Horticulture Connected Spring Volume 6 Issue 1

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Spring 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

COLM KENNY DIGS DEEP ON URBAN TREES

GARDENING ON A THE EDGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE RECENT GLDA SEMINAR

ALCI AWARDS 2019

IRELAND'S LEADING CONTRACTORS ANNOUNCED

Volume 6 Issue 1

Nangle&Niesen

STRATEGIC AGILITY

wholesale nursery

Irish grown mature & semi-mature trees

c: 64, m

c: 44, m

Font: Agenda-Lig

6 REASONS TO MAKE NANGLE & NIESEN YOUR

FIRST CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO SOURCING TREES Quality - We pride ourselves on the quality of our trees and operate to the highest horticultural standards. We operate rigorous quality control systems throughout every stage of the growing process Range - Over 40,000 trees with more than 200 varieties to choose from including a large stock of mature and semi mature trees Experience - A history of over 40 years of growing and supplying trees provides a wealth of knowledge and experience unsurpassed in Ireland Reliability - Our proven track record means we can be trusted to give the best advise and service Plant Health & Biosecurity - Nangle and Niesen Ltd is committed to operating in a manner that promotes good plant health and biosecurity as far as it is reasonable and practicable to do so and will ensure that the Company’s suppliers are selected with

due consideration to plant health

Price - All of the above allied to competitive prices and great value

www.nangleandniesen.ie Rathcullen, Aherla, Cork Tel: 021-733 1126 l Fax: 021-733 1663 l Email: info@nangleandniesen.ie 2

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

01 / EDITOR

EDITOR BARRY LUPTON

O

@ YARRUTA / 123RF.COM

THE APPRENTICE

64, m: 23, y: 90, k: 41

ne of the most encouraging developments over the last few years has been the 44, m: 16, y: 90, k: 0 embracing of apprentice-style learning in horticulture. This emergence in interest is da-Light not just isolated to horticulture. A swathe of new apprentice-based courses is being introduced across the country in fields as diverse as laboratory work and accountancy. It genuinely gives me hope for the future.

Apprentice learning is the oldest method of training used by humans. It embraces what it is to be human: to be social, practical and physical. It is based on relevance, engagement, observation, stimulation, support and feedback. It is such an obvious and useful approach, it’s hard to fathom why it fell out of favour in the first place.

Since the middle of the last century, apprentice learning has been unjustly considered the poorer academic sibling. Traditionally, apprenticeships were things taken up by youngsters not cut out for real learning, such as attending university.

Mention ‘apprentice’ in Ireland and people think plumbers, plasterers, mechanics, carpenters and electricians. All highly complex and high earning professions, but as qualifications, they are still viewed as secondary to a university education.

We have a lot to learn and a lot to do, but it is truly heartening

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

News, Analysis and Trends In Landscape, Garden Retail & Edible Horticulture

HorticultureConnected.ie

for daily news updates

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Spring 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

COLM KENNY DIGS DEEP ON URBAN TREES

GARDENING ON A THE EDGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE RECENT GLDA SEMINAR

ALCI AWARDS 2019

IRELAND'S LEADING CONTRACTORS ANNOUNCED

Volume 6 Issue 1

Unit 3, CTEK Building Riverside Rd, Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Ireland +353 (0)42 966 3532

that we are finally heading in the right direction.

It is also encouraging to have familiar HC contributors such as Colm Kenny, John Murphy, Terry O’Regan and Stiofán Nutty tackle two of the toughest issues facing the sector: tree growth in the urban environment and the ongoing labour crisis. Dónall Flanagan throws light on an important issue with an exploration of the current research on sustainable media, while Dr Karl Duffy shares research on how climate change is shaping plant distribution in Europe. Plus there’s a review of the recent GLDA design seminar by respected designer and HC contributor, Patricia Tyrrell and a full listing of the 2019 ALCI awards, and Noel McEvoy from Dublin City Council describes how allotments in St Anne’s Park have inspired similar developments across the country. On the retail front, Liam Kelly explains how retailers can profit from several new trends, while in our Insight section, Rachel Freeman describes the important role that educational institutions play in the advancement of social and therapeutic horticulture. This issue also includes the latest updates from Bord Bia and Teagasc.

Sincere thanks to all our contributors for taking the time to share their insight and knowledge with the HC readership.

If you have a story, research or topic you think should be covered in these pages, please drop me a line at editor@horticulture.ie ✽

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

News, Analysis and Trends

Editor: Barry Lupton PrintHorticulture Run: 3,000 copies In Landscape, Garden Retail & Edible editor@horticulture.ie News & Online Editor: Joseph Blair Distribution: Readership of 10,000 across joseph@horticulture.ie - 087 921 2044 Ireland to businesses and professionals in Creative Director: Tanya Gilsenan the following sectors: tanya@horticulture.ie Landscape Architects / Garden Retail / Editorial Assistant: Koraley Northen Florists / Nurseries / Greenkeepers / Sales & Subscriptions: Sports Surfaces / Local Authorities & Anne Marie Browne Parks Departments / Machinery / annemarie@horticulture.ie Education / Edible Horticulture Cover image: Victoria Shibut / 123rf Photos: Joseph Blair Publishers: Horticulture Connected Ltd HorticultureConnected.ie Printers: Turners Printing

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

1

CONTENTS

CONTENTS NEWS

03

Horticulture News

DESIGN

28 G ARDENING ON THE EDGE Patricia Tyrell shares her thoughts on the hugely successful GLDA design seminar

BORD BIA 06

All the latest news from Bord Bia

TEAGASC 08

TREES

32 STAKE-KNIFE

All the latest news from Teagasc

EVENTS 10 Horticulture trade events

Terry O’Regan takes a knife to a choking issue

33

John Murphy digs below the surface to reveal why trees thrive or die in urban situations

RETAIL

11 T HE RIGHT RANGE Liam Kelly explains why retailers needs to put profit before pride and kitsch before chic

INSIGHT

35 L EADING THE WAY IN SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE Rachel Freeman frames the latest research on STH and explains why educational institutions need to lead the way

NURSERY

13 TACKLING THE LABOUR CRISIS Stiofán Nutty reviews the wages crisis and outlines actions to be taken

16

37 G ROWTH IN SOCIAL ASSETS Noel McEvoy explains how the walled garden in St Annes Park, Dublin provided the impetus for an important social movement

SUSTAINABLE MEDIA Teagasc Nursery Stock Advisor, Dónall Flanagan shares the latest thinking and research on growing media and explains how growers can avoid supply shocks

RESEARCH

39 T HE CHANGING CLIMATE OF PLANT DISTRIBUTION Dr Karl J Duffy traces the history of plant distribution science and shares recent research on the impact of climate change on plant distribution

JOBS 19 Latest horticulture jobs from

Horticulture.jobs

CONSTRUCT

20 AVOIDING THE PITFALLS Colm Kenny explores the issues facing urban trees and the designers and contractors charged with creating them

ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

EDIBLES 41

HORTICULTURE PRODUCERS

HONOURED Mike Neary, reports in from the Inaugural Origin Green Farmer Awards

22 ALCI AWARDS 2019 Awards list and photos

EDUCATION

43 S TUDENT LIFE

IN PICTURES 26

2

Hardware show, BTME & more

John Mulhern speaks to current students of horticulture to find out what modern student life is really like

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

01 / NEWS

ADARE MANOR PROJECT DELIVERS ALCI BOG OAK TROPHY FOR PETER O’BRIEN & SONS

Peter O’Brien founded the family-run landscaping business in Malahide in 1963. The business is now managed by his son, Ciaran, and company Director, Peter

Dublin based family landscaping business, Peter O’Brien

O’Toole and employs over 100 staff. In addition to the

& Sons Landscaping Ltd, was recently announced as

Adare Manor refurbishment, the multi-award winning

the Landscape Contractor of the Year and winner of the

company has been involved in many high profile projects

prestigious Bog Oak Trophy at the Association of Landscape

over the years including East Point Business Park, Father

Contractors of Ireland’s (ALCI) annual awards in the Titanic

Collins Park, and Spencer Docks. In addition to winning

Centre, Belfast. The all-Island ALCI awards, often referred

the overall award, they also received the Sports Ground

to as the Oscars of the landscaping industry, celebrate the

Construction & Maintenance category award for St

high standards of professionalism and skill in the delivery of

Michael’s College in Dublin.

commercial, private residential and public authority gardens,

Pat McCormack, ALCI chairman, said,“This is a hugely deserved accolade for Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd

landscapes and sports grounds.

who have been trailblazers in the Irish landscaping industry

THE WINNING PROJECT - ADARE MANOR As part of the extensive refurbishment of the Adare Manor Estate in 2017, Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd was engaged to complete all soft landscaping elements within the 840 acre site. The project included all gardens, parklands, riversides, car parks and courtyards, alongside the roof garden on the hotel spa and elements of the golf club.

The operation was managed by Gregg Fanning who has worked for the company for over 10 years and included

for many years. There are very few second generation businesses in horticulture and the O’Brien’s have shown that through hard work, dedication and an ability to adapt to changing economic conditions, it is possible to achieve great success. The O’Brien’s also give back hugely to the industry and have trained many of Ireland’s leading landscape contractors. They are well deserved recipients of the Bog Oak trophy for the fifth time.”

the establishment of an extensive onsite setup featuring

LANDSCAPING TRENDS

a dedicated nursery, procurement of locally sourced soil,

The award entries were judged by Gary Graham, Bord

management of up to 80 staff on site, and the transport

Bia’s Bloom Manager and Kerrie Gardiner, Landscape

and installation of more than 150 mature trees, 225 topiary

Architect and Bloom Show Garden Manager, who visited

plants, 5,000 herbaceous species, 1,700 hedging plants,

all of the shortlisted project sites.

10,000 clipped Taxus shrubs, 30,000 transplants and

Commenting on this year’s entries, Gary said, “The ALCI awards are always a great benchmark for assessing trends

500,000m2 of cultivating and seeding.

ALCI Awards Judge and Bord Bia’s Bloom Manager Gary

in the industry. One of the continuing developments has

Graham said, ”The delivery of this stunning landscape

been the extension of the garden season to one which

at Adare Manor is testament to the skill and experience

is year round. We are seeing significant investment

which Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd has in

in outdoor dining facilities which in many cases

abundance. The sheer scale of this soft landscaping project

comprise fully functional kitchens, properly designed

is something which does not come around very often and

with significant lighting and heating. The impact of

the team demonstrated an agility and dexterity which

extreme weather as a result of climate change is taking

allowed them to tackle all of the challenges which they met

its toll on our gardens and this is where professional

along the way. The finished estate features a huge amount

horticulturalists, such as ALCI members, really come into

of clever planting and spectacular mature trees, which were

their own in using their skills to adapt the landscape to

sourced and transplanted from Irish nurseries.”

meet changing environments.”

✽

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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NEWS / 01 NATIONAL TREE WEEK National Tree Week takes place 31 March to 7 April. Tree Week, organised

by Tree Council of Ireland since 1985, is a week long programme of events to celebrate trees. The theme this year is Planting for our Planet - Ag plandáil don Phláinéid, and there will be numerous events taking place across the country. The event is in association

TEAGASC CAREERS IN HORTICULTURE OPEN DAY The annual Teagasc Careers in Horticulture Open Day event was held on 7

with Coillte and Forest Industries Ireland. More at treecouncil.ie ✽

March in the new education building where Teagasc operates in the historic location that is the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin. Over 20 companies from all aspects of horticulture were represented, showcasing their businesses to current and prospective horticulture students. Students from the Teagasc College and other horticultural training providers in the greater Dublin area

INAUGURAL UNA MCDERMOTT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE ANNOUNCED BY WIT

and beyond were present to meet with the industry and college staff to find out about a career in horticulture.

The format was a combination of informal networking with company representatives and speakers. The speakers were Dr Matthew Jebb from the OPW National Botanic Gardens, and Diarmuid Gavin, well known garden designer and TV personality. Both gave very well received accounts of their horticultural experiences. The college principal John Mulhern also had a Q&A session with two of the students, Ruta Makaraite and David Remaud, which stimulated a lot of interaction with the audience. John told HC, “Both of these students are currently

FAMILY OF UNA MCDERMOTT PRESENTED WITH THE INAUGURAL UNA MCDERMOTT AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE AT THE WATERFORD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE CAREERS DAY AT THE WIT ARENA

finishing their degrees in horticulture at the college, having started at certificate

The family of the late Una McDermott,

level in horticulture four years ago. They both spoke very well about their education

horticulture programme leader, was

journey in horticulture at the college. Overall, a very positive experience was

presented with an award named in

delivered to the attendees who engaged fully with all aspects of the afternoon.”

her honour at the Waterford Institute

Applications for the courses are now open. Contact the college for details or see www.teagasc.ie ✽

of Technology’s Science Careers Day on 8 March. Una, who passed away suddenly in March 2018, was responsible for the development and

CHANGES AFOOT FOR SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS AT GRASSLAND HEADQUARTERS By the time this is published

looks forward to presenting the Una

importers of the best quality

McDermott Contribution to Science

artificial grass from Holland, like

Award annually to an awardee who HQ OF SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS IN NAAS

for years. But given the impending turmoil and the new ferry from Rotterdam direct to Dublin, they have invested in a new ramp which allows them to unload containers quickly instead of using specialist 40 foot trucks. The sailing time is longer but it means their weekly deliveries arrive quicker, are more predictable and happily, are cheaper. All the better to serve their trade and domestic customers. The large ‘hedged’ structure on the left in front of Sanctuary Synthetics’ hairy caravan is a new camouflaged 5,000ltr diesel tank, servicing Sanctuary Synthetics’ delivery and operations fleet of eight vans and three jeeps. ✽

4

College of Amenity Horticulture in the WIT’s Department of Science

although that’s doubtful. As

has used the UK as a land bridge

in both Kildalton College and the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin.

Brexit may well have been sorted,

many Irish businesses Grassland

running of the WIT BSc in Horticulture

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

exhibits the dedication to science that Una exemplified.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Eva Creely said, “Thank you all so much for such an amazing piece which Una more than anyone else would have appreciated.” Eva also thanked Una’s colleagues at WIT, Teagasc Kildalton, and the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin for helping them to understand the impact Una had. ✽

01 / NEWS LAUNCH OF NEW GLYPHOSATE-FREE RESIDUAL HERBICIDE BY BAYER IN IRELAND Bayer has launched a new glyphosatefree residual herbicide in Ireland, providing another valuable tool in amenity contractors' armouries. Greg Collins, Bayer national account manager, explains the launch of the broad-spectrum herbicide, Valdor® Flex, comes at the perfect time to support amenity contractors in light of increasing legislation around glyphosate use.

“The product contains two active ingredients with different modes of action that target a broad spectrum of weeds.

Valdor® Flex is a pre-emergence herbicide, but if weeds are present it can be applied in a post-emergence mix with glyphosate or a suitable biological alternative, such as pelargonic acid,” says Greg. He adds that it can also reduce the number of herbicide applications. “Contractors typically make three or four glyphosate applications a year, but Valdor® Flex could cut this by two-thirds or even eradicate its use if mixed with a biological alternative. This unique product can be applied between March and June and has a residual effect for

CLARENBRIDGE GARDEN CENTRE EXPANDS Clarenbridge Garden Centre has taken over Blackwater Garden Centre in Cork.

Refurbishments are currently under way and the gates will reopen at the end of March.

Ithel Mc Kenna tells HC, “We would like to thank all of our customers and suppliers who supported us over the last 40 years and we wish the new Clarenbridge team all the very best in the future.” ✽

up to four months.”

Greg goes on to say that Valdor® Flex is available to purchase in 10g and 500g pack sizes from UniChem and Sprayclear. The 10g sachets can be mixed with 10 litres of water and will cover 200m². For contractors requiring large quantities, the 500g bottle is more cost effective, but he warns that careful mixing is required.

Alan Abel from Complete Weed Control put the new herbicide to the test on a heavily weeded gravel site at an international airport. “Valdor® Flex stood out for two reasons.

Firstly, its long-lasting residual control, and secondly its ability to minimise resistance due to the two active ingredients,” says Alan. “In practice, Valdor® Flex worked very effectively.

In our trial, we combined it with glyphosate due to the size of the weeds we were controlling. But going forward, because of our confidence in Valdor® Flex, we’re keen to use the glyphosate-free option for early weed treatment.” He adds that with herbicide resistance being an increasing concern for the amenity sector, it’s great to see new effective products coming on to the market. For more information visit www.environmentalscience.bayer.co.uk/turfmanagement/products/valdor-flex ✽

IRRITEC UTILISES LATEST TECH IN MAJOR RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS Irritec has recently installed remotely monitored WiFi based irrigation systems in two large scale residential projects in Ballsbridge and Capital Dock, Dublin. Both sites have a large amount of drip irrigation and turf sprinklers, which are linked to a weather station, to adjust the irrigation programme, according to current weather conditions. Paul Kunkels tells HC, “In the Ballsbridge installation we have irrigation on the ground, fifth and 10th floor, In Capital dock, we cover all the ground floor planting. Close cooperation with both Sisk and the main landscape contractor Peter O’Brien & Sons is crucial on projects of this scale.” More at Irritec.ie ✽

NANGLE AND NIESEN SUPPLY SPECIMEN OAK FOR HISTORIC HOTEL GROUNDS REDEVELOPMENT Nangle and Niesen Ltd were recently contracted to supply a magnificent specimen Quercus robur as part of the upgrade works on the grounds of the historic Lake Hotel in Killarney, which was established in 1820.

The tree, which has a girth of 60-70cm and is over 10m height, had been growing in Nangle and Niesen’s nursery in Aherla, Co Cork for almost 30 years. During that time it had been transplanted five times, resulting in a rootball containing all of those vital fibrous roots which will ensure successful establishment in its new home. The evidence of this can be seen in the pit left behind in the fields, which is clean and free of any roots. The years of careful husbandry with an emphasis on operations such as transplanting/undercutting,

caning, tying, tree shelters, detailed head branch pruning and training of leaders all contributed to ensure a healthy tree with a vigorous well balanced crown, a dominant leader, and attractive form.

To further ensure the tree’s successful establishment, Osmocote Preplant 17-9-10 + 2Mgo + TE and Symbio MycoForce Transplanter (which contain mycorrhizae, beneficial soil microbes, minerals, trace elements and humates) were incorporated into the planting pit. The landscaping works are being carried out by Tommy Laide and his team from Designer Landscapes Ltd, ably assisted by Oliver Long from Nangle and Niesen in planting the Quercus robur. There is every chance this tree will witness the next 200 years of the hotel’s history. ✽

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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BORD BIA / 02 THE PLANS FOR GROMÓR 2019 Building on the success of the 2018 campaign, in 2019 GroMór will continue to grow the market for gardening in Ireland. The main target audience is mature gardeners, but the aim is also to engage with 25-35 year olds, and 35-50 year olds to help the long term growth of the market. The GroMór ambassador for 2019 will be Bord Bia’s Gary Graham, well known to the public through Bloom and Supergarden.

What’s new for 2019? There will be a big emphasis on video, with ‘how to’ tips generated by garden centres, nurseries and partners, to distribute to the nearly 20,000 likes on Facebook, with a focus on getting people into garden centres and buying Irish plants. There will be opportunities for pop up nursery stands in garden centres in the two main months of activity, April and June. The focus is on local – PR tips for garden centres and nurseries, and engaging with local press and radio

INCREDIBLE EDIBLES 2019 The Incredibles Edibles Healthy Eating Programme 2019 was launched recently by the Minister of State for Health Promotion, Catherine Byrne TD, in St Louise de Marillac National School in Ballyfermot.

This initiative by Agri Aware who coordinate and manage the programme is supported by Bord Bia, the Department

FRESH PRODUCE RETAIL MARKET GREW IN VALUE IN 2018 The fresh produce category is a key element of the total grocery market which is valued at €10.7bn with fresh produce contributing close to 15% of this value in 2018. The retail market for fresh produce was valued at €1.53bn in 2018 which was a slight increase of 0.2% on 2017. This was driven by a higher average shelf price across the whole category with overall volumes marginally back by 0.1% year on year. It is likely that last summer’s severe drought which had a major impact on the growing season had some influence on this outcome.

This category subdivides into fruit, which was valued at €762m, vegetables valued at €565m and potatoes, which were valued at €207m last year.

The vegetable category was the one fresh produce category that recorded a reduction in its overall value in 2018 and was back 2.6% on the previous year, with a lower volume purchased per buyer being a key contributor. The value of the fruit category was up by 0.7% with a higher average unit price on shelf of 1.9% across the category driving this trend and resulting in a lower volume purchased of 1.2%. The value of the potato category in 2018 was up significantly by 6.3% while the volume purchased was only marginally back compared with 2017 by 0.5%. The average unit price on shelf was up by 6.9% last year. The summer drought reduced the volume of potatoes harvested last year and available to the market. ✽

6

stations to get a good buzz going around the campaign.

There will also be an initiative to create a link between the high traffic Bloom website and the GroMór website. There will be simple GroMór gardening advice, and links back to the GroMór site for more advice and details about the campaign.

Participation by nurseries in this year’s campaign has the additional benefit of supporting the other gardening promotions that Bord Bia is running. Bord Bia has substantially increased the funding for plants in the new season of Supergarden, ensuring that plants will be the focus of the gardens, as well as drawing attention to the Quality Mark on plants. There is also further investment in the plant village at Bloom, which has been re-christened the Quality Mark Plant Village, and will also be promoting GroMór. Don’t be left out, get in touch and get involved. ✽

of Education and Skills and the Department of Health and Children, through the Healthy Ireland framework, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the horticulture industry. The project now in its 11th year will see over 1,500 primary schools across Ireland learn to sow, grow and cook a whole host of seasonal Irish fruit, vegetables and herbs. For further information visit www.incredibleedibles.ie ✽

THE RARE & SPECIAL PLANT FAIR Coming up on 12 May, The Rare & Special Plant Fair was established in 2001 with the assistance of Bord Bia, to ensure that the gardening public has an opportunity to purchase rare, unusual and special plants, and to ensure that small specialist nurseries and breeders of these plants in Ireland have an opportunity to present them for sale. At the same time, the fair aims to provide an opportunity for visitors to visit a private garden that they might not otherwise visit.

The fair is an annual event, always held on the second Sunday in May. Over the years the event has grown in stature and reputation with the fair being hosted in some of Ireland’s most notable and beautiful private gardens, and more recently in public and state gardens of note. This year, Glin Castle (pictured), the ancestral home of the FitzGerald family, Knights of Glin, will play host to this special event on Sunday 12th May. www.rareandspecialplantfair.ie ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

02 / BORD BIA THE YOUNG HORTICULTURIST OF THE YEAR Run by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition is a fantastic opportunity for horticultural students and recent graduates to test their knowledge and get the opportunity to meet with fellow horticulturalists from all over the UK and Ireland. The competition is free to enter and is open to anyone below the age of 30 on 31 July in the year of entering the competition.

Bord Bia is a long time sponsor of the Ireland branch

competitions and the final, which this year took place on 14 March at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin.

The winner Leo Walsh, a graduate of the Teagasc College at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, will compete against the finalists from England, Scotland and Wales at the grand finale, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on 11 May. The ultimate winner of the competition wins a £2,500 travel bursary to fund horticultural related travel anywhere in the world. ✽

THE BORD BIA VALUE OF THE GARDEN MARKET STUDY 2018 Bord Bia has engaged Ipsos MRBI to track consumer activity and spend in the amenity market every two years since 2001. The objective of the survey is to provide Bord Bia with a tool to measure and track consumer spend, channel of purchase and motivation for purchase across a range of amenity products.

The amenity sector in this survey covers the following items. Outdoor and flowering plants; indoor potted plants and fresh cut flowers including foliage and wreaths; garden products including garden treatments (e.g. fertilisers, pesticides), peat/bark/soil treatment, garden accessories, BBQ equipment, garden furniture, gardening tools and equipment, garden structures.

REPORTING CONTEXT Ireland’s population has grown by 26% since 2001. The number of households has increased by a third over the same period. The population is ageing – the number of 65+ year olds has risen by 75% over this period. Unemployment now stands at 5.4%, and is continuing to fall, albeit marginally now. New housing unit completions peaked in Ireland in 2006, but only around 19,000 private houses were completed in 2018. Supply is growing but is still behind where it needs to be to meet demand. The average age of the first time home buyer is 34, up from 29 in 2006.

Inflation (the consumer price index) averaged 0.27% in 2018. Retail sales (excluding the motor trade) were up 3.5% in the past year. Since the research began in 2001, the CPI for goods has decreased, while the price of services has increased significantly. The prices of utilities and local charges have almost doubled over this time. 2018 was a challenging year weather-wise, from snow hampering the kick off of the gardening season, to prolonged heat and drought during peak season.

MARKET SUMMARY The amenity market is showing signs of growth since the last measure, particularly in the areas of indoor potted plants and fresh cut flowers, foliage and wreaths. The overall market has grown by 9% in value at €795m, while purchase occasions have also increased by 8% to 18.4 million.

Spend on outdoor and flowering plants has plateaued since 2016, after reporting significant increases since 2011.

Herbs, fruit and vegetables for growing yourself are the only products which report a lift in purchasing occasions within the outdoor and flowering plants category since 2016. Consumer engagement in GYO products appears to be further expanding after a period of stagnation.

Trees and hedges, as well as herbaceous plants, recorded increases in spend compared with 2016. In all cases, the uplift was due to an increased spend per purchase occasion, rather than growth in occasions.

Hanging baskets and pre-planted containers have made no further inroads, either in terms of occasions or value.

Nonetheless, purchasing occasions are at their highest level since measurements began in 2001. The long term trend for convenient planting solutions is further strengthened by a resurgence in popularity for indoor potted plants. Potted plants are demonstrating the greatest level of growth in both purchasing occasions and spend of all products measured.

The market for garden products is showing further growth since 2016. There are positive movements in most products. The popularity of decks, which soared during the Celtic Tiger years, seems to have waned.

Spend on landscaping services is on the increase.

Spend on garden makeovers or overhauls appears to be favoured over paying for a garden designer to draw up plans for a garden. Independent garden centres remain the single most important channel for amenity products; a quarter of all consumer spend, and almost half of spend on outdoor flowers and plants, is routed through garden centres. Spend on amenity products through discounters has overtaken traditional supermarkets, due to a much greater increase in purchasing occasions over the past seven years. The findings of the study will be presented to the industry over the coming months at dedicated industry information days and trade fairs.

Ensure you are invited by subscribing to our horticulture news ezine at https://www.bordbia.ie/industry/ manufacturers/insight/horticultureezine/pages/ subscriptionform.aspx. ✽

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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TEAGASC ezine / 03 NEW LED LIGHTS FOR STRAWBERRY RESEARCH A new system of LED night-break lights was recently installed for the ‘Malling Centenary’ strawberry trial in the glasshouse at Ashtown.

Night-break lights are needed to break crop dormancy. Without the treatment, crop yields and strawberry quality are much lower. Night-break lighting is even more crucial in a mild winter where the strawberry crop receives inadequate chilling. The new LED bulbs use only 11 W of power compared to the standard 100 W incandescent bulbs currently used by the industry. This makes them almost 90% more energy efficient. The lights installed here are made by Philips-Signify and are called ‘GreenPower 2.0’. These lights are specifically designed for night-break lighting. The light gives the optimum amounts of deep red, white and far-red radiation for the strawberry crop. The lights are used for about 40 days once the strawberry crops begin to actively grow. ✽

STAFF RECRUITMENT

MUSHROOM GROWER WORKSHOP AND UK MUSHROOM CONFERENCE On Thursday March 28th, Teagasc hosted a mushroom growers’ workshop in the Four Seasons Hotel, Co. Monaghan. The event was an informative and valuable session. One of the topics on the day was to inform growers of the findings of the SafeMush project undertaken by Teagasc Food Research team in Ashtown and Moorepark. Details and findings from the project were presented by Kaye Burgess and Kieran Jordan.

A training video for farm operatives and harvesters developed by the SafeMush project was launched at the event. It can be used as part of employee induction on mushroom farms. Other topics that were presented on the day were harvesting optimisation (best practices to optimise yield at harvesting), integrated pest management, pesticide application and mental health awareness. The workshop was a morning session with a white mushroom farm walk was organised in the afternoon within close proximity to Monaghan town.

The Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board is hosting a mushroom conference on 25 April in the Woodside Hotel, Kenilworth (near Birmingham).

It is a one day conference aimed at bringing the mushroom industry together during a time of major change, uncertainty and opportunity. Guest speakers include Irish representatives Helen Grogan (Teagasc Mushroom Researcher) and Brendan Burns (Sylvan). The conference agenda is now available and bookings can be made online on the ADHB website https://horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/event/mushroomconference-2019 ✽

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Danielle Boland has recently taken up the position of nursery production technician at Kildalton College.

Danielle comes to the college from the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department where she was working as a research technician on the New Leaves Project, a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine funded project. The New Leaves project is researching and developing novel crops for the cut foliage sector and generating knowledge of key pest and disease issues on cut foliage crops. Prior to this Danielle worked at SAP Nurseries in Tipperary as supervisor.

A native of Waterford, Danielle completed her horticultural training at Kildalton College and WIT before moving to CIT to complete her level 8 degree in horticulture. We have no doubt that Danielle will bring new ideas and initiatives to the commercial college nursery (which produces a wide range of ornamental plants) while involved in the practical training of students. ✽

UPCOMING EVENTS 2 APRIL - GCSAI Turfgrass/John Deere Machinery Seminar, Ashtown 3 APRIL - Horticulture Energy Conference, Ashtown 25 APRIL - National Berry Seminar, Ashtown 20 JUNE - Nursery stock summer meeting, venue TBC 15 AUGUST - Cut Foliage Seminar - Focus on Eucalyptus, Kildalton College AUTUMN/DATES TBC - Reeltech Grass Machinery event, Ashtown AUTUMN/DATES TBC - Turfgrass Industry Science event, Ashtown AUTUMN/DATES TBC - ALCI training for industry, National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

03 / TEAGASC ezine WEED CONTROL NURSERY STOCK Growers are always looking for alternative weed control options to help reduce costs, improve weed control range, reduce risk of weeds developing resistance and because of the long term decline in availability of plant protection products in the grower’s tool box. Recent off label updates by the Pesticide Registration and Controls Divisions (PRCD) of the DAFM gave some new options to growers. In the last 12 months Teagasc completed two trials that looked at herbicides in containerised and field production. The trials were observational and give general guidance based on our focused use. Growers should use best judgement and follow product labels when using new products.

TREATMENT 2

TREATMENT 5

PHOTOS OF FAGUS SEED BED TRIAL. TREATMENTS 2 AND 5 SHOWING CLEAR DIFFERENCE IN WEED CONTROL AFTER 10 WEEKS.

FIELD TRIAL A trial was set up to look at five combinations of preemergent herbicides on seed beds for trees. After 16 weeks, the follow up post-emergent controls were applied. You will recall the summer we had last year was very dry and the trials suffered, with only Fagus sylvatica performing satisfactorily. Three of the preemergent herbicides worked very well and maintained a clean seed bed. Follow up treatments caused scorching but the plants appeared to grow away from this.

PROTECTED NURSERY STOCK TRIAL A pre-emergent herbicide with active ingredient Metribuzin was recently approved for use under protection. Metribuzin had been reported previously

KILDALTON COLLEGE GETS INVOLVED IN CITIZEN SCIENCE The staff and students at Kildalton College have signed up to participate in a Horizon 2020 citizen science GROW project. This European-wide project is engaging thousands of growers, scientists and others who are passionate about the land. GROW believes that by working together growers can develop the means to better manage and protect soil and grow food, while also contributing to vital scientific environmental monitoring and research. Ireland is one of nine GROW places chosen in Europe to participate in the GROW Observatory soil monitoring project. More specifically, this project is centralised in the south east and north west of Ireland. Community Gardens Ireland are coordinating the Irish component of this project.

Kildalton College became involved in this exciting project through horticulture graduate Dee Sewell. Dee, the founder of Greenside Up is coordinating the GROW project in the south east of Ireland. According to Dee, “Many people are very aware of the impact that we are having on the environment but feel helpless when it comes to making a valued contribution towards solving many of the difficult issues which we now face. By being involved in this project the general public and growers are gathering information which is being used by scientists to build up a valuable data regarding soil

to be phytotoxic and it was hoped that multiple low rate treatments could prevent phytotoxic damage. The product was trialled alongside a product containing Isoxaben, the only other herbicide permitted for use under protection. Fifteen evergreen plant species were treated and then assessed over 16 weeks. Metribuzin was seen to be safe and useful on a small number of evergreen plant species tested. Neither Isoxaben nor Metribuzin prevented liverwort growth. Use of Metribuzin at multiple low rate treatments to prevent phytotoxic damage was successful in just a small number of plant species. Full details will be available online - contact Dónall Flanagan directly to ensure you get your copy, donall.flanagan@teagasc.ie. ✽

and crops.”

Grainne McMahon, assistant principal of horticulture at Kildalton said, “We are delighted to be involved in a citizens’ science project such as the GROW project.

Soil is such an invaluable and delicate resource, it is essential that we as growers become more proactive in protecting it, to ensure it is productive for future generations.” As part of the project, Kildalton College has 24 soil sensors located in their crops. Teagasc Oak Park is also involved in collecting data through sensors, which will help develop more accurate climatic models and the prediction of severe weather events such as droughts and flooding. GROW has two challenges which this project is focusing on: saving soils and adapting to climate change. This will help in responding to the crucial sustainability challenges the planet faces.

To learn more about the GROW project and how you could become involved, visit their website at www.growobservatory.org or contact Dee Sewell and Joanne Butler at info@cgireland.org ✽

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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EVENTS / 04

EVENTSDIARY EVENT PROMOTION

16 - 18 APRIL FLOWER EXPO UKRAINE

Promote your event to a wide network of Horticulture businesses and professionals Inprint, Online & Social. Find out more at www.horticultureconnected.ie/events

Flower Expo Ukraine is Ukraine’s leading and only exhibition for Flower Business, Horticulture, Nurseries, Landscape Design and Floristry.

Venue: International Exhibition Centre (IEC),Kyiv, Ukraine flowerexpo-ukraine.com ✽

31 MARCH - 07 APRIL NATIONAL TREE WEEK As well as tree planting ceremonies, the range of events can include forest and woodland walks, nature trails, workshops, woodturning displays, talks, tree hugging, tree climbing, broadcasts, launches, poetry readings, exhibitions. treecouncil.ie ✽

DON’T MISS!

02 APRIL IHNSA 2ND TROLLEY FAIR

A crop of special offers for your Garden Centre.

Venue Fair: National Show Centre, Stockhole Lane, Cloghran, Swords, Co. Dublin trolleyfairs.com ✽

03 APRIL ENERGY IN HORTICULTURE

DON’T MISS!

Teagasc will hold a seminar looking at energy use and renewable options. This event is to update the industry in aspects of energy use in your business.

Venue: Teagasc Food Research Centre Ashtown Dublin teagasc.ie/news--events ✽

03 - 04 APRIL ROYAL FLORAHOLLAND SPRING FAIR Suppliers present a varied and high-quality assortment of garden plants with the latest novelties and trends.

Venue: Aalsmeer, the Netherlands royalfloraholland.com ✽

03 APRIL AGRI-FOOD DIVERSITY & INCLUSION FORUM (AGDIF) - BORD BIA Masterclass: How to Grow Your Talent Pool Venue: The Thinking House, Bord Bia, Dublin 2 bordbia.ie ✽

DON’T MISS!

09 APRIL TU DUBLIN HORTICULTURE OPEN DAY

Venue: Messe Essen, Germany itb.ie/StudyatITB/horticulture.html ✽

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25 APRIL TEAGASC BERRY SEMINAR Venue: Ashtown Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15 teagasc.ie/news--events ✽

12 MAY THE RARE & SPECIAL PLANT FAIR Over 40 specialist nursery growers & plant breeders.

Provides the gardening public with an opportunity to purchase rare & difficult to source plants.

Venue: Glin Castle, Glin, Co. Limerick rareandspecialplantfair.ie ✽

21 - 25 MAY CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW World-renowned, glamorous and quintessentially British, RHS Chelsea is a truly unique and unforgettable day out Venue: Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, UK rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show ✽

30 MAY - 03 JUNE BLOOM IN THE PARK

DON’T MISS!

Bloom, which is organised by Bord Bia, provides a showcase for garden plants, garden design, construction, horticulture and gardening as a hobby.

Venue: Phoenix Park, Dublin 7 bloominthepark.com ✽

11 - 13 JUNE GREENTECH GreenTech focuses on the early stages of the horticulture chain and production issues relevant to growers.

Venue: RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands greentech.nl ✽

18 JULY GLAS IRELAND GLAS is a one-day opportunity to meet all the leading suppliers and specialists relevant to your business.

Venue: Citywest Dublin glasireland.ie ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

THE RIGHT

RANGE

Independent retail consultant, Liam Kelly explains why retailers needs to put profit before pride and kitsch before chic

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’ve always admired follies, those enigmatic buildings and structures that were de rigueur on many a country house estate in previous centuries, set on a hill or in a glade, often with no true purpose other than to showcase wealth, ostentation or just to have a talking point when one went for a promenade around the meticulously

well-kept gardens of society’s elite back in the day.

Notwithstanding that some of these projects were created for more altruistic reasons such as community employment in times of social crisis, they still remain a testament to people’s need for ornamentation and features that are decorative accents to their gardens, erected to add to rather than take from the planting and landscaping into which they either nestle, or in some cases dominate.

Of course adding decorative features to your garden didn’t have to be on such a grand scale, so statues, birdbaths and sundials amongst other structures were also used in abundance for a similar purpose, albeit on a much smaller scale. Indeed this kind of accessorization was the norm from a certain period, as any well-to-do house owner would at the very least have a statue of Apollo sitting on a plinth in their pleasure grounds, or a cast iron bower clothed in scented, climbing roses at the end of their herbaceous walk. And even the gardens of smaller homes featured some sort of ornamentation, perhaps homemade or cobbled together from old tools or farm machinery but decorative nonetheless.

In the intervening years, we have swapped one kind of folly for another - as many a forlorn hot tub, pizza oven or other fad purchase can attest to, none of which weather in the same way as an elegant heap of granite, a copper sundial, cast iron birdbath or even a weathervane made from a few pieces of scrap metal.

So homeowners have always decorated their gardens with more than just plants, and in an ideal retail world we would be selling someone a 21st century folly, but sometimes we need to simplify things a little, as the majority of gardeners don’t have huge formal gardens. It’s also worth remembering that not everyone has a few hundred euro or more to spend on a new-fangled-whatsit that will be used or admired for six months and then go resented and unused for the remainder of its stay in that outside room. This doesn’t mean that I think you shouldn’t stock ‘The Next Big Thing’ but more so that at times you need something more to scale and more saleable,

@KATARZYNA BIAŁASIEWICZ / 123RF.COM

05 / RETAIL

accessible and affordable for the flurry of summer gardeners who will be hitting the garden centre in the coming months.

The fact is that many retailers are not capitalising as well as they could on this lucrative category of garden decor for a multitude of reasons, not least of which is the snobbish factor of not wanting to stock what many business owners wrongly class as ‘tat’, which they think is best left to German supermarkets and discounters, or for the simple fact they do not personally like a range of products, which is irrelevant in retail. Admittedly your shopper demographic plays a part in the goods you choose to stock but very, very few retailers can be picky enough to base their stocking regime on the fact that the majority of their customers are all discerning high earners with plenty of disposable income. And what’s not to say they don’t like a little bit of whimsy in their gardens anyway? Or conversely that those or lower incomes won’t want to splash the cash on a high-end garden accessory?

'I think it’s fair to say that the customers themselves are changing much more rapidly than many retailers are' After all, a €500 fire pit is a great sale but will only appeal to a small segment of customers, while a €40 wind spinner, a €50 birdbath or a €20 wind chime will appeal to a much larger number. If we look at the maths its worth considering that adding a modest average of €20 euro to the shopping basket of one in three shoppers is more profitable than selling that fire pit to one in 200. (In case the fire pit wholesalers start rattling their flaming sabres in this direction, it’s not that I am advocating one range over the other, my argument is that garden centres should be stocking both.)

My point is that too many of the small to medium retailers in this sector think their stores and sales revolve around plants, pots and garden care with a few sets of furniture and a range of barbecues – which apart from the big brands are becoming increasingly more and more difficult sell – stocked for the summer months. At best they will stock a small section of plastic windmills and the occasional citronella garden torch to pacify those who ask, instead of allocating space to a serious,

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

11

RETAIL / 05 confident and well promoted display from one of the many suppliers of garden décor that are shipping their wares into this country. Think quality solar lighting, resin ornaments, bird baths, outdoor wall art, lanterns and so on, items that will add to the profitability of the business and increase footfall when effectively merchandised with a little flair and competency.

So although my focus on such a specific category may seem a little irrelevant in the overall scheme of retail gardening, it does point towards that narrow mindedness of some retailers as to what they choose to sell. Of course the sector as a whole should focus on plants as being the core of their business but we need to think beyond that towards what other lines the customer needs to be tempted by – and purchase – from your store. Just because you’ve never stocked a certain range of products doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice for right here and right now. Customers’ wants and needs have changed immeasurably in the past few years. I think it’s fair to say that customers themselves are changing more rapidly than many retailers are, and not just in our sector.

Garden centres - or whatever we now want to call them - cannot exist purely on plant and garden care sales, in truth they never really could although many trudged along regardless. The need for our sector of retail to change and embrace transformation is palpable, and if that means selling a garish wind spinner with bedding plants, fertilisers and other garden care products then that’s what you must do.

That same rationale applies to any number of ranges such as

12

clothing, interior décor, stationery, cards, books, kitchenware or whatever keeps you in existence as a business, and this also means measuring your sales area and these new categories to ensure every square meter of the store is at its most profitable, regardless of what is sold there (within reason). That’s the key point.

There are times when you need to put profit before pride, and kitsch before chic. Surely anything else is the other type of folly? ✽

LIAM KELLY - Since establishing Retail Services & Solutions in 2007, Liam has become one of the most influential people within the retail side of Irish horticulture.

His knowledge of the mind set and ethos of those in this sector, combined with his problem solving ability, experience and hands-on work ethic make him uniquely placed to offer advice and help to those who need it. Key to his success is his knowledge of purchasing, pricing and sales combined with his understanding of layout, signage and merchandising, and how they interaction of these can lead to increased sales and profits. He can be contacted on 086 822 1494 or lksolutions@eircom.net

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

THE LABOUR CRISIS

©CONVISUM/123RF.COM

TACKLING

06 / NURSERY

Independent consultant and Horticulture Industry Forum coordinator, Stiofán Nutty explains how developments in work permits provision may help to alleviate the labour crisis in horticulture and provides step by step instructions to help you get started

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rising from the Teagasc Horticulture Labour Force Survey report publish ed last September which highlighted the major labour recruitment challenges facing producers, the HIF Full Forum meeting on 27 November approved a series of recommendations to alleviate the situation, both in the short term and over the coming years.

One of the measures identified that can help is the greater availability of work permits, which allows producers to hire staff from countries outside the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA). The introduction of a pilot work permit scheme in May 2018 provides the opportunity for the industry to apply for 500 permits. In the longer term it

is hoped that a permanent work permit scheme would be established and by taking up all the 500 pilot programme work permits this year, the industry would demonstrate the need for a more permanent scheme. To help provide more information to producers on how to apply for these work permits the HIF hosted a Planning for Labour Supply in 2019 event in The Keadeen Hotel, Newbridge, Co Kildare on 16 January. The event was well attended, and presentations are available on www.teagasc.ie.

The work permit application process is detailed and takes a number of weeks to complete but producers who apply themselves to the task are succeeding. To help first-time producer applicants, the HIF has compiled the Key Steps to Securing a Work Permit Online document below.

KEY STEPS TO SECURING A WORK PERMIT ONLINE This information is designed to help guide a first time horticulture employer online applicant through the application process for a general work permit under the current pilot scheme. The contents of this document do not purport to be a comprehensive and authoritative guide.

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is the responsible government department and you should refer to the full user guide and online application form on the EPOS online portal at www.epos.djei.ie

ACTION 1/3 – ADVERTISE THE VACANCY: ●● ● With the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Employment Services/EURES employment network for at least two weeks (ad must run on EURES for two weeks prior to submitting application for permit); and ●● ● In a national newspaper for at least three days; and also ●● ● In either a local newspaper or jobs website (separate to Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection/EURES websites) for three days.

● You must provide copies of the newspaper pages

clearly showing the advertisement and date of publication.

The vacancy notice must include the following information: ● Description of the employment; ● Name of the employer; ● Annual remuneration value (which must be €22,000 or

more, based on a 39 hour week); ● Location(s) of employment; ● Hours of work.

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

13

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● Salary & Benefits ● Reference checking

CONTACT: annemarie@horticulture.jobs Contact : support@horticulture.jobs Tel: 042 - 966 3532

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

06 / NURSERY ACTION 2/3 COMPLETE ONLINE APPLICATION: First log on to EPOS online portal at www.epos.djei.ie. You can begin to compile an application at any time as it can be saved online. (Please note the online application will only be saved for 28 days.) However, you can only complete and submit the application 14 days after the vacancy has been advertised on EURES.

Step 1 Select “Help me choose Employment Permit Application Form” button; Step 2 Select “I am an Employer” button; Step 3 Select “Apply for an Employment Permit as a Standard Employer” button. (Alternatively, you can choose the “Apply for Trusted Partner Registration” if you intend making a number of future applications); Step 4 Select “Apply for New Employment Permit” button; Step 5 Begin completing the application.

The key information you will need to hand to complete the application includes:

Employer Details ●● Your employer number and company name registered number, business name number if trading under a different name to the company name, etc; ●● Number of EEA and/or Swiss Nationals (including Irish), and number of non-EEA nationals currently in your employment.

Employee Details Name, date of birth, sex, nationality, current address, phone number, email address and PPS number (if you already have one), GNIB/IRB number if resident in the State; ●● Passport number and expiry date. (Passport must be valid for at least 12 months for a new employment permit and three months for a renewal employment permit.)

Details of Employment ●● Title of job, detailed duties and responsibilities of role, location of employment, etc; ●● Proposed period of employment and proposed start date

ACTION 3/3 REQUIRE VISA? ● Check whether the employee

will require a visa to come to Ireland. Log on to the visa information section of www.inis.gov.ie to check visa requirements with the Department of Justice. If a visa is required make the appropriate arrangements to secure a visa.

Pay Details Total annual salary amount, hourly and weekly rates of pay, etc.

Note: These permits must have a salary of at least €22,000 based on a 39 hour week and an hourly rate of €10.85.

Paying for Permit First Application Fee: €1,000 up to 24 months and €500 for six months or less. The cost of the permit must be paid for by the applicant, further information at www. dbei.gov.ie. More information can also be accessed by calling their helpline at 1890 201 616.

Amongst Other Information Required ●● Copy of employee’s passport clearly showing picture, details, date and signature; ●● A passport type photo of employee; ●● Copy of employee’s relevant qualifications, English translations to be provided; ●● A copy of P30 returned to Revenue in the last three months or a receipt of return issued through ROS or P30 SEPA monthly direct debit payments within the last three months; ●● Copy of contract of employment signed by employer and employee; ●● Provide Department of Social Protection Employment Services/EURES Employment Network reference number of the advertisement for the job; ●● A copy of the advertisement for the job in a national newspaper for each of the three days; ●● A copy of the advertisement for the job in a local newspaper for each of the three days (if paper published weekly only one advertisement is required) or copy of ad on a jobs website (separate to Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection/EURES website) for three days; ●● An application must include a copy of a declaration (signed by the employer) stating that the employer will ensure the foreign national concerned has access to suitable accommodation and training (including language training).

STIOFÁN NUTTY has been involved in commercial horticulture for nearly 30 years. In that time he has built an expansive experience and knowledge base across the horticultural spectrum. He has owned and operated a nursery business, an award winning garden centre, worked extensively in education and TV and was appointed as special advisor to the Minister for Food and Horticulture Trevor Sargent. In 2010 he was appointed as special advisor to the Minister for Sustainable Transport, Horticulture, Planning and Heritage Ciaran Cuffe. In the past three years Stiofán has facilitated and moderated eight European conferences in Brussels.

In 2015, he was appointed as coordinator of the Horticulture Industry Forum.

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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NURSERY / 06

SUSTAINABLE

MEDIA

Teagasc Nursery Stock Advisor, Dónall Flanagan shares the latest thinking and research on growing media and explains how growers can avoid supply shocks

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rowing of all horticulture crops has transformed over the last 30-40 years. However, in that time the growing media has changed significantly in just a few sectors.

HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE SUFFERED GREATLY FOR OVER RELIANCE ON ONE FOOD CROP. IS IT TIME TO THINK OF DIVERSIFYING FROM SINGLE STREAM GROWING MEDIA? The practicalities for each horticulture sector and crops are different. Unfortunately, there isn’t one, single, solution for all. While peat can fill the brief of an near ideal substrate, the concern of biodiversity loss and climate change impacts can't be avoided.

No sector should rely entirely on one material for its production and expect that it will continue to be freely available in the future.

Responsibly sourced growing media (RSGM) is the term applied when considering the wider impact of various growing media components.

The UK based Growing Media Association (GMA) has developed an online responsible sourcing calculator which scores components based on seven factors: energy use, water use, social compliance, habitat and biodiversity, pollution, renewability and resource use efficiency. This tool and more research across Europe has shown that no one input material for growing media is perfectly sustainable. Assessing sustainability is a complex process with few black and white answers in it.

For example, transporting coir from the other side of the world really could be considered folly, but compressed and dry coir takes up about 15% of the equivalent space of peat. The carbon footprint of sea freight is much lower than road or rail.

Three physical criteria need to be considered when selecting growing media components and mixtures: airfield porosity, available water, and bulk density. GMA / AHDB have developed a model using these three criteria. It's used to generate a 3D map of known growing media components and how they interact. The result is a ready reckoner of how blends will perform. This has eliminated the trial and error

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approach needed in the past. The model has been used already to develop mixes of growing media and in 2019 third generation prototype blends will be used in commercial nursery trials. This model and trials in many European countries have shown that reduced peat is possible but complete elimination of peat is less likely.

The choice of materials that can be used is restricted by supply, cost and functionality. Obviously supply varies across the globe. America’s abundance of wood has resulted in its widespread use in growing media for nursery stock production. Our own plentiful supply of peat has diverted us down this route. Demand for raw materials impacts prices also, energy production has seen demand increase for biomass. Peat, wood chips and coir are being burned to produce heat in different parts of the world. Government policy to subsidise the production of renewable energy can have rapid impacts on raw material sectors, making some streams unaffordable or unavailable.

"... compressed and dry coir takes up about 15% of the equivalent space of peat" Considering the limits on supply in Ireland, we have five key inputs to choose from: peat, coir, wood fibre, green compost and composted bark. Peat is familiar to us all. We are fortunate to have high quality peat supplies and highly regarded suppliers in Ireland. It’s widely used across Europe because of its ease of use and uniformity amongst other things. Blocking peat and mushroom casing are two areas that remain stubborn to change with no similar products available to replace it. Most nursery growers are already using reduced peat growing media with added composted bark.

Coir is a renewable waste stream of coconut production.

The majority of Irish strawberry growers have already moved to coir instead of peat. The real boon for strawberry growers is better root growth and the reduced incidence of phytophthora, especially in open table top production. It could in theory be used for six crops but in reality it's just two

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

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© PAUL GREEN

© GABE123

© Valerii Zan

NURSERY / 06 cropping cycles. As it is lighter than peat, setting down bags is faster on the farm, resulting in lower labour costs. At the end of production the coir is spread on land or used for bedding cattle.

Current low cost of sea freight is likely to continue in the short term. Relatability is a feature of coir that could improve shelf life of plants and ease of care for retailers.

Wood fibre has some impressive qualities; its less hydrophobic than peat, pH 4.5 to 5.5 and low electrical conductivity levels.

The fibrous nature of the material enables good, unrestricted root development. Uniformity of wood fibre is a challenge as properties of the material vary depending on tree species, age of the tree, moisture content and age and size of the wood chips used to make the fibre. Dr Brian Jackson, North Carolina State University, has been leading practical research in this field for many years. His online resources are useful to navigate the complex area. In the Netherlands wood fibre is being looked at seriously for use in tomatoes for a whole production system and eco-environment that enhances biological controls.

Green compost is made from feed stocks of organic matter that are broken down by natural aerobic composting. Over a few weeks a rich loose brown compost is produced. The material on its own is unsuitable for plant production due to high levels of nutrients and low airfield porosity. Combined at low rates with peat and coir it can produce quality nursery stock. As it’s a highly renewable waste stream of limited economic value it is desirable to find a use for it in media production.

Composted bark is made from chipped tree bark that is composted with the addition of nitrogen to increase the speed of bacterial decomposition. Once decomposition becomes stable, nitrogen becomes available again and it can be added to peat or coir to improve drainage and aeration. As mentioned already, nurseries have widely adopted composted bark in their growing media to increase air filled porosity and reduce their demand for peat. There are novel materials being investigated that may have usefulness for niche areas of production, e.g. cellulose as mushroom casing. Natural and synthetic biopolymer waste streams are increasingly recycled and repurposed. The opportunities for their use as part of growing media through composed bioplastics will increase.

Whatever crop you are growing, questions will arise in the future about its sustainability. Start to think now about how you can become less exposed to supply chain shocks and reliance on single component growing media. The choices are complex but as I’ve seen before those who are best prepared will bounce back the quickest. ✽

DóNALL FLANAGAN is based with the Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown, serving the nursery stock and ornamental sector. He has been working with Teagasc since 2007 and in his current role since 2016.

Dónall Flanagan - Teagasc, Ashtown Food Research Centre Mobile: 087 703 5823; Tel: 076 111 402; Email: donall.flanagan@teagasc.ie

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CONSTRUCT / 08

AVOIDING

THE PITFALLS oney does not grow on trees, but they certainty generate revenue. From the nurseries that produce them, to the design fees of those who specify them, to the contractors who plant and maintain them and finally the environment and end-users who get to benefit from them, each stage of the process generates a return.

The changing nature of development sites and their increased density mean that tree planting is becoming a more complex operation for landscape contractors.

Requirements, specifications, methods and expectation are all evolving and the sector is struggling to keep up. Add to this the increasing percentage of hard landscape in the form of paths, parking spaces and infrastructure and we have a serious situation to contend with.

Tree planting by everybody outside the landscape industry is seen as a box ticking exercise. Developers, construction contractors and planners are all complicit in a lip service process. As a result, a green circle is drawn over car parking spaces or on the footpath on masterplan drawings indicating the requirement to plant a tree, with little regard for the realities of tree establishment. A green circle and a few Latin names seem to suffice for getting most projects through planning. It’s a sad state of affairs.

A few months will pass following planning consent before the contractor gets to view the landscape proposals. A planting schedule is sent to the nursery for ordering, while a further investigation of the drawings is undertaken, usually revealing a section detail showing you how to plant the tree, customary stake detail and soil depth. Often this is not even included.

"Time devoted to site specific designing will produce far better results in the long term" Typically, it’ll be glanced at by the contractor. They’re used to the cut and paste approach and have learned not to pay much attention. Written specification documents are usually no better with pages of text unrelated to the project, and in my experience, added through lack of knowledge, inexperience and insecurity.

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Cost consultant and external works quantity surveyor, Colm Kenny explores the issues facing urban trees and the designers and contractors charged with creating them

Finally, the day will arrive for the contractor to plant the tree, only the drawing shows the tree in what is now a pavement, or a small hole is left filled with waste and retained with haunching. This situation is nothing new and will be familiar to all. The landscape sector has been getting other disciplines out of holes and covering their tracks for far too long. And now, with tree planting becoming highly complex, the pressure is mounting, as are the costs, timelines and tempers. It’s time we took a breath and started understanding the complexities of modern tree planting methods and considerations.

THE MODERN TREE PIT Modular tree pits have been in existence in some shape or form since the early 1990s. The original concepts have not really changed over the years, but our knowledge of requirements and technology has. Suspended pavement systems have evolved in tandem with how production processes have changed, and also as a result of demand.

These changes have provided an impetus for research and development and the spawning of a whole range of modular tree pit systems and products.

Modular tree pits present a challenge to both designers and contractors on a number of fronts. From the point of view of the designers there is a constant battle with other design team members and clients, in trying to justify why such features are required. From a client’s perspective, it’s the cost of constructing the tree pit, while from an engineer’s viewpoint, it’s in relation to incorporating the services within the pit. I have frequently experienced engineers stubbornly refusing to move or adjust services or foundations to accommodate tree pits. I regularly hear, “We don’t usually do that” or “We can’t do that”. It can be very frustrating and harks back to the age-old problem for landscape contractors: we’re just too late to the table.

Designers and contractors have the challenge of establishing trees, but they have a bigger challenge in convincing the various stakeholders to get on board. Trees are not a luxury, they are an environmental asset.

For urban trees to succeed, a clear understanding of both the science and practical realities of creating optimum growing conditions is needed. Once these are understood,

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

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the design of the pits becomes less daunting. And it should be noted that each site and pit is unique. Please don’t just cut and paste a CAD block issued by the supplier, or worse still, simply download one from the web. Allocate time to understand the key factors and design accordingly, from the depth of excavation, incorporation of site services and soil specification, to choice of tree.

Time devoted to site specific designing will produce far better results in the long term. The foundation of this site specific design is in-depth surveying, akin to the “Measure twice, cut once” adage.

Like designers, the contractor has a number of challenges to overcome. In the first instance, it’s ensuring that when they get the opportunity to quote for the project, they do their due diligence and have a clear understanding of the scope of works involved. The cost of the actual materials is the easy bit. What is most often underestimated in tree pit pricing is the true cost of labour. The process of assembly is straightforward, but it is often at a slower pace than expected. Other impacts on the cost include the unknown elements, which are never indicated on the drawings, but slow up progress on site. Items such as site services, pedestrian and traffic management, weather conditions, unloading deliveries on inner city sites or developments where storage of materials is not possible so that everything brought in the gate has to ready to be put into its final place. Do yourself a favour, undertake a comprehensive site inspection prior to price submission.

KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS There are a number of manufacturers of modular tree pits, but the main supplier for the Irish market is Greenleaf Ireland in Londonderry. They have two main products, StrataCells and RootSpace. Their website is a useful resource for both designers and contractors as they provide CAD details and sample specifications. As each tree pit is a different size and has a unique design, it is difficult to give an accurate typical cost of what a modular tree pit costs but as a rule of thumb, including for the worst case scenario of incorporating services and city centre excavation with all the additional costs it brings to the bottom line, it could cost you in the range of €1,500 to €1,800 plus VAT per m³ of root space.

With the regeneration of towns and cities with retro planting of large trees in existing streetscapes, there is no doubt that modular tree pits and their construction will become more common requirements on landscape schemes. Forward planning will sow the seed of success, but this can only be achieved by co-operation between all. The designers need to harness the knowledge and expertise of the tree growers and contractors in order to ensure these modular tree pits work as intended.

I don’t think I need to tell you the importance of trees in our street. There has been plenty of research carried out to prove their economic, health, social and environmental benefits.

For me, it is the historic element that is most attractive. They connect us to the past and also to the future.

"Tree planting by everybody outside the landscape industry is seen as a box ticking exercise" Correctly designed and installed tree pits come with a premium, and one which often doesn’t sit well with the shortterm investment cycles of modern development. Just like the trees they plant, contemporary designers and contractors have their work cut out. ✽

COLM KENNY, B Ag. Sc (Land Hort) MSc Quantity Surveying.

Colm is a landscape estimating specialist. He provides cost and implementation advice to landscape industry professionals, technical advisors, contractors and facility management companies.

He can be contacted on 087 288 5016 or by email info@landscapeqs.ie

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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1

ALCI AWARDS

XXXXXXXXX / 00 08

LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR/BOG OAK TROPHY WINNER 1 WINNER

2

Landscape Contractor Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd Designer Reardonsmith Landscape Client - Tizzard Holdings Address - Adare Manor Hotel, Adare, Co Limerick

PRIVATE GARDENS UNDER €10,000 WINNER 2

3

Landscape Contractor Rye River Landscapes Designer Rye River Landscapes Client - Dermot Daniels Address 29 Cedar Park, Leixlip, Co Kildare

4

PRIVATE GARDENS €10,000- €30,000 JOINT WINNER 3 Landscape Contractor KHS Landscaping Designer Russell Shekleton, KHS Landscaping Client - Private Address - Dublin

JOINT WINNER 5

4

Landscape Contractor Forever Landscapes Designer - Forever Landscapes Client - Private Address - Lucan, Dublin 20

PRIVATE GARDENS €30,000 - €50,000 WINNER 5 Landscape Contractor Radharc Landscaping Designer - Radharc Landscaping Client - Brendan & Evelyn Noonan Address - 7 Beattystown, Fairhill, The Claddagh, Galway

6

PRIVATE GARDENS MAINTENANCE WINNER 6 Landscape Contractor SAP Landscapes Client - Private Address - Dublin

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED HORTICULTURECONNECTED / / www.horticultureconnected.ie www.horticultureconnected.ie / / Spring Spring 2019 2019

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2019

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08 / DESIGN

PRIVATE GARDENS €50,000- €100,000 JOINT WINNER 7 Landscape Contractor Russell Landscaping Designer Sean Russell, Russell Landscaping Client - Private Address - Co Cork

JOINT WINNER

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Landscape Contractor Inspire Landscape Designer - Karl Barnes, Formality Client - Private Address - Sandycove, Co Dublin

PRIVATE GARDENS OVER €100,000 WINNER 9 Landscape Contractor Silverstream Landscapes Designer - Andrew Dunne, Andrew Christopher Garden Designs Client - Private Address - Dublin

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RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WINNER 10 Landscape Contractor Tully Landscapes Designer - PC Roche Associates Client - South Dublin Construction Address - Balure Lane, Church Road, Killiney, Co Dublin

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT UP TO €50,000 WINNER 11

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Landscape Contractor Rye River Landscapes Designer - Rye River Landscapes Client Digital Hub Development Agency Address - The Digital Hub, Dublin 8

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OVER €50,000 WINNER 12 Landscape Contractor Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd Designer - Reardonsmith Landscape Client - Tizzard Holdings Address - Adare Manor Hotel, Adare, Co Limerick

12

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

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PUBLIC AUTHORITY WINNER 12 Landscape Contractor Redlough Landscapes Designer AIT Urbanism + Landscape Ltd Client - Dublin City Council/JJ Rhatigan Company Address - French Mullen House, Charlemont Street, Dublin 2

AL CI 08 / DESIGN AW AR DS

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RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL & PUBLIC AUTHORITY MAINTENANCE UP TO €20,000 WINNER 13 Landscape Contractor Alpha Garden Client - Core Property Management Address - Addison Park, Old Finglas Road Glasnevin, Dublin 11

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RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL & PUBLIC AUTHORITY MAINTENANCE OVER €20,000 WINNER 14 Landscape Contractor SAP Landscapes Client - Kildare Village Address Nurney Road, Kildare Town, Co Kildare

SPORTSGROUNDS CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE WINNER 15

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Landscape Contractor Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd Designer MCA Architects Client - St Michael’s College Address - Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4

SPECIAL AWARD – DESIGN & BUILD WINNER 16 Landscape Contractor Russell Landscaping Designer Sean Russell, Russell Landscaping Client - Private Address - Co Cork

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Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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EVENT PHOTOS THE HARDWARE SHOW 2019, CITYWEST DUBLIN. LEFT: DEREK DOYLE, STEPHEN DOYLE, PAUL WHITE, PADDY DONOHUE (DS SUPPLIES)

THOMAS HOGAN, SARA SHIRLEY & ALAN TIERNEY (TIPPLAND HORTICULTURE)

ROSS MCMAHON (NAD)

HARDWARE SHOW

IN PICTURES

AIDAN HENNESSY & JEAN FARRELLY (HENNESSY TIMBER GROUP)

BTME

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PADDY SMITH & DARREN WHITE (TEAGASC)

THE DAR GOLF CONSTRUCTION TEAM EXHIBITING AT BTME.

NIALL DUNNE (UNICHEM) & GREG COLLINS (BAYER CROP SCIENCE LTD)

PETER CALLAGHAN (NAD), COLEMAN WARDE (ICL) & TREVOR PRESTAGE (NAD)

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

THE

IN PICTURES

PHOTOS: JOSEPH BLAIR

PHOTOS SAP CAREERS OPEN DAY SAP CAREERS OPEN DAY: A GOOD TURNOUT OF POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES OVER 3 DIFFERENT SESSIONS, LED BY PAUL GILES COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AND LAURA LUKOSIUTE & MICHELLE TULLY FROM THE HR TEAM AT SAP

IHNSA TROLLEY FAIR IHNSA TROLLEY FAIR HOSTED AT UNIPLUMO, OLDTOWN, CO DUBLIN

MARK O'RAHILLY (UNIPLIUMO) & CAROL MARKS (BORD BIA)

NUALA AND JOSEPH OF YOUNG NURSERIES

HIF LABOUR

IN HORTICULTURE

ABOVE. LARGE TURNOUT OF OVER 130 EDIBLE AND AMENITY GROWERS ALONG WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE LEAD ORGANISATIONS AND SPEAKERS AT THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY FORUM (HIF) ORGANISED LABOUR IN HORTICULTURE

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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DESIGN / 10

GARDENING ON THE EDGE

REWILDING GREEN SPACES Patricia Tyrrell MGLDA reviews the Garden & Landscape Designers Association’s recent seminar

A

t a garden design seminar, it’s not unusual to hear a discussion on plant combinations. When one of those plant combinations celebrates the beauty of nettles you know a new conversation has started. The GLDA hopes their recent seminar is the start of such a conversation, and of a movement towards rethinking how we garden. The idea has literally gone wild in newspaper articles and on social media, reverberating like an echo but hopefully more far reaching. The GLDA would like to keep this conversation going; it’s vital for our future.

Rewilding describes a return to as close a version of wildness as can be achieved, where we share our spaces with the natural world of animals, birds, and insects. We should not be trying to constantly control nature, but to allow it space to develop and evolve. It involves creating multifunctional landscapes where everybody benefits.

The subject is important because the statistics are stark.

Wild animal populations have plummeted by 60% in 44 years (WWF). Habitat loss, degradation, exploitation and the resulting climate change are the main causes. In Ireland broadleaf woodland makes up only 2% of our tree cover.

Species rich grasslands have declined by 97%.

We should not think of this as something that can be resolved on a grand scale. Two thirds of the population are

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now living in urban areas. That’s a lot of gardens. Each of us has a part to play.

Probably this year more than any other, the speakers kept to the theme. This, to me, indicated their genuine passion and commitment in fighting for the environment and the urgent need to communicate their message to others. Wild plants, water conservation, rain gardens, biofiltration and green roofs, we had it all but delivered in living examples and by experts in their field.

The garden of our first speakers Monique and Thierry Dronet at Berchigranges is set in the Vosges mountains (in eastern France) at an altitude of 700 metres, and was previously a quarry and spruce plantation which Thierry painstakingly cleared to let nature in. As we plant increasing areas of the Irish countryside under these types of plantations, with the associated reduction in biodiversity, this particular garden has many lessons for us. The guiding principle behind the design is that ‘nature became a garden’. It became apparent from early in the presentation that here was a garden with that elusive quality – atmosphere.

It is a study in contrasts: the formal and the informal, the wild and the cultivated.A garden initially is about design and layout, but after that it is about maintenance levels and development. In Berchigranges there are areas where the

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

10 / DESIGN FROM LEFT: A GREEN ROOF IN LONDON PROVIDING A VARIETY OF NICHES FOR INVERTEBRATES AND WILDLIFE. A HAVEN FOR POLLINATORS, WILDFLOWERS THRIVE ON THE ROOF OF THE DAVID ATTENBOROUGH BUILDING, CAMBRIDGE.

maintenance is almost zero and others where the garden is intensively manicured, as in the hornbeam hedge maze in their French Garden.

Maintenance is less and the plants more natural in the Cottage Garden. As Monique pointed out, cottage garden plants are mutations of wild plants, some found back in the Middle Ages when nurseries did not exist. The lowest maintenance area is the moss garden. There are 200 varieties of moss, 25 of them are in this garden, slowly growing over rocks and tree roots to provide a calm green carpet. As mosses take their nutrients from the air there is no need for any inputs or maintenance here.

More recently developed is the Bohemian Garden, an experimental combination of the wild and the cultivated.

Initially this area was cleared of rock and the soil tilled.

Seed was collected from the surrounding countryside. Not surprisingly the resultant mix was dominated by Epilobium angustifolium (Fireweed), a pioneer of recently disturbed ground and quite invasive. Through observation, patience and knowledge, the Dronet’s have steered the planting, adjusting, editing and adding judiciously. Some of the introductions, asters for instance, are vigorous and capable of holding their own against competition. Camassias and Narcissus poeticus have been added for spring.

It’s a masterclass in the use of wild plants alongside the cultivated: Succisa pratensis, with Centaurea, Sanguisorba and Filipendula, Lupinus and Alchemilla mollis, Campanula lactiflora and Veronicastrum, Monarda and nettles. It’s a high maintenance, high intensity experiment, with a particularly beautiful atmosphere like a garden gone wild. They finished their talk by exhorting the audience to give over some part of their garden to nature, and for each to play their part in supporting biodiversity.

Kevin Sloan is a Landscape Architect and urban planner who practices in Dallas, Texas, where he works in partnership with his wife Diane. He is also a writer and lecturer at the University of Texas.

It made me genuinely sad as Kevin shared with us the fact that for the most part, prairies no longer exist except in tiny pockets, gone before the plants and their biodiversity were ever studied. One might be tempted to think that back then, scientific understanding was not there to allow settlers to appreciate this environment; but then we are continuing today to render landscapes and their inhabitants extinct before they can even be studied, in our greed for timber, palm oil and other commercial crops to fuel consumer demand.

One of the projects that he shared is at Airfield Falls, one of the highest falls in this part of Dallas, where a remnant of untouched prairie landscape and the underlying DallasFort Worth Branch Waters Network still remain. It was commissioned to educate people about water conservation and show them ways of adopting new practices that are less demanding on the water supply.

There are natural trails, with a picnic pavilion, a butterfly garden, and access to the creek and waterfall. The car park is designed to capture rainfall and direct it into a pond. The planting is drought-resistant. The natural beauty of the park has drawn people to the area and there is now a demand to live closer to it. The nearby goat farm will be developed as a residential area. This underpins Kevin’s arguments for rewilding. People want to live close to nature, and rewilding like this increases property values around it and has benefits for people’s overall health. His projects are achieved by selling these benefits to the decision makers.

Ennis-based Féidhlim Harty has been running his business Féidhlim Harty Wetland Systems since 1996, focussing on the design, planning and planting of constructed wetlands, reed beds, dry toilets and zero discharge willow facilities. He has written two books on the subject, Septic Tank Options and Alternatives, and Permaculture Guide to Reed Bed, and another one on waste recycling Get Rid of Your Bin. Perhaps

THE BOHEMIAN GARDEN AT BERCHIGRANGES, AN EXPERIMENT IN NATURE LED GARDENING.

Spring Spring2019 2019//www.horticultureconnected.ie www.horticultureconnected.ie//HORTICULTURECONNECTED HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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DESIGN / 10 not your first choice for bedtime reading, but all of his books sold out subsequent to his fascinating talk on the subject. Féidhlim’s passion and commitment to his work shines through, making him a very engaging speaker.

Underpinning Féidhlim’s talk was the philosophy of permaculture. Permaculture is a set of design principles centered around whole systems thinking simulating or directly utilising the patterns and resilient features observed in natural ecosystems.

“Hand in hand with rewilding green spaces and cityscapes, we need to closely examine our treatment of soil and water. The wildness is being squeezed out of them by the steady encroachment of land management practices and pollution from fields and farmyard runoff, sewage effluent and urban drainage.”

Féidhlim emphasised that in order to rewild waterways, we need to look at the quality of water in those waterways and on the catchment that flows into them. He highlighted the fact that the quality of our river waters has deteriorated overall, with less than 1% of reference quality. Reed beds, constructed wetlands and willow filters can all help to reverse this deterioration.

He used a farming community led project at Pontbren in Wales as a shining example of this integrated approach.

Strategic woodland and hedgerow planting, and less intensive agricultural inputs allowed the farmers to farm, but more economically.

In wet areas of the farms, rather than attempt to improve the drainage of persistently wet patches of grassland the farmers chose to fence off these areas and excavate ponds.

These interventions have meant that Pontbren is now home to many wild birds including 12 species of particular conservation importance – hen harrier, skylark, linnet, barn owl, lapwing, snipe, kingfisher, curlew, red kite, cuckoo, stonechat and woodcock.

The changes in tree cover and hedgerows coupled with the introduction of ponds, and dams, has moderated peak flows in the upper catchment which has led to significant reductions in downstream flooding. This is something we really need to look at in Ireland, where all our flooding solutions are engineered ones, destroying both wildlife and our cultural heritage in the process.

Amongst his own projects is a tailings pond in Cork, where a low intervention approach has led to a haven for wildlife.

Not all of his projects are on this scale and he also shared domestic and community based systems such as that at Cloughjordan Eco Village in Co Tipperary.

Féidhlim has also introduced zero discharge willow systems, a Danish innovation that uses a plastic lined basin,

30

A MODERN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, THE DALLAS URBAN RESERVE USES EQUISETUM FOR BIOFILTRATION OF STORM WATER RUNOFF.

backfilled with soil and planted with willows for evaporating 100% of the effluent to air.

Our final speaker was Dusty Gedge, a man whose conversations are peppered with talk of birds. His keen interest in ornithology since childhood links in beautifully and holistically with bringing nature back to the city, through green roofs. His talk looked at man as part of the ecology and with more than 75% of the population of the EU living in cities the idea of weaving nature through and into the city, through green roofs and infrastructure. He highlighted the many benefits they bring in providing homes for invertebrates and refuge, nesting sites and food for birds.

Some of the nuts and bolts were also discussed. Different types of plantings depending on substrate. Sedum roofs are not always the ideal or the only solution and depth of soil or growing medium is critical here. In a harsh, dry and windy environment where establishment of vegetation can be difficult, the creation of microclimates at ground level can also have a big impact on successful establishment.

CONCLUSION Dwelling on the negative reports we hear each day can lead to apathy. When researching speakers for this topic, it was felt that it was particularly important that the speakers were involved in making an impact, that the message should be a positive one on what can and is being done around the world, and that the message should be uplifting. Hopefully our seminar has inspired others to look around and see what they can do to make a difference, and to continue the conversation. ✽

PATRICIA TYRRELL is a Landscape Architect, garden designer, horticulturist and gold medal winner. She can be contacted via her website at living-landscapes.com

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

TREES / XX

STAKE KNIFE

Terry O’Regan takes a knife to a tree choking issue

L

est you are wondering if Horticulture Connect has morphed into a tabloid newspaper let me reassure you that this article is not about the painful history of Northern Ireland. But it is about torture, throttling, crippling and slow death.

We live in a world of reminders – texts from dentists, doctors, blood banks, garages and more queue up for our attention on our phones and computers. But the reminder that caught my attention last week was from a less sophisticated time. I was on a site where a walnut tree had been felled following recent storm damage. My client wanted to plant a replacement tree for future generations.

As I began to note the nearby trees to decide the location for the replacement and glanced at a birch we had planted three or four years ago, I heard a voice on the breeze say, “Did you bring your stake knife?”

I focussed on the birch and was dismayed to see the tie and stake installed carefully three or four years ago were cutting into the stem. It got worse – we had planted a grove of four trees and I didn’t have my stake knife with me.

I made a note on my site sketch of the need for the stakes and ties to be removed when we planted the replacement walnut. As I did so, I recalled another site I’d visited two years ago where the stakes we had installed 20 or more years ago were still in situ, admittedly leaning out at an angle from the trees that had survived.

Driving back from the site I pondered the issue of tree aftercare. There is little point in our taking great pains in handling, planting and securing our trees if they are to be slowly choked or crippled within a few years. There is a solution of course, but it takes time and systems. There is also the question of payment. We have all baulked at the

32

invitation to pay to extend the guarantee on white goods.

Yet we will bring our pets to the vet for injections and willingly pay the fee.

The birch only spoke to me because she knew I would understand her desperate predicament. Others might have thought they had just heard an out of season rustle of leaves.

(Note: for me all birches are female, oaks are male of course.)

If we make our living from the production and the planting of nursery stock, we owe it to the trees to take up their cause. We must first educate professionals and clients alike to the benefits and necessity of allocating resources for appropriate aftercare.

I suggest a modest advertising campaign across the sector would be useful. It could illuminate the long term issues, but more importantly, could simply encourage people tocheck their trees and employ a tree surgeon to attend to their needs.

In these days of technology and constant reminders, surely there is room for a tree reminder; a gentle ding to get the stake knife out. ✽

TERRY O’REGAN, B Agr Sc Hort(Hons), FILI, MIoH, founder of Landscape Alliance Ireland, has served the landscape industry in Ireland for some 45 years and advanced the intent and aims of the European Landscape Convention for some 20 years.

He now divides his time between providing landscape consultancy services in Munster and working as a Council of Europe international landscape and heritage expert in Kosovo. He continues to promote and refine his ‘jargon free’ landscape circle methodology and is currently leading a pilot study on its use at local and regional administrative levels in Kosovo.

The LAI website will shortly be relaunched as www. lai-ireland.com. Contact Terry at terryjoregan@gmail. com or 021 487 1460.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

@MAKSYM SUROVTSEV / 123RF.COM

TREES / 11

11 / TREES

ROOT OF

THE PROBLEM

John Murphy, owner and operator of Annaveigh Plants digs below the surface to reveal why trees thrive or die in urban situations

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hile flying into Hamburg last week to select stock, my client commented on the tree coverage in the city, an

tap rooting trees, so talk to the nursery beforehand and ask their advice. observation I often hear when visiting The obvious other European cities. This is usually consideration when it followed by, “Look how close the trees are to the houses,” comes to roots is the and once out into the small villages, “Look how much they transplant history of use plants and trees right up to the house.” the tree. The trees I think the root of the problem is our fear of damage to I went to mark last our own private houses and buildings, and for the public and week were 70corporate sectors one can add the fear of litigation. I am 80cm girth pines sure in the Georgian period when planting some of our best for a planting project known city parks they didn’t have to contend with practices in 2022 and must HEALTHY ROOTS ON AN ACER PLATANOIDES 'EMERALD QUEEN' that divert tree roots or worry about litigation if the trees fell have a considerable 14-16CM GIRTH on passing carriages. percentage of the roots The perceived threat of damage by roots is sometimes a within 2.5m diameter of the worry people have about trees near buildings. Much of this stem - the size of the rootball. To concern is unwarranted as most trees growing near buildings achieve this, these pines were transplanted nine times and cause no damage. Residents may also feel apprehensive about are now 32 years old. Whether your project requires 32 year the size of a tree and consider it dangerous. However, trees old pines or small transplants, careful consideration should are not dangerous just because they are perceived as tall, too be given to the roots. For any standard tree planting on big for their surroundings or move in the wind. Tree movement a landscape site the minimum specification should be for in high winds is natural and one of the ways they are able to three times transplanted trees up to 18cm girth, and four withstand strong winds. Proper root development in the early times for trees up to 30cm girth. production stage and subsequent use of the right planting pits While multiple transplanted trees can give rise to the request and materials will greatly reduce any possible damage. for smaller rootballs to fit into the paving design or to reduce With this in mind, let’s explore some of the root issues to be the weight stresses on podium planting it’s a better practice to considered when choosing trees. As a grower I have always consider the trees’ requirements. Before tree pits are specified encouraged clients to get to know the tree nurseries they are always consider the correct rootball for the girth size required. using. Visit them at least once a year and see the growing I can’t remember how many times we have lifted and delivered practices and after a short time you will know if proper cultural trees only to be contacted to say that the pits specified are methods are being used. If you are specifying trees ask the too small. This has also happened after importing trees of nursery for options and use the knowledge considerable girth and expense to everyone. The next time you they have. For example, standard are selecting trees, check with the nursery first and design pines have come very much into the pit to suit the tree size. vogue recently and to ensure their Choosing the right tree for the right place would success in the landscape they be an article in itself so when it comes to roots a must at no time have been pot few considerations have to be taken into account. grown unless in root trainers.

Tolerance to salt laden spray from roadways Once pine roots have circled needs to be thought about. Some tree roots the pot they will never develop such as those of the Corylus species are very a root structure to support the sensitive to salt whereas Gleditsia triacanthos is crown (I learned this the hard way very tolerant. For more information on this see the POOR QUALITY TWO TIMES when we lost over 200 pines in a Dublin City Tree Strategy 2016-2020.

TRANSPLANTED TILLIA ROOTS winter storm with our first crop of A common feature of older tree planting is that standards). This also applies to many maturity can result in significant disruption of hard surfacing

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TREES / 11

"Whether your project requires 32 year old pines or small transplants, careful consideration should be given to the roots” close to the trunk by large structural roots. While general rooting habit is an important factor to consider when selecting tree species, it will not in itself meet the problems of surface upheaval. A primary influencing factor of root architecture is soil profile and structure. As a result, root behaviour in urban environments can be quite different from that observed in natural, temperate forest settings. Planning for and providing ample, well oxygenated, void-rich growing medium for roots is one of the most important considerations in any comprehensive strategy for avoiding damage.

The next question is whether to rootball or not. We constantly see requests coming in for smaller and smaller rootballed trees. While I accept that it’s prudent to ask for rootballed Acer griseum 8-10cm girth I have another reaction when I have to quote for 10-12cm rootballed Acer campestre.

A properly grown three times transplanted tree from 8-16cm girth can be specified bareroot with many varieties. We print a reference in our catalogue for further information on this topic. The extra energy used in lifting, transport and handling on site is wasted in many instances. I sometimes wonder when trees are unnecessarily specified rootballed, is it as a result of previous losses or as a hope to maybe negate the poor soil and aftercare on site.

So you now have a good relationship with the tree grower, you have the correct tree for the location. It has been transplanted adequately, has the correct rootball size and is ready for planting.

Your next consideration for the roots is the soil.

In paved urban situations it is best to use a soil mix specially developed for those locations. Soil compaction is one of the main reasons why tree roots do not thrive in urban street plantings and using proper soils in conjunction with tree cells and tree grills will avoid this problem. The photo above shows a 94cm girth Quercus palustris being lowered into a well prepared tree pit. The filled tree cells are clearly visible and they will provide support for the paving and prevent compaction. They also allow the fibrous roots access to more quality substrate in the important years after planting. The irrigation fixings are discernible and in this case moisture sensors were installed to control the irrigation.

Not every contract allows for such champagne treatment of the roots; in many cases the contractor is faced with no more than hardcore. In those cases they need to excavate out a planting pit and refill with good soil but not before putting some drainage stone into the base of the pit, to help avoid it becoming a sump for water and killing the tree.

In the event where the contractor is presented with good soil the addition of some organic material will help to aerate the soil and hold moisture in the all important first season.

One other consideration for root development after planting is the use of mycorrhiza. These are symbiotic fungi that live with the trees roots extracting nutrients from the soil that

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the tree needs, in exchange for carbohydrates that the fungi need. I was always a bit sceptical about this until I had a road to Damascus type A 94CM QUERCUS PALUSTRIS GOING INTO A moment walking CORRECTLY DESIGNED AND INSTALLED TREE PIT the dogs one evening.

I had sowed a crop of green manure following an oak crop of 6-10cm girth. The crop was growing very well throughout the field but the plants growing on the oak ground were spectacular. This was borne out when I realised the green manure showed a significant reduction in growth where the previous oak crop ended half way down a line. These mycorrhiza are available in powder form and are well worth considering for root development in urban street planting, especially where made up soil has been used.

Before I finish I have to mention the H2o word. The lack of or the excess of water is the single largest killer of tree roots.

Don’t plant in hollows or create a sump in poor conditions and remember, trees get thirsty and need a drink and not a sprinkle. Our attitude to irrigation will have to change in Ireland. I would have been laughed at 30 years ago if I said I was irrigating the fields, nowadays we lay down the irrigation lines at the time of planting and have drilled five wells to meet demand. Irrigation needs to be incorporated on every landscape project, especially in city areas where rainfall is deflected by buildings and many plantings are in shelter.

Apart from a drink, the roots need feeding. This is not a complicated process with all the different fertilisers available today. The best and easiest method is to use slow release plugs that are easy to handle and avoids having that half used bag of fertiliser going hard in the back of the van. We use 18-6-12 + TE on the nursery and apply it two to three times a season depending on the rainfall and soil tests. When applying fertiliser keep it to the rootball area in the first year, and if you have time to take it seriously there is a new app that measures leaf colour and relates it to plant health. There are a few apps that do that job.

While we all concentrate on the visual aspect of the trees we plant, it is vitally important to focus on the roots if we want to achieve the same aerial views flying into Irish cities as I mentioned above. The photo on p41 shows a beautiful stand of Tillia in Berlin that have adequate pits for water catchment and aeration and the unseen cells prevent compaction. ✽

JOHN MURPHY - owner and operator of Annaveigh Plants and is one of Ireland’s most experienced and respected nurserymen.

For more information visit www.annaveigh.com

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

@GOODLUZ / 123RF.COM

12 / INSIGHT

LEADING THE WAY IN SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE Rachel Freeman, lecturer in horticulture at Technological University Dublin frames the latest research on STH and explains why educational institutions need to lead the way

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here is a need for educational institutions to lead the way in terms of supporting practitioners’ access towards best practice, through accessing the latest research, helping with evaluation of services, and guidance on access to funding resources.

Social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) sits within an overall therapeutic framework called Green Care. Green Care encompasses therapeutic activities such as care farming, facilitated green exercise, animal assisted therapy, ecotherapy, wilderness therapy, nature therapy and social and therapeutic horticulture. These activities are linked under the umbrella term Green Care through their use of nature and the natural environment in their interventions and active therapy processes within the areas of health, education and social settings.

Research indicates that green care or care in a green environment has the potential to improve existing therapeutic programmes and health service outcomes through the incorporation of green elements, with research demonstrating the wellbeing potential for use of green care settings.

Horticulturists working as STH practitioners in Ireland find themselves working in a relatively niche area. That said, health and wellbeing are big business and there are many options to use their skills, in and with nature through the broader scope of green care. Horticulturists interested in developing beyond STH can further their practice into

green care, as interventions and activities not only occur in clinical healthcare settings but also in the areas of education, social and community.

The term Nature Assisted Practice (NAP) is used to describe the activities of practitioners actively using nature and green environments in their therapeutic practices.

Growing numbers of practitioners from an array of backgrounds including healthcare (nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychotherapy), community and youth development, social care, environment, creative arts are using elements of nature (plants and growing media) and nature based settings in their interventions. These practitioners are seeing the benefits of joining forces with STH practitioners. They are working as part of a multidisciplinary team which includes horticulturists, particularly where clinically defined goals are set and a natural environment is the intervention setting.

Additionally, STH practitioners are becoming involved in nature assisted practice activities occurring in settings that provide education and experiences in nature. Here their focus may be to facilitate group work in an outdoor setting with the goal of fostering group cohesiveness. Activities of this type might include nature camps, forest school, scouts, and school environmental education. These programmes don’t necessarily need the input of a healthcare professional, and by their nature allow for a greater degree of flexibility

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INSIGHT / 12 and client/service user input. In urban settings such as Dublin, there is a growing demand for natural educational experiences in the outdoors for preschool and school age children, provision for both within the scope of forest schools and also beyond. STH practitioners who enjoy working with this cohort and seeking to broaden their remit can consider this area.

Schools, both primary and second level, through the Heritage in Schools scheme, seek professionals to engage in a range of outdoor and nature based skills and crafts within the school. Individuals must apply to join, and once requested by a school to come visit, they are paid by the school (fees are subsidised by the Heritage Council). Currently on the Heritage in Schools website there is a whole page dedicated to the move away from nature based play for children; here is potential for STH practitioners to engage in this arena to the benefit of all (www.heritageinschools.ie).

NAP practitioners with a focus on environmental sustainability employ green strategies to enhance traditional health and social care practice and can apply ecological health theories to develop innovative education, health promotion and community development practice interventions. Therefore, within current community based health care models, they are capable of providing opportunities for engagement at a local community level, promoting community inclusion by keeping service users within their communities, visible in the green spaces and horticultural activities, e.g. production and care of community window boxes.

Care of the local environment is also a key consideration of NAP health and wellbeing practices. STH practitioners and those engaging in these services often create their own opportunities, particularly where nature based interventions and activities are linked with sustainability and local environmental issues. Those practitioners working in nature settings and service users and clients engaging in NAP for treatment are predisposed to caring for their environment.

They are therefore drawn to environmental activities such as a beach cleaning, contributing to park and woodland group plantings, community enhancement schemes, and community allotment growing. This is where care for the environment goes hand in hand with interventions providing health and wellbeing benefits. This is yet another opportunity for an environmentally

attuned STH practitioner to further their practice.

Some STH practitioners are fortunate enough to come from farming circles, and here there is potential to combine their STH and agricultural skills, or partner with the farmer to develop and provide care farming services. Care farming or social farming is the practice of offering activity on family farms as a form of social support service, and is relatively new in Ireland. Many of the day to day activities offered are within the scope of any horticulturist or STH practitioner. For more information see www.socialfarmingireland.ie.

In NAP there is much to be gained through a collaborative approach. Where clinical goals are set, it is often best therapeutic practice for STH practitioners to be part of an active multidisciplinary healthcare team. Collaboration in other settings such as education, working with teachers, and social settings working with social workers and social care personnel, or with community volunteers and leaders, STH practitioners also benefit through the exposure to other approaches to practice.

Gaps in knowledge, training and experience mean that the opportunities outlined here will not suit all STH practitioners, clients or service providers.Experience, training and education are vital in this field working with people with healthcare needs and those who are vulnerable, as is the need for Garda vetting in order to gain the best possible outcomes for the individual or user groups engaged with.

In terms of best possible outcomes, evaluation is key to both determining efficacy of the activities and return on investment for the funding provider. There is a need to critically evaluate practice and use of nature-assisted interventions employed to enhance health and wellbeing including STH. It is only through the evaluation outcomes that best possible outcomes are maintained for service users/clients, the respect of the profession is maintained (even raised) and funding continues to be provided for provision of services. ✽

RACHEL FREEMAN. Lecturer in Horticulture. Technological University Dublin - Blanchardstown Campus

UNDER THE 'GREEN CARE' UMBRELLA - THE DIVERSITY OF GREEN CARE

GREEN CARE

SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE

ANIMAL ASSISTED INTERVENTIONS

CARE FARMING

FACILITATED GREEN EXERCISE AS TREATMENT

ECOTHERAPY

RANGE OF DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, ACTIVITIES, HEALTH BENEFITS, CLIENTS, MOTIVATIONS AND NEEDS

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

WILDERNESS THERAPY; NATURE THERAPY

12 / INSIGHT

GROWTH

IN SOCIAL ASSETS Noel McEvoy, Dublin City Council Parks Superintendent explains how the walled garden in St Anne’s Park, Dublin provided the impetus for an important social movement

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llotments and community gardens are without doubt important social assets and by ensuring they are properly managed and maintained, they will continue to be a resource for generations to come.

In 2008 Dublin City Council Parks and Landscape Services (DCCPLS) was deciding what to do with the old walled garden in St Anne’s Park. The garden was originally used by the Guinness family as their kitchen garden to provide fresh fruit and vegetables. During the late 90s and early noughties when several historic gardens were being restored this option was considered very seriously. However, in the case of St Anne’s we felt we would be creating yet another show garden, another static museum piece. The approach DCC took was to restore the garden but, in line with our philosophy, for the public rather than for the privileged.

Demand for allotments has been growing steadily for the last decade and there is now a considerable waiting list. The City Council has a history of providing allotments dating back before independence when city allotment schemes were set up in Belfast and Dublin to provide people with land to grow food for their families. Following the introduction of government regulations in 1917, the number of allotments increased in an attempt to boost wartime food production.

However, by 1949 the demand for allotments exceeded supply, as it does today. While the motivation in the middle of the last century related to hunger, I am glad to say that today the vast majority of people are growing their own to simply lead a healthier life.

The provision of allotments is a statutory service for local authorities, and the Planning and Development Act also allows for local authorities to indicate in their Development Plans an intention to reserve land for their use and cultivation.

Open space is becoming intrinsically more important within our communities due to growing development pressures. A smaller proportion of dwellings are likely to have access to a garden and if a garden does exist, it is of a size that does not

SOME OF THE ST ANNE’S ALLOTMENT TEAM

allow meaningful production of food for the table. Because properties will not provide gardens of adequate size for growing, allotments and community gardens will become vital community resources. From research and discussion with local authorities in England and particularly London, the most successful and energised allotments were allotment schemes devolved to a local allotment community.

Therefore, it was decided from the very beginning that the allotment gardens in St Anne’s Park were to be driven by the allotment gardeners, with the DCCPLS retaining a veto for major decisions.

There is little doubt that, when successfully implemented, self-management schemes ensure greater control of a site by allotment holders and tend to work to the benefit of the site. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State expressed support for the practice, noting that "self-management at that very local level is almost always a good idea." DCC believes that self-management fulfils the twin aims of ensuring greater control of a site by allotment holders and also reducing a local authority's administrative responsibilities. We recommend that all local authorities examine the potential for self-management of their allotment sites.

Using a devolved model, DCCPLS made the site ready and created a layout that would utilise the space to its best advantage. Unfortunately, the financial crash arrived and all monies destined for the project vanished. The only monies we had for the project were the letting fees. However, this did not prove to undermine the project, in fact it galvanised plot holders to make it happen. The walled garden was to become a work in progress driven by the needs of the plot holders and so it continues today. Because of the nature of the project, volunteers were easily secured, an allotment committee was formed and social media was engaged. The project became the impetus for similar projects in other parks, and in turn was used as a template for DCC Community Section to provide allotments on unused lands belonging to Dublin City Council around the city.

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INSIGHT / 12 Community resource gardening is a great equaliser, bringing people together from all age groups and social backgrounds around a common interest. The activity lends itself to cooperation. Once you enter the walled garden as a plot holder, you are the same as anyone else, your place in the community is only dictated by how good you are as a gardener.

Working an allotment provides a healthy physical recreation for all people, and has therapeutic value as a treatment for stress, which to some extent is a result of the increased density of urban development. The opportunities to enjoy quiet relaxation such as that offered by allotment gardening and physical activity in a creative way are likely be become increasingly important.

The provision of allotments and community gardens in well managed public parks and open spaces make an important contribution to the quality of people’s lives within the city, and in creating and maintaining healthy neighbourhoods and sustainable communities.

Properly maintained, sensitively managed, organic allotments can provide a protected environment for wildlife to thrive by providing a valued habitat for flora and fauna. Ten years on, the excitement and energy of our allotment projects has not diminished, if anything it has become established, and now the policy of Dublin City Council. Stating 'Where possible, provision should be made for allotments within the city landscape by using neglected and derelict sites within easy reach of the community’, the City Council recognises that properly managed and maintained allotments are important social assets allowing sustainable food production, community involvement and health. Following best practice, they should be at the forefront of local government agendas.

IT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL TO PROMOTE ALLOTMENT GARDENING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AS FOLLOWS: ●● By revisiting the role, purpose and meaning of allotments

to local communities and integrating them into Dublin City Council’s wider objectives for sustainable development LA 21, open space, biodiversity, healthy living and community development; ●● By monitoring demand and improving connections with local communities; ●● By investigating opportunities to fulfil the demand for allotments where appropriate amenity land can be converted to plots and community gardens; ●● By pursuing lands that are unused or derelict and lands that can have a temporary productive use, which may be allocated to some future use.

Our brief is the care and upkeep of the city’s parks and open spaces. For our amenities to be successful, I believe it is crucial that people are able to interact with them; our parks are quite simply nature in spaces. They provide a canvas for many events and interventions including allotments and community gardens. Running sustainable community gardens and allotment gardens with a constant eye on their green credentials ensures that their ecology is preserved, the ecosystems they support stay healthy, and

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"Allotments and community gardens are without doubt important social assets and by ensuring they are properly managed and maintained, they will continue to be a resource for generations to come" the running of the parks in which they reside are not a cost to the greater natural environment.

As innocent as it is, community gardening represents a tangible nature-focused solution to climate change: it reduces our negative impact on the environment.

Think about it. The community has a supply of organically grown food on its doorstep, with all waste recycled. What we have here is a non-polluting project with a next to zero carbon footprint, leaving no legacy of waste, a sustainable model to be reproduced countrywide.

Such a model is the future for our cities. Proof exists in countries such as Cuba which was forced to reevaluate its food production. Now all their green vegetables and fruit are grown organically in what are by and large community gardens, supplying a population of 11.48m people.

The simple acts of growing plants and providing nutrition for the family subtly change one’s outlook on the world. You have a tangible connection with the soil and begin to realise that proper organic gardening is a contract of give and take: you care for the earth and in return it cares for you. It is as simple and as profound as that.

Community gardens and allotment gardens are small but mighty, as witnessed by the lengths of waiting lists for municipal allotments in our cities and towns.

It will be interesting to see how this will affect the horticultural industry in Ireland. Perhaps the way forward is to encourage people’s integration into the subject of horticulture as part of their lives, as opposed to a bought and sold commodity. There are indeed interesting and challenging times ahead for the industry. ✽

NOEL MCEVOY has worked in horticulture for 32 years, spending a decade working in the National Botanic Gardens and over 20 in the care and administration of council parks as a parks superintendent. He has also spent time working in the USA for interior landscape designers Minneapolis.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

13 / RESEARCH

THE CHANGING CLIMATE OF PLANT DISTRIBUTION Dr Karl J Duffy traces the history of plant distribution science and shares recent research on the impact of climate change on plant distribution

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otanists have long been interested in the distributions of plants. Going back to the early 1800s the great biogeographer, Alexander von Humboldt, was the first to seriously quantify plant distributions, particularly in central and South America (1799-1804) and in Europe. He was well trained in geology, mineralogy, and meteorology, and during his travels in the Americas he collected reams of data, from local temperature, air pressure, information on geological substrates, and made vast collections of plants.

Indeed, he developed isotherms and isobars, aligning regions with similar temperatures and air pressures, which laid the foundations for the field of climatology. The results of his voyages, and the 30 volumes he wrote about them inspired future biologists to think more broadly about the environmental differences over large spatial scales and the limits to species distributions.

"I have lately been especially attending to Geographical Distribution, and a most splendid sport it is - a grand game of chess with the world for a Board" One admirer of von Humboldt was Alfred Wallace, who along with Charles Darwin, proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Wallace was a Victorian collector and biogeographer who spent eight years (1854-1862) in the Malay Archipelago. He knew the importance of biogeography in evolution when in 1855 he wrote, “Every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time with a pre-existing closely allied species.” The key word here is “space” - geographical differences were at the forefront of his mind when he was thinking about evolution. He based this observation on what he saw in his collections of thousands of plant and animal specimens from both South America and the Malay Archipelago. Interestingly, Darwin himself did not expand on geography of plants in the Origin of the Species. However, he seemed to be aware of the importance

of understanding species distributions when he wrote to his friend CJF Bunbury in April 1856 that, “I have lately been especially attending to Geographical Distribution, and a most splendid sport it is - a grand game of chess with the world for a Board”.

Prior to our understanding of genetics (Darwin and Wallace had developed the theory of evolution by natural selection without knowing about Mendel’s pioneering work on genetic traits in pea plants), geographical differences between species were seen as key evidence for evolution. In the USA, in 1908 the biologist David Starr Jordan formalised the importance of the combination of ecological and geographical isolation – ecogeographic isolation (EI) – in speciation as “the nearest related species is not to be found in the same region nor in a remote region, but in a neighbouring district separated from the first by a barrier of some kind” (Jordan DS. 1908. The law of geminate species. American Naturalist, 42, 73–80). This later became known as Jordan’s Rule.

Nowadays, estimating the influence of environmental factors on species distributions is back en vogue among botanists. Indeed, a major botanical challenge is to understand how plant distributions will respond to accelerating climate change.

Plants often have a preference for particular abiotic (e.g. temperature, soil nutrients) and biotic (e.g. pollinators, seed dispersers) conditions. However, human induced climate change will shift temperature and precipitation regimes (i.e. the abiotic conditions) which will result in shifts in the distributions of plants. Understanding these changes in the context of EI is particularly important in plant groups that rapidly hybridise. This is because any change in the overlap of their distributions will modify the primary barrier to potential hybridisation (spatial isolation); shifts in such a barrier may then influence evolutionary trajectories of plants, for example, by increasing hybridisation. Members of the Boraginaceae, the genus Pulmonaria, are a good example of such species – they occur throughout Europe, they have different geographical ranges which often overlap, and because they share bee pollinators, they hybridise frequently in sympatry (much to the ire of taxonomists).

Fortunately, we have access to large databases and powerful statistical and Geographic Information System

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REASEARCH / 13

"It will bring about a relatively rapid change in species distributions, which may influence the evolutionary trajectory of these species" DR KARL DUFFY is an Assistant Professor in Botany at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. After completing a PhD on orchid ecology and conservation at Trinity College Dublin, he worked as researcher in South Africa for a number of years before returning to Europe on a Marie SkłodowskaCurie Fellowship at KU Leuven, Belgium for two years His research is mainly focused on plant interactions with mutualists (pollinators and soil fungi), and he is particularly fond of orchids. His research has a strong conservation focus and he interested in measuring the role mutualists play in the survival of plant populations under environmental change.

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(GIS) tools to better understand the distributions of plants across large geographical scales. To test whether EI might shift under climate change, my colleague and I mapped the distribution and quantified the niche (the absolute physiological tolerance of species) of each of nine Pulmonaria species. We then compared the niche of each species under different future climate scenarios with present day ranges.

The climate change scenarios we used represent scenarios that predict a carbon emission peak around 2040 followed by a steady decline, (called ‘RCP 4.5’) and a “business as usual” strategy with carbon emissions rising throughout the 21st century (called ‘RCP 8.5’). Our key finding was that EI between Pulmonaria species will increase under all future climate change scenarios. This will be mainly due to increasing temperature over the next 50 years. This was surprising to us as, due to species specific responses to climate change and differences in the species present day ranges, we initially predicted that climate change would actually lower EI between the species, or at least have no discernible effect. Indeed, we found a net decrease in EI when we did not account for the fact that Pulmonaria seeds are ant dispersed (highlighting the importance of understanding species biology and performing field studies). While we have no experimental data to show whether different ant species move Pulmonaria seeds at different rates, or whether there is specificity in their interaction, we used a conservative approximation of 10km buffer around each presence point for each species to account for dispersal limitation. The net result is that there will be increased EI under all climate change scenarios compared to the present day. These results provide us with a useful prediction of the influence of climate change – that it will bring about a relatively rapid change in species distributions, which may influence the evolutionary trajectory of these species.

Quantifying the impact of climate change on species distributions is a hot topic. There are now more studies that show that climate change will result in a separation of populations of species along elevational gradients, thereby increasing their isolation. From a horticultural perspective, the influence of climate change on ornamental plants, i.e. invasive alien plant species that were originally introduced to regions for horticultural purposes, was recently examined (Haeuser et al, J Appl Ecol. 2018;55:2386–2395).

This is because many regions now have many ornamental alien species which have not yet naturalised. Hence, climate change represents a threat, as it may lower the barriers to naturalisation for some alien species. The authors of this research found that by 2050, naturalisation probability will increase by more than 10% for 41 species, and only decrease by more than 10% for one species. This indicates that climate change will not just reduce potential hybridisation in plants in their native range such as Pulmonaria, but may also increase the frequency of ornamental plants becoming naturalised and potentially invasive within the next 30-50 years. That human-mediated shifts in atmospheric temperature may cause species range shifts, might be a startling revelation to pioneering biogeographic researchers, who were only beginning to understand factors that underlie plant distributions just over 100 years ago. ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

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HORTICULTURE PRODUCERS HONOURED Mike Neary, Director of Horticulture at Bord Bia, reports in from the inaugural Origin Green Farmer Awards

T

he Origin Green Farmer Awards were presented in December to recognise and reward the exceptional performance of its Sustainable Quality Assurance schemes for beef, horticulture and dairy. These schemes are pivotal to differentiating Irish food products in the global marketplace. Participating farms meet high standards around food safety, animal health, welfare and traceability.

Twelve horticultural producers were shortlisted based on their overall audit performance in the Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme since its launch in November 2017. Each shortlisted finalist was visited by an independent judging panel and was assessed across sustainability topics including crop husbandry, health and safety, farm labour, local community involvement, environmental/biodiversity measures and energy usage. These finalists are among the top performing horticultural farms in Ireland producing high quality fresh produce.

Judging for the horticulture sector was completed by experts from Teagasc, University College Dublin and IT Blanchardstown. The judges commended the positive attitude and clear understanding of the importance of farm sustainability demonstrated by the finalists. Each finalist exhibited an inherent understanding of the importance and relevance of implementing strategies to promote safe working systems for staff, increasing energy efficiency, and protecting and enhancing biodiversity and the environment on their farms using modern technologies allied to wellestablished good agricultural practices.

The shortlisted horticultural companies spanned a wide range of produce across mushrooms, field vegetables, potatoes, fruits and protected crops and included Clune Mushrooms, Clonoulty, Co Tipperary; Danescastle Soft Fruit Farm, Co Wexford; Lispopple Apples, Swords, Co Dublin; and Flynn’s Irish Tomatoes, Bealinstown, Swords, Co Dublin. Potato Category: John, David and Joe Rodgers, Co Dublin; Kilmore Potatoes Ltd, Wexford; and Martin Kehoe, Co Carlow, Field Veg Category: Eamonn Murphy, Co Dublin; Leo Murphy Produce Ltd, Co Dublin; John B Dockrell, Co Wexford; and Hilltown Growers Ltd, Garristown, Co Dublin.

THE WINNERS IN THE

HORTICULTURE CATEGORIES WERE;

REILLY MUSHROOMS

MUSHROOM

REILLY MUSHROOMS Walderstown, Athlone Reilly Mushrooms Ltd is a family business, established in 1988 by Gerard and Mary Reilly with four family members now involved in day to day farm operations. The business has grown over the years and now employs more than 50 people. Considerable investment and expansion have been undertaken over the years moving from three to 16 tunnels, making this a very modern and efficient farm. The farm produces approximately 50,000kg of closed cup and flat white mushrooms per week. To ensure consistency and high standards are met daily, the team at Reilly’s has set out very clear procedures and protocols to meet customer and market demands. Biosecurity on the farm to keep disease out of the mushrooms houses is a key management focus; having recently investing €200k in a a centralised piped steam sterilisation system Reilly’s has managed to eliminate the need for any disinfectant use on the farm.

Key sustainability measures on the farm include: ●●The use of renewable fuel and solar panels for electricity production; ●●Use of lean management techniques to drive efficiencies on farm; ●●Reviewing options for alternative packaging and market diversification; ●●Implementing a high level of health and safety on the farm, and paying close attention to staff welfare.

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

41

EDIBLES / 14

FLYNNS IRISH TOMATOES

JOHN B DOCKRELL

PROTECTED CROPS AND FRUIT

FIELD VEGETABLES

Swords, Co Dublin

Enniscorthy, Co Wexford

This is a modern and very efficient farm managed by Martin Flynn. Employing nearly 12 full time staff, the workforce expands to 25 during harvest. Excellent production, packing and staff facilities ensure a good working environment. Martin has invested heavily in both infrastructure and technology, allowing him to both maximise and monitor yield performance and predict production forward.

John B Dockrell is a grower of carrots and lettuce, supplying carrots for 40 weeks of the year. The farm employs 31 permanent and 36 seasonal staff. The Dockrell’s are planning to install solar panels to provide the daytime energy requirements of the business.

FLYNN’S IRISH TOMATOES

Key sustainability measures: ●●Customer and supplier relationship development; ●●Water management includes rainwater harvesting and recirculation of fertigation water; ●●Waste management planning includes reduced crop wastage through late season management of plant ripening; ●●Use of high efficiency boilers and extraction of CO2 from boiler exhaust used to feed plants; ●●Imbedded integrated pest management includes environmental controls and use of advanced spraying technology.

POTATOES

JOHN B DOCKRELL

Key sustainability measures: ●●Soil compaction minimised through use of tracked machinery for harvest operations; ●●Walking floor trailers used to reduce breakage of carrots; ●●Regular soil and plant tissue analysis carried out to maximize nutrient management; ●●All field operations are carried out using GPS guided equipment; ●●Appropriate intervention timing based on monitoring pest thresholds; ●●Five acres of reed beds installed to filter and clean water from carrot washing; ●●Irrigation water for lettuce is treated using UV, and is controlled, recorded and monitored using an app. ✽

KILMORE POTATOES LTD Kilmore, Co Wexford John and his brother, Chris Fortune, grow a wide range of potato varieties to cater to several market segments, including the planting of salad potatoes to meet a growing market segment commonly met by imported produce. Kilmore Potatoes provide jobs for eight full time staff, and seasonal workers as required.

John is an advocate of changing energy supplier to get the best deals and reduce costs. Integrated pest management is practiced, reducing dependency on plant protection products.

KILMORE POTATOES

Key sustainability measures: ●●Biodiversity measures include 30 acres of uncropped lands across the farm; ●●Nutrient management practices include regular soil analysis aimed at addressing any deficiencies matched to crop needs; ●●Use of precision GPS guided equipment; ●●Diversification of varieties grown to access new markets.

42

MIKE NEARY, Director of Horticulture at Bord Bia. For further information contact the Horticulture Division at Bord Bia.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2019

15 / EDUCATION

STUDENT LIFE

Are you considering a qualification in horticulture but unsure what student life will be like? We asked John Mulhern, Principal of the National Botanic Gardens to speak to current students to find out

Z

ack Meehan and Bartek Wojcik are among 18 students in the first of three years leading to a BSc qualification in horticulture.

The program is run in conjunction with Waterford Institute of Technology and Teagasc National Botanic Gardens and is based between the Gardens and Teagasc Ashtown. Successful graduates of the programme go on to pursue careers in the horticulture sector, from landscaping to nursery to turfgrass to food production.

To help readers gain a little more insight into what it’s like being a contemporary horticulture student I met up with Zack and Bartek to get the inside track.

ZACK MEEHAN YEAR 1, BSC LEVEL 7 IN HORTICULTURE

How is your course going?

My course is going well and I have learnt a good bit since starting the course. Once a week I take part in work experience in Teagasc Ashtown.

This also involves filling out a diary to go along with the experience. Our course is divided between the National Botanic Gardens and Teagasc Ashtown.

What is the social side of horticulture like in the National Botanic Gardens?

Apart from the fact that we have our own nights out that might involve table quiz nights etc this year the college is organising a big hort trip to Amsterdam. Up to 70 students and staff are going for three days, which should be great fun visiting all the beautiful gardens and sights that this city has to offer. Students from across the college are attending so it’s a great social event in our calendar.

How many subjects are you undertaking this year?

I am currently doing six subjects this semester. These subjects include plant knowledge, plant propagation, hort mechanisation, hort building construction, hort skills training and chemistry for land scientists.

Exams are completed at the end of each semester and you move onto new subjects in the next semester. Each semester is 12 weeks of teaching so the time is very short.

What is your favourite of these subjects?

I would have to say hort building construction.

What would you say are the main points you are learning in horticulture?

I find that the course is giving me a horticultural knowledge which will help me to improve my skills and give me the tools to help build and progress my family business.

What is your background in horticulture?

My background in horticulture is linked to previous generations being involved in horticulture. My great-great grandfather had a nursery in Kimmage called Irish Nurseries. My grandfather would have worked with the Queen on her gardens and at present I work alongside my father in his tree surgery business when not at college.

If you were to recommend the course what would you say?

The Level 7 course is full on but you learn so much from it.

Did you get any career guidance on horticultural courses when you were at school?

ZACK MEEHAN AND BARTEK WOJCIK PICTURED AT THE STUDENT GARDEN BUILDING PROJECT WHICH IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE TEAGASC CAMPUS IN ASHTOWN, DUBLIN 15.

I got some guidance from my career guidance teacher at St Wilson’s School, Mullingar. However, knowing that I wanted to work in horticulture as part of my family business gave me a direction to follow.

BARTEK WOJCIK

YEAR 1, LEVEL 7 DEGREE IN HORTICULTURE Why are you doing the course?

I was looking to do a course to help me gain knowledge on plants. I saw that this course was in the National Botanic Gardens where you are surrounded by plants all the time. This would give me a good knowledge base which will help me to work in the field of landscape architecture. When this course is finished I plan to go to UCD or to stick with landscape design within this course.

What draws you to becoming a landscape designer?

I like to work outdoors where I get to work on developing and maintaining

Spring 2019 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

43

EDUCATION / 13 gardens. I feel that this type of work is very rewarding when you get to see the outcome of developing a new garden.

Today you are on section, which is every Wednesday. What skills or task do you feel are particularly good at?

We work on a broad range of skills and tasks from planting trees to working and taking care of machinery. When I go into my second year of work placement I will have a head start because I will know how the machines work. Therefore I won’t need that much assistance and perhaps a company will take me on.

If you were to sell this course to a young person coming in, what would you say the benefits are?

I would say it’s a full on course but there is a lot you will take in even in the first semester. I have no background in horticulture and have learnt a lot.

Where did you find an interest in doing horticulture?

I became interested in horticulture when I was in school at St Declan’s College, Cabra.

Was there an interest in the school in horticulture?

The school has a small garden which is maintained. Our principal actually told me that the National Botanic Gardens did courses in horticulture. After looking into I put it on my CAO application straight away.

Would you like to speak to students, tutors and potential employers directly?

Our next college careers event is on March 7th in the Teagasc education building in the National Botanic Gardens. Up to 20 of the top horticultural companies in Ireland who are actively recruiting will be there.

It’s a great opportunity for current and intending students to meet with potential employers and discuss job opportunities and what skill sets are required within the sector. ✽

JOHN MULHERN has worked with Teagasc for more than 23 years, primarily in an educational capacity.

He is the current principal of the College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Interested in a career in horticulture?

Study for a degree in UCD: see the world and reach for the stars!

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