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Horticulture News
ADARE MANOR PROJECT DELIVERS ALCI BOG OAK TROPHY FOR PETER O’BRIEN & SONS
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Dublin based family landscaping business, Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd, was recently announced as the Landscape Contractor of the Year and winner of the prestigious Bog Oak Trophy at the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland’s (ALCI) annual awards in the Titanic Centre, Belfast. The all-Island ALCI awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the landscaping industry, celebrate the high standards of professionalism and skill in the delivery of commercial, private residential and public authority gardens, landscapes and sports grounds.
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 the establishment of an extensive onsite setup featuring a dedicated nursery, procurement of locally sourced soil, management of up to 80 staff on site, and the transport and installation of more than 150 mature trees, 225 topiary plants, 5,000 herbaceous species, 1,700 hedging plants, 10,000 clipped Taxus shrubs, 30,000 transplants and 500,000m2 of cultivating and seeding.
ALCI Awards Judge and Bord Bia’s Bloom Manager Gary Graham said, ”The delivery of this stunning landscape at Adare Manor is testament to the skill and experience which Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd has in abundance. The sheer scale of this soft landscaping project is something which does not come around very often and the team demonstrated an agility and dexterity which allowed them to tackle all of the challenges which they met along the way. The finished estate features a huge amount of clever planting and spectacular mature trees, which were sourced and transplanted from Irish nurseries.”
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 O’Toole and employs over 100 staff. In addition to the Adare Manor refurbishment, the multi-award winning company has been involved in many high profile projects over the years including East Point Business Park, Father Collins Park, and Spencer Docks. In addition to winning the overall award, they also received the Sports Ground Construction & Maintenance category award for St Michael’s College in Dublin.
Pat McCormack, ALCI chairman, said,“This is a hugely deserved accolade for Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd who have been trailblazers in the Irish landscaping industry 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.”
LANDSCAPING TRENDS
The award entries were judged by Gary Graham, Bord Bia’s Bloom Manager and Kerrie Gardiner, Landscape Architect and Bloom Show Garden Manager, who visited all of the shortlisted project sites.
Commenting on this year’s entries, Gary said, “The ALCI awards are always a great benchmark for assessing trends in the industry. One of the continuing developments has been the extension of the garden season to one which is year round. We are seeing significant investment in outdoor dining facilities which in many cases comprise fully functional kitchens, properly designed with significant lighting and heating. The impact of extreme weather as a result of climate change is taking its toll on our gardens and this is where professional horticulturalists, such as ALCI members, really come into their own in using their skills to adapt the landscape to meet changing environments.” ✽
TEAGASC CAREERS IN HORTICULTURE OPEN DAY
The annual Teagasc Careers in Horticulture Open Day event was held on 7 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 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 finishing their degrees in horticulture at the college, having started at certificate level in horticulture four years ago. They both spoke very well about their education journey in horticulture at the college. Overall, a very positive experience was delivered to the attendees who engaged fully with all aspects of the afternoon.”
Applications for the courses are now open. Contact the college for details or see www.teagasc.ie ✽
CHANGES AFOOT FOR SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS AT GRASSLAND HEADQUARTERS
By the time this is published Brexit may well have been sorted, although that’s doubtful. As importers of the best quality artificial grass from Holland, like many Irish businesses Grassland HQ OF SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS IN NAAS
has used the UK as a land bridge 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. ✽ 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 with Coillte and Forest Industries Ireland. More at treecouncil.ie ✽
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
The family of the late Una McDermott, horticulture programme leader, was presented with an award named in her honour at the Waterford Institute of Technology’s Science Careers Day on 8 March. Una, who passed away suddenly in March 2018, was responsible for the development and running of the WIT BSc in Horticulture in both Kildalton College and the College of Amenity Horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin.
WIT’s Department of Science looks forward to presenting the Una McDermott Contribution to Science Award annually to an awardee who 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. ✽
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
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. ✽
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 ✽
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.” ✽
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
