News - Horticulture Connected Winter 2020

BLOOMING WILDFLOWER SALES FOR DESIGN BY NATURE

Design By Nature, Ireland's long-established Irish wildflower grower, is celebrating another great year of increasing sales and customer numbers.

Sandro Cafolla, founder of Design By Nature comments, “While the 2019 autumn rain and 2020 summer rain put our crops under serious pressure, the late 2020 summer sunshine helped save much, and the barns - while not bulging - are full with seed.”

Covid-19 and slow internet rates delayed the testing and launch of their new website, however web development will resume over the winter with an expected launch date pushed out to February, 2021.

Brexit will cause huge challenges to competitors who import UK wildflower, says Sandro. “While this is a great opportunity for us, it is off-set by more exacting demands on product specification, species and performance. Already new entrants, in trade, retail and giftware markets, are examining the gap in the market. While some will only sell native Irish, others will not.

“The horizon is bright, yet it will be many years before these crops can be mass-produced on a scale to reduce price and better regularise supply. Until those new entrants on the horizon come in on the tide, and invest in production, we are committed to conservation first, keeping wild plants wild while selling first and second generation wild seeds.

“Increasing our production and scale-up is not easily solved. There are only so many harvest days and only so many products that can be hand and craft harvested. This micro SME capability is based on the skill level of each employee, and most take individual instruction for three years to learn the many varied aspects of the work. Our long-term staff of four manages about 10 satellite farms and production centres and all sales.

“There is always employment here for knowledgeable horticulturists who can also advise and support our customers. Our next recruitment window is February 2021.”

Seasons greetings from this small horticultural team, Sandro and the Seed Heads. www.wildflowers.ie. ✽

PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE BUSINESS

When FH Wetland Systems (FHWS) was set up in 1996, the aim was to clean up Cork Harbour. Still to achieve that goal, the company has worked on cleaning up watercourses around the country, as and when the opportunity arises.

Not enough to simply clean up water, FHWS’ aim is to have low to zero energy inputs, sequester carbon, provide wildlife habitat and sometimes firewood, fertiliser or compost as a by-product. These multiple outputs from a potentially resource-intensive waste management process is permaculture in action.

As part of the same aim Féidhlim Harty, founder of FHWS, has written for Permanent Publications in the UK; producers of Permaculture Magazine and a range of practical eco-friendly books. Septic Tank Options and Alternatives and Permaculture Guide to Reed Beds both examine practical solutions for wastewater treatment. Towards Zero Waste looks at household waste and how and why to reduce it. All part of the same goal towards a cleaner world. wetlandsystems.ie. ✽

HORTICULTURE STUDENT NUMBERS ON RISE AT TEAGASC COLLEGE

Teagasc College recently held a virtual event to promote its courses and studying for a qualification in Horticulture.

College Principal John Mulhern, along with colleagues Louise Jones, Christopher Heavey, James Brady and Paddy Smith gave presentations on the college courses and the student activities in the Horticultural College. This hour-long event was broadcast via Zoom. Attendees were able to participate in the Q&A session towards the end of the event.

This academic year, the college is operating a blended learning format whereby students take live lectures online and attend in small socially-distanced groups to the practical events in both the National Botanic Gardens and Teagasc Ashtown. Numbers participating in Horticulture courses at Teagasc College have risen this year and overall there is a high level of satisfaction among students in the courses they are following. Anyone interested in a career in Horticulture contact the college directly through the Teagasc website. ✽

BLENDED HORTICULTURE AT UCD AND NEW APPOINTMENTS

University College Dublin (UCD) has been operating at the equivalent of level IV of the Covid-19 emergency procedures since the beginning of this autumn’s trimester. Most lectures are delivered online and some students have a blended experience with face-to-face practical sessions or virtual online laboratory sessions. Many of the

international horticulture students have remained in their home countries and now receive their lectures online at the same time as their Irish colleagues. From September 2021 the UCD Horticulture programme will have a single entry under CAO code DN 250. Dr Caroline Elliott-Kingston, Assistant Professor, has been appointed Head of Horticulture and Programme Director at UCD and two new lecturer positions in Sportsturf and Amenity horticulture will shortly be advertised. ✽

DR CAROLINE ELLIOTT-KINGSTON, HEAD OF HORTICULTURE AND PROGRAMME DIRECTOR AT UCD

Autumn Lawn Care from Goldcorp

This year’sCovid-19 crisis meant that many families spent the year making full use of their back gardens. Barry Murray, MSc Chief Agronomist at Goldcrop Ltd says, “While the weather has been kind enough to allow us use this extra outdoor room it has meant that the family lawn has been heavily used throughout the year. Now is the perfect time to give the lawn a bit of TLC to ensure it looks the best coming out of the winter. “Moss control can be carried out in shady areas using either sulphate of iron or liquid Moss Out. Moss Out can be applied with either a watering can or a knapsack sprayer. “The whole lawn would benefit from a good feed such as Landscaper Pro Autumn and Winter Feed. This is a professional grade fertiliser designed for the amateur user and gives up to three months’ nutrient release making it perfect for domestic lawns as pictured.” For more information email Goldcorp: barry.murray@goldcrop.ie or phone: (021) 4882800).✽

ANDY CAMPBELL CONSULTING LAUNCHES BRAND NEW WEBSITE

As we look forward to emerging from the most uncertain trading period in the recent history of garden centre retailing, the time is right to take a long, hard look at your business to determine whether it is fit for purpose in tomorrow’s commercial environment. To coincide with these unprecedented times Andy Campbell Consulting has totally rebranded and redesigned their website to enhance its content, appearance, and navigation. While nearly all new business to this specialist business development consultancy practice comes from word-of-mouth referral, the website is often used as a point of reference and information source by potential clients. The website features comprehensive detail about Andy’s skills and experience, the services offered, past and present clients, along with numerous testimonials from across the industry. “I have been advising clients on business development for nearly two decades, so I thought it was high time I put some of this into practice within my own business,” commented Andy. “We have been busy over the spring and summer months working remotely, but we are looking forward to supporting the gardening sector in whatever way we can.” The website address is www.andycampbellconsulting.co.uk. ✽

Greenkeeper finds success with Preventative Fungicide

John Bishop from Bray Golf Club started using Signature Xtra earlier this year in advance of an upcoming competition to guard against known infection risks and ensure the turf reached optimum condition. “The first application of Signature Xtra went on in June and since then we’ve hardly had any cases of Anthracnose and patches that have occurred have been less aggressive than in previous seasons,” says John. John says he has made a total of three applications of Signature Xtra, with the applications timed to coincide with periods of high summer stress such as drought, heat, and wind. “The wet and mild weather conditions that we’ve experienced recently would historically cause Microdochium Patch to thrive in the autumn, but with Signature Xtra it’s been a different story. “To date, we’ve had no Microdochium Patch or persisting symptoms of summer stress,” he adds. Signature Xtra Stressgard is the first true systemic fungicide to offer shoot-to-root protection and is the most advanced formulation produced to date. The Stressgard formulation technology in Signature Xtra is scientifically proven to improve plant health and prevent disease. As a result, golfer satisfaction and experience has increased as has the consistency of the playing surface. John explains that he’s made no other changes to his management programme, so the applications of Signature Xtra are solely responsible for the enhanced natural colour of the greens. He adds that the change has been to such a degree that golf club members have commented on the improved visual appearance of the playing surface. “I have confidence in Signature Xtra and know the turf is less stressed and susceptible to disease. I’m really pleased with the results I have seen, and the greens are looking great going into autumn,” concludes John. ✽