it an area where he plants vegetables and fruit. At the other side of the centre path is a lawn surrounded by shrubs.

“An old orchard lies above the water garden, which is mostly lawn with an ancient pear tree in the centre. There are beds planted out with trees and shrubs here and this year he has added an area to create a wild garden.”

HUNDREDS of thousands of people with type 2 diabetes could be offered weight-loss surgery on the NHS. New draft guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) suggests that obese people with the condition should be assessed for bariatric surgery — such as having a gastric band fitted to reduce the size of the stomach or a gastric bypass, where the digestive system is re-routed past the stomach.

At present weight loss surgery is given to patients on the NHS to those who are morbidly obese with a body mass index (BMI) score of over 40 or to those who have a BMI over 35 and who have another serious health condition — such as type 2 diabetes.

But now Nice is suggesting that people with a BMI score of 30 to 35 should be considered if they have been diagnosed within the last 10 years.

This could mean hundreds of thousands more patients could be considered for treatment. Data from the National Diabetes Audit show that around 71% of people with type 2 diabetes were diagnosed in the last decade.

factfile Urban garden finalists: e Denis Boal, Bangor e Victor and Roz Henry, Newtownards e James Logan, Portstewart Our next finalists are Victor and Roz Henry, whose garden on the outskirts of Newtownards was a blank canvas when the house was built in 1996.

Their garden is filled with a variety of plants, including southern hemisphere species such as cordyline and phormium, along with

cottage garden favourites like Meconopsis, phlox, delphiniums, agapanthus and alliums.

“While the garden is not large, it contains a wide variety of plants, a pond for wildlife and goldfish, a gazebo, a greenhouse, and a brick pillared rose walk clothed in the rambler Frances E Lester while

Rambling Rector spreads along a fence,” Roz said.

Meanwhile, James Logan’s stunning Moorish-themed garden in Portstewart, designed following a visit to the Alhambra in Granada, has already appeared in the Belfast Telegraph’s Blooming Marvellous coverage.

The garden features a long central tiled rill with a fountain and a gentle flow system. Two tiled pavilions with draped ceilings add to the Moorish feel, as does the intricate mosaic work.

James explained: “Some years ago my work took me to Granada in Spain and I visited the Alhambra on many occasions so 10 years ago when I came to design my most recent garden I drew my inspiration from the famous Generalife gardens in the Alhambra.

“Harmony, balance and perspective were key in the design and I have tried to create, not only an interesting garden, but a place that has a calmness and tranquillity at its core.”

A QUARTER of children spend less than half an hour outdoors each day, the National Trust has found.

More than half of youngsters aged seven to 12 spend less than an hour a day outside, while almost nine in 10 children have never taken part in traditional outdoor activities such as playing conkers or building a raft, according to research by the charity.

The National Trust said it had launched a campaign to “connect the cotton wool generation with nature” by getting 200,000 children playing outside this summer.

According to a poll of 1,000 parents and grandparents, 54% of children spend less than an hour outside each day, while one in four (25%) seven to 12-year-olds are outdoors for less than 30 minutes a day.

This compares to parents who spent an average of two hours and 34 minutes outside each day in their youth, the survey found.

More than half of grandparents (53%) spent more than three hours a day playing outside when they were aged seven to 12, compared to 6% of children today.

SATURDAY JULY 12 2014

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The garden of finalist Daphne McCartney

New role: Amanda Holden

PATH LEADING US TO SOME SCENT-SATIONAL GARDENS

Amanda to keep Holly’s seat warm

BY ROBERT DEX BRITAIN'S Got Talent judge Amanda Holden is taking Holly Willoughby's seat on the This Morning sofa while she goes on maternity leave.

She will join co-host Phillip Schofield on the show for four days a week from September with husband-and-wife team Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford continuing to appear on Fridays.

Holden said: “I'm over the Moon to get the chance to present one of my favourite shows on TV and I'm thrilled to be keeping Holly's seat on the sofa warm when she goes off.”

Willoughby, whose third child is due in October, has said she wants to keep working as long as possible. ITV said Christine Bleakley will also present some of the shows missed by Willoughby while she is on leave.

EG Wilson’s garden, and (below) the garden of Hilary and Jim Rafferty

THEY’RE the cream of the crop — the stunning local country gardens which have had love and care poured into them.

These are the spectacular spaces shortlisted in the Large Country Garden category of our £4,000 Blooming Marvellous garden competition.

Our judges have been carefully studying the hundreds of photographs sent to us and these are the entries to have really captured their imagination.

For example, finalist Daphne McCartney has spent 20 years designing and developing her’s near the village of Newbuildings in the north west.

“I did it area by area according to the soil, slopes and existing native trees,” she explained.

“I love colour and scent in the garden and also enjoy having lots of birds, butterflies, bees and the occasional squirrel and hedgehog.

“I enjoy creating vistas to carry one’s eye through the garden and have seating at various intervals.

“My garden is on a rocky, windy hillside so it has been a big challenge to create shelter, improve the soil and still keep it natural to blend in with the landscape.

“I think my garden is interesting all the year round as I have a good mixture of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees.”

Our next finalists are retired

BY LINDA STEWART consultant Hilary Rafferty and retired art teacher Jim Rafferty, who have transformed a tract of rough farmland by the Glenwherry River near Ballymena, clearing out the mill race and waterfall, digging two large ponds and planting native trees.

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Connolly’s gig sells out within hour

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Yikes... jellyfish as big as binlids have arrived!

News, Page 17 They have now planted more than 150 varieties of rhododendrons, hundreds of candelabra primulas and a collection of alpine plants, along with a new fernery established this spring.

The garden is also attracting a wealth of wildlife, including otters, bats, kingfishers, herons and cuckoos.

Earlier this year they threw open the gates to the public as part of the Ulster Gardens Scheme for the first time, and it proved a massive success, drawing more than 600 visitors.

“If I had to sum up the garden in one word it would be ‘water’,” Hilary said.

“The heart and soul of the garden is water. The sound of it — the

BY PAUL WARD

factfile

Large Country Garden shortlist: Daphne McCartney, Newbuildings Jim and Hilary Rafferty, Glenwherry Mrs EG Wilson, Lisburn river, the waterfall, the mill race.

And the vision of it — calm reflections on the ponds, sparkling sunshine on the river, dark shadows in the mill race.”

Our third finalist is Mrs EG Wilson, who has transformed a field near Lisburn into a wonderful garden over the past 50 years.

“The garden is an eclectic mix

of conifers, rhododendrons, perennials, shrubs, lawns and pathways,” she said.

“Seasonal colour from perennials and bulbs provide contrast throughout the garden over all seasons.”

Mr Wilson is keen on herbaceous perennials and has planted a lot of conifers as well as decid-

uous species. Highlights at the moment include the crocosmia and the anthemis, which are flowering, and the dahlias will soon be in bloom.

“I have a lot of rhododendron but they are all past now,” she said.

Our judges will be visiting the three gardens on July 21.

TICKETS for the start of Billy Connolly's latest stand-up tour have sold out in less than an hour.

People started queuing outside the Music Hall in Aberdeen at around 4am yesterday to get their hands on tickets for his first two shows.

The ticketing website struggled under demand as the 2,600-seat capacity shows sold out in 50 minutes. The High Horse tour starts in the city on September 29 before travelling to Perth, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.

The comedy tour is his first in Scotland for five years and comes after the ‘Big Yin’ revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer.

He has now been given the allclear from cancer, and the 71-yearold has vowed to continue with his stage and acting work.

TUESDAY JULY 15 2014

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Gardeners show sm

Accused: John Brown

Elizabeth Mackay enjoying her Belfast garden, and (clockwise from below right) the entries from Helen Trainor, Shirley McKigney and Brian Mackey

Dana’s family in feud over estate, sex trial told

BY SHANE HICKEY

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT TINY yet perfect — these are the stunning city courtyards that are putting the rest of our gardens to shame.

Our judges have examined hundreds of photographs submitted in our £4,000 Blooming Marvellous competition and these are the entries that have been shortlisted in the Small Urban Garden category.

It doesn’t matter if you have a balcony or a microscopic backyard, as long as you have poured love and attention into your space — and these are the ones that captured our judges’ attention.

For example, Carol and Brian Mackey decided to make the most of their small garden in Dromore, Co Down, by concentrating on flowers instead of grass.

They have developed an inspired space featuring a lot of hard landscaping with three beds filled with an architectural mixture of perennials and annuals.

Willowy delphiniums in a wealth of jewel like shades are interspersed with vivid cosmos and glorious sunflowers so that there is always something new to look at every season.

They’ve even brought in architectural qualities with plants that aren’t traditionally floral, such as the six-foot globe artichoke that they grew this year.

“We saw this as the best solution to bringing garden colour into our house, as the garden extends along the back of the house and is in constant view from the main living areas,” Brian explained.

Meanwhile, Shirley McKigney has transformed a bare stretch of lawn into a gorgeous plot since she bought her Ballymena house in 2003.

factfile Small urban garden finalists: e Brian Mackey, Dromore e Shirley McKigney, Ballymena e Helen Trainor, Derry e Elizabeth Mackay, Belfast “I recently built a wall and laid new paving stones so the planting on that side is not as mature,” she said.

“As I work almost full-time I have aimed for low maintenance with shrubs, trees and perennials.

I also choose plants and shrubs that support wildlife.”

And Helen Trainor has also transformed a stretch of grass

into a colourful garden over the past 15 years. Her Eglinton garden features cottage-style planting and has attracted frogs because of its wildlife friendly nature.

“Roses are my favourite plant, though I have verbena bonariensis, arum lilies, astilbes and crocosmia,” she says.

“But I spend very little time chilling in the garden — I spend a

lot of time dead-heading and weeding.”

Our last finalist is Elizabeth Mackay, who loves working in her Belfast garden despite being in her 80s and being restricted due to arthritis. Her garden was entered in the competition by her friend Victor Corrie.

“The garden was laid out for easy maintenance before I came

here 10 years ago but it had not been maintained all that well,” she said.

“I was fortunate in that I was able to get hold of the gardener who had originally planted the place out and we took it from there.

“Because of the arthritis, digging and cutting hedges is not within my capacity, but I put in a few extra bits and pieces and developed it.”

Silver birch, bamboo and a bird table have been added and Ms Mackay has planted begonias just outside her French windows.

“I enjoy opening my windows in the morning and they are all bright and beautiful regardless of the weather,” she said.

MEMBERS of Dana’s family allegedly supported false allegations of sexual abuse against her brother to derail her election campaign following a bitter inheritance feud, a court heard.

Former MEP and Irish Presidential candidate Dana allegedly told her sister Ellen “you don’t know anything you stupid b****” when she was asked to settle the row.

John Brown, a brother of the Londonderry singer-turned-politician, faces five counts of indecent assault in the 1970s against two girls under the age of 16.

Harrow Crown Court heard how the historic allegations against the 60-year-old had effectively split the Scallon family in two.

One of the alleged victims, now 47, claims Brown touched her inappropriately on four occasions.

Her claims are supported by Dana’s brother Robert Brown and her sister Ellen Bradley, both of whom gave evidence yesterday.

But defence barrister Martyn Bowyer said their testimony was concocted to get their own back at Dana and John Brown in a row over the inheritance of their mother’s house.

Mrs Bradley was asked if she had ever said she had been “swindled out of an inheritance” by her brother John, which she denied.

He went on to say: “Because of this dispute with John Brown and your closeness (with the alleged victim’s mother), you have fallen firmly in her camp.”

She said through tears as she sat in the stand: “I was not in anyone’s camp. My mother used to say: ‘Stay out of it’, and I’m trying to do that. I said to Dana: ‘You need to sort this out…’ and she said: ‘You don’t know anything you stupid b****’.”

Robert Brown told the court he first heard about allegations against his brother John in 2003, round the time Dana first ran for the Presidency of Ireland.

He claimed he subsequently confronted the defendant during a phone call a short time later.

He said: “I said to him: ‘If there is any truth in this then you need to go to the USA and deny it. It will destroy the family name and it will be dreadful for Dana’s campaign.”

He said the accused did not do it.

The hearing continues today.

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INSIDE

NEWS PAGES 8-9

Golf champ’s the toast of Stormont Rory swings by parliament... but where’s the Claret Jug? DEBATENI PAGES 26-27

How Rangers forged Ulster link Alasdair McKillop on sport, politics and unionism LIFE PAGE 33

Anti-Semitism has no place here Lindy McDowell: attack on Belfast synagogue needs to be condemned BUSINESS PAGES 36-37

Ulster Bank ‘to sell £1bn portfolio’ Massive disposal of loans set to boost property market

PLUS INSIDE SPORT PAGES Belfast boxer Paddy Barnes hits out at the timing of drugs test CIPR NI PRESS & MEDIA AWARDS 2014 Newspaper of the Year The Belfast Telegraph also won: NEWSPAPER JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR FEATURE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR BUSINESS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR SCOOP OF THE YEAR

CIPR NI PRESS & MEDIA AWARDS 2013 Newspaper of the Year UK SOCIETY OF EDITORS’ AWARDS 2012 Daily/Sunday Newspaper of the Year

Published by Independent News & Media Ltd at 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast. Printed at 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast and Carnbane Industrial Estate, Newry.

Daphne and Andrew McCartney’s garden

WHO’S CAUGHT THE JUDGES’ EYE AND IS IN FINAL GARDEN BUNCH? Tele gardening competition reaches its climax next week

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

turn of Rowallane head gardener Averil Milligan and garden designer Trevor Edwards to head off on the road to investigate Northern Ireland’s finest urban gardens and large country gardens, uncovering a wealth of approaches and influences.

They found everything from the Moorish-inspired Portstewart garden designed by James Logan, featuring a central tiled rill and deliciously scented roses, to Jim and Hilary Rafferty’s heavenly garden in the Antrim Hills, with a serene millpond harbouring croaking frogs and drifting water crowfoot.

At Denis Boal’s urban garden hidden behind a Victorian house in Bangor, a grapevine-draped pergola cast stripes of light and shade across the neighbour-

lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

WE’VE scoured hundreds of photographs of lovingly tended gardens — and now it’s Judgement Day. After meticulously scoring almost 60 gardens entered in our Bloomin’ Marvellous garden competition, our judges took to the road to track down Northern Ireland’s finest gardens.

After painstakingly going through the entries to choose finalists in line for a share of the £4,000 prize fund, BBC Radio Ulster gardening presenter Cherrie McIlwaine ( right) and CAFRE Greenmount horticulture lecturer David Dowd set off on a road trip to find the best small urban

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great things to do

and small country gardens. The magnificent creations on display ranged from the intriguing ‘garden rooms’ created by builder Barry Crawford at Ballyblack on the Ards Peninsula to the flowerfilled courtyard created by Carol and Brian Mackey at Dromore.

Personal touches included everything from Himalayan prayer flags and wind chimes to lovingly built drystone walls and stark geometrical shapes softened by rampant summer flowers.

Then on Monday it was the

TODAY THEATRE: Experience Shakespeare as you have never seen it before by watching Macbeth in the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. This new piece of theatre from Stuart Harvey and Belfastborn Garth McConaghie combines electronic music with contemporary choreography. 7.45pm until July 26 (also Thur/Sat 2.30pm).

Tickets: £12.50-£15, family £42. For more details tel: 028 9038 1081

SCREENING: Fans of the King will want to see Elvis Presley Live in the Black Box, Belfast, as it captures highlights from his career as well as a great soundtrack. 8.30pm. Tickets: £6.

Tel: 028 9024 4400 CONCERT: Dominic Kirwan (right) performs a selection of country songs that reflect his love of music during his Summer Show in the Newcastle Centre. 8pm. Tickets £18.50. Tel: 028 4372 5034

TOMORROW

July 26. Tel: 028 7126 4455 for more information

CLASSICAL: British oboist and conductor Nicholas Daniel is one of the UK’s most distinguished soloists and his appearance at the 2014 Walled City Music Festival in Derry/ Londonderry is a landmark recital and a must hear.

Great Hall, Magee at 7.30pm. Tickets: £11. The Festival continues until

THEATRE: Gabriel Foley, a middle-aged bachelor farmer who lives with his elderly mother, has been unlucky in love many times — but when two ladies become suddenly interested, he finds it all a bit too much to handle.

The Two Loves of Gabriel Foley is staged in the Portrush Town Hall at 8pm until Saturday. Tickets: adults £7/£6, kids £4. Tel: 028 7082 9539

ing pond, while vista after vista unfolded at Daphne McCartney’s woodland garden on a mountain overlooking the River Foyle.

Judge Averil Milligan commented: “It was lovely to be able to visit some of the gardens and get a feel for the passion to garden and the stories from the owners.

The level of detail was just amazing, as was the standard of care and artistic work. I was delighted to see composting, vegetable plots and space for wildlife with log piles and wildflowers too.”

Greenmount horticulture lecturer David Dowd added: “The gardening skills displayed by all the entrants were really impressive. It was great to see how their lives influenced their gardens.”

The winners will be announced next week.

HOW TO CONTACT US General enquiries: (028) 90264000 Home delivery: 0800 028 1909 News: (028) 90264420 newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Business: (028) 90264443 bustel@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Sport: (028) 90264427 sportsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Features: (028) 90264475 featureseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Local direct advertising: (028) 90264070

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WEDNESDAY JULY 23 2014

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Left: judges Averil Milligan and Trevor Edwards in Mrs Gerry Wilson’s garden and (top) judges David Dowd and Cherrie McIlwaine in Elizabeth Mackay’s garden in Belfast KEVIN SCOTT

OUR 12 BLOOMING LOVELIES SHORTLISTED FOR AWARDS Small urban gardens Miss Elizabeth Mackay, Belfast Shrub-lined courtyard garden with vivid begonias and a jewel-hued island bed.

Carol and Brian Mackey, Dromore Courtyard garden crammed with height and colour, bringing summer into the house.

Shirley McKigney, Ballymena Long, narrow terrace back garden with a wealth of unusual plants.

Urban gardens Denis Boal, Bangor Much-loved urban oasis with orchard trees, pergola walks draped in grapevines, pond and veg patch.

Victor and Roz Henry, Newtownards Glorious suburban back garden filled with colour, height and jungle planting.

James Logan, Portstewart Moorish-inspired haven featuring a central rill flanked by scented roses.

Small country gardens Barry and Helen Crawford, Newtownards Series of garden rooms tempting visitors to explore a tranquil space on the Ards Peninsula.

Sean Palmer, Loughinisland Intriguing maze of blossomfilled drystone walls created from a former horse lane Mike Hartwell, Killyleagh Magical haven of flowers, woodland and prairie planting filled with endless fascinating nooks.

Large country garden Mrs Gerry Wilson, Lisburn Stunning labour of love featuring a rich collection of mature trees, shrubs and vistas highlighting vivid blooms.

Jim and Hilary Rafferty, Glenwherry Spectacular garden set in the Co Antrim hills, centring on a restored millrace and millpond teeming with frogs and trout.

Daphne and Andrew McCartney, Newbuildings Spectacular rural retreat overlooking the River Foyle, with a maze of woodland paths where you can lose yourself.

Jim and Hilary Rafferty’s picturesque garden in Glenwherry

Mrs Gerry Wilson’s stunning garden in Lisburn

Judges Averil and Trevor in Victor and Roz Henry’s garden

Barry and Helen Crawford’s colourful garden in Newtownards

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WEDNESDAY JULY 30 2014

16 NEWS

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Small Urban Garden

THEY’RE the cream of the crop Helen Trainor — the beautifully put together gardens that came out on top in our £4,000 Bloomin’ Marvellous in this pretty garcompetition den. Creating this Today we are announcing the charming urban winners of the Small Urban Gargarden has obviousden category after our judges ly been a labour of love and it is painstakingly examined hundreds the winner in this category.” of photos before visiting the most Runner-up is Shirley McKigney, outstanding. whose tiny terrace back garden in Our winner is Helen Trainor, Ballymena has been brought alive whose suburban garden in Eglin- with a wealth of form and ton is packed with ‘rooms’ filling colour.

“To help soften the lines Shirley every corner, featuring everything from a rose-draped balcony to a has planted a collection of interesting trees and the bed into pond with a bridge.

Our judges, BBC presenter which they are planted has been Cherrie McIlwaine and Green- curved and banked to add some mount horticulture lecturer David variation and height,” Cherrie said.

“Elsewhere there are blueberry Dowd, were fascinated as they explored the imaginative features, bushes bursting with new berries, including ‘windows’ linking one roses, honeysuckle, crocosmia, agapanthus and other herbaceous part of the garden to the next.

“Everywhere I go in the house lovelies.

“This is a lovingly tendI can see the garden. It’s aled garden where ways evolving and althe plants are ways changing,” positively Helen said. pinging Cherrie dewith scribed it as health.” a “country Third garden place which has goes to come to Carol town”. and “WinBrian dows and Mackey, doors have whose plot been designed in Dromore to allow the garwas described as den to spill into the a “happy herbahouse and a neat ceous garden in wooden bridge arcs Winner Helen Trainor with a neat urban over the stoneclad judges Cherrie McIlwaine space”. pond full of lilies and David Dowd “They have and happy fish,” she made the very most of a relativesaid.

“The planting is unashamedly ly small area with garden pathcottage garden with roses and ways of hexagonal brick and stone clematis clothing walls and fences sets for easy maintenance and and campanula, perovskia, ver- raised beds which are packed with bena bonariensis, aquilegia, pen- lovely herbaceous plants, many stemon and astilbe filling the beds of which they have grown from seed,” Cherrie said. and borders beside the pond.

The judges also awarded a “Neat raised beds are home to crops of salad vegetables and a ‘highly commended’ to Elizabeth pretty ‘upcycled’ summer house MacKay’s “charming” apartment provides one of several places to garden in Belfast, saying: “Herbaceous perennials and bright sumsit and enjoy the view.

“A peep-hole through a hedge mer bedding make happy and a mirror on an ivy clad wall companions in this engaging and are some of the imaginative details welcoming space”.

RURAL OASIS IN HEART OF SUBURBIA

Helen Trainor on the bridge in her winning garden KEVIN SCOTT

Those on the podium Small Urban Garden Gold: Helen Trainor, Eglinton Silver: Shirley McKigney, Ballymena Bronze: Carol and Brian Mackey, Dromore, Co Down

Large Country Garden Gold: Daphne and Andrew

Helen Trainor’s garden shed has a chic urban style, and (right) the bridge over her stone-clad pond full of happy fish

McCartney, Newbuildings Silver: Jim and Hilary Rafferty, Glenwherry Bronze: Mrs Gerry Wilson, Lisburn

WEDNESDAY JULY 30 2014

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Day two: more winning gardens in Belfast Telegraph’s magnificent £4,000 competition n Large Country Gardertn ey Ca Andrew and Daphne Mc

Daphne and Andrew McCartney’s garden

Hilltop setting scales the heights DIZZYING vistas with glorious colours shimmering in the distance — it can only be the Large Country Garden category of our competition.

And the winners are Daphne and Andrew McCartney, whose Georgian-style home near Newbuildings perches on a hillside with spectacular views of the winding River Foyle and the Barnsmore Gap. But when you tear your eyes from the view, the vistas closer to home are almost as impressive — a woodland garden criss-crossed with gravel paths and a rich array of planting on a challenging site.

Judge Trevor Edwards, a garden designer, said the hillside garden fully utilises the sloping west-facing site to create terraced compartments in a variety of themes

Small Urban Garden Shirley McKigney

Shirley McKigney with judges Cherrie and David

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

to complement the house. “An intriguing number of traversing paths draw the visitor on an amazing and thrilling horticultural journey. The use of plants to fit into the changing terrain is exemplary — from a woodland setting one wanders seamlessly into a rock garden environment,” he said.

“Rarely have I seen such a happy and healthy collection of trees and plants within such a relaxing garden, in such a setting — the subtle use of the near and distant borrowed landscape is superb.”

Fellow judge Averil Milligan, head gardener of Rowallane, said:

“The naturalistic planting style, clever placement of plants, artistic detail, views and the atmosphere in this garden is truly outstanding. Hats off to the owners as this is a windy site with little existing soil on high ground and is a true labour of love.”

Second place goes to Jim and Hilary Rafferty’s garden, created round a millpond in the Antrim Hills at Glenwherry, a garden where Diarmuid Gavin recently recorded as part of a forthcoming series.

“The elevated location of the house affords superb views of the large pond, complete with a jetty and rowing boat, and beyond to the hills of the Co Antrim countryside,” Trevor said.

“Rarely does one see such a good example of riparian garden-

Large Country Garden Jim and Hilary Rafferty

Jim and Hilary Rafferty’s garden, and (inset) the pair with judges Averil Milligan and Trevor Edwards

ing. From the mill race water is fed to two ponds and returned to the natural river — the river paths and banks of all are filled with a thrilling display of appropriate planting.”

And third place is awarded to Mrs Gerry Wilson’s beautifully developed mature garden near Lisburn, featuring sweeping vistas of conifers softened by herbaceous plants below.

Trevor said: “A stroll through this plantsman’s garden with its island beds and borders is bound to bring a pleasing smile to anyone’s face, even if by chance you were to visit on a dull day.

“Everywhere there was evidence of the expertise, experience and skill of the gardener, who has created great harmony by the sympathetic choice of plants.”

Get set to snap a winner for our new photo competition

For full details, log on to http://tinyurl.com/nqgxhh7

THURSDAY AUGUST 7 2014

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So, how does your sunflower measure up against this big r u o d n (a m o lo b w o yell Linda, who’s a little smaller)?

THE seeds have gone out, our readers have sown them — and now we want to see the results.

Thousands of free packets of sunflower seeds were given away by the Belfast Telegraph earlier this year at the outset of our Bloomin’ Marvellous sunflower competition.

And here’s our first entry — a magnificent 73-inch bloom grown

by M&S customer assistant Stewart O’Hara (35) in his beautiful east Belfast courtyard garden.

Stewart only grew sunflowers for the first time last year and it didn’t quite work out, but this year he has really cracked the technique.

“Last year was the first time I planted sunflowers — it was a quirky birthday present. This year I grew them early and they’ve become beasts,” he says.

“There are about 15 in total. A lot of them are finishing now, but there are some little ones. I’m told if you cut them they keep coming, so I keep cutting them.

“It’s hard to get them to stay up because they keep falling over.

“If you plant them in pots they tend to go over — the pots are alright, but they are better planted in the ground.”

Sunflowers aren’t native to the UK, but they’re becoming a key part of our gardens in summer thanks to their huge size and glorious appearance.

Some of us have fond memories of pitting our gardening skills against fellow pupils in our school days in the ubiquitous sunflower growing competition — so hopefully our Belfast Telegraph competition will evoke some nostalgic feelings.

So if you think your sunflower

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

can beat Stewart’s, show it off!

We want to see how your sunflowers are getting on and how they measure up to the rest of our entries.

Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Belfast Telegraph editor Mike Gilson says: “We all love sunflowers because they bring such vivid

INSIDE

6ft 1inch = 1.15 Lindas

Linda 5ft 2in

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Meet NI’s smartphone generation of techies News, Page 7 colour to our gardens and that’s why we’re celebrating the sunflower in our latest gardening drive. We hope you get the most out of your free seeds.”

Either email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8 — but we do want to see how they’re getting on before that so send them in.

Sunflowers are thought to have been domesticated for the first time in Mexico, around 2,600BC, after crops were found at a dig site in Tabasco. The flower has secured fame in the art world as the subject of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers series of paintings. And during the late 19th century, the flower was used as the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement.

Linda McKee measures the sunflowers at Stewart O'Hara’s, home in Belfast JONATHAN PORTER/PRESSEYE

SEND US A SNAP OF YOUR SPECIMEN... AND WIN A DIGITAL CAMERA! Linda Stewart, our environment correspondent (above), is 5 foot 2 inches tall. The first sunflower entered in our competition featured today measures 6 foot 1 inch — that works out at 1.15 Lindas! So how does your sunflower measure up? Can you grow a sunflower that is two

Lindas tall, or even three? Show us how your sunflower is getting on, including your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo. Either email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph. co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal

Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN for a chance to win one of three Fujifilm Finepix digital cameras.

Linda will be heading out to visit some of the more impressive entries in Northern Ireland’s gardens.

The final closing date is September 8 so keep us updated.

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SATURDAY AUGUST 9 2014

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At 1.23 Lindas, this sunflower is the pick of very big bunch THE Lyons family from Stranmillis admit they went a bit mad when it came to sowing sunflowers this summer — with the tally coming to more than 100.

Their efforts have paid off, with this entry in our Bloomin’ Marvellous sunflower growing competition reaching a lofty 76.5 inches.

That’s 14.5 inches taller (or 1.23 times bigger) than your environment correspondent, who is 5ft 2in.

Dad Martin Lyons said the family had been growing sunflowers for eight or nine years, but really went to town this summer.

“The children go to Stranmillis Primary School and they used to bring sunflowers home,” he said. “This year we got the free seeds with the Belfast Telegraph, but we also took the dry seeds out of last year’s sunflowers and reused them.

“This year we must have had 100 or more — the day they planted them, I was at work, and they all went a bit mad.

“We were giving loads away — everyone who came here was getting one.”

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Having so many sunflowers makes for a lot of work for the family, he said.

“The hard part is bringing them to that height — they get all bendy and fall over,” he added.

“Every day we have to come out and loosen the ties holding them to the canes — we spend ages going round them.

“It took a lot of effort; the big problem is that we go away for 10 days every summer and friends come in to water them, but you need to deadhead too.

“Sometimes I come home from a shift and I am still

out watering them at midnight.

But it seems a shame when you get them so far not to go on with it.”

The tallest sunflower is being kept in a corner to protect it from wind and is supported by two canes fastened end-to-end.

“The higher they get, the more delicate they become,” Martin said.

Sunflowers have become a regular part of our summer gardens thanks to their huge size and glorious appearance, and hopefully our Belfast Telegraph contest will evoke some nostalgic feelings.

So, if you think your sunflower can beat this one, show it off! We want to see how your sunflowers are getting on and how they measure up to the rest of our entries.

Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8 — but we do want to see how they’re getting on before that, so go ahead and send them in

SEND US A SNAP OF YOUR SPECIMEN AND WIN A DIGITAL CAMERA! So how does your sunflower measure up? This one is 76.5 inches, 14.5 inches taller than our environment correspondent Linda Stewart who is 5 foot 2 — making it 1.23 Lindas tall. So, can you grow a sun-

Linda Stewart with the tallest sunflower grown

by Stranmillis man Martin Lyons and his sons Patrick and Martin (far right) KEVIN SCOTT

flower that is two environment correspondents tall, or even three?

For the chance to win one of three digital cameras, send us a picture showing how tall your sunflower is, including your name,

address, phone number, email address and the height of your tallest flower.

Linda will be out and about over the next few weeks, measuring the most promising specimens. The closing date is September 8, so keep us updated.

Prepare for a blast from Bertha

Weekend to get progressively worse as tail-end of Hurricane roars in BRACE yourself — the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha is heading this way.

Forecasters have warned there is a strong chance the remnants of the powerful storm, which battered the Caribbean, will hit the south of England tomorrow.

And it could affect Northern Ireland too, with an area of low pressure associated with the storm likely to bring heavy rain over the weekend.

Up to an inch of rain could fall in some parts of the region tomorrow, forecasters said.

Yesterday parts of Northern Ire-

BY ADRIAN RUTHERFORD arutherford@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

land saw heavy showers, with torrential downpours saturating Belfast by mid-afternoon.

That weather is unconnected to Bertha, which has been travelling across the Atlantic after hitting the Caribbean islands with gusts of more than 90mph, leaving thousands of homes in the area without power.

However, there is a 60% to 70% chance the storm could hit southern Britain tomorrow.

And it could have a knock-on ef-

fect on Northern Ireland. Those who can should make the best of today as it looks to get progressively worse as the weekend wears on with heavy rain to come for most of us and even the possibility of localised flooding.

Billy Payne, a forecaster with the MeteoGroup weather agency, said we should brace ourselves for a very wet end to the weekend.

“Saturday is looking like a day of sunny spells and scattered showers, a few of which may be thundery,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.

“The showers are likely to con-

tinue overnight and may give way to larger spells of rain, associated with a deep area of low pressure tracking across southern Britain that’s associated with the remnants of Hurricane Bertha.

“An area of low pressure will move out into the North Sea on Sunday, bringing further outbreaks of heavy rain across Northern Ireland.”

Some areas here could see up to an inch of rain, he said.

“We do get wet days in August but this could be a particularly nasty instance of low pressure,” Mr Payne added.

“A lot of rain can fall this month but some people will consider the forecast rather unseasonal.”

The Met Office said the transi-

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Anger over PSNI poppy ‘ban’ during WWI events News, Page 17 tion of Bertha from a tropical to an extra-tropical storm was a “particularly hard one to forecast” but it was increasingly expected to affect the UK tomorrow.

Chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Rain and strong winds may well bring disruption, especially across southern parts of the UK, with the potential for more than 50mm of rain and coastal gusts of over 60mph.”

Bertha is the second hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season. It passed through the Caribbean earlier this week, leaving thousands of homes without power.

Parts of Puerto Rico saw 25mm of rainfall, with some mountainous regions receiving as much as 254mm.

MONDAY AUGUST 11 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

e l c a r i m g n i m o Blo s b m i l c r e w o l f n u as s t h g i e h g n i y z z i d o t of 77 inches ...

IT’S the first time Margaret Hanna has experimented with sunflowers — and she’s proved herself to be a natural.

One of the glorious pom-pom like blossoms in her garden at Ballygomartin Road, Belfast, has reached a fantastic 77 inches in height — that is 15 whole inches taller than our Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart, in our estimation 1.25 Lindas.

Margaret and her husband David have filled their garden with sunflowers following a rather unfortunate mishap with their granddaughter Gaby’s sunflower last year.

“This is our first attempt. The granddaughter got one in school last year and her granda killed it,” Margaret explains.

“So we promised we would grow them this year for her. She is well pleased with them.

“I planted them for all eight of the grandkids, so they all have their own.

“They all helped me to do the seeds and water them, and when we transplanted them, they came along and helped then.

“These three are my own— they’re the ones that were left.”

Margaret admits she is surprised to find that each plant gives you multiple blossoms.

“I always thought a sunflower only had one head,” she says.

“I am going to do them again, only next time they will all be in the borders — they are easier tended there.”

Sunflowers aren’t native to the UK, but they’ve become a familiar part of our summer gardens thanks to their huge size and glorious appearance.

Many of us have fond memories of pitting our gardening skills against fellow pupils in our school days in the sponsored sunflower

Maids’ claims: Michael Jackson

Staff reveal Jacko’s bad toilet habits

BY STAFF REPORTER MICHAEL Jackson’s maids have revealed how the King of Pop disgusted them with his unsanitary and disgusting habits at his Neverland ranch in California.

A woman only identified as Maid No.1 told the New York Post: “Michael sometimes ran around where the animals were, and he’d track... poop throughout the house and think nothing of it.

“Then, if you said something, he’d threaten to make doo-doo snowballs and throw it at you.”

‘Maid No.2’ said Jackson once urinated on the floor of the property after a 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview. “It was surreal. He just stood there, unzipped his trousers and watered the floor,” she said.

The maids said Jackson’s behaviour deteriorated after he was first accused of child abuse in 1993.

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

competition. So if you think your sunflower can beat Margaret’s, show it off.

The Belfast Telegraph wants to see how your sunflowers are getting on and how they measure up to the rest of our entries.

Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in.

Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email or post it to Linda Stewart by September 8 — but we do want to see how they’re getting

INSIDE

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Hurricane Bertha swept by... but battered Britain News, Page 7 on before that so go ahead and send them in.

Belfast Telegraph Editor Mike Gilson says: “We all love sunflowers because they bring such vivid colour to our gardens and that’s why we’re celebrating the sunflower in our latest gardening drive.

“We hope you get the most out of your free seeds.”

Sunflowers are thought to have been domesticated for the first time in Mexico, around 2,600BC, after crops were found at a dig site in Tabasco.

The flower has secured iconic status in the art world as the subject of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers series of paintings and during the late 19th century, the flower was used as the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement.

Self-critical: Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel acts up over his Potter roles

Linda Stewart with Margaret Hanna’s 77 inch-high sunflower in Belfast

BY DAVID WILCOCK

KEVIN SCOTT

SEND US A SNAP OF YOUR SPECIMEN SUNFLOWER AND WIN A DIGITAL CAMERA! So how does your sunflower measure up? This one is 77 inches, 15 inches taller than our Environment Correspondent Linda

3

Stewart who is 5ft 2in — making 1.25 Lindas. So can you grow a sunflower that is two Lindas tall, or even three? For the

chance to win one of three digital cameras, show us how your sunflower is getting on, including your name, address, phone number, email

address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo. Linda will be out and about over the next few weeks, measuring the most promising specimens.

Email your entry to: sunflowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk Or post it to: Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN

THEY earned him a fortune estimated at around £60m, but Daniel Radcliffe is still able to be critical of his Harry Potter film performances — even hating one of them.

Radcliffe (25), who played the schoolboy wizard in eight films from the age of 11, said the role was a “blessing” but bemoaned: “The moments I'm not as proud of, mistakes other actors get to make in rehearsal rooms or at drama school, are all on film for everyone to see.”

He said he hated watching the sixth film, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, because he was “very one-note” and “complacent”.

“I hate it. I'm just not very good in it. I can see I got complacent and what I was trying to do just didn't come across,” he told the Mail on Sunday.

TUESDAY AUGUST 12 2014

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21

r e w o p r e w lo f l a e r e som Stephen battles slugs to

Now that’s

grow whopper of a plant

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

How many Lindas can you grow?

lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

78.5 inches = 1.25 Lindas

Linda 5ft 2in

Belfast Telegraph’s Linda Stewart with Stephen Melville’s sunflower

IT’S the first time Stephen Melville has ever grown a sunflower – and he’s clearly doing something right.

This gorgeous big bloom in his Carryduff garden has soared to a magnificent 78.5 inches – 16.5 inches taller than our Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart, who is 5ft 2in.

Stephen planted it but credits wife Annice with its maintenance.

“I am a volunteer with Conservation Volunteers and I work down at Beech House on the Ravenhill Road,” he said. “A girl called Rachel Bolt decided we should have a competition for the best sunflower. I’ve only seen two others, but mine far outstrips them.”

One of his secrets may be to surround the thick stalk with plastic piping to keep the slugs from nibbling it.

“One of the important things is to have the right support,” he said.

“You need to give it a feed once a fortnight and it needs plenty of watering.

Keep it in the sunlight as much as possible. Protect it from slugs and snails.”

They have been tortured with slugs.

One morning Annice picked up an incredible 28 snails in the garden.

“I think it has to do with the past winter being so mild,” How does your Stephen said. “This is the sunflower measure up? This first time I've grown a one is 6ft 6.5in, 16.5 inches taller sunflower – it was a bit than our Environment Correspondent of a fun thing.”

Linda Stewart who is 5ft 2in. Can you Sunflowers aren’t grow a sunflower that is two or even native to the UK, but three Lindas tall? For the chance to win have become an iconone of three digital cameras, show us ic part of gardens due your sunflower, including your name, to their size and gloriaddress, phone number, email address, ous appearance. the height of your tallest flower and We all have fond a photo. Linda is on the road in memories of pitting our the coming weeks, measurgardening skills against ing the most promisfellow pupils in our school ing ones. days in the ubiquitous sponsored sunflower competition – so hopefully our Belfast Telegraph contest

Second Foreign Office minister resigns in the space of a week A SECOND Foreign Office minister has resigned in the space of a week as Mark Simmonds quit the Government and announced he will leave Parliament at the next election.

The former Africa minister's departure, blamed on the “intolerable” pressure on his family life, follows Baroness Warsi's decision to quit in protest at Government policy on Gaza.

Downing Street insisted that Mr Simmonds' resignation was not triggered by a dispute over policy, and had been agreed with David Cameron at the time of the reshuffle last month but was delayed to allow him to chair a United N ations meeting on the situation in the Democratic Re-

BY DAVID HUGHES public of Congo. But Labour seized on the announcement, which followed Lady Warsi's shock exit on August 5, to claim the Government was “characterised by confusion” at a time when the Foreign Office faced major international crises.

Philip Hammond, who took over as Foreign Secretary in last month's reshuffle, insisted that Mr Simmonds' departure was merely a “delayed change” from Mr Cameron's shake-up of his ministerial team.

Father-of-three Mr Simmonds said: “Despite the enjoyment and personal fulfilment I have found in this role, the lack of support

Quitting Parliament: Mark Simmonds

available to MPs with families outside of London and the sacrifice to my family life has become intolerable.

“At this stage, I need to focus on providing for my family.”

In his resignation letter, the Boston and Skegness MP told Mr Cameron he would “remain supportive of you, your Government and the Conservative Party”.

The Prime Minister said Mr Simmonds still had “much more to give” and had been an “incredibly loyal colleague, but also a good friend”.

Mr Simmonds held his seat with a majority of 12,426 in 2010, but Ukip has made inroads in the region, with huge gains in Boston in last year's local elections.

inspires feelings of nostalgia. So if you think your sunflower can beat Stephen’s, show it off. We want to see how your sunflowers measure up to the rest. Measure your tallest sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, its height and a photo.

Either email it to sunflowers@ belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN

by September 8 – but we do want to see how they’re getting on before that so go ahead and send them in.

Belfast Telegraph editor Mike Gilson said: “We all love sunflowers because they bring such vivid colour to our gardens and that’s why we’re celebrating the sunflower in our latest gardening drive.

“We hope you get the most out of your free seeds.”

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13 2014

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NEWS

Scaling new heights in our quest for the top sunflower

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

Action movies lack good storylines, says Radcliffe

BY SHERNA NOAH HOLLYWOOD star Daniel Radcliffe has criticised today's action movies — saying that they are not being made as well as they used to be.

The actor said that he used to enjoy blockbuster action films such as Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, and The Matrix, featuring Keanu Reeves.

But the former Harry Potter star, set to appear in new rom-com What If, complained that the films were now formulaic and lacked decent stories.

“People think that the romantic comedy genre (has) had a bad time recently, and I get that, but I don't think it's as bad as the action movie... there is never a character involved in any of those films,” he said.

“And I like action movies, I feel like there used to be lots of really witty ones, like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, and those kind of films.”

He pointed to “a couple of good action films” such as The Bourne Identity, “the great action movie of our time”, but complained that they were now

The best entries so far

lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

WOW! This sunflower has really blown us all away.

There was no difficulty tracking down Dolores McAllister’s home in south Belfast — it was surrounded by gigantic bobbing sunflowers!

Measuring her tallest sunflower for our Blooming Marvellous sunflower growing competition was a little more of a challenge as it was far too tall to reach with the tape measure.

When we scaled those dizzy heights, the sunflower clocked up an incredible 9ft 6in, which means it is 52 inches taller than Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart, who is 5ft 2in.

Dolores admits to being something of a sunflower obsessive, so it’s no wonder she has cracked the technique.

The retired English teacher says: “I’ve been growing them for maybe 15 years. It dates back to when I first went to France, to the Vendee, and I was mesmerised by all the sunflowers.

“From planting them as little seeds to watching them grow, I love them so much.

“I use the seeds from the year before. The big killer at the beginning is keeping the slugs away. If you can get them to a foot high, they are generally OK. “You have to stake them because they grow too big. Some other years when there was lots of wind, I would have been out covering them all with big canvas things to stop them from being wrecked. Everybody loves them.”

Dolores says she has given lots of sunflowers away to friends and neighbours but they never seem to grow as big.

“I think they are not as obsessed by them!” she says.

And if you think your sunflower can beat this one, show it

How does your sunflower measure up?

This one is 9ft 6in, almost twice as tall as our Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart who is 5ft 2in — making it 1.84 Lindas! Can you grow a sunflower that is two or even three Lindas tall? For the chance to win one of three digital cameras, show us your sunflower, including your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo. Linda is on the road in the coming weeks, measuring the most promising ones.

off! We want to see how your sunflowers are getting on and how they measure up to the other entries.

Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sunflowers @belfast telegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8. But we do want to see how they’re getting on before that so go ahead and send them in.

Belfast Telegraph editor Mike Gilson says: “We all love sunflowers because they bring such vivid colour to our gardens and that’s why we’re celebrating the sunflower in our latest gardening drive. We hope you get the most out of your free seeds.”

15

Linda 5ft 2in

Tall order: Belfast Telegraph’s Linda Stewart with Dolores McAllister’s sunflower. Left, Dolores gives her a helping hand

9ft 6in = 1.84 Lindas

Criticism: Daniel Radcliffe “few and far between.” Radcliffe said that while today's action movies were laden with “incredible, impressive” special effects, they lacked character and stories.

“Ultimately what makes the action movies... that I love, like Die Hard and Matrix, are movies that have amazing stories and amazing characters and characters that you're rooting for and thrilled by all the time.”

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

THURSDAY AUGUST 14 2014

20 NEWS

It’s a tall order, but can you top these blooms?

How does your sunflower measure up?

Can you grow a sunflower that is two or even three Lindas tall?

For the chance to win one of three digital cameras, show us your sunflower, including your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo. Linda is on the road in the coming weeks, measuring the most promising ones.

7ft 2in

Clockwise from main: Scott Kelly shows off his bloom; the Conville brothers with theirs and the tallest of today’s pick, grown by Tom Cairns 6ft 6in

BY AMANDA FERGUSON newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

8ft

IS your sunflower Bloomin’ Marvellous?

Entries to the Belfast Telegraph Sunflower Competition have been coming in thick and fast — but if you haven’t sent us a photograph of your skyscraping blossoms yet there is still time.

Earlier this year, as part of our Bloomin’ Marvellous gardening campaign, we sent free sunflower seeds to readers.

And as our pictures have been showing, green-fingered readers have been making good use of them.

Many amateur gardeners whose seeds have sprung up into towering flowers have been sending us pictures of their impressive specimens.

Scott Kelly from Whiteabbey has grown a 6ft 6in tall sunflower, while the Conville Brothers from Draperstown have one in their garden that stands at 7ft 2ins.

Tom Cairns from Newtownabbey sent us this picture (left) of his impressive 8ft sunflower.

The largest bloom so far is a staggering 9ft 6in. But can you do better? Send us a snap of your sunflower and you could win a digital camera.

The best entries so far

Please include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sun flowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN for a chance to win one of three Fujifilm Finepix digital cameras.

The closing date is September 8.

Probe into mum’s death widens Irish coroner agrees to more witnesses for inquest of childbirth woman A CORONER has bowed to pressure and offered to almost treble the number of witnesses for an inquest into the death of a woman who died in Northern Ireland days after giving birth in the Republic.

Dhara Kivlehan (28, right), who was originally from India, died from multi-organ failure in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital on September 28, 2010, after suffering a severe strain of pre-

BY ED CARTY eclampsia. She had been airlifted there four days earlier from Sligo General Hospital. A preliminary hearing has been told that medics in Sligo said “it's only a matter of time” when she was being transferred to the Royal.

Widower Michael Kivlehan (34) accused the coroner in Leitrim, Eamon MacGowan, of presiding over a cover-up at a preliminary

hearing last month after he initially said he would only call six medics. The coroner has now revised his plans — offering to hear evidence from 17 witnesses and asking for recommendations — after family lawyers threatened to challenge him in the High Court in Dublin.

Twelve doctors and seven midwives were in-

volved in Mrs Kivlehan's care in Sligo, as well as a number of doctors and nurses in Belfast.

Mr Kivlehan's lawyers, Callan Tansey based in Sligo, said the development was a positive step forward.

The inquest is due to begin on September 22.

Mr MacGowan originally offered to hear from two doctors from Sligo, two doctors from the Royal in Belfast, Mr Kivlehan and expert witness Dr Peter Boylan, the former master of the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin and a consultant obstetrician.

The hearing was moved to the Republic amid concerns that medics from Sligo could not be

compelled to give evidence north of the border and after Irish Attorney General Maire Whelan intervened to ask Belfast coroner John Leckey if he would agree to a change in jurisdiction.

Dr Boylan gave evidence as an expert witness in the high-profile inquest into the death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died in hospital in Galway in 2012 after a miscarriage and blood poisoning.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20 2014

16 NEWS

Sunflower success in very exposed location IT’S a lofty, windy location over- BY LINDA STEWART looking Belfast — yet reader Tom ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT McClean has done the impossible lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk and reared a huge sunflower in his exposed garden. closures. “I filmed the sunflowers The retired schoolteacher first at various stages and there were tried growing sunflowers last year, some snakeshead fritillaries which but with nothing like as much were growing close to them,” he success. said.

This year his tallest sunflower “I do the videos for a few has soared to a massive 8ft 11ins friends. But on a dark winter’s despite the exposed nature of the night when its pelting down with rain I can go on YouTube and see garden in Gilnahirk.

And these are the first sunflow- what my summer was like!”

This is one of the tallest we’ve ers in our Bloomin’ Marvellous competition to get exposure on seen so far, but we have seen a taller one that reached 9ft 6ins.

YouTube, adding to around If you think your sunflower 50 other videos posted can beat these recordbeatby social media fan ers, show it off! We want to Tom. see how your sunflowers “They were grown are getting on and how from seed and I plantthey measure up to the rest of ed them in a wee tray our entries. and after they got to Just measure your about a foot tall, I So how does your sunsunflower, take a planted them flower measure up? This one photo and send out,” he said. is 8ft 11ins, 45 inches taller than it in. Include “You have our environment correspondent your name, to stake Linda Stewart, who is 5ft 2ins — makaddress, them and ing it 1.73 Lindas! So can you grow a phone numyou have ber, email to tie sunflower two Lindas tall, or even three? address, the them, oth- For the chance to win one of three digital cameras, show us how your sunflower is height of erwise your tallest they’ll get getting on, including your name, phone number, email address, the height of sunflower blown to yourflower and photo. Linda will and a photobits. be out over the next few graph.

“It’s a very, weeks, measuring the Either email very windy site. best specimens. your entry to sunIt’s not the best site flowers@belfasttelein the world for sungraph.co.uk or post it to Linda flowers — I should have grown them up against a wall, Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124but I never thought they would 144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8 — but we do grow so high.

“I have a bit of a vegetable gar- want to see how they’re getting on den and I use well-rotted cow ma- before that, so go ahead and send nure, so that seems to have them in.

Sunflowers are thought to have worked.

“They’re bright and colourful been domesticated for the first and everybody remarks on them. time in Mexico, around 2,600BC, And they’re good for the after crops were found at a dig site goldfinches when they go to seed in Tabasco.

The flower has secured great — I also grow teasels and they atstatus in the art world as the subtract the goldfinches as well.”

Self-confessed YouTube fanatic ject of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers seTom has posted a number of ries of paintings, and during the videos of the sunflowers alongside late 19th century the flower was a host of eclectic topics ranging used as the symbol of the Aesfrom rare motorcycles to school thetic Movement.

Belfast Telegraph’s Linda Stewart with Tom McClean MATT MACKEY/PRESSEYE

Tom blows us away windswept wonder

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20 2014

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17

How many Lindas can you grow?

77 inches inches = 1.25 Lindas

with this from east

78.5 inches = 1.25 Lindas

73 inches = 1.15 Lindas

Linda with some of the tallest blooms (from far left) by Margaret Hanna, Stewart O'Hara and Stephen Melville

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THURSDAY AUGUST 21 2014

14 NEWS

WE’RE REALLY ON A HIGH NOW! Three tallest sunflowers so far make their bow in competition

11FT 3IN = 2.18 Lindas

Rodney Thompson with his sunflower at his home in Bangor JONATHAN PORTER/PRESSEYE

SO you think you’ve seen some big BY LINDA STEWART sunflowers in our pages? Well, ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT look again — these magnificent lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk blossoms are outstripping them all. can’t believe how much it’s These are the three sunflowers grown,” she said. that are the current front run“There is nothing special that ners in the Belfast Telegraph’s we did — just ordinary Bloomin’ Marvellous sunflower compost and a little growing competition, so will Miracle Gro and we you be able to beat them by watered it every day.

September 8?

I didn’t talk to it or We’ve had no less than 12 anything.” sunflowers that have topped In second place — at the 10ft mark on our the moment — is tape measure, but Bangor gardenSo, how does your these are the very er Rodney sunflower measure up? biggest. And the Thompson Our tallest to date is an amazing thing is whose incredible 11ft 9ins, which is that none of the bloom 6ft 7ins taller than our environment gardeners has correspondent, scoring an impressive claim any spepushed 2.27 Lindas. For the chance to win cial tricks for through one of three digital cameras, show growing them. the 11ft us how your best sunflower is In third mark getting on. Linda will be out and place is the with at a about over the next few weeks, sunflower mighty measuring the most grown by Anita 11 ft 3ins. promising Patterson from That is a full specimens.

Tandragee, whose 6ft 1in taller bloom has reached 10ft than our this 4ins and counting. That’s writer, making it 2.18 twice the height of our environLindas in height. ment correspondent Linda Stew“I’ve grown them these past art, making it two Lindas tall. two to three years for the grandAnita says her sunflowers last children but they’ve never got year grew extremely tall and these anywhere like that — it was a are grown from their seeds. fluke,” he said.

“My daughter keeps saying she “Everyone I’ve spoken to didn't

believe me until they come and look for themselves. They’re just grown in Asda compost and I had to tie three bamboo canes together to support it.”

But the granddaddy of them all is this colossus grown in a Newbuildings garden by Shirley Olphert, reaching an incredible 11ft 9ins. That’s 6ft 7ins taller, scoring a big 2.27 Lindas.

“This was the first year we planted them and the tallest has grown to nearly 12ft,” she said.

“We had just walked about the shops and seen the packets — we just opened them and put the seeds in. I just kept them staked, kept them tied up and whatnot.”

But there’s still time to beat these giants as our competition doesn’t end until September 8. If you think your sunflower can beat this one, show it off. Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sun flowers@belfasttelegraph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8 — but we do want to see how they’re getting on before that, so go ahead and send them in.

And if you’ve already sent in an entry, keep us updated.

THURSDAY AUGUST 21 2014

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15

Growers of all ages step up to challenge

W

11FT 9IN = 2.27 Lindas

e’ve been absolutely bowled over by the response to our Bloomin’ Marvellous sunflower growing competition.

So far, we’ve had more than 80 entries — and counting. Pictures of huge sunflowers continue to pour into our email inbox and through the Belfast Telegraph postbox.

Among the entries is one from Roisin and Owen Smith, whose flowers on the corner of Sunnyside Street in Belfast have impressed more than a few passers by. And one of the youngest is Charlotte Grant (3) from Donaghcloney who was given a sunflower by Noah’s Ark Playgroup in Waringstown and has grown it to over 9ft.

But there’s an even younger one, according to mum-to-be Karen Ryan, who planted three sunflowers, one for daughter

10FT 4IN =2 Lindas

BY LINDA STEWART Emily (5), one for daughter Heather (3) and one for ‘Baby Fonzy’ — or the bump — who is due any day now. “Emily has high hopes that when her sunflower blooms it will be the biggest of the three. It's currently 8ft 9ins. Emily is our most special daughter who was born with a rare chromosome deletion. She loves getting out in the garden with me and Heather, although she'd rather play in the mud,” Karen says.

Meanwhile, Aimee Broadhurst (6) from Belfast has been watching and waiting for months, only to be delighted when her 7ft 3ins sunflower bloomed. “We have had difficulty keeping the snails away as another hobby of Aimee's is to collect snails and take them for rides around the garden on her bike,” her mum Debbie said.

How many Lindas can you grow?

Anita Patterson from Tandragee with her sunflower, and (left) Zara Hetherington and pal with the sunflowers grown

by Shirley Olphert in Newbuildings MARTIN McKEOWN/BRIAN THOMPSON/PRESSEYE

SATURDAY AUGUST 23 2014

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The little sunflower that made a big impact on beach WE’VE been searching far and wide for the tallest entry in our sunflower growing competition — but here’s our smallest!

This perfect little sunflower is only knee-height and was found growing wild on a beach on the Ards Peninsula by the McCleary family while on holiday.

It’s thought the seed sprouted in the sand after being carried there by a bird.

More than 80 entries have flooded into our Bloomin’ Marvel-

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

lous sunflower growing competition, with at least 12 topping the 10 foot mark. The tallest so far is 11ft 9in, grown by Shirley Olphert from Newbuildings.

This one isn’t in the running for tallest sunflower, but is definitely one of the quirkiest.

Mum Claire McCleary, who sent the photo in, said it’s the first

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Whooping cough vaccine is extended

BY LESLEY-ANNE McKEOWN

Let us know how Lucy and Henry McCleary your sunflower is getting spotted a tiny sunflower on for a chance to win one of on Ballywalter beach three digital cameras. Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, End beach all excited when they saw their time she has phone number, email address and the ever seen a between first sunflower growing in the height of your tallest sunflower. Email Ballyhalsunflower wild. growing wild your entry to sunflowers@belfasttele- bert and “It was there for a good couple graph.co.uk or post it to Linda Stewin the sand.

Ballywalter. of weeks and then all of a sudden art at Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 “We have a “It was a it just disappeared, so we think Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN holiday place bit of beach someone took it home.”

by September 8, 2014. down there and we that wouldn’t The bloom has inspired them to happened to stumble be used very sow sunflowers next spring. across it. It seemed to much,” Claire said.

“It was a bit of a novelty to see appear out of nowhere — the “There wouldn’t be something growing in the wild kids stumbled across it,” she said. many passers-by there, so we sus- like this, so they said could we not The flower was discovered by pect a bird must have dropped it try and grow something?” Claire Henry (8) and Lucy (6) at Sand and it’s grown. The children were added.

A WHOOPING cough vaccination programme for expectant mothers is to be extended for the next five years.

Health Minister Edwin Poots said the immunisation, offered to pregnant women between 28 weeks and 38 weeks, provided the best protection for newborn babies.

The vaccination was introduced in September 2012 following a national whooping cough (pertussis) outbreak. It aims to boost the short-term immunity passed on by women to their babies while they are still in the womb.

Dr Richard Smithson, consultant in health protection at the Public Health Agency, said it had been “highly effective” in protecting infants.

He said: “Babies born to women vaccinated at least a week before delivery generally had a 91% reduced risk of becoming ill with whooping cough in their first weeks of life, compared with babies whose mothers had not been vaccinated.”

THURSDAY AUGUST 28 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

The skyscraping sunflower that rivals Jack and the Beanstalk

people Cheryl ‘a better judge’ X FACTOR boss Simon Cowell has said costar Cheryl Fernandez-Versini (left) is a better judge for having been away from the show for a few years. Speaking at the launch of the new series in London, Cowell added: “Cheryl has got better and knows what she's talking about, knows what she's looking for — so for me it was a help.”

Prince’s double release PRINCE (right) has announced he is releasing two new albums in September. Art Official Age, a “classic” solo album by the Purple Rain star, and Plectrumelectrum, featuring the musician and his new band 3rdeyegirl, will both be unveiled on September 29. It marks his first new music since 2010's 20Ten.

Lilo GTA claim rubbished 12ft 4in = 2.39 Lindas

So how does your sunflower measure up? Our tallest to date is an incredible 12 foot 4 , which is 7 foot 2 taller than our Environment Correspondent, scoring an impressive 2.39 Lindas. So can you grow a sunflower that is three Lindas tall? For the chance to win one of three digital cameras, show us how your sunflower is getting on, including your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest flower and a photo. Linda will be out and about over the next few weeks, measuring the most promising specimens.

New heights: The giant sunflower grown by Mavis Garvin is measured by her daughters

HOLD the front page — our Bloomin’ Marvellous sunflowergrowing competition has a new front runner.

Last week we revealed that our tallest sunflower to date was 11 feet 9 inches, grown by Shirley Olphert in her Newbuildings garden.

Now we’ve discovered an even taller one — a 12 feet 4 inch giant grown by Mavis and Jacqueline Garvin in their back garden in Castledawson.

That makes it 7 feet 2 inches taller than our Environment Correspondent Linda Stewart — and a staggering 2.39 Lindas tall.

Widow Mavis (78) is fond of gardening and has planted a host of flowers, including sweetpea, pansies and begonias.

But she had never grown sunflowers properly before,

BY LINDA STEWART ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

know what we did. It wasn’t fed or anything like that. If we had fed it, dear only knows lstewart@belfasttelegraph.co.uk where it would until this year when she and her have stopped — daughter Jacqueline succeeded it could have in growing these giants. been like “I grew them before, Jack and the but we never got Beanstalk.”

Sunflowto the length of So far the ers are thought getting them tallest sunto have been dotransplanted flower has mesticated for the first and they reached 12 feet 9 time in Mexico, around died, poor inches and the 2,600BC. Many indigenous things.

I flower hasn’t even American peoples used think it was opened properly the flower as a symbol because they yet. Even measuring of their solar weren’t wait proved something deity. tered,” she says. of a challenge. Mavis’s “But this year, we daughters Jacqueline and transplanted them out, and Rhonda had to scale a step ladthey just took off. der and use a steel rule to reach “We’ve been reading up on to the top of the bloom. them and apparently they can “We have a few sunflowers at reach 17 feet or more. I don’t the front of the house but

15

they’re tiny; they’re nothing in comparison. Maybe we talked to them more at the back!”

Mavis says.

If you think your sunflower can beat this one, show it off.

We want to see how your sunflowers are getting on and how they measure up to the rest of our entries.

Just measure your sunflower, take a photo and send it in. Include your name, address, phone number, email address, the height of your tallest sunflower and a photo.

Either email your entry to sunflowers@belfasttelegraph. co.uk or post it to Linda Stewart at Belfast Telegraph, 124144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1DN by September 8 — but we do want to see how they’re getting on before that, so go ahead and send them in.

THE makers of the Grand Theft Auto games have said Lindsay Lohan’s case against them is an attention-seeking ploy. The 28-year-old (left) claimed the latest game features a character based on her, but in court papers, TakeTwo Interactive Software say her claim was “filed for publicity”. The case continues.

SUPPLIMENT

Inside the wonderful gardens featured in our competition PLUS lots of green-fingered tips on what to do this autumn 16-PAGE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

2 STAR GARDENERS

, Y R T N U O C , N URBA . . .

L L A M S R O BIG S N E D R A G R YOU T H G I L E D A E WER LINDA STEWART

O

utside, the slugs are massing and I can’t remember the last time I could see the soil for all the weeds. After a glorious start, our summer has dwindled away with a bit of a whimper and you may be ruefully surveying the devastation wrought by day after day of torrential rain followed by unseasonal sub-zero temperatures.

So here’s a much-needed reminder of just how wonderful gardens can be, come rain, hail or snow.

This Blooming Marvellous supplement showcases the finalists in our amazing gardening competition which uncovered some of the most inspirational hidden gardens in Northern Ireland.

Our hard-working judges scoured hundreds of garden photos, highlighting a host of fascinating design features — everything from a garden sofa formed from box hedging to a shade garden with a Green Man sculpture and even a lifesized sculpture of a chimpanzee.

But these 13 Blooming Marvellous finalists are the cream of the cream - the lovingly designed and tended plots that stood head and shoulders above the rest.

And with hints that this autumn could be warmer than average despite the miserable August, we’ve revisited the beautiful gardens tended by our finalists and asked them how you go about creating something so beautiful - we hope this supplement gives you a few bright ideas!

The finalists include Sean Palmer’s intriguing maze-like garden near Loughinsland formed from flower-filled winding stone walls that were once part of an old horse lane.

The judges were also impressed by Denis Boal’s tranquil former orchard in the heart of Bangor with its shady grape-draped pergola and the Rafferty family’s stunning network of waterside walks at a former mill in Glenwherry.

Our judges said they found the process of narrowing down the entries exhilarating and challenging.

Judge Trevor Edwards said the obvious time, patience and effort required to produce gardens of such high standards were not missed.

“One skill that impressed me greatly was the ability to use and interpret the given aspect of the garden to the maximum impact. In all cases the gardeners were using the site to the boundaries to the limit and even in some case beyond – the use of the borrowed landscape was employed extremely effectively to give an important exciting extra dimension to the garden,” he said.

“I was also particularly impressed by the use of vistas, eye catchers, art and focal points within the gardens.

“I found the general health and condition of the large number and diverse range of plants, lawns, hedges and trees simply amazing and pleasing. Plant collections and clever colour theming was much in evidence.

“I wish to offer my congratulations to everyone who entered the competition. I recognise and admire your skill and enthusiasm for what we all know is one of the most popular hobbies available.”

Judges Cherrie and David with Helen Trainor in her winning small urban garden

Judges Averil Milligan and Trevor Edwards in Daphne and Andrew McCartney’s large country garden

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Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS

Time to crack on and plan for new season It has been a strange season and now the grass and weeds are growing really quickly.

With the weeds it’s a matter of pulling out or spraying.

With the grass it’s a matter of keeping on top of cutting — if you can cut it once a week at the moment, it keeps it at the right height.

In the next week or so it will be time to think about fertilising the grass. Use an autumn fertiliser.

Winter plants coming in now such as cyclamen and violas are ideal for tubs and

window boxes. I would recommend planting them round a little conifer in the middle with groups of crocuses which will make a nice show in the springtime.

It’s a good time to plant few bulbs, but if you’re planting daffodils in the grass, it’s better to put them in the corner rather than out in the middle where they will get in the way of the lawnmower.

It’s also time to think about planting hyacinths for Christmas — prepared ones for a bowl or ordinary ones if they’re going in the ground.

Robin Mercer

Planning is the key to hard landscaping

Helen and Barry Crawford’s small country garden in Newtownards

Pictures by Kevin Scott

ON ITI ET MP CO EN RD GA G IN AZ AM R OU IN S ER NN WI L AL ER THE OV Small Urban Garden First place: Helen Trainor, (left), Eglinton Second place: Shirley McKigney, Ballymena Third place: Carol and Brian Mackey, Dromore Highly Recommended: Elizabeth MacKay

Small Country Garden First place: Mike Hartwell (left), Killyleagh Second place: Helen and Barry Crawford, Newtownards Third place: Sean Palmer, Loughinisland

Urban Garden First place: Victor and Roz Henry (left), Newtownards Second place: Denis Boal, Bangor Third place: James Logan, Portstewart

Large Country Garden First place: Daphne and Andrew McCartney (left), Newbuildings Second place: Jim and Hilary Rafferty, Glenwherry Third place: Gerry Wilson, Lisburn

We’re finding that people have realised their gardens can be treated as an additional room and this is a good time to be thinking about what you want to do with that outside space.

In September we tend to get a bit of a spike in trade as people try to get things done between now and Christmas.

It’s amazing how many people want to get the design work done now, but a lot of people leave things until the last minute so you want to make sure you have a layer

lined up who can give you advice, timescales and prices.

I always ask people what they are going to be using their garden for — will they be entertaining,or do they need a play area?

Maintenance is an often overlooked subject, yet simple things can keep hard landscaping nice and clean. By brushing paving and flagstones regularly you can prevent moss and weeds setting in and the use of a detergent can clean most surfaces.

Brian McConnell, marketing manager, Acheson & Glover

A room with a view for your garden As the warm days draw to a close, people tend to step back and take a fresh look at their outdoor space.

It’s time to clear out the detritus of the summer growth and prepare the soil for the winter, but it can also be a good opportunity to maximise your garden’s potential.

We get a lot of people making inquiries about installing eco-friendly garden rooms —

everything from garden gyms to offices. If this is what you’re considering, have a look at how your garden is oriented, where the best place to take advantage of the view is and think about how a room would fit your lifestyle.

It only takes about six working days to construct a room, which leaves plenty of time this autumn and winter to make a start.

Robert Eadie, Garden Rooms NI

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

4 SMALL URBAN

How to design a space that lures you out of the house

Linda Stewart takes a stroll around ‘a country garden which has come to town’

H

elen Trainor can’t resist gardening magazines — and it shows. Every corner of the garden at her suburban Eglinton home is crammed with blooms and design features gleaned from TV gardening shows, magazines and Sunday supplements — from the mirror on the ivy-covered fence that hints at bigger vistas to the hanging basket suspended from the branch of a tree and the peephole in the fence that gives into the neighbouring section.

The garden is packed with ‘rooms’ filing every corner, with everything from a rose-draped balcony to a bridge where you can linger to watch the fish circling in the pond below.

The planting fizzes with colour and form, with alliums, verbena, angel’s fishing rod and dark red knautia nodding from the borders and bees humming round the pots of lavender and geraniums that cluster round the many seating areas.

“I always read every garden magazine, every TV programme on gardening, every garden supplement in the paper. There just has to be a flower in the paper to make me interested in it,” she says.

The garden is so central to Helen’s life that she has even extended the kitchen window so that the vivid planting beckons you even when you’re in the house.

“Everywhere I go in the house I can see the garden,” Helen explains.

“It’s always evolving and always changing.”

Archways and doorways lure you on to explore exquisite corners that most of us would dismiss as redundant. There’s even a glorious rose trellis adorning the awkward corridor between the house and the neighbour's garage wall.

“I always try to have a focus, something that draws the eye,” Helen says.

“There’s the seating area and there’s the summer house. I have lots of seating so that I can always sit in the sun at some time of the day, or sit in the shade if it’s too warm.

“The window through from one area to another creates another focal point. If you are looking out your window and you can see the complete garden, there is no reason to go out there.

“That’s why I have garden rooms. If you have an archway, people want to see through the arch. It makes the garden feel bigger to have different areas.

“The fence is covered in ivy so it looks like a hedge but it doesn't

need cut. I like to take away the hardness from a garden and put in things that soften the plants, things like fennel.”

Helen says she tries out plants in particular places and if they aren’t happy she takes them out and tries them somewhere else until they work.

“I also try to buy plants that self seed so it’s cheaper, such as verbena, and I would buy perennials that I can split. I always deadhead everything so that it comes back and comes back,” she says.

Our judges described it as a “country garden which has come to town” when they awarded it first place in the Small Urban Garden category.

BBC presenter Cherrie McIlwaine said: “Within a relatively small back garden Helen has created a series of connected garden spaces which gently unfold around the back and side of the house.

“Creating this charming urban garden has obviously been a labour of love and it is the winner in this category.”

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Create garden rooms with archways and doorways that lure you to explore the areas that are out of sight ■ Always have a focus that draws the eye ■ Include seating in different places so there is always a sunny spot to sit and surround with pots of scented flowers

Helen Trainor’s beautiful garden

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Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

HOW TO

Turn a tree stump into a bird bath n A tree stump can be turned into a bird bath in 10 minutes with the help of some quick-set concrete. n Carve out the top of the tree stump to a depth of two inches. n Fill the surface with a layer of quick-set concrete.

DAPHNE MCCARTNEY

Make a wildflower meadow n Wildflowers tend to grow on uncultivated ground but you can set aside a special area. Rake the soil and scatter the seeds. n Some wild flow■ Boulders for a rock garden can be ers will sourced from local farmers who want to continue clear them away from their fields. to grow – Jim and Hilary Rafferty until the first frost.

■ Keep a bucket by the back door to save Dead wild used tea bags and banana skins to put flowers round the roses. should be cut – Daphne McCartney back and the seeds allowed to fall so they reseed next spring. n Seeds can also be collected from the pods, stored in a case and sprinkled on the ground next spring for a wildflower display that will attract insects such as bumblebees and butterflies.

SEAN PALMER

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS

Ring the changes in a courtyard garden n As well as perennials, you can introduce new interest each season by growing annuals in containers - this year we had cosmos, sunflowers and Flanders poppies. n Grow them in 12-inch pots and they can be moved into gaps in the border and places where there isn’t a succession of perennial blooms. n Tender annuals grown in pots such as dahlias can also be overwintered by moving them into the greenhouse when the temperature drops.

BRIAN & CAROL MACKEY

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

6 GRANADA GARDEN

How to create a themed garden

A rose garden with Moorish styling inspires Linda Stewart

T

he last thing you’d expect to find in the North Coast resort of Portstewart is a Moorish-themed garden.

But James Logan’s rosefilled garden, inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, proved to be one of the most inspirational creations in our Blooming Marvellous competition and really wowed the judges.

From a wasteland when he started 10 years ago, James has transformed his urban plot into a

relaxing haven, filled with heady scents and the sound of trickling water.

The formal garden is cooled with a rill trickling along the centre, surrounded by gloriously luxuriant rose bushes and intriguing details such as the intricate mosaic work around the garden gate and the tiled pavilions with draped ceilings.

It was inspired by the Moorish gardens of Granada, which James visited on many occasions in his

capacity as education officer with the South Eastern Education and Library Board.

The garden was a number of years in the planning and took considerable research into the flow of light and shade, architectural features and plant varieties suitable for the northerly winds that sweep along the coasts.

Much effort went into the complex electrical, irrigation and lighting system, including 20 trickle fountains along the rill, but the

Garden belonging to James Logan

Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

garden is designed to be relatively low maintenance.

“The idea was to create a whole sense of intimacy and not a series of of little bits — a garden that creates relaxation,” James says.

“The garden was designed to be a place to be in, not a place to be constantly fiddling with. I don’t want to spend my days weeding — I want to be part of the garden and to enjoy the experience of being in it.”

Early in the year, colour is introduced with snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, alliums around the edges of the beds — and then the roses take over.

“There is a continuation of planting right from early spring through until November when the roses finally stop,” James says.

“One of the key things is to have a vision for your garden and a very strong plan.

“I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like and I planned it in detail.

“You can’t expect to do it all in one season — it’s a long-term plan.

“It’s important not to rush into your design until you see over the

7

year where the wind is, where the sun rises and sets and the best places for seating and a barbecue.”

“Research very closely the sort of things that will grow in your area and don’t just put in the things that you see in the garden centre. The roses were all chosen to be ones that would grow in a seaside environment — they're strong and can take the northerly winds that I would get here. Rugosa roses are very good in this area.

“All you have to do is take them down by two thirds in winter and then they just require some feeding in spring with fertiliser and a top dressing of compost.”

Judge Averil Milligan, head gardener at National Trust headquarters at Rowallane, said: “A clever use of space with a water rill cooling you, giving sound by trickling and giving length to the eye - a garden loved by its owners and enjoyed daily.

“Clever lighting opens it up again for the evening. This garden punched a lot in and was very cleverly laid out to maximum use of space but still giving time to relax and enjoy.”

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Visit lots of gardens in the same style to glean ideas that can be adapted.

■ Spend a good season working out where the windy and sunny areas of your garden are and take plenty of time to draw up your plan.

■ Don’t buy the first plants that catch your eye in the garden centre — research varieties that will thrive in the particular conditions of your garden.

Jim and Hilary Rafferty, who finished second in the Large Country Garden section, with judges Averil Milligan and Trevor Edwards

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

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How to turn an exposed site into the perfect country garden

Daphne and Andrew McCartney

T

hirty years ago, there was nothing but a small cottage, a rocky hillside field with sparse soil and a few trees. Now, the Georgianstyle home owned by Daphne and Andrew McCartney near Newbuildings is surrounded by a magnificent mature garden formed into terraced compartments and backed by an enchanted woodland riddled with winding paths where you can lose yourself.

The garden wowed our judges and took first place in our Large Country Garden category.

Climb to the top of the woodland garden and you come across a rock garden and stone circle commanding spectacular views of the winding River Foyle and the Barnsmore Gap. The first step in transforming the exposed site was to create the banking for shelter, according to

Turning a field into an award-winning area took 30 years, Linda Stewart finds out how Daphne. “I would have planned it in my head a lot. Going to bed at night I would have thought each section over. I’ve made mistakes, as you do, but I’ve loved every minute of it.”

With a large garden, cost can be an issue and Daphne says she now steers clear of planting annuals because they can be so expensive.

“I love taking cuttings and you get great satisfaction when they take,” she says.

“I’m a great person for letting things that self seed be there. I find geraniums are a great cover plant and because

The beautiful gardens of Daphne and Andrew McCartney

my garden is quite big, it’s better having them than other things — it cuts down on using sprays!”

A lot of rubbish had been dumped up in the field and many of the items have been pressed into service as garden features — such as lumps of concrete that formed the nucleus of a stone ‘beehive’ built up using stones removed from the beds.

“The main thing is to get to know your soil and your site and what way the wind is going, if your soil is moist or dry and the quality of it,” Daphne says.

“I have acers in certain places and I couldn't have them anywhere else because of the east wind.

“I could hardly find any good soil up in the woodland, so I incorporated organic matter, farmyard manure, horse manure and homemade compost.

“I used the existing trees to work around — I took off low branches to create vistas and let light and moisture in. I planned it through and put it down on paper.

“If you’re creating a woodland with walks, walk around your site first and get to know it and

make sure it’s not too steep.

“Make sure you make your path wide enough for two people to walk side by side — although if it’s a small garden you need narrower paths.

“Think about having plants with different textures — deciduous and evergreen — and different shapes, that give more interest throughout the year.

“In the woodland garden I put down a lot of geraniums to keep the weeds down.

“In time you can go back, take out what you want and put in other things that are a bit more interesting such as cyclamen.

“At this time of year I collect poppy seeds and store them in a paper bag, I take rose cuttings, I cut buddleias back by a third.

“Cut back climbing roses or tie them in so they don’t get wind rock.

“I use chicken pellets in the garden — they’re a good soil booster at this time of year and if you put them in your compost it helps to speed up the breaking down process.”

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Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

HOW TO...

Creating the woodland garden of your dreams n Plant trees that can cope with the conditions. Incorporate organic matter to improve the soil and cut off low branches on existing trees to create vistas and allow light and moisture in. n When planning paths, walk around the site and make sure no paths are too steep. If the site is big enough, allow enough room on the

paths to walk side by side. n Include plants of different textures and shapes to give year-round interest. Sow self-seeders like honesty and underplant trees at the start with lots of cheap and cheerful ground cover such as cranesbills to keep the weeds down. As the shrub layer develops, these can be weeded out.

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Try to do one big project in your garden each year.

— Victor and Roz Henry ■ When creating a new shrub area, plant lots of perennials in it — it doesn’t look so bare at the start and as the shrubs fill out, you can move the perennials somewhere else.

— Gerry Wilson

Journalist Linda Stewart with Daphne and Andrew McCartney

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

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EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Traditional cottage gardens used to have edible plants alongside decorative plants — we’ve seen it at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Artichokes make a great visual impact, for example.

— Brian and Carol Mackey ■ Upcycle old materials where you can we used old pieces of wood to create a summerhouse.

— Helen Trainor

Mike’s magical show stopper in small country garden category EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Add chicken pellets to your compost at this time of year to speed up the breaking-down process.

Daphne McCartney ■ Conceal a fence by growing ivy over it so that it looks like a hedge but doesn’t need cutting. A mirror installed in the middle adds a feeling of more space.

Helen Trainor

O

n the map it isn’t big, yet every nook and cranny of Mike Hartwell’s magical garden in the drumlin hills near Killyleagh offers up a fascinating treat.

Wind chimes echo on a billowy day as the wind sweeping off nearby Clay Lake batters hailstones into the winning garden in our Small Country Garden category.

Huge pink mallows sway and feathery fennel plants are woven in amongst the apple trees. The garden is riddled with secret pathways, Tibetan prayer flags, hidden corners furnished with wooden seaside deckchairs and decorative mosaics, the work of Mike’s late wife Ruth, who lost her battle with illness last year.

“Ruth really liked the Japan-

Linda Stewart gets the lowdown on how to create an award-winning showpiece ese thing of courtyard gardens and inside spaces becoming outside spaces and this was the nearest we could get to it, putting on the conservatory and surrounding it in plants,” Mike said.

“We created a lot of little sunny places to sit — ones for dinner, ones for breakfast, ones for coffee.”

And just when you think you’ve seen everything that could possibly be packed into a garden, you round a corner of the house and come across a pond crammed up against a tiny camomile lawn dotted with wild orchids, with a shady

birch woodland as a backdrop.

“Camomile is very good — it gives you a lot of pleasure because you step on it and that makes the smell come up,” Mike explains.

The lawn can be grown on fine flat soil by scattering seed or planting small camomile plants about six inches apart — after a season, the plants are starting to grow into each other and just need a haircut at the end of each season.

It’s all the more amazing that such a magical garden could have been created on the drumlin on boulder clay where there was

nothing but a piece of lawn and a couple of conifers.

“I was just hacking into the drumlin,” Mike said. “You grow stuff, you compost it, you put that back, you choose plants that suit the conditions — it’s an organic evolution.

“I would advise people to let it all hang out, just get away from night and day and straight lines.

Design is something that comes to you slowly — you don’t adopt it overnight, but to look at nature is the best education you can have.

“Study nature when you’re out

walking and see how it arranges itself. Just be aware of what creates harmony between different colours and different shapes and swirls and swathes.

“People would advise going for big swathes of one thing, instead of this ‘dot and spot’ approach of putting in a bit of everything. But you can buy a wildflower mix and it’s brilliant — the people who design them know what works.”

Mike advises including a pond as it becomes the garden's wildlife hub.

“Have a pond and don’t have

goldfish because they eat everything. It will bring an enormous amount of wildlife, things that live in the pond, insects that come to the pond, a whole ecosystem.

And if you plant native Irish trees it will bring a bit of wildlife to the garden. A recent moth survey found 91 species this summer.

“Aspen are very nice — they grow tall but are not huge — and birch and spindle are good for gardens. Spindle has fantastic pink berries in the autumn when everything is on the way out.

“In autumn, you need a massive clear-out, all the stuff that has just gone over. The rotting branches and flowers need to be cut and composted to prepare for winter.

The garden can look nice in winter if you just have this big autumn clear-up,” he says.

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Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

HOW TO...

Grow a camomile garden n Sow seed on tilled, flat soil or plant camomile plants about 6 inches apart. If you can afford it, one English company sells camomile lawn by the roll. n It will look a bit pathetic to start with, but within a season the scent-

ed plants will start to grow into each other. n Once established, very few weeds will invade and it doesn’t need regular mowing like a grass lawn - just give it a haircut at the end of the season using shears or electric scissors.

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

12 STARS OF THE SUBURBS

Henry’s garden reigns supreme as the king of urban category Linda Stewart unveils our judges’ top three favourites in the urban garden category

P

ass through the garden gate and you enter a vibrant paradise. Victor and Roz Henry’s glorious garden in the suburbs of Newtownards wowed the judges and was named the £1,000 winner in our Urban Garden category.

Tropical ginger lilies and banana plants jostle with cottage

dered the gravel and spilled out of pots.

“The gate immediately took your eye up to a pergola above and wooden shelving on a wall giving vertical elements immediately in a clever way.

“The eye is drawn around the site by a soft blue palette of wooden structures, glass or plants.

“The unusual planting comple-

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ If you have an old bench that needs replaced, cover it in pots of flowering plants — it creates another focal point.

— Victor and Roz Henry ■ Using cut material from old trees to create a stumpery — if Prince Charles can have one...

— Gerry Wilson style roses and verbascum, delivering vivid bursts of colour everywhere.

Judge Averil Milligan, head gardener at Rowallane, commented: “There was an exotic feel even before entering this marvellous garden as colourful plants bor-

mented the whole garden, softening edges and creating a sense of surprise throughout.”

Meanwhile, runner-up Denis Boal has created an oasis of calm behind his Victorian townhouse in Bangor.

Garden designer Trevor

Edwards described the extraordinary garden as a horticultural delight and an “example of a life time of dedication and skill”.

“Filled with good structural elements like pond, pergola, garden buildings and rooms and an amazing vegetable garden, this garden had all the hallmarks of a gentleman who spends many enjoyable hours in his much loved garden.”

Third place went to the gorgeously scented Moorish inspired courtyard garden at Rugosa Villa in Portstewart designed by James Logan.

“The use of materials and colours associated with sunny climates helps to convey the warm relaxing atmosphere.

“Luxuriant rose planting fills the air with scent,” Trevor said.

The judges check out Victor and Roz Henry’s (left) creation

13

Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

HOW TO...

Create a Mediterranean Pergola n Use reclaimed materials to create a pergola – mine is made of concrete post uprights which can withstand the weather, with old telegraph poles split in half and laid along the top.

Pyracantha conceals the concrete posts. n Plant a mixture of grapevines, climbing roses and other colourful and scented climbers. The

grapevines never have any grapes but they provide leafy shade and the leaves turn orange and purple in the autumn. n Try underplanting with plants like hostas which like the shade, sweet william and scatter poppy seeds.

Feed your climbers with fertiliser and well rotted manure.

DENIS BOAL

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Hang old Bombay gin bottles from a tree — when the sun comes across it shines through the blue of the bottle and it looks really good.

— Victor and Roz Henry ■ A shady area can be transformed into a shade garden with hostas and ferns.

— Jim and Hilary Rafferty

The judges with Victor and Roz Henry

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

14 SMALL PACKAGES

Gems sparkle in a riot of colour G

lorious little havens humming with bees and filled with flowers — the shortlisted gardens in our Blooming Marvellous Small Country Garden category were simply perfect.

Mike Hartwell’s winning garden overlooking Clay Lough near Killyleagh was described by the judges as “a garden to lose your-

self in” with a magical, elemental quality.

And runner-up Sean Palmer’s Loughinisland garden also borrows beautifully from the surrounding landscape, according to judge Cherrie McIlwaine.

“Set in drumlin country just outside the village of Loughinisland, the garden is a riot of summer colour with roses, dahlias,

Linda Stewart names our judges’ top Small Country Garden stars phlox, penstemon and japanese anemone all saying summer is

here. Inspired by childhood memories of country gardens, Sean

The Loughinisland garden is weighed up

and Maura’s garden fizzes with summer colour,” she said.

Bronze winners Barry and Helen Crawford’s Ards Peninsula garden is a sequence of outdoor rooms built with marvellous pieces of outdoor furniture created from reclaimed materials.

“This is a garden full of imaginative details such as a gate which goes nowhere, an outdoor hearth

and mantle by the barbecue area and a pretty pond with a small stone bench which invites you to sit and reflect,” Cherrie said.

“Summer colour comes from crocosmia and lilies, from evening primroses and persicaria, with hawthorn, rhus and eucalyptus among the trees planted. This is a garden which invites you to spend time in it.”

15

Belfast Telegraph August 29 2014

EXPERT GARDEN TIPS ■ Put in lots of little pathways round your garden, and make ‘windows’ in borders that provide a view through to the colour beyond.

— Gerry Wilson ■ Use sulphur of iron on the lawn at this time of year to keep the moss in check.

— Daphne McCartney

August 29 2014 Belfast Telegraph

16 BEST OF THE REST Roberta Aiken’s granda’s garden

Margaret Longridge, Belfast

Jonathan and Karen Boggs, Belfast

Noelle and Ian McKeown, Dundrum Bill Stafford, Carryduff

Ann McCarron, Lisburn

Victor Corrie & ‘The Gardening Team’ Saintfield Road Presbyterian Churchch

Ken Orr, Belfast

READER OFFERS

SATURDAY APRIL 19 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

The former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, Sean FitzPatrick, speaking to the media outside the Central Criminal Court in Dublin after being found not guilty of all charges in relation to the bank’s collapse

Acquitted bank chief is left with legal bill of €1m

INSURERS refused to cover the legal costs of former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick, who walked free from court this week and now faces a legal bill of up to €1m (£820,000).

Mr FitzPatrick, an undischarged bankrupt, did not seek legal aid for the case involving loans to Co Fermanagh former billionaire Sean Quinn’s family after he secretly bought a major stake in the bank and the price tanked.

His defence was privately funded after he was refused directors and officers liability (D&O) cover.

D&O cover was also refused to William McAteer — Anglo Irish Bank's former head of risk — who was unanimously found guilty by a jury of providing illegal loans to the so-called Maple 10 group of borrowers.

Pat Whelan, Anglo's former

BY DEARBHAIL McDONALD head of lending, was also convicted of providing illegal loans to the Maple 10.

Mr Whelan's defence costs were covered by a D&O insurance policy, but he could face a civil action to recover the fees in light of his convictions.

Before it was nationalised by the Irish government in January 2009, Anglo Irish Bank indemnified its directors and other officers, but that was changed.

Mr Whelan and Mr McAteer — who were found not guilty of providing illegal loans to Mr Quinn's wife and five adult children — are facing a maximum of up to five years in prison for the Maple 10 convictions.

Mr FitzPatrick, who was found not guilty by the jury of providing unlawful financial assistance to

the Maple 10, was acquitted by direction of trial judge Martin Nolan of giving illegal loans to the Quinns due to lack of evidence.

The sentence hearing of Mr Whelan and Mr McAteer will take place on April 28 next year.

There was no objection to Mr McAteer and Mr Whelan remaining on continuing bail until the sentence date.

The Maple 10 deal was designed to unwind the 29.4% control of the bank which businessman Sean Quinn had built up through investment tools known as Contracts for Difference (CFDs).

The 10 investors were lent a total of €450m (£370m) by Anglo to buy a portion of the shares which Mr Quinn controlled.

Mr Quinn's wife and five children were also lent €169m (£139m) to buy nearly 15% of the stock.

Free £5 voucher for green-fingered CHANCES are you’re taking advantage of the glorious weather by plugging away at the garden, trying to clear up the weeds and general dilapidation that have set in over the winter.

But you’re probably also taking a long, hard look at all those patches of bare earth and trying to decide what to do with them.

That’s why our latest Blooming Marvellous offer will help to breathe a little life back into your garden. We’ve teamed up with

BY LINDA STEWART Hillmount Garden Centre to offer a free bedding plant voucher worth £5 (see page 30). This will help you to pick out a few young plants that will inject a burst of instant colour into tired borders.

From petunias to pansies and marigolds to salvia, this will really get your garden looking colourful for spring. It’s up to you whether you want to plant whole beds of vibrant bedding plants or

just fill in the gaps between established perennials.

All you have to do is cut out the voucher in this paper and bring it into Hillmount Garden Centres in Bangor or Belfast between today and April 28 to pick out the plants you want.

This spring the Belfast Telegraph has launched Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic.

15

Pensioner’s car Three held after is petrol-bombed chased car crashes

Insurgents want regime to resign

A PENSIONER told of his shock after his vehicle was destroyed in a petrol bomb attack. The Toyota Rav 4 was set alight in the Elizabeth Avenue area of Carrickfergus. Hugh Neeson (69) said: “I was in bed and I hadn't a clue until my wife came home and said: ‘Your jeep's on fire'.” Three youths were seen running away from the area at the time of the arson attack. Police have appealed for information regarding the attack, which happened at 11.15pm on Thursday.

PRO-Russian insurgents in Ukraine's east who have been occupying official buildings in more than 10 cities said yesterday they will only leave them if the interim Government in Kiev resigns. Denis Pushilin, a spokesman of the self-appointed Donetsk People's Republic, told reporters that the insurgents did not recognise the Ukrainian Government as legitimate. The threat came after Ukraine and Russia agreed to take steps toward calming tensions along their shared border.

TWO people were hurt and three men arrested after a head-on collision involving a car which had failed to stop for police. The PSNI said officers signalled for the black Nissan Primera to stop, but it took off and was driven the wrong way round a roundabout in west Belfast. It was subsequently involved in a collision with another vehicle, a red MG car. A man and woman in the second vehicle were taken to hospital but were not seriously hurt.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

SATURDAY APRIL 19 2014

30 REVIEW This Digital Life

How to deal with your data being spied on An encryption flaw described as 'catastrophic' by experts has rocked the web. James Vincent explains which sites and services are affected ... and what you can do about it

T

he discovery of Heartbleed, a flaw in one of the most widespread encryption standards used online, has panicked webmasters and users alike.

The bug has gone unnoticed for more than two years and could have potentially given hackers access to an unlimited array of secure data.

Although it’s difficult to say exactly how many websites have been exposed, the lower estimates are around 500 million, with a large number of major web companies (Google, Facebook, Yahoo) all forced to update their software to protect against the bug.

However, there have been quite a lot of mixed messages as to whether or not users should

change their passwords, with some outlets urging that you should create new ones immediately while others are advising that you wait.

To add to the confusion, there’s also been reports of hackers sending out phishing emails related to Heartbleed in order to trick users into giving up passwords that have yet to be compromised.

Most Google sites and services (including Gmail and YouTube, but not Chrome) were affected, as were sites maintained by Yahoo (including Tumblr and Flickr). Facebook was also hit by the bug, although Twitter and LinkedIn were not.

Other big sites that have confirmed that they weren’t affected include Amazon, Hotmail

and Outlook, eBay, PayPal and all of Apple’s properties.

Another big worry is for online banking, but thankfully we have some good news in that department.

Lloyds, HSBC, RBS, Natwest, Santander and the Co-Op have all confirmed that they were not affected by the bug.

However, this does not mean that your credit card details are completely safe, as they could have been compromised via your Gmail, or another thirdparty site.

So do I need to change my passwords? In a word: yes. For the sites we’ve listed above as being affected (including Gmail, Yahoo, Tumblr, Flickr, Facebook) it definitely won't hurt to change your password some time in the next couple of weeks.

Although security experts

Your bridge results are on page 41

have warned that you shouldn't be too quick to change passwords, this is because not all website have patched their servers and changing your password before this happens could make matters worse.

Unfortunately, some sites have specifically said that users don't need to change their passwords. While it's true that some sites are confident that they fixed the bug a while back, as most of us are guilty of changing our passwords less frequently than we should do we think that this is as good an opportunity as ever to be a bit more security-conscious.

In lists of the most frequently used passwords

online, there’s some obvious clangers that we know you’re too smart to use. These include old stand-bys such as ‘123456’ and ‘password’ itself.

You shouldn’t really use any single words that are found in the dictionary, or words connected to you.

Nor should you use any obvious ‘substitutions’ (eg pa55w0rd — more complicated variations are required). The easiest way of increasing the difficulty of a password is by simply making it longer; try combining multiple words together and then adding numbers between them.

You should also use different passwords for different accounts.

Bits ‘n’ Bytes Romantic gesture for Tinder fails to match $5bn claim Most people who turn to Tinder hope it will spark romance, or at least a bit of fun flirtation. But now the mobile dating site has sparked something altogether different.

Bloomberg claims the company has been valued at $5bn (£2.99bn) after Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive Corp, Tinder’s majority shareholder, allegedly paid $500m for an additional 10% stake.

The company was said to have acquired shares from Chamath Palihapitiya, a California-based venture capitalist. Mr Palihapitiya called the report inaccurate. “I sold my stake, but [the] value was much less,” he said. IAC also said the $5bn valuation was “nowhere near the truth”.

Tinder doubled its daily users from 5m to 10m in December alone, and last month reached its billionth ‘match'.

However, it has yet to make any money.

Amazon.com is preparing to launch its long-rumoured smartphone in the second half of the year.

The company has recently been demonstrating versions of the handset to developers in San Francisco and Seattle.

Amazon intends to equip its phones with screens that display three-dimensional images without the need for special glasses.

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

SATURDAY MAY 3 2014

16 NEWS

Ulster Bank in black for first time since 2009 ULSTER Bank turned the corner yesterday with its first profits since 2009, marking the end of five years of heavy losses for Northern Ireland’s biggest bank.

The bank’s all-Ireland results showed operating profit of £17m for January to April, contrasting with losses of nearly £1bn for the last few months of 2013.

The bank’s chief executive Jim Brown (below) said there had been “progress across all areas of the bank”, which is part of the 82% taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

Ulster Bank said it had managed to cut bad debts by 80% with “significant reductions” in its mortgage, corporate and small to medium-sized business portfolios.

Its ability to recover from the financial crisis had been crippled by bad debts — also known as impairment losses — after lending large amounts to enable customers across Ireland to buy property, which then fell in value in the property crash.

But the bank said it had addressed the problem of impairments by investing in programmes to support customers in financial difficulty.

RBS said improving mortgage arrears and rising house prices in Ireland were also helping reduce impairments.

Mr Brown said: “The operating profit of £17m is driven by stable revenues, a reduction of underlying expenses and an improvement in impairment losses.

“Improving customer demand, our ongoing focus on underlying expenses and the benefits of our work in helping our customers in mortgage arrears will continue to drive the momentum in the recovery of our business.”

Underlying expenses at the bank were down — but setting up a new

Supreme court date for murder quiz man

BY ALAN ERWIN A MAN arrested over the murder of a father-of-one is to go to the UK's highest court to challenge the decision to extend his period in custody.

Robert McAuley claims he and his legal representatives were unlawfully excluded from part of the hearing where his continued detention was authorised.

Although senior judges in Belfast previously rejected his bid for a judicial review, they have now agreed to certify the case for consideration by the Supreme Court in London.

Mr McAuley was held along with another suspect two days after Danny McKay was shot dead in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, in October 2012.

He was subsequently released unconditionally and has never been charged in connection with the killing.

Gunmen blasted the 36-yearold victim in his home in the Longlands estate.

While Mr McAuley was in cus-

BY MARGARET CANNING mcanning@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

bad bank, the RBS Capital Resolution (RCR) division, along with the impact of a new bank levy in the Republic, had triggered a £10m increase in headline expenses.

But Mr Brown said he expected further falls in underlying expenses as costs came down across the business.

He added: “With our renewed focus on customer service and building a really good bank for our customers, we have seen a good response to our YES campaign for mortgage customers this quarter and a strong pipeline in business lending as a result of the Ahead For Business series of events across Ireland.

“We are focused on sustaining the recovery of our business which must be built around providing the best customer service on the island of Ireland.”

Ulster Bank parent RBS trebled its profit to £1.2bn from £400m in the first few months of 2013.

According to some reports, it may sell a stake in Ulster Bank to a US private equity group, merge its Republic of Ireland business with a competitor in Ireland or even float the bank on the stock market.

If the business in the Republic was merged with a rival, it’s expected the NI business would be integrated more closely with RBS in the rest of the UK. Ulster Bank has been dogged by intermittent IT glitches since 2012.

RBS said it had made moves to become a “simpler” organisation, including spending £750m to improve “the safety, security and resilience of our IT systems.”

INSIDE

q

Suspended sentence for UDA thug Mo Courtney News, Page 18 It is believed Peaches Geldof was listening to the music of Elliott Smith shortly before she died of drug abuse

Peaches ‘obsessed’ with tragic US singer PEACHES Geldof had become increasingly obsessed with late US musician Elliott Smith in the days before she died, reports have suggested.

Revered in life as well as death, American Smith won admirers for his unique guitar style and delicate voice. The Nebraska-born multi-instrumentalist's lyrics included personal tales of the drug addiction that would ravage his final days.

The waif-like Smith died from two stab wounds to the chest in October 2003 at the age of 34.

Reports at the time suggested

BY RYAN HOOPER the injuries were self-inflicted, though some fans believe he was murdered.

Mother-of-two Peaches (25), daughter of singer Sir Bob, was was found dead in her home in Wrotham, Kent, on April 7. Yesterday it emerged that police had launched a criminal inquiry into her death.

Kent Police said there was an “ongoing investigation into the supply of drugs”.

At the opening of her inquest in Gravesend on Thursday, De-

tective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham said recent heroin use “was likely to have played a role” in her death.

A police spokesman said: “Kent Police can confirm an ongoing investigation into the supply of drugs in connection with the death of Peaches Geldof.

There have been no arrests at this stage.”

Peaches’ death marks a parallel to the death of her mother Paula Yates, who died from an accidental heroin overdose at her London home aged 41 in 2000.

tody, the PSNI searched 12 premises and submitted a number of items for forensic examination.

Police sought a court warrant for his further detention once it became clear those results would not be available in time.

During their application, the judge requested further evidence in the absence of the suspect and his representatives about the outstanding tests and the intelligence on which his arrest was based.

Despite objections from Mr McAuley's lawyers this took place.

An order extending the detention period was then made.

Mr McAuley was released on October 29 after launching judicial review proceedings.

Police indicated that the forensic examinations were negative.

Mr McAuley's solicitor insisted the basis for an arrest should be fully disclosed. Paul Pierce of KRW Law said: “This is a fundamentally important point about the rights of the detained person held in relation to serious offences.”

Climb on board for free plant offer ‘Electronic nose’ sniffs out cancer YOU might be starting to run out of space on the ground if you’ve been taking advantage of all our Blooming Marvellous offers.

But there’s one part of your garden that you might not have made the most of — the walls.

All the best designed gardens make use of the vertical component as well as the horizontal — and that’s where our latest offer comes in.

BY LINDA STEWART Today we’re offering every reader three free jumbo clematis climbing plants worth £14.99, supplied by plantspeople Mont Rose of Guernsey.

All you have to do is fill in the coupon on the opposite page, send it with postage and packaging costs, and in return you will get three jumbo plug plants, selected at random from a wide

range of best-selling clematis.

Meanwhile, we’re offering discounts on other Mont Rose products, including a metal obelisk for training your clematis, English lavender plugs, penstemons and hardy fuchsias.

And the amazing Blooming Marvellous offers don’t stop there — next week we’re offering every reader 12 compact cottage garden pinks worth £21 absolutely free.

AN electronic nose may be used to sniff out prostate cancer in future following a successful pilot trial.

The ChemPro 100 eNose was used to test the “headspace”, or air above samples of patients' urine.

In the study it proved at least as accurate as the standard PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test used as the first stage in diagnosing prostate cancer.

Lead scientist Dr Niku Oksala,

BY JOHN VON RADOWITZ from Tampere University in Finland, said: “The performance with the eNose matches that of PSA results in previous literature and the results are achieved rapidly and in a completely non-invasive manner.

“PSA is known to correlate positively with prostate volume, which is a potential source of diagnostic error when comparing

prostate cancer with benign disease. According to our analysis, prostate volume did not affect the eNose results, potentially indicating high specificity of our sensor array to cancer.”

The eNose achieved a “sensitivity” — the ability to detect patients with cancer — of 78%, said the Journal of Urology. It also had a “specificity” — the ability to avoid wrongly picking out patients without cancer — of 67%.

SATURDAY MAY 3 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

Suspension of disbelief only goes so far

Brit-funk legends The Blockheads

TOP PICK The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival runs from today until Sunday, May 11.

For details and booking visit www.cqaf.com or call 028 9024 6609. Tickets are also available from the Visit Belfast Centre, 8-10 Donegall Square North.

My Prairie Home on the Belfast Barge tomorrow: Part travelogue, part character study, Chelsea McMullan's film unfolds in coffee shops, bus stations, bars and recreation centres, and is interspersed with performance sequences from Spoon who performs a confessional song cycle.

There’s no Dury... but Blockheads still hit the high notes

BY GRANIA McFADDEN IN the deserts of Sudan and the gardens of Japan. From Milan to Yucatan, Ian Dury lives on. The Blockheads frontman may be wielding his Rhythm Stick in a celestial Billericay — but the band keeps his name alive here.

One of the big draws at this year's festival is tonight's show

by The Blockheads, whose latest album, Same Horse, Different Jockey, is keeping the group's loyal fanbase satisfied. The album cover, designed by Sarah Lucas, has raised a few eyebrows with its picture of a milk bottle and two gingernuts illustrating the same bawdy humour Dury used in his lyrics. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

The Blockheads formed way back in 1977 to promote Dury's album New Boots And Panties on the first Stiff Records tour of the UK. They're fronted by Derek ‘The Draw' Hussey, who was Ian's best friend and is now the band's vocal-

ist and wordsmith. He writes the songs along with Chaz Jankel, while Norman Watt-Roy, John Turnbull and Mick Gallagher still remain from the original band.

Keyboard player Mick says it was hard for the band to grab their own identity after Ian's death in 2000, but they've managed to make their own mark on the music scene, with a sound that combines soul, fun, rock, jazz and American Blues.

These legendary Brit-funkers will be playing all the old favourites and new material. As Derek will probably say at the start of the gig: “We are the Block-

heads and we sound like this...”

They're not the only irreverent stage acts, either, as they will be followed tomorrow night by Irish liggers The Rubberbandits, who'll be giving two performances of their Continental Fistfight. The Bandits have bombed up from Limerick, complete with plastic bag masks, to give us a taste of their new musical which features “dazzling new songs, great big hits and at least one puppet”.

The hip-hop duo smashed their way to stardom via their YouTube hit Horse Outside. Blindboy Boatclub and Mr Chrome, along with their sidekick Willie O'DJ, have left audiences open-mouthed at their performances at Electric Picnic and Oxygen. Expect a night of foul-mouthed, frenetic songs and deeply offensive humour. It'll be a blast.

The Blockheads play the Festival Marquee tonight at 8pm. The Rubberbandits play the Black Box tomorrow at 7pm

Exquisite rambling from author of cool DBC (or Dirty But Clean) Pierre, winner of the 2003 Booker Prize for Literature, stepped up to the microphone in a leather jacket, bottle of beer in hand, and casually launched into anecdotes about a photographer obsessed with taking pictures of authors in graveyards.

He is known as a darkly humorous, full-on satirical novelist who grasps truth by the short and curlies. Pierre (real name

17

REVIEW DPC PIERRE The Dark Horse

Peter Finlay) is a writer of intense linguistic playfulness.

Born in Australia, raised in Mexico and now living in Leitrim, Pierre’s anecdotes were

freewheeling, hilariously absurd and moved from tales about snakes shedding skin, to drinking with lizards, to a kind of anti-travel guide.

Pierre can ramble, but it’s rambling of the most exquisite kind, achingly witty, peppered with cool poetry, philosophical, hip, madcap. A fabulous personality to spend an evening in the company of.

JOANNE SAVAGE

YOU’VE seen Martin Scorsese's film and heard the album, now experience The Band's legendary Last Waltz for real — sort of.

For rock and roll fans of a certain vintage, The Last Waltz remains the quintessential concert movie, a documentary account of The Band's last ever live performance in 1976. Last night the CQAF Marquee was the scene of a faithful and fond re-enactment by a Dublin band calling themselves, cunningly, The Group. It's an odd spectacle,

REVIEW THE LAST WALTZ Festival Marquee

an at times awkward blend of tribute act and pastiche, with the film acknowledged in clips projected on a screen behind the stage.

The original film's magic was drawn from its stellar supporting cast — Bob Dylan, Neil

Young, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters — and this is where the tribute gig falls down.

In their place, The Group wheel on a series of often hammy impersonators.

Suspension of disbelief only goes so far.

That said, there's no faulting the musicianship nor the love that The Group have for their illustrious forebears. But as a spectacle, it flies too close to Stars In Their Eyes: Classic Rock Edition for comfort.

CHRIS JONES

SATURDAY MAY 10 2014

BELFAST TELEGRAPH

NEWS

17

Get in pink with Tele’s latest offer YOU might be looking ruefully at a soggy garden wondering if you will ever get it into shape.

But if your garden is looking a little colourless, never fear.

Our latest Blooming Marvellous offer (below) will give you the chance to brighten up your border with a little summer magic.

Today, we’re offering every reader 12 compact cottage garden pinks worth £21 absolutely free.

These beautiful cottage garden classics from Mont Rose of Guernsey will fill your borders, pots and boxes with fragrance.

Plenty to crow about at garden show Four-year-old Martha Finlay poses with a scarecrow at the opening of this year’s Garden Show Ireland at Antrim Castle Gardens. The event finishes tomorrow PACEMAKER

Garda faces third major corruption probe in a decade THE Republic’s police force is staring down the barrel of a third major corruption inquiry in just over a decade after a whistleblower sergeant was vindicated in a sixyear battle.

A Justice Minister, some of the top brass in the force and its official watchdog have all been criticised for failing to properly investigate allegations of rogue and sloppy policing.

Among the disturbing complaints reported to authorities over the last five years — but inadequately acted on — are investigations into an attempted rape, child abduction, false imprisonment of a girl and child pornography.

An eight-week review of the claims found that no official body was prepared to accept the word of the highly regarded officer.

Sergeant Maurice McCabe, who risked his life and his career to expose the catalogue of failures, has now been held up as a respected and dedicated police officer.

“No complex organisation can expect to succeed in its task if it cannot find the means of heeding the voice of a member whose immediate supervisors hold him in the high regard in which Sgt McCabe was held,” the report said.

BY ED CARTY AND BRIAN HUTTON newseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

The 300-page review concludes with the damning indictment that Sgt McCabe was left isolated by the Garda force, the Justice Minister and the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission.

A judge-led tribunal will be set up to review the affair which has dogged the Irish Government and the Garda for months and this week led to the resignation of Justice Minister Alan Shatter (below).

Without any findings on the veracity of the corruption claims, the Irish Government has already moved to plan for an independent police authority to work with the Garda Ombudsman and Garda Inspectorate to oversee the force.

Newly-appointed Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald declined to say she had confidence in the top civil servant in her department, Brian Purcell, after the report was published.

“The secretary general of my department will ensure that the handling of complaints received by

the department meets with best practice in receiving and responding to complaints,” she said.

Ms Fitzgerald said the force would undergo root and branch reform if needed.

Following his probe, barrister Sean Guerin urged the Government to focus on the 12 major McCabe allegations in the statutory inquiry.

The most serious is the Garda handling of murderer Jerry McGrath, from Dundrum, Co Tipperary, who was twice released on bail, first for an assault and then over an attempted abduction, before he went on to kill Sylvia Roche Kelly in a hotel in Limerick in 2007.

Others include the Garda investigations into several public order incidents and a possible sex assault in Co Cavan in 2007.

It also recommends a probe into how the Garda chief, former Commissioner Martin Callinan, who quit in March, and Mr Shatter, who resigned on Wednesday, dealt with the disturbing concerns flagged up to them.

BY LINDA STEWART All you have to do is fill out the coupon below, send it with the postage and packaging and you will receive 12 3cm plug plants.

We’re also offering discounts on loads of herbaceous treats, including lavender, clematis, penstemons and hardy fuchsias.

Meanwhile, if you are planning to head up to Antrim to Garden Show Ireland this weekend, you have another chance to brighten up your garden.

Readers purchasing a copy of

the Belfast Telegraph at the show from our promotional sellers will receiver two free packets of seeds.

We’re also offering £3 off entry to the Balmoral Show next Wednesday with the voucher in today’s paper. And watch this space for another brilliant Blooming Marvellous offer in the coming weeks — this time for compost.

This spring the Belfast Telegraph has launched Blooming Marvellous, a drive to inspire readers to pick up a trowel and transform their surroundings with a little green-fingered magic.