HORTICULTURE NEWS

CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTURE ANNOUNCES DATES FOR CONFERENCE & AGM

It is going to be a very busy year for Dr Owen PE Doyle who is now installed as the president of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (Great Britain and Ireland). The dates for the 2017 conference have just been announced and will take place on 13 & 14 October at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin. This year's theme is ‘Healthy Horticulture: Healthy Business, Healthy Food, & Healthy Activities’. This is a good opportunity to meet and network with UK colleagues from across the horticulture spectrum. The event is being sponsored by Bord Bia. The full lineup of speakers and tour itinerary will be announced in the coming weeks. More at horticulture.org.uk k HTA NATIONAL PLANT SHOW 2017

The HTA National Plant Show, sponsored by Hortipak, will take place on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 June 2017 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry. Now in its eighth year, the show offers the very best of British plant suppliers all under one roof. The HTA takes a ‘back to basics’ approach, focusing purely on plants at the best time of year for retailers to plan their ranges for the following season. There are opportunities for exporting Irish nurseries at this event, as Tully Nurseries found out in 2013 when they won best new plant award for Hebe ‘Rhubarb & Custard’. More at nationalplantshow.co.uk. ✽

NEW FLORIST OPENS IN CARRICKMACROSS

Another sign of positivity comes with the opening of a new florist in the rural location of Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. The proprietor of the new venture is local man Daryn Cunningham, who has established a number of florists in London and the surrounding areas under the brand ‘James Bernard’. Daryn tells HC that “It's a purely commercial decision and I see lots of opportunity in the recovering Irish market”. More at james-bernard.co.uk. ✽

HORTICULTURE NEWS

MAJOR ADARE MANOR PROJECT FOR NANGLE & NIESEN

Over the last few months, an exciting project of tree planting has been underway on the Adare Manor estate. Over a thousand trees including English oak, Turkey oak, Hungarian oak, red oak, maples, dawn redwood, beech, copper beech, golden beech, sweet chestnut, horse chestnut and lime trees have been carefully selected, prepared, delivered and planted with the help of tree nursery Nangle & Niesen and landscapers Peter O’Brien & Sons.

Ronan Nangle of Nangle & Niesen told HC why the Adare Manor project is so unique in comparison to others. “It is the scale involved. These trees are big. The smallest is in excess of 50cm girth and the largest is in excess of 110cm in circumference. It is the largest movement of domestically grown super large trees (in excess of 60cm) to happen in this country’s history. It is the sheer size of these trees that marks them out, and the fact that they were all grown in Ireland. Some of the Quercus robur (common or English oak) in particular are fantastic specimens. Selecting the trees was a collaborative process between Nangle & Niesen and Adare Manor. In particular, Cian Foley and John McManus of Adare were heavily involved in the selection process, visiting the nursery on numerous occasions and carefully going through the suggested trees. Once the trees were agreed it was a matter of preparing them for lifting and ensuring that the process for managing them was in place. The lifting of trees of this scale takes experience, time and skill. Our special lifting team, working to the agreed hole by hole planting schedule, lifted the trees in sequence while our loading team tied the trees on site and brought them back to the yard for delivery. Loading the trees on to the flatbed 45ft container took place three times a week. Most loads took between four and five trees, but for the very biggest ones, only two could fit on the truck. Work on the 125 extra large trees began on 15 November and the last tree was loaded on 6 February.” More at nangleandniesen.ie ✽

NEW GARDEN INSPIRATION BOOK - DREAM GARDENS BY LEONIE CORNELIUS

In Dream Gardens one of Ireland’s leading garden designers, Leonie Cornelius, provides an outline of the skills and inspiration necessary to design a garden space that matches your style, your everyday needs and your gardening desires. Focusing on how a garden makes you feel, Leonie guides you through every step of the design process in expert but clear detail, from discovering the principles of good design to finding the right style and helping you with the practicalities of building your new garden. More than a straightforward how-to guide, Dream Gardens will inspire readers to dream big and create a stunning and truly personalised outdoor space.

Leonie Cornelius is one of Ireland’s leading garden designers. Currently a brand ambassador for Woodies, she has worked on the RTÉ Today Show and is a judge on the popular RTÉ Super Garden show. Her designs have won her several show garden medals. As a garden writer, she has written for many magazines and newspapers, including the Irish Independent and Irish Mail on Sunday. More at leoniecornelius.com ✽

KINBARK NURSERIES PLAN NEW MATURE TREE FACILITY

Kinbark Nurseries Ltd is proud to announce the planned development of a mature tree facility at its nursery in Camolin, Wexford. This planned facility will enable Kinbark to provide mature trees to developments and businesses nationwide and is expected to be launched in spring 2018. Over 25 years, Kinbark Nurseries has developed into one of the leading tree nurseries in the south east of Ireland. It is already one of the most established producers of bark mulch in Ireland, offering high quality bark in various grades from fine to playgrade. Kinbark also provides landscaping and transplanting services. More at kinbark.ie ✽

NAD LAUNCHES NEW ORGANIC FERTILISER/MOSS CONTROLLER ON IRISH MARKET

Viano BIO-Press is a 100% natural liquid fertiliser for lawns with indirect action against moss. BIO-Press is certified for use in organic horticulture, having recently been awarded Viano products’ Organic Symbol status by the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA). It is ideal to apply on lawns with moss infestation and before scarification. The product is being positioned as a 100% natural liquid fertiliser for lawns, with indirect action against moss. The NAD team recently showcased the whole Viano range at the IHNSA Trolley Fair, where it was well received by garden retailers. ✽

See more IHNSA photos on pg 36.

SUCCESSFUL IHNSA TROLLEY FAIR AT TULLY NURSERIES

There was a good turnout of buyers which included garden centres, DIY stores and landscapers at the first IHNSA Trolley Fair of 2017, held at Tully Nurseries on 7 March. Also at the event, Bord Bia presented mainly positive findings in the latest Value of the Garden Market 2016 report. The mood was buoyant, and apart from the buying opportunities presented, much networking was being done in the food area, which is another of the big improvements that have been made since the event has moved back to the nurseries. It was also a chance to see the impressive developments that have taken place on an ongoing basis over the last number of years. Martin and Joan Tully are rightly proud of what they, their family and the team at Tully’s have achieved. The event continues to go from strength to strength and the next opportunity takes place at Kelly Nurseries on the 4th of April. More at trolleyfairs.com ✽

TEAGASC & INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS ASK - HOW SAFE IS YOUR CROP?

This well attended seminar held on March 14 took place at the impressive Teagasc Ashtown venue and research centre. The Growing Safer Crops seminar was targeted at the horticultural food sector but there were many practical lessons that could be utilised across the wider sector. The focus of the seminar was that an increasing importance is being attached to the area of microbiological contamination of fresh fruit and vegetables. A major source of contamination can be the water you use on your farm. Water for washing, cleaning and irrigation can potentially cause problems with your produce. This seminar informed attendees about the new FSAI guidelines on fresh produce safety, simple tips on producing safe food, how to take a water sample, advice on boring for water and wells, water quality of our rivers and how to clean up your water if you do have a problem. Speakers came from Teagasc, the EU Commission and industry specialists. IASIS points were awarded to attendees on the day. Dermot Callaghan, head of horticulture at Teagasc, tells HC: “Today’s event was organised to increase awareness among growers and producers on the safe production of fresh produce and to focus on certain key activities which can reduce risks". The event organised by Teagasc Horticulture Development Department had invited speakers dealing with setting the EU scene, reducing food safety risks in the fresh produce context, how to drill and source a safe borehole water supply, specific microbiological risks and expert views from the UK. More at teagasc.ie ✽

ITB SETS SIGHTS ON BLOOM

ITB and Fingal County Council are working on another collaborative garden for Bloom 2017. Staff from both organisations and ITB students are planning and preparing for the competition and are ever hopeful of a successful event again this year. The ITB Horticulture team is reviewing the curriculum of the level 6 part time Higher Certificate in Professional Horticulture Practice, updating it and aligning it with the degree programmes which were revised early in 2015.

The first year students are busy working on their Horticulture in the Community programme, in collaboration with the local community to design and build a garden at a primary school in Dublin 15.

There is still time to apply for places as the CAO is open again for late applications. Any students who wish to study horticulture at ITB beginning in September 2017 should log onto the CAO website and choose either BN022 Bachelor of Science in Horticulture (level 7) or BN113 Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Horticulture (level 8.) More at itb.ie ✽

HYGEIA TAKES GOLD AT HARDWARE SHOW 2017 INNOVATION AWARDS

Hygeia Garden Care, based in Oranmore in Galway, has won a major award for innovation for its organic based lawn fertiliser product GreenForce Lawn Gold, taking the first prize in the Best Garden Product category at The Hardware Show 2017, which took place recently in Dublin.

A new product, GreenForce Lawn Gold treats moss while feeding the lawn with a slow-release technology, requiring no raking of the treated moss. The Hygeia team impressed the panel of judges, led by well known entrepreneur and former Dragons’ Den Judge Bobby Kerr, with its progressive technology and significant commercial potential.

The Innovation Awards 2017 were judged by a Dragons’ Den style panel of industry experts and buyers. Congratulating Hygeia on their award, Annemarie Harte, CEO of Hardware Association Ireland said, “A key and defining objective of The Hardware Show is to showcase new product innovation to hardware/DIY retailers and builders merchants and Hygeia really stood out in the Garden Category for their fantastic new product. We’re sure that their GreenForce Lawn Gold product will be a huge success in the market - both in Ireland and internationally, and we wish the team continued success".

Pictured at the Show with the Innovation Award for Best Garden Product is Elisha Daniels, marketing manager at Hygeia Garden Care, who told HC “the award was a huge vote of confidence in the product and the wider team at Hygeia. The Innovation Awards at The Hardware Show 2017 were sponsored by Topline. ✽

GREAT TURNOUT AT TEAGASC BOTANIC GARDENS CAREERS & OPEN DAY

There was a large turnout of existing and prospective students at the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture Careers & Open Day. A number of companies including NAD, SAP, Redlough and Donnybrook Landscapes among others were recruiting on the day. There was a buzz of positivity among students and a real sense that there will be ample jobs available when they graduate. ✽

KIERAN SKELLY K & M NURSERIES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Skelly, Kieran – K & M Nurseries, Ballyhagen, Carbury, Co Kildare and formerly of Beherna, Virginia, Co Cavan. Died tragically on 31 March 2016. R.I.P.

We, Kieran’s wife Muriel, daughters Lydia, Bianca and Mckayla, sons Jerome and Dylan, grandson Tadhg, brothers and sisters and extended family would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and sincere thanks to all who sympathised with us on our recent sad loss. We are forever indebted to our good friends Deirdre and Willie Ayres and their family for the use of their lovely home to mourn Kieran’s passing and to wake Kieran’s remains. We much appreciate those who called to the house from far and near, those who attended the rosaries, sent Mass cards, letters of condolences or flowers and to the large numbers of people who attended the funeral Mass. Sincere thanks to Fr John Fitzpatrick PP and Fr Alphonsis Murphy PE who came all of the nine nights and said the rosary and conducted a beautiful funeral Mass. To Fr Frank Kelleher and Fr Dermot Prior who travelled from Cavan to be with us on the day. Sincere thanks to Patrick Larkin Undertakers for their sympathetic, professional and constant support throughout the funeral. Thanks to the sacristans, altar servers, singer, organist, Eucharistic minister and gravediggers. Thanks to Robert Bergin for supplying superb food after the funeral. Thanks to the firemen, ambulance crew and guards who attended the fire at our home on the day. Thanks to the nursery industry for their support. Thanks to everyone who organised events, made donations or donated prizes. We express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped us in any way to make our path in life that little bit easier since that tragic day. As it is impossible to thank everyone individually please accept this acknowledgement as a token of our sincere appreciation. ✽