Horticulture Connected Winter Volume 3 Issue 3

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Autumn/Winter 2016

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

Facing Charges

Patricia Tyrell tackles a very difficult subject

What You See

Ronan Nangle on the benefits of hand picking trees

Perennial Passion

Tim Schram talks TO Barry Lupton

Assuring Sustainable Practice

Andrew Mahon frames The Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS)

5 – 6 MARCH 2017 RDS SIMMONSCOURT DUBLIN

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Photo by benschonewille

EDITORS LETTER

Sure we’re

grand

I

t’s been a busy year for those in horticulture, particularly those based in urban centres. New developments, refurbishments, an upswing in consumer confidence, improved marketing, good weather and pent-up demand have all contributed to increased sales, almost across the board. There are challenges of course: Brexit, currency fluctuations, economic uncertainty, concentration of economic activity and increased competition are ever present. But for the moment – where most Irish people prefer to live – we’re grand. Most professionals have a few extra bob in their pockets, or at least are starting to emerge from under the weight of the last few years; Hopefully with mind and body intact.

Whether you’ve made a few extra bob or not, you are probably busier than ever trying to do the work of two people: you, and the person let go a couple of years back.

If the current spike continues, the real challenge won’t be finding new business, it’ll be accessing skilled labour. Just as before, labour will follow the money out of horticulture and into services and construction, leaving the sector scrambling for experienced, hardworking and dependable staff. The most successful horticulture businesses over the next few years will be those who retain the lean, efficient model they developed during the tough times, while investing in staff recruitment and development.

The challenges and opportunities mentioned above are significant, but short term. The real ones are those which

emerge when a long term perspective is taken. We live on an isolated island, have an open economy, we are reliant on imported energy and food, are barely audible in an increasingly fractious geopolitical landscape, and in relation to horticulture specifically, the abject failure of successive governments to intelligently invest in the sector means we are only now exploring biotech and related industry potential. These challenges are also opportunities waiting to be exploited, but only if our decision makers can make brave decisions, which build on our strengths to deliver a long term vision.

Any vision for Ireland, or indeed for the sector, should be centered on sustainability, or meeting the needs of today without negatively impacting the needs of tomorrow, something we have thus far been unable to achieve. This idea of longer term thinking weaves itself throughout this issue with perspectives on green infrastructure planning, environmentally friendly production practices, phytochemical research, the benefits of community based horticulture education, sustainable tree specification and Teagasc’s vision for horticultural training. Also in this issue, Patricia Tyrell MGLDA tackles the most challenging subject for designers to speak of: fees. On the retail front, Liam Kelly also tackles some difficult topics and dispels many long held truth of selling while I speak with Tim Schram, a man with his own confident vision and positive view of things to come.

I would like to express thanks from the team at Horticulture Connected for your continued support of the magazine. We will be publishing three issues in 2017 and I invite all of you to contribute. It is your publication, be represented. ✽

EDITOR Barry Lupton

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

News, Analysis and Trends In Landscape & Amenity Horticulture

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Autumn/Winter 2016

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

Facing charges

Patricia tyrell tackles a very difficult subject

What You see

ronan nangle on the benefits of hand Picking trees

Perennial Passion

tim schram talks to barry luPton

assuring sustainable Practice

andrew mahon frames the sustainable horticulture assurance scheme (shas)

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

Editor: Barry Lupton editor@horticulture.ie News Editor & Advertising: Joseph Blair joseph@horticulture.ie - 087 921 2044 Creative: Tanya Gilsenan tanya@horticulture.ie Editorial Assistant: Koraley Northen Subscriptions & Sales: Anne Marie Browne annemarie@horticulture.ie Cover image: Vera Kuttelvaserova Photos: Koraley Northen & Joseph Blair

Printers: Turners Printing Distribution: Readership of 10,000 across Ireland from Businesses and Professionals in the following Sectors: Landscape Architects / Garden Retail / Florists / Nurseries / Greenkeepers / Sports Surfaces / Local Authority’s & Parks Departments / Machinery / Education / Edible Horticulture Publishers: HortiTrends See Hortitrends.ie for Daily News Updates

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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CONTENTS

Contents NEWS

03 Horticulture News

EVENTS 06 H orticulture trade events BORD BIA 08

EDIBLES 32

Andrew Mahon frames The Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS)

LANDSCAPE 34

All of the latest news, events and updates from Bord Bia

RETAIl 11

Liam Kelly dispels some of the persistent truths of successful retailing

13

16

Teagasc

41

RESEARCH 43

45

GLAS, RHSI Gala & Four Oaks

INTERVIEW

28

P erennial Passion Tim Schram talks to Barry Lupton

Mycorrhizal and root initiation and development Institute of Technology Blanchardstown student Paul Dunlea on mycorrhizal fungi

Patricia Tyrell tackles a very difficult subject

24

P ick your Phytes

Michael Gaffney peels back the layers of data surrounding the nutritional values of fruit and vegetables

20 F acing Charges

IN PICTURES

E ducation, communities and the role of horticulture in Ireland Rachel Freeman shares her insights into the role horticultural education can play in sharing knowledge and building resilience in communities

Research education and advisory news from Teagasc

DESIGN

Ronan Nangle on the benefits of hand picking trees

INSIGHT

A CUT ABOVE Andy Whelton & Dónall Flanagan explore the benefits and success of species screening trials of ornamental plants

18

38 What

You See

P ractically Sustainable John Murphy explains how his personal philosophy and growing knowledge of sustainable practice are playing out on a day to day basis

P eople, Place, Quality of Life – Hope for Blue-Green Infrastructure in Ireland Aidan J ffrench disseminates a recent research conference paper on the driver's, reality and potential future for green infrastructure

Was

it something I said?

NURSERY

A ssuring Sustainable Practice

EDUCATION 47

A Strategy for Learning Growth

John Mulhern, Principal of the College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens summarises findings of the recent strategy review for horticultural education in Ireland.

floristry

31 A utumn’s best performer Ruth Monaghan shares her thoughts and techniques on how to get the most from the humble but top performing Cyclamen

2

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

01 / NEWS GLDA announces speakers for 2017 seminar An important diary date for everyone involved in the landscape and design sectors is the GLDA’s annual seminar which will take place on 11 February 2017. Two speakers confirmed for the event so far are Thomas Doxiadis and Noël van Mierlo. The full programme is currently being finalised. Check for updates at glda.ie ✽

New supplier and services directory launched in HC magazine We now have a dedicated supplier and services directory for HC, which you will find on the inside back cover.

A useful tool for trade buyers of all sizes, there is a range of suppliers for plants, sundries etc currently promoting themselves. If you are a business looking to promote your service or product offerings, the directory gives you a budget friendly way of reaching out to a dedicated readership of horticulture businesses and trade professionals in both the public and private sectors. For more information or to be included in the spring edition and throughout 2017 please call Annemarie on 042 966 3532. More at horticulture.ie ✽

Horticulture industry gettogether Following on from previous years' successful industry get-togethers, it's all happening again, on Saturday 26 November 2016, 3 to 5pm in Overend's Cafe, Airfield, Overend Way, Dundrum, Dublin 16. It's informal and open to all garden designers, landscapers, nursery growers, suppliers etc etc - anyone connected with the industry. There is plenty of free parking, and the coffee and cakes are delectable.

And if you haven't yet seen the lovely new Airfield, allow yourself the pleasure of spending a little time in the gardens beforehand.

Bring your business cards. Do some networking and meet some new friends. There is no charge and all are welcome. ✽

horticulture news New venue for expanded Hardware Show 2017 The Hardware Show 2017, Ireland’s premier trade event for hardware/ DIY retailers and builders merchants takes place on Sunday 5 and Monday 6 March at the new larger venue of RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin. Off the back of increased confidence in the industry, the show is set to be the biggest event of its kind next year.

Organised by Hardware Association Ireland (HAI), the industry’s trade association, the biennial show is already 85% sold with over 2,900m2 sq taken and has capacity to go to 3,600m2. One of the key attractions for visitors to the show is that it caters for two sectors of the industry that have acted as a boon in the difficult years postconstruction crash – home and garden. An improving economic environment with plans for significant investment in social housing and an upward trend in house building will provide further impetus to the market.

The Hardware Show is recognised for bringing together leading brands across the retail and merchant sector and the extra capacity at the RDS means more opportunities for suppliers and visitors alike. Companies who supply garden and outdoor related products including Ames True Temper, Bord na Móna, Crown Paints, DS Supplies, Dulux, Jefferson Tools, Kilsaran, McLoughlins RS, N&C Enterprises, Ronseal and Westaro Hosing have already booked space.

Annemarie Harte, CEO of HAI said: "Garden and Outdoor Living is an important feature to many retailers businesses and is a growing market. They come to the Hardware Show not just to look for new products but for advice and support in developing this part of their business.”

Among the exhibitors taking part are Bord na Móna, Ames True Temper, Kilsaran, McLoughlinRS, BetterGrowing plus many more new exhibitors being announced weekly. HC will be there on the day and can recommend a visit. More at thehardwareshow.ie ✽

Rentes Spring Fair P e r s i c a n Hy b ri d B u s h Ro s e s

N E W VAR I ET Y

EYE OF THE TIGER Th e m a g i c of t h e e a s t b ro u g ht to yo u r g a rd e n

• Strong, very healthy, easy to grow scented roses that have distinctive flowers with contrasting vivid centres. Ideal for pots, tubs and garden beds.

• The result of over 30 years of plant breeding, using modern varieties crossed

BRIGHT AS A B U T TO N

ANGEL EYES

with original wild persican roses found in South East Asia to Western Siberia.

• Flowers continually from summer through to late autumn, year after year.

• Grows up to 70cms x 70cms width.

FO R YO U R E Y E S O N LY

S M I LI N G E Y E S

E Y E S FO R YO U (B LU E E Y E S )

The annual spring fair at Rentes Plants takes place over two days on 15 and 16 February 2017. The nursery itself contains over 200,000 plants. In the covered area at the show there will be over 15,000 plants on display, consisting of 1,000 individual varieties and sizes including a new variety of Persican hybrid bush rose ‘Eye of the Tiger’. It takes over 100 man days to change the dispatch area into a plant retailers paradise. There will be over 200 plant buyers attending over the two days who will consume several roasted hogs. It is a visual spectacle providing great buying and planning opportunities for the coming year, and a useful networking and social event. More at rentes.ie ✽

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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01 / NEWS Chelsea gold medal winner Jenny Murphy launches Flower Academy Jenny Murphy has announced the opening of ‘The Flower Academy’ at Flowers by Moira. It is a warm and friendly flower school that will teach you how to create floral displays, inspire you to create beautiful designs and a space for you to learn the skills and techniques of floristry. The Flower Academy will be led by Jenny Murphy, one of Ireland's most noted floral designers with many award and accolades including Best in Show and RHS Chelsea Gold Medal. Jenny will be on hand to guide you through the process, help you along the way with your creation and provide lots of floral tips and inspiration throughout your class.

The Academy is located above the existing retail store Flowers on the Main Street of Dunshaughlin. Phone 01 825 9948 or email jenny@flowersbymoira.ie ✽

City Centre Flower & Plant Market Proposed for Templebar Established in 2003 The Temple Bar Company is unique within Dublin as it provides the democratic voice for all business, cultural and voluntary sectors within Temple Bar. They have engaged HortiTrends to research the viability of a monthly flower and plant market to serve residents and visitors to the city centre. If you are interested in a stand at this new market please get in touch with joseph@hortitrends.ie ✽

New Children's Respite Centre Garden Seeking Donations of Materials & Plants The Maria Goretti Children’s Respite Centre in Lordship, Co Louth was built by the Maria Goretti Foundation and is managed by RehabCare in conjunction with the HSE. A project to design and build a garden for children and families using the facilities is currently underway.

They are seeking manufacturers and suppliers to donate various landscape materials and plants for the build. If you would like to get involved and are interested in supporting this worthy cause please contact joseph@hortitrends.ie for a list of materials they need. ✽

ITB academic ‘Excellence in Horticulture’ award won by Patrick Smith This award, consisting of a bog oak perpetual trophy, cash prize and certificate, is presented to the student in the final year cohort, with the highest overall GPA in their year. The recipient, Patrick (Paddy) Smith completed his honours year (BSc Horticulture) on a part time basis over two years with ITB. He was awarded his prize by Assumpta Meally (Westland Horticulture Ireland sales manager) at the ITB graduation ceremony held on 11 November. Paddy has recently been appointed lecturer at the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture, Glasnevin. Potential future students of ITB horticulture can find out more at the upcoming open evening on Tuesday, 29 November between 5pm - 7pm. ITB’s open evening is ideal for second level students, mature students, guidance counsellors, teachers, parents and guardians. Talk to them about their full time, part time, post graduate and online courses in horticulture. More at itb.ie ✽

The Thinking House launch for the Irish amenity horticulture industry Want to know what’s forecast for garden and lifestyle trends in 2017 and beyond?

Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture industry will for the first time enjoy unrestricted access to the latest global trends, research, consumer insights and industry innovations thanks to a new integrated, state-of-the-art consumer research and market insight centre.

Bord Bia is delighted to officially launch their new insight centre – The Thinking House – to the Irish amenity

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World Soil Day 2015 Soils have been neglected for too long.

We fail to connect soil with our food, water, climate, biodiversity and life. We must invert this tendency and take up some preserving and restoring actions.

The World Soil Day campaign aims to connect people with soils and raise awareness on their critical importance in our lives. World Soil Day 2015 will be celebrated on 4 December at the UN Food and Agriculture (FAO) headquarters in Rome and FAO regional offices. National events will also be organised, so make sure to regularly check the map of events and/or register your event. The theme for this year will be “Soils: a solid ground for life”. More at fao.org/global-soil-partnership/en ✽

horticulture industry. The Thinking House is an immersive, creative learning environment which puts the consumer at the heart of creating and building brands, and bringing new products to market. The highlight of the day will be a presentation, Garden Lifestyle Trends 2017 and Beyond, by Lisa White, head of WGSN Lifestyle & Interiors, followed by an overview of their service which will be a new facility available to the industry at The Thinking House. The event takes place on Thursday 1 December between 8.30am to 1.00pm and includes a light lunch. Register and find out more at bordbia.ie ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

01 / NEWS GardenFx launches new range of anti-slip products Slips, trips and falls not only cost millions of euro each year through claims and increased insurance premiums, but can also have a devastating impact on those who are injured. GardenFx is offering a number of solutions such as retrofit insert strips which can help keep users safe by preventing accidents. One of newest products is an outdoor mat that can be used to create an anti-slip walkway or laid in strips to cover an entire patio area. This easy to install mat can be loose laid for areas over 3m², glued or screwed.

Available in eight colours that can be cleaned with a power hose if needed. Due to its foam like core, even a light cover of ice will creak underfoot ensuring you have contact with the anti-slip surface. More information at www.gardenfx.ie ✽

Commercial horticulture grant scheme open for applications The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently launched the 2017 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector. The closing date for receipt of applications is 16 December 2016.

The scheme is open to all sectors within the horticultural industry making capital investments in new specialised buildings and/or equipment which meet at least one of the following scheme objectives: ● promote diversification ● improve quality ● facilitate environmentally friendly practises ● improve working conditions Funding is allocated at a rate of up to 40% (50% in the case

IALI secures funding to develop a landscape quality management system The Irish Association of Landscape Industries (IALI) was established two years ago to explore how the wider horticulture community works together to address shared issues. With representation from all of the key sectors and professional bodies, the group set about focusing its energies on addressing well documented and pervasive issues relating to the specification, tendering and delivery of landscape schemes in Ireland. Following the completion of a number of landscape audits and the production of an audit report, the group concluded that the most effective strategy to address the wide ranging issues was to develop a practical and Irish specific landscape quality management system (LQMS). While the proposed system will include the development of a specific set of contracts, standards and related documents its core rests on a simple concept: Landscape architects will have a formal signing off role throughout all stages of landscape projects and landscape works are to be carried out by appropriately qualified landscape contractors. In addition, assessment by the appropriate landscape professionals such as arborists for tree works will form part of the LQMS. Having explored a number of funding options, the group

of young growers / farmers) for approved investments. The scheme is a competitive scheme where applicants compete with each other for the available funding. With this in mind, Minister of State with responsibility for Horticulture, Andrew Doyle TD, has urged those interested in applying for the scheme to contact their independent Teagasc advisor as early as possible to ensure they are in a position to lodge a well prepared application prior to the deadline of 16 December 2016.

Over the period 2008-2015, €5.6 million in grant aid was paid under the scheme to applicants from the nursery stock and related ornamental sectors. This supported investment of €14 million by the sector. In 2016 a further €0.75m was allocated to the nursery stock and related ornamental sectors.

The Department has advised payments of 2016 grant aid are ongoing at present. More at agriculture.gov.ie ✽

approached Bord Bia who recognised the long term potential of the scheme to increase the quality of Irish landscapes and the role played by various stakeholders, particularly Irish ornamental plant producers. Bord Bia has provided funding for phase 1 of the project, which centres on the development of the documents and processes surrounding the proposed system.

Phase 1 is expected to take 12 months and is being led by former president of the Landscape Institute, Tony Williams. Working directly with Tony is landscape architect, Eoghan Riordan Fernandez who is being employed to undertake much of the production tasks.

Guidance and input will be provided by a steering group with representation from the Irish Landscape Institute, Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association, the Garden & Landscape Designers Association, the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland and the Arboriculture Association (Irish branch). At the end of phase 1, a review will be undertaken and phase 2 which involves further work on the LQMS will begin. Phase 2 requires the implementation phase of the LQMS and will require dialogue with statutory agencies and the enactment of appropriate regulatory instruments and systems.

Updates on the project will be shared through various channels and on the group's website, www.iali.ie. ✽

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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02 / EVENTS

2016/2017

EventS Diary ✽ 26 NOVEMBER 2016 Horticulture Industry Get-Together Open to anyone connected with the industry. Free parking, delectable coffee and cakes. Bring your business cards.

Do some networking, Meet new friends. LIKE it on Frazer McDonogh’s Facebook page. Time: 3-5pm Venue: Overend's Cafe, Airfield, Overend Way, Dundrum, Dublin 16. ✽

DON’T MISS!

✽ 29 NOVEMBER 2016

ITB Horticulture Open day

Fancy a blossoming career in horticulture? Are you interested in the environment and the outdoors? If so, our horticulture courses may be of interest to you.

Venue: Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Blanchardstown Road North, Dublin 15 www.itb.ie/studyatitb/horticulture.html ✽

✽ 01 DECEMBER 2016 The Thinking House launch for the Irish Amenity Horticulture industry Want to know what’s forecast for Garden Lifestyle Trends 2017 and Beyond? 8.30am to 1pm including a light lunch.

Venue: The Thinking House, Bord Bia, Dublin 2 www.bordbia.ie/industry/events ✽

✽ 08 DECEMBER 2016 Top Fruit Seminar The programme will include a presentation of Bord Bia’s current research on consumer behaviours and attitudes to purchasing and using apples, a presentation on the apple retail market, and a sector update from the Irish Apple Growers Association.

Venue: Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Meath Email: Michal Slawski at michal.slawski@bordbia.ie ✽

✽ 17 - 19 JANUARY 2017 BTME The BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) is Europe's leading exhibition for turf professionals and buyers, and an unmissable opportunity to further your education and development through our Continue to Learn programme.

Venue: Harrogate International centre, Harrogate, UK www.btme.org.uk ✽

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✽ 24 - 27 JAN'uary 17 IPM ESSEN The world’s leading trade fair for horticulture is a specialist trade fair covering plant production, technology, floristry, garden features, and point of sale.

Venue: MESSE ESSEN GmbH, 45131 Essen, Germany www.ipm-essen.de ✽

DON’T MISS!

✽ 11 FEBRUARY GLDA’s International Garden design Seminar The Designed Garden – ‘Completing the Picture’ Speakers: Thomas Doxiados (Greece), Noel van Mierlo (The Netherlands), Sue and Bleddyn Jones (Wales), Emma Mazzullo, Mazzullo Russell Landscape Design (England).

Venue: Crowne Plaza Conference Centre, Northwood Park, Santry, Dublin 9 www.glda.ie ✽

✽ 15-16 FEBRUary RENTES Plants Spring Show Celebrating the 11th edition of the show, it is a must for all serious plant retailers and professional landscape industry practitioners alike. 8am to 6pm.

Venue: Rentes Plants, Moyvally, Broadford, Kildare www.rentes.ie ✽

DON’T MISS!

✽ 03 MARCH Kildalton Agricultural & Horticultural College Open Day Find out more about what the college offers to perspective students. From 2 to 4.30pm.

Venue: Kildalton Agricultural & Horticultural College, Teagasc, Kildalton Agricultural & Horticultural College, Piltown, Co Kilkenny. E32 YW08 www.teagasc.ie/events ✽

✽ 05 - 06 MARCH The Hardware Show 2017 The show will feature product innovation alongside a range of insightful demonstrations, workshops and presentations, all aimed at inspiring and educating the Irish hardware and building materials industry.

Venue: RDS Simmonscourt, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 www.thehardwareshow.ie ✽

DON’T MISS!

✽ 09 MARCH Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture Open Day Find out more about what the college offers to prospective students. From 2 to 4.30pm.

Venue: National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, D9 www.teagasc.ie/events ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Rentes Plants Spring Show

15 - 16th February 2017 8am - 6pm

Many SpecialS & Mixed Trolley offerS on The day

ON disPLay 700 iNdiVidUaL PLaNT VaRiETiEs w LaRgEsT RaNgE OF COMPaCT & HaRdy sHRUBs iN iRELaNd w LaRgE RaNgE OF TREEs, CLiMBERs & CONiFERs

w LaRgE RaNgE OF ROsEs iNCLUdiNg FLOWER CaRPET, daVid aUsTiN, FLORiBUNda, CLiMBER, PaTiO, HyBRid TEa w NEW PLaNTs aNd sERViCEs iNTROdUCTiONs w gOOd FOOd aNd REFREsHMENTs sERVEd

Rentes Plants Ltd. Moyvalley, Broadford, Kildare, W91PN28 Tel: 046-955 1237 l Fax: 046 -955 1160 Email: info@rentes.ie l Webshop: www.rentes.ie

SOWING IDEAS, REAPING SUCCESS 24 – 27 January The world’s leading trade fair for horticulture fosters success.

Use the IPM ESSEN for your business success and benefit from its extremely high internationality and diverse market innovations. Some 1,600 exhibitors from 49 nations offer you a comprehensive market overview, presenting new plant cultivations, innovative technology, sales-boosting floristic trends and target group-oriented marketing concepts for the POS. IPM ESSEN is the No. 1 in the green sector and the only trade fair to represent the entire value chain. It shows the key issues in the industry: tangible, comprehensible and viable for your business.

We’ll see you in Essen.

G AR

FLOR

D

RE E ATU EN F

Y

ISTR

NO TECH

LO G

S

PL AN

TS

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www.ipm-essen.de Partner country IPM ESSEN 2017:

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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03 / BORD BIA

Bord Bia Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme The revision of the current Bord Bia Producer and Pre-packer standard for horticulture is near completion.

The updated standard will see the introduction of a modular structure with growing activity covered by the new M1-Grower module and Produce Handling and Packing covered by the M2 module. The new standard will operate under the banner of the Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS) which is aligned with the Origin Green programme. Origin Green is the only sustainability programme in the world that operates on a national scale, uniting government, the private sector and food producers across the entire Irish food, drink and horticulture industry. More information on Origin Green can be found at www.origingreen.ie Turn to page 32 for a full review by Andrew Mahon. ✽

Amenity Export Programme

Potato Promotion campaign

Bord Bia provides support to exporters in the amenity sector through the amenity export programme. This includes reviewing market strategies, advising on potential market opportunities and developing a strategy to engage with buyers where relevant. UK based consultant Neville Stein is providing ongoing one-to-one support for exporting nurseries who request and require it. There will be two days of one-toone mentoring meetings between Bord Bia/Neville Stein and exporting nurseries on the 21 and 22 November. If you have not been contacted already and would like to participate in these mentoring sessions, please contact Gary Graham at gary.graham@bordbia.ie Brexit will also be covered in the context of any impact it may have on exporters. ✽

The three year EU and industry funded potato promotion campaign “Potatoes: More than a Bit on the Side” commenced in 2015 and continues to be rolled POTATOES MORE THAN out in 2016. The promotional activity includes print, outdoor and digital advertising, promotion on the campaign social media channels and through PR activity. The key outcomes from year one of the campaign include:

“You & me. n table On the kitche es.” in 20 minut

Potatoes are fat-free & fab. For this tasty Thai Potato & Chicken Stir-Fry recipe and lots of healthy, quick, midweek meal ideas: potato.ie

A BIT ON THE SIDE

●P rint advertising reach – 257,000 people ●P ress advertising insertions - 40 ●D igital advertising impressions – 11 million

Top Fruit Seminar The date for the Bord Bia Top Fruit annual seminar is 8 December 2016. The programme will include a presentation of Bord Bia’s current research on consumer behaviours and attitudes to purchasing and using apples, a presentation on the apple retail market, and a sector update from the Irish Apple Growers Association. For further information contact Michal Slawski at michal.slawski@bordbia.ie ✽

Salad promotion The first Summer Salads Week took place from 18 to 24 July.

It was a joint initiative between Bord Bia, the Irish Farmers Association and salad producers. July is the time of the year when the widest range of Irish salad crops is available. A logo was designed for the campaign which helped to give it an identity. The activities undertaken included the sponsorship of a popular radio show, a competition in the Irish Farmers Journal and advertising on the MyKidsTime website with over 650,000 young subscribers. In addition, the week was promoted across the Bord Bia social media channels (including a promoted Facebook competition). The campaign also got good support from Agriaware and ilovecooking.ie. The aims of the campaign were to promote awareness of the seasonality

8

●D igital advertising click throughs – 71,000 ●P R coverage pieces – 75 ● Website visits - 125,000 ● Facebook likes – 36,000 ● Facebook reach – 263,000 ● Twitter followers (GB/Ireland) – 12,000 ● Instagram followers (GB/Ireland) – 3,600 The most recent burst of promotional activity has been rolling out from the end of September into November.

For the first time in this campaign, this activity included outdoor advertising in key urban locations in Dublin including bus shelters, DART stations and selected retail store locations (75 locations in total). ✽

of Irish salads with consumers and build a platform for an enhanced week in 2017. The crops covered included tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and peppers.

A summary of the results for the week include: ● 1 83,000 listeners reached on the sponsored radio show Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show ●4 05,043 people reached through the Mykidstime website and Facebook page ● 1 48,000 people reached through the Bord Bia Facebook and main website with a promoted ad ●2 59,000 readers reached in the press advertisement and competition in the Irish Farmers Journal. ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

03 / BORD BIA GroMόr

Mushroom promotion

As the year is coming to a close, the GroMór gardening promotion campaign will continue, with main activity focusing on continuing to encourage consumers to engage in seasonal gardening and growing activities via the social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This has been a seminal year for the campaign, building on the work and learnings from year one, as well as continuing to evolve the programme activities. As at the end of September, key outcomes of the campaign to date include: ●W ebsite visitors - 14,000 & 38,000 page views ●F acebook fans - 11,000 ●T witter followers - 550 ●P R campaign – Advertising/PR value of coverage achieved to date €0.5m approx* ●M edia impressions – 22 million* *note – includes national/regional press & online/radio coverage.

The social media channels have been a key communications aid for the campaign this year. Two Social Media Masterclasses were facilitated by Bord Bia with social media guru Greg Fry. A Whatsapp group was set up for GroMór participants to facilitate the sharing of photos with the campaign’s digital agency IDEA and has worked extremely well.

Bord Bia, REI Garden Group and the IHNSA are currently in discussions and canvassing the industry to participate in the campaign in 2017. The ultimate aim is to build on the momentum the GroMór campaign has generated to date and collaborate further with a view to submitting a bid for EU funding in the near future to promote gardening and the use of garden plants. ✽

Brexit As the impact of Brexit starts to percolate down it is clear that it is having and will have an impact on exporters to the UK market. In the shorter term currency volatility is the key issue of concern, particularly for the mushroom sector where over 80% of production is marketed. The mushroom industry has been engaged with marketers, composters and input suppliers to take measures that will assist to negate some of the impacts of the currency volatility which becomes more challenging when Sterling weakens further. Bord Bia has organised currency workshops for exporting companies and has carried out some recent market research with UK consumers on their behaviour and attitude to purchasing

National Potato Day The fourth National Potato Day took place on 7 October.

It was organised by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Irish Potato Federation and the Irish Farmers Association. The key promotional activity included the production of a 12 page potato promotional supplement in the Irish Independent (over 600,000 readers per day), two segments on the TV3 AM morning programme (on 5 October) in the run up to and one on National Potato Day (7 October) featuring life on a potato farm, conversation on the health and nutritional benefits of potatoes with nutritionist and campaign ambassador Aoife Hearne, and finally on National Potato Day our second and newly recruited campaign ambassador Chef Mark Moriarty

The final phase of activity in the three year EU and industry funded “Just Add Mushrooms” campaign took place in May. Over the period of the campaign activity included press advertising, digital advertising, promotion on the campaign social media channels and PR activity. The “Just Add Mushrooms” campaign has seen an increase in the cumulative volume of sales in the combined markets of 30,000 tonnes since the campaign began (22,500 tonnes in the UK and 7,700 tonnes in Ireland compared to the baseline figures in 2013). Other achievements were as follows: Social media: ●F acebook fans - 137,393 (GB 118,658, Ireland 13,343) ●T witter followers - 2,017 (GB 71%, Ireland 5%) ●O ver 350,000 social media engagements ●S ocial media reach/exposure of 10 million+ Website: ●W eb sessions - 554,671 (GB 474,621, Ireland 80,050) ●T otal visitors - 454,734 ✽

David Robinson Memorial Lecture Bord Bia organises the annual David Robinson Memorial Lecture in conjunction with third level colleges for horticulture students. This year’s event took place on the 27 October in Croke Park. The speaker was Richard Barley, Director of Horticulture at Kew. In addition there were tours with the groundsman, presentations from past students and interactive workshops for students. ✽ mushrooms and their origin to assist marketers in their discussions with buyers. Bord Bia is also engaging in the UK market with senior retailers. Bord Bia will be supporting promotional activity in the UK market between now and the end of the year as well as promotional activity on the home market. Bord Bia has recently announced a new marketing intensification programme to assist companies (with turnover between €1m and €30m) who have at least 20% of their turnover generated in the UK market. The support covers key marketing activities. For more details go to bordbia.ie or bordbiavantage.ie. To keep up to date on developments and discussions on Brexit go to the Brexit section on bordbia.ie ✽

cooked some potato recipes on air.

Also on the day there was a strong online campaign across the Bord Bia social media channels which provided exposure to a huge audience, with the key campaign message being the health giving properties, convenience and versatility of potatoes. National Potato Day was the number one trending item on Twitter during the day. There was also PR activity with national and regional press releases. The industry was involved through organising activities locally and engagement on social media across the day, which helped to further amplify the campaign. ✽

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

9

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eer in Horticulture...

A Ca r Situated in the National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin, the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture offers a range of courses in Horticulture. This wonderful setting provides the unique blend of the finest park setting in the capital coupled with the experience of the staff of the gardens and the Teagasc staff.

All students can avail of work experience in the Botanic Gardens as well as in parks around the city and other placements further afield.

Botanic graduates are leaders in the field of Horticulture and develop clear career pathways. Careers in landscape design and construction, parks,garden centres, fruit and vegetable production are all followed by the graduates.

Kildalton College

Piltown, Co. Kilkenny

Helping people establish careers in horticulture for 45 years

• • •

QQI Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture QQI Level 7 Bachelor of Science in Horticulture (in conjunction with Waterford Institute of Technology)

•

Open D ay Friday 3rd March 2017

Part-time Component Awards at Levels 5 & 6

Teagasc are proud to have new state of the art classrooms to support the learning of the next generation of Horticulturalists in the National Botanic Gardens. Careers and Course Information day:

th Thursday 10th9March 20162017 @ 2.00@ to 2.00 4.00pm the college.

Thursday March toin4.00pm

•QQI Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture •QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture •QQI Level 7BSc in Horticulture in Partnership with WIT (WD097)

NEW Part time Component Awards at L5 and L6 Application procedure for Certificate and Component Award courses directly to the college (Closing date June 10th – check website for updates)

Kildalton College has an extensive horticultural unit for student training, including a commercial nursery, fruit and vegetable production unit, protected crops and sportsturf units, as well as 16 hectares of established gardens and woodlands.

Application for Degree course through CAO application process www.cao.ie Details on all courses can be found at www.teagasc.ie/botanicgardens or telephone: 01-8040201 or email botanic.college@teagasc.ie

National Development Plan 2007 - 2013

National Development Plan 2007 - 2013

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For further information: Email: Kildalton.college@teagasc.ie Website: www.teagasc.ie/training/colleges/kildalton/ Facebook: Teagasc-Kildalton-College Telephone: 051 644400 or 051 644407

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Photo by Igor Zakowski

04 / RETAIL

Was it something I said?

Independent retail consultant, Liam Kelly dispels some of the persistent truths of successful retailing

O

ver the years I have learned the importance of listening to clients. Hearing them speak and understanding their words and body language can tell you a lot about them and how they think and work. This is especially true of owners and managers as it gives you a fair idea of how the business is run, what their priorities are and what drives or motivates them. Some tend to spout marketing mumbojumbo and guru-speak they have picked up from small gods and one too many self-help books or videos. Others tend to tell you what they think you want to hear, avoiding honesty as if lies will help me fix their business and solve their woes.

After a while your ears and brain adapt to separate truth from fiction and reality from buzzwords and phrases.

During these conversations there are a number of expressions and sentences that cause alarm bells to ring in my head. No real thought has been put into the words that the speaker is saying and they are just repeating something they have read or paying lip service to some glib consultants who have no concept of what it means any more to work in the real world of retail.

If we read, hear and then just repeat everything we think sounds important we will end up like those that share nonsense and lies on social media sites, or those that speak their prayers in a trance-like state in their place of worship without ever listening to the words and what they mean.

Understanding, and in some case questioning, what you have been taught to say is a crucial part of life lessons.

No doubt I have been guilty of the same transgression in the past, but age and a good sprinkle of cynicism have made me question most of what I hear and read these days.

So here are 10 statements that cause me to raise my eyebrows and feverishly write notes if they come up in a conversation with a client. There are many more too, but I think these will get my point across.

1 - The customer is always right A ridiculous statement when taken out of context, as the customer is rarely right. Anyone who has worked at the coalface of retail can attest that the customer invariably gets things wrong and some will even go out of their way to deceive you. What this statement should mean is that in retail you need to empathise with the customer, get to the heart of the issue and apply problem-solving skills to reach an amicable resolution for the business.

2 - EPOS systems are just overpriced tills Spoken by those who don’t put the time, effort and understanding into their systems. They don’t input the correct information, nor do they harangue their supplier for the reporting ability that would be meaningful to their business,

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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04 / RETAIL and then complain about the value of the software! If you are not getting useful information from your EPOS system then you are failing as a businessperson.

3 - In 10 years’ time real shops will only be showrooms Although there is no doubt that online selling is increasing year on year, thinking that bricks and mortar shops will disappear or alter radically in the next few years is a fallacy in this sector of retail. If anything, webshops will become the showrooms for real shops, at least in the realm of garden centres and the type of product they sell. Indeed, we should encourage websites to become the high street windows of our businesses, while making the most of the sales they can generate.

4 - We always engage the customer Although this is admirable at the point of entry, it can be a source of tension in many retail environments on the shop floor. Many customers want to be left alone until they feel the need to interact with you, and that might be just at the checkout. Greeting a customer is one thing but being constantly harassed with false smiles and leading questions is a sure fire way of losing customers.

5 - We have a great customer service department Surely the whole store is a customer service department?

To have just a few staff members trained in the art of socalled customer care is poor use of knowledge and resources.

Do all staff members not know how to deal with any customer issues that crop up? They should be empowered to deal with all but the most serious issues.

6 - Social media marketing is the way forward in advertising This is perhaps true for some consumer goods, but it is not the way to communicate with the vast majority of your customers. Most will still visit you either from hearing about you by traditional methods of advertising or by word of mouth. Social media has a place in your marketing plan and budget but don’t put too much time, effort and money into it to the detriment of other methods of communication.

7 - It’s all about supply and demand In the most basic sense of the term this is true, but it’s worded incorrectly. It should be led by demand and not by supply, and that demand needs to be generated by either external marketing forces or, more importantly, by internal merchandising, promotions, and by the product itself. A business needs to create that demand and then make sure to have the supply logistics to back it up.

“If you are not getting useful information from your EPOS system then you are failing as a businessperson” 12

8 - Budgets and targets drive a business These are just aspirational figures, and they can be detrimental if a budget is stuck to rigorously without taking into account outside factors that could mean you will sell more than you predicted. Targets are equally limiting insofar as reaching a target can mean resting on your laurels instead of pushing sales forward. Both need to be fluid and constantly changing to react to actual sales and situations. Carpe diem indeed.

9 - The sales team are the most valuable people in my store Absolutely not. If you wanted to hold a certain department up on a pedestal (I’m not suggesting you do), it should be the purchasing department. They are the ones who need to have vision, take the risks, set the prices and who tend to get the blame if stock sticks. Salespeople are important, but it’s those in purchasing who are key to the success of any retail business, and they rarely get the respect they deserve.

10 - My wastage is zero This is one of the statements that rankles me the most, especially when it’s said with an air of pride. If you have no waste, you are not buying enough product or taking enough chances. Managing wastage and margins are other, separate issues but if there isn’t something ending up in the clearance area or the skip then you need to look at your purchasing and start taking educated risks.

I am not suggesting that there isn’t a grain of truth in many of these statements but repeating them verbatim and believing in them is a sure fire way of ruining your business. Think about what you are saying and why you are saying it, and most importantly, how it can be impacting on your business.

As with life in general: question everything, believe nothing. ✽

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 mindset 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 most. Key to his success is his knowledge of purchasing, pricing and sales combined with his understanding of layout, signage and merchandising, and how the interaction of these can lead to increased sales and profits. His focus is on garden centres, nurseries, hardware and DIY stores, where discretion, honesty and unbiased opinion are crucial and appreciated by those who secure his services. Liam can be contacted at 086 822 1494 or 059 913 0176 or via lksolutions@eircom.net

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

05 / NURSERY

Practically Sustainable

Lots of people talk a good sustainable game, few actually play by the rules. John Murphy, owner and operator of Annaveigh Plants explains how his personal philosophy and growing knowledge of sustainable practice are playing out on a day to day basis

A

nother growing season draws to a close with its usual spectacular show of colour and we reflect on crop performance and plan next season’s land usage. After a very late planting the growth was good this year with rain coming at the right time. As tree growers, we have to plan land usage and crop positioning four years in advance.

To ensure the land is ready for a new crop we are deciding now on the locations for planting in spring 2018, one season in advance. These decisions have to be taken now so we know where to sow the next green manure crops and ensure any perennial weed populations are removed prior to planting.

Sustainability, what is it? Well, for me, it’s creating a soil with very high organic matter that ensures a good structure for the future. It’s reducing the level of chemicals we use and finding ways to carry out operation such as the use of electronic platforms instead of diesel models. It’s using bare root trees when it’s unnecessary to rootball, thereby avoiding massive extra fuel costs and risking the movement of soil borne pests.

It’s about examining where your inputs come from. Some years ago we stopped purchasing our canes from a particular supplier because they were coming from the wild in China, now all our canes come from farmed plantations. It’s about trying to reduce and recycle the waste produced on the nursery. For example, when our stock of bare root bags is used, we will change over to biodegradable plastic for all our bare root plants.

We can grow trees in a monocrop culture with inorganic fertilisers and not worry, but this causes many environmental problems such as nitrogen leaching into the ground water.

Nurseries by nature assume they are eco friendly because they are growing nice plants but the truth is far from it. Look at the ground water problems in Holland and in parts of Italy.

As an industry we need to have a close look at what we are doing for sustainability.

Long term land resting is very difficult on the nursery as we only have 80 acres at our disposal, and as the market improves the pressure on the land will increase. So we have developed a regime of short term resting along with green manure crops and the liberal used of farmyard manure, an increasingly difficult commodity to obtain. A decision on which green manure to use depends on the intended crops.

If it’s the Rosaceae species then we use marigolds. For other crops we look at the soil analysis and cropping history before we decide.

Before it ever became trendy to talk about sustainability, we practiced production methods that help keep our soil in good heart. All production units have permanent grass rows throughout the life of the crop and this is estimated to produce 90 tonnes of dry matter annually, which goes straight back into the soil. The grass also helps to preserve the soil structure and greatly reduces soil damage during the lifting season. Chemical weed control is halved with the use of grass rows and provides a habitat for many species of animals, especially voles.

In order to reduce artificial fertiliser usage we gather up and spread over 1,000 tonnes of farmyard manure on the nursery each year. The cost of this is higher than using artificial fertilisers but we know you have to feed the soil properly to keep it in good health. Continuous addition of organic matter keeps the soil healthy and encourages a very fibrous root system on the trees, an essential to successful transplanting.

In addition to the manure we now grow green manure crops on all fallow land. This year we have seven acres of mustard, one acre of vetch and two acres of marigolds. All these crops have a purpose: each will prevent soil erosion and suppress weeds

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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05 / NURSERY

“After our present batch of bare root bags are used we are changing over to biodegradable plastic for all our bare root plants”

crops should have a look at the web sites of Cotswold Seeds and Nickersons Seeds under the environmental sections. I found both very helpful. ✽

Photo KORALEY NORTHEN

on empty land, they all produce very high levels of dry matter that will be incorporated back into the soil, thus providing nutrients for the following tree crops. Marigolds attract a wide range of pollinating insects, especially bumblebees, and are used to control nematodes, which can cause various disease problems when replanting.

Eight years ago we made a decision to dispense with all preventative fungicide and pesticide spraying. If we were to follow the accepted guidelines we would be spraying every 10 days, a costly practice for both the pocket and the environment. Our spray manager walks the nursery weekly evaluating the levels of pests and disease, and only sprays when necessary. We also switched all our pesticides to bee friendly formulations and carry out much of our spraying in the evening to reduce non-target species damage.

Recently for the first time we used leaf analysis to evaluate crop health. This was carried out by Dónall Flanagan nursery stock advisor with Teagasc. The results were definitely helpful and we will be adding this to our regular programme.

Anyone interested in green manure or other environmental

John Murphy is the owner and operator of Annaveigh Plants and is one of Ireland’s most experienced and respected nurserymen. Visit www.annaveigh.com for more information.

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Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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05 / NURSERY

A Cut Above

Andy Whelton, ornamental specialist in the Teagasc Horticultural Development Unit, and nursery stock advisor, Dónall Flanagan explore the benefits and success of species screening trials of ornamental plants which are currently being used in the expansion of the cut foliage industry, and talk about plans to expand this work for hardy nursery stock sector

I

nnovation in new products and keeping a close eye on the ever changing marketplace is vital for most businesses, but especially so in the ornamental and plant business given the regular changes in colour trends and designs.

To that end, Teagasc in conjunction with Bord Bia and in collaboration with Kildalton Horticultural College, set about putting in place a screening trial of plant material specifically focused on screening for new innovative species for the fledgling cut foliage industry five years ago.

There were three main objectives:

1. E stablish contact with key players in the market and seek guidance and direction on trends

2. I dentify and visit sources of new material in Ireland, the UK & Europe

3. Capture sample material and place in plots at Kildalton College for further technical and market evaluation.

Over 150 species of a wide variety of trees, shrubs and perennials have been established on a one hectare dedicated plot in Kildalton College, meticulously looked after by Catherine Gavin, Horticultural Technician and support staff in the education department. As well as plant hardiness and susceptibility to weather conditions, species are technically evaluated for suitability for cut foliage by examining in detail characteristics including leaf colour, leaf shape, leaf form, scent, volume/unit area, annual stem length, tree habit, and spray formation. Data on species susceptibility to pests and diseases is also gathered.

Critically, an evaluation of the acceptability of the new products by the trade and market response from the market are the determining factors in deciding whether further

work takes place on a species. The market evaluation is an integral part of this task and involves bringing some of the main cut foliage and flower buyers from the UK and Holland to participate in the evaluation process. These include personnel from the leading supermarkets such as Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons and key processors such as Flamingo Flowers Ltd and Flowerworld. In addition, Ireland's leading florists represent the florist sector on the assessment panel.

This project has created great interest in the marketplace; no other country is so engaged and most of the big players are signed up to the process. New material continues to be added annually under a Teagasc funded project but already a number of species have shown potential and are now being further evaluated in agronomy trials that will lead to production blueprints in the species expansion phase.

Autumn and winter berries generating interest Some of the candidates already showing potential for cut foliage and which merit evaluation for the garden centre and landscape trade include seasonal autumn and winter berried cultivars of Hypericum, Symphoricarpus and roses, most from the ‘Magical’ series bred by Kolster BV in Boskoop and selected for the market need for seasonal autumn colour. A range of cultivars provides a show of flower and berries of various colours from July to December. A number of new deciduous hollies (Ilex verticillata) were added to the collection in 2016 and will be assessed over the next number of seasons.

Herbaceous perennials being trialled include Paeonia, Eryngium and Sedum amongst others, with some cultivars

Field view of ornamental foliage species site Kildalton College

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

05 / NURSERY

From Left: 1. New herbaceous species in the trial are Sedum ‘Magical Lizzy’ and one of the new Eryngiums from Kolster BV in Holland 2. Black stemmed Hydrangea is popular as both a cut stem and a garden plant 3. New plants with suitability in the cut foliage, landscape and garden plant market providing seasonal late summer, autumn and winter colours berried species of Hypericum, Symphoricarpus (Snowberry) and rose hips 4. Photinia ‘Vulcano’ with distinct toothed leaf margin – a new cultivar with a number of amenity horticultural uses.

again showing value as both cut flowers and showy garden plants.

Some of the common hedging species suffered in the weather events of 2010 and 2011 but now a range of new Prunus and Photinia cultivars are showing potential both for foliage and hedging use. Prunus laurocerasus ‘Genolia’ is already proving to be a superb upright form of laurel.

Swiss bred black stemmed Hydrangea is exciting the market and would appear to have a place as a garden plant in a mixed shrub border.

A range of ‘newer’ species of Eucalyptus not currently in the trade were planted in 2015 and some already appear to have potential across a number of the amenity areas.

Plans to screen new plant material for the Hardy Nursery & Landscape Trade and hosting Euro-trials in 2017 The success of the cut foliage trials has generated interest amongst the hardy nursery stock sector and a number of the species have already caught the eye of nurserymen and others in the amenity sector. As a result, plans are now being put in place to mirror the screening work with a focus on species that might be of interest in the garden and landscape trade. Under the stewardship of newly appointed Teagasc nursery stock specialist Dónall Flanagan, a group is currently being assembled to assess the merit of some of the species in the current plot and expand the plot to include ‘newer’ plant material from abroad in 2017. A key

aspect to address will be introducing plants with greater disease resistance to box blight and shot hole, for example. This work will be developed in tandem with the hosting of an international plant screening programme.

Euro-trials is the collaboration of eight European countries for plant assessment of emerging new nursery stock material. The goal of Euro-trials is to test and publish objective information about the best cultivars from different parts of Europe. The programme is currently running in: Netherlands, Germany, France, UK, Belgium, Austria, Finland and Ireland. Physocarpus will be trialled over five years, starting in 2017. Completed plant trials or some recently started include Hydrangea, Buddleja, Vinca, Weigela and Hibiscus (the latter two both hosted by FitzGerald’s Nursery in Kilkenny). The nursery trials will be carried out in the field and also in container production to assess their suitability for commercial production. They will be grown under a range of systems, the focus of the trial being to set out production blueprints for each crop at the end of the project.

The marketplace has seen a steady rise in demand for perennials over the last five to 10 years with traditional shrubs sales static or in slight decline. The new work will bring innovation and interest to a sector that has been hit hard in recent years and will present opportunities for ornamental businesses in the future. The industry will get an opportunity to view current and new material at future open events in the college.

In the meantime, if you are interested in finding out more about the range of material in trial and about new developments in this whole area, feel free to contact Catherine Gavin at Kildalton College (051 643 105) or Teagasc specialists Andy Whelton (087 784 8065) or Dónall Flanagan (087 703 5823). ✽

ó

D nall Flanagan has been teaching with Teagasc for a number of years. Before this he worked with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co Co Parks Department, landscaping and in protected crops. He will be based with the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown, serving the nursery stock and ornamental sector. Dónall Flanagan, Ashtown Food Research Centre, Mobile 087 703 5823. Tel. 076 111 4021, email donall.flanagan@teagasc.ie Andy Whelton M Sc Ag Sc is a horticultural development officer in the Teagasc Horticultural Development Department based in Teagasc Clonakilty College and is specialist adviser on ornamental cut foliage.

He has spearheaded the developments in cut foliage as a new sector in commercial horticulture. He also works closely with outdoor vegetable and protected crop businesses in Munster and south Leinster. You can contact Andy at andy.whelton@teagasc.ie

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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06 / TEAGASC eZine

A sprout is not just for Christmas Brussels sprouts aren’t the most popular of vegetables – an annual outing with the Christmas turkey is most people’s experience of this delectable veg. A lot of damage was done to the humble sprout with the older varieties that were overpoweringly strong flavored.

Realising they had a problem on their hands, plant breeders set about developing sprouts that were more palatable. The result was sweeter varieties that came on stream during the 1990s and strong tasting sprouts were banished forever.

The name comes from the area they originated from, and was first recorded as a spontaneous variation of a cabbage plant in the Brussels region of Belgium around 1750. Sprouts reached France and England by 1800.

Sprouts are a very specialised crop, grown by only a handful of growers. We grow around 430 acres of sprouts, most of which are machine harvested. They are in season from September to March.

Brussels sprouts have a higher energy content than most leafy green vegetables. They’re high in fibre, contain useful amounts of iron and are rich in potassium, vitamins C and K, folic acid and manganese. ✽

Climate change The number of warm days has doubled in the last 50 years and winter temperatures are predicted to rise by 2 to 2.5°C by 2050. This is influencing the spread of plant disease.

Approximately 10 to 16% of crop yields are lost to pests and disease. Several new pathogens have become problematic in recent years. Escallonia leaf spot (Septoria sp.), ash dieback (Chalara sp.) and white mould of daffodils (Ramularia sp.) are some current issues.

Be vigilant by regularly checking your crops for signs of pests and disease. Knowing your enemy and its lifecycle is crucial these days where the choice of pesticide is limited. Teagasc offers a plant disease diagnostic service to its clients and is accessible through your local Teagasc horticultural advisor. ✽

Scheme of investment aid for Commercial Horticulture Sector As part of the recent October budget a provision of €5m was made for a horticultural grants scheme for 2017. At time of writing, communication from DAFM is that the scheme will be launched before the end of October, with a probable closing date of 16 December 2017. Approved investments should be completed no later than 29 September 2017. If you are availing of the two-year scheme, investments should be completed by September 2018.

It’s likely that the overall aims of the scheme will not differ from last year, but you should read the terms and conditions and application form when released to ensure your proposed

Very berry season Growers were happy with the berry season this year. While volumes of fruit were down, prices held up well. Fruit quality was also excellent.

Growers were getting concerned with the hot weather we had in the early part of June. Extreme temperatures stress soft fruit crops and growers alike. The return to the more typical Irish summer weather was very welcome.

Growers also commented that sales of soft fruit are definitely on the up. People are more willing to spend again.

The new variety from the UK, ‘Malling Centenary’ is cropping really well so far. Growers are delighted with the quality especially in terms of the percentage class 1 fruit.

This is often in excess of 85%, which is excellent. More planting of this variety will take place next year. ✽

investment fits the scheme. Please contact your Teagasc adviser for assistance in completing the application process.

Some points to note: ● Quotations should be recent and require a signature. An electronic signature is acceptable ●E nsure that quotations have adequate information to describe the proposed investment ● Please consider the priority order of investments, if multiple items are being requested ●P lease ensure that the proposed investment or equipment is horticulture specific ● Under no circumstances will late applications be accepted

by DAFM. ✽

Annaveigh Plants Nursery Walk on 19 October We were very appreciative that John and Grainne Murphy at Annaveigh Plants in Tipperary were the first hosts of the new nursery walk initiative. Their nursery produces high quality bare root and rootballed and semi-mature trees. The event was very well supported by a wide selection of other growers. The planned discussion topics for the day included soil sampling, field nutrition, safe storage of chemicals and quality assurance. John and Grainne are always looking at improving their production system so this was a very interesting location to visit. One of the methods they have recently adopted was using marigold and mustard plants as break crops, to prevent nematodes and replant disorder. It also benefits by increasing soil organic matter. The discussion was free flowing and the mood was very positive looking at the start of the tree lifting season. Further nursery walks are being planned. Subscribe to the nursery bulletin, to keep up to date about upcoming events - https://goo.gl/i2K6fS. ✽

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

06 /TEAGASC ezine Appointments ● Teagasc has recently appointed Fred Townsend as nursery stock lecturer

based at Kildalton College. He has left his previous role as horticultural nursery stock technician at Kildalton. Fred has extensive experience in the nursery stock industry, having run the college commercial nursery for over 20 years. He is also a member of the Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association (IHNSA) committee and intends to support this industry through educating students in the skills and competencies needed to enter this industry, and to support the horticultural development department and the recently nursery stock adviser in exploring future opportunities in this industry. ● Paddy Smith was promoted to lecturer in the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture in the past month. Paddy has left his previous role as horticultural technician and will specialise in landscape construction and horticulture machinery. ● Yvonne Grace has recently taken up a Walsh fellowship with Teagasc.

Her study will look at the training requirements needed in horticulture.

The outputs of this study will serve to direct Teagasc education and training programmes in the future. ✽

FSAI Publishes New Guidance Note on Safe Production of Fresh Produce The guidance highlights eight key areas which growers should focus on to help reduce risk and improve food safety. This guide will be a valuable tool in assisting growers to comply with food safety legislation. It can be downloaded free from the FSAI website.

Mushroom producer farm walks Two Teagasc mushroom farm walks for brown growers took place in Tipperary and Armagh on 7 and 12 September.

The farm walks were centred on producers of brown mushrooms who have a requirement to change product mix in response to market demands, without affecting quality, yield and farm profitability. There is an increased demand for brown baby button mushrooms which causes concern for growers as this could significantly impact on farm yield.

This comes at a time when the price for mushrooms has nosedived on the back of a weak Sterling following the Brexit vote. Topics of discussion at the farm walks included effects on labour costs and productivity, best growing practices to achieve button target, appropriate compost fill weight and maximising mushroom size to reduce the impact on yield. Growers left the meeting with a sense of positivity and a willingness to change certain aspects of their farm to react to the market demands. ✽

TEAGASC Events Calendar 2016 & 2017 The dates and locations of the following 2017 events may be subject to change. The latest updates will be available on www.teagasc.ie/horticulture December 2016

MAY 2017 ● Horticulture Open Day, Kildalton College, TBC

● Training for the Turf and landscape sectors,

8 December 2016, National Botanic Gardens

June 2017

January 2017 ● Nursery Stock Study tour to IPM Essen 24 to 25 January ● Seminar: Water quality in horticulture production, TBC

● Teagasc Garden at Bloom 1 to 5 June

February 2017 ● Soft fruit workshops, Dublin and Wexford

● Garden centre staff training event,

● Cut foliage event – Kildalton College, June 13 ● Sports Turf Seminar, Kildalton College, TBC

August 2017 National Botanic Gardens, TBC

March 2017 ● Horticulture Technology Conference, 30 March ● Top fruit seminar TBC ● Soft landscaping training event for Landscape operatives, Botanic Gardens, TBC ● Careers event Kildalton College 3 March ● Careers event at National Botanic Gardens 9 March. ● Garden centre staff training event, National Botanic Gardens, TBC April 2017 ● Strawberry Seminar, 27 April ● Horticultural Industry tour for new applicants TBC, National Botanic Gardens

September 2017 ● Top fruit seminar, Kildalton College, 21 September

October 2017 ● Mushroom Industry Seminar, 19 October

Careers event at National Botanic Gardens. ● Careers event, Kildalton College

November 2017 ● Nursery Stock Seminar, Kildalton College,

2 November December 2017 ● Sports turf seminar 14 December in

National Botanic Gardens

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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07 / DESIGN Photo by Gina Sanders

Facing Charges The subject of fees for professional landscape and design work in Ireland is a charged subject and one the sector has great difficulty facing up to. The lack of transparency and openness about what professionals charge for their work is undermining the market, causing consumer confusion and assisting the unqualified to retain a foothold. With a view to dispelling the mystery and clearing the way for a more open and transparent working environment, GLDA President, Patricia Tyrell shares insights from colleagues on exactly what they charge and what customers should expect for their money.

I

f I had a couple of grand for each time I have been told that I have a wonderful career, I would have a reasonably good slush fund by now. And it is a wonderful career; close to nature, outdoors to a degree, creative and a source of life-long learning, with all of its proven cognitive benefits. Each day brings something new and interesting.

The skills required to be a landscape or garden designer are broad ranging. At the core of these skills is a capacity for good and creative design. In order to communicate that design to others, drawing and drafting skills are essential.

As much of the visualisation is now computer aided it entails keeping up to date with new and varied computer software. Also required are a knowledge of construction and materials, of soils, climate, botany and ecology and essentially in my opinion, a knowledge of plants, how they grow and where, and in addition to this horticultural knowledge a capacity to choose and put together planting palettes to optimum effect.

The foundation for these skills is laid at college, but to hone and perfect them is an on-going challenge, albeit an interesting one.

There is an elephant hiding somewhere amongst the foliage though: the small question of income. Surely people with such a broad skill set and so much to offer, and who by all accounts are more in demand than ever before, should expect and command a good income? It seems not, and many designers supplement their income in various ways such as teaching, unable to survive on design fees alone.

The question of income is a complex one. Some of the issue is down to ignorance of the role of a landscape or garden designer. Frequently, when I meet acquaintances after a period of time, I am asked ‘Are you still at the

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gardening?’ It’s not that I mind, but it fundamentally demonstrates how little people know about what one does.

There is vagueness, a fuzzy picture in people’s minds about what a garden designer’s role is. They cannot differentiate between the unskilled person who comes and clips all their shrubs into unsympathetic balls, the professional horticulturist who maintains their garden properly, the nurseryman who supplies the plants, the landscape contractor who builds a garden and the garden designer who designs it. This is strange as they would never ask an architect to take up a trowel and build their house or indeed allow a builder carte blanche with the style and layout.

The work of professional bodies in promoting their members has a huge part to play in how the public relate to it. In garden design that professional body is the Garden & Landscape Designers Association (the GLDA). The more designers who are willing to get behind the organisation and lend their weight to what is a very worthwhile body, the more garden design will be recognised as a profession deserving of proper remuneration.

It’s important that there be a recognised standard for the quality of a designer’s work. Those offering services with little or no qualification and delivering poor quality at bargain basement prices are making it increasingly difficult to command an appropriate price for those delivering quality design services. So part of the solution lies in education, and part in communicating to potential clients what a designer is and what they do.

Communicating what they do Potential clients who wish to employ a designer are often put off by a lack of transparency in exactly what they are getting and how much it will ultimately cost. If the client

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

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2 Some designers will offer a once off consultation with on the spot suggestions, when this fee will then rise to €250 or more depending on whether further input is required.

This first visit allows the designer to obtain a client brief and view the garden. Though fees can be calculated as a percentage of the total cost of the job, private clients like to know where they stand and a fixed fee is usually agreed for the various stages of the design. A quote will usually be sent to the client following this initial consultation.

does not know what to expect it can make it difficult for both the designer and the client.

It is important therefore to communicate the process of your design and the associated fees.

The following fees are guidelines, and every designer will be slightly different depending on how they work. Designers with a lot of experience and gold medals under their belts will command higher rates than those starting out. However, there should be a minimum below which designers should not go, in order for them to have a reasonable income and be properly rewarded for their work. No matter how much you enjoy your job, if it is not generating sufficient income then disillusionment is sure to follow. It is important to consider what a reasonable level of income would be and calculate accordingly. Decide on an hourly rate and then work out the amount of time it will take you to deliver the finished design.

The following rates are a minimum cost for designing a small to medium suburban garden of up to 500m2.

Process:

Site survey, analysis and presentation of concept design/ master Plan: €700 upwards

A site survey can take two to three hours and in addition the measurements and data must then be transferred to the drawing board or computer. So allow at least four hours of your time for this stage.

Regardless of the size of the garden, the concept design can be an extended process with many iterations, before the optimum design is created. In addition visualisations, sketches and sections are usually part of the package. A mood board may also be included as part of the drawing set. From consulting with designers within the GLDA the consensus was to allow 12 to 16 hours, though all agreed that as a creative process, more hours were spent thinking about it than the calculated hours spent at the drawing board.

Once the concept is complete at least one further consultation with the client will be necessary and should be included in the designer’s initial fee calculation.

Taking the design from survey to delivery of the master/ concept plan would cost a minimum of €700 upwards.

Detailed design drawings

Initial on-site consultation: €120 upwards If you need a plumber or an electrician, a doctor or someone to fix your washing machine, they will not set foot inside your door without a callout fee, regardless of whether they can solve your problem or not. So why then do some designers offer free consultations?

Research has shown that if you get something for free, you tend to put less value on it. By offering a free consultation you run the risk of being exploited. The potential client can call in as many designers as they want, pick their brains and never employ any of them. Put a value on your time and skills.

Going to a site has a cost in time, fuel and other overheads.

Travelling to and from, and the time spent on site will usually amount to three hours, and possibly more if there is distance involved. If someone values your work, they will pay for it.

Fees for a single call out vary but will start at €120 upwards.

●P lanting Plan: €650 upwards ●C onstruction drawings: €400 upwards It is difficult to put a cost on planting design as it very much depends on the master plan and how much planting is involved. The same applies to construction drawings as the hard landscaping can be very simple or extremely complex.

The client brief should yield some clues as to the final costing.

The Next Stage Once the garden design has been agreed, the tendering process and overseeing the design implementation are best carried out on an hourly rate.

The final figure to design stage is €1,850 for an average suburban garden. It’s good value, because employing a qualified garden designer will save the client money in the long term. The pleasure a beautiful garden brings to its owners is priceless. ✽

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07 / DESIGN

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4 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.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Photo by Vincent McMonagle

Qualified designers have a range of skills spanning multiple domains. Spatial and planting design, construction, horticulture, electrics, draughting, computer aided design, sketching and visualisation are just a few. The range is rarely reflected in fees and charges as most clients pay for the product, not the process. The images show here are just a tiny sample of the products produced by the process.

A process that can absorb huge amounts of time, both physically producing, but also in thinking time.

Clients rarely pay for thinking time and designers rarely charge for it. It’s a hard thing to pin down.

Image 1 shows rendered sketch plan. It’s not scaled or dimensioned and is intended to provide the client with an indicative visual start point. Such plans may be produced during consultations. Image 2 shows the same plan in draughted format using Autodesk.

It is intended to be used by the client and any potential contractor for pricing and construction.

Such plans require a lot of survey information, thinking and screen time. Image 3 is another sketch drawing produced during a consultation to assist a client in understanding a radically different treatment for their new house layout. A frequent occurrence during such consultations. Image 4 shows a hard and soft landscape detailing drawing for a garden. Such drawings are produced following an agreement on a sketch layout and can be very time consuming to produce, particularly where a project is being tendered. Image 6 shows a more detailed rendered perspective drawing of a garden.

Such drawings are created for more complex, bigger budget projects and can be very time consuming to produce. Image 7 shows a planting layout with supporting images. Such drawings are produced for clients and contractors.

Nangle&Niesen wholesale nursery

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

c: 44, m: 16, y: 90, k: 0 Font: Agenda-Light

5 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.

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

www.nangleandniesen.ie Rathcullen, Aherla, Cork 2016 l/ email: www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED Tel: 021-733 1126 l Fax: Autumn/Winter 021-733 1663 info@nangleandniesen.ie

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08 / IN PICTURES Photos BY: KORALEY NORTHEN

RHSIGALA The Royal Horticultural Association of Ireland (RHSI) marked its bicentenary with a gala event at the RDS on 29 and 30 September. Over 750 people attended over the two days to see the RHSI’s archival material on display, floral demonstrations by Chelsea gold medal winner Jennifer Murphy, and hear lectures by Dan Hinkley, Roy Lancaster and Monty Don. Leading specialist nurseries and garden related merchandisers displayed their wares in stands adjoining the hall.

AUDIENCE AT RHSI GALA

Robert Myerscough (RHSI President) & Matthew Dempsey (RDS President)

Brenda Branigan (RHSI BICENTENARY COMMITTEE)

OLIVER SCHURMANN (Mount Venus Nursery)

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Monty Don (Photo: Marsha Arnold)

Dan Hinkley & Roy Lancaster (SPEAKERS)

Polydome (JONATHAN PYLE)

Maddocks of Bray (Sheena Maddock && Grainne Vickers)

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

08 / IN PICTURES

PAUL MARTIN,Jenny Murphy & PAUL WOODS (ALL CHELSEA GOLD WINNERS) Photo: Joseph BLAIR

Tig Mays & Anthea Howbert (Howbert & Mays Gardens)

Roy Lancaster cbe (British plantsman, gardener, author, broadcaster) & carol marks (bord bia) Photo: Joseph BLAIR

Noreen Curran, Denise Gill, Peggy Masterson, Muriel Fitzpatrick (RHSI committee members)

T +353 7491 56036 E info@lcpackaging.ie

AGRI SupplierS of � � � � � � �

paper Bags Woven polypropylene Bags films & plastics Netting Tonne Bags Jute Ground Cover

SupporTing your producTS

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Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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08 / IN PICTURES PhotoS: JOSEPH BLAIR

GLAS Good turnout of business owners and trade professionals at GLAS 2016.

Ireland’s annual GLAS trade show took place in Dublin’s Citywest Hotel Event Centre on 21 July 2016. The event attracted hundreds of buyers and sellers from across the amenity horticulture sector. The mood of exhibitors and visitors reflected the improving garden retail and landscape sectors, with many visitors now seeing those improvements spreading to areas outside of the main urban populations.

NUALA & JOSEPH YOUNG (YOUNG NURSERIES)

BARRY LUPTON (HORTICULTURE CONNECTED), DERMOT CALLAGHAN (TEAGASC)

JOSEPH CROKE (CORK IT), DAVID HACKETT (TRINITY COLLEGE), DR OWEN DOYLE & CLAIRE WOODS (CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF HORTICULTIURE)

WEIT & ROY RENTES (RENTES PLANTS)

NOEL BENNETT, ROBERT MITCHELL & LIAM DOYLE (DUBLIN GRASS MACHINERY)

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NIAMH TULLY & EDDIE O'KEEFE (TULLY NURSERIES & PLANT CENTRE)

MARK O'RAHILLY & TOM SUMMERVILLE (UNIPLUMO)

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

PAUL MOONEY (Head of Horticulture, CAFRE), DONALL FLANAGAN (TEAGASC)

PAUL MAHER, (NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS) TÜNDE SZENTESI (TÜNDE LANDSCAPES), edel mcdonald (NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS)

JOE AHERN & mary comber (FANA NURSERIES)

08 / IN PICTURES

peter callaghan & ross macmahon (nad) with gary graham (bord bia)

kildare growers

ANNA KAVANAGH, brendan howell & aidan campi0n (bord na mona)

Derek Spicer (KILWORTH CONIFERS)

FOUR OAKS

The Four Oaks show on 6 and 7 September is billed as the UK’s premier event for ornamental horticulture. There was once again a good turnout of both exhibitors and visitors.

All of the chatter was about Brexit with a lot of head scratching as to what might be the risks and opportunities for the sector.

GLEE

STEPHEN MCKENNA & GARY LOUGHRAN (PF MCKENNA)

JOHN JONES (UNICHEM), JEAN COLLERAN, FERGAL JOY, PETER O'DONOVAN, MALACHY DOHERTY (GLANBIA)

DAVE RYAN (DAVE RYAN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT) & PAUL MARTIN (O'BRIEN LANDSCAPING)

MARTIN MCGEE (CRANFORD STONE), CLEMENT GAVIN, CHRIS O'REILLY, JOE GAVIN (N&C ENTERPRISES)

MICHAEL O'BRIEN, GER GINNELLY, MARTIN HEALY (AURIVO )

KATIE O'SHEA & MICHAEL MCMONAGLE (MCMONAGLE STONE)

CHERYL HAYES & MICHAEL SPILLANE (SOIL RENEW)

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09 / INTERVIEW

Pere nNial

Passion n

Ireland’s founding nursery businesses were family run affairs.

And while this remains the case for the majority, subsequent generations have been slow to pick up where parents left off.

The result being closure and sale. “Who can blame THEM?" I hear you ask. Running a nursery is a tough, demanding job, with little thanks and profits often at the mercy of factors way beyond control and challenging to plan for. The reality of nursery operations is far from the romantic ideals of those on the outside. There are benefits of course, but seeing how hard nursery people work, it’s amazing that any children follow in their parents’ footsteps.

Thankfully for the sector, some have taken up the challenge and the opportunity.

Tim Schram is one of them. The son of now retired nursery founders, Flip and Muriel Schram, has taken the reigns with gusto, building on the knowledge and wisdom his parents passed on with energy, passion and confidence in the future. Taking a very short break from his schedule Tim talked with me about his own horticultural journey, the rewards and drawbacks of nursery operation and his positive view of what lies ahead.

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Barry Lupton Interviews Tim Schram

Barry: For those unfamiliar with Schram Plants, can you provide some insight into the scope and focus of the business?

Tim: Schram Plants is a wholesale nursery, based in Co Kildare and specialising in supplying the garden centre and landscape market with quality grown herbaceous perennials, alpines, herbs, ferns and grasses. We have developed the “Nice & Easy” brand, which is a strong brand aimed at the retail garden centre market.

Barry: Your father moved to Ireland from Holland in the late 1970s and established a landscape design business. What motivated him to move here and subsequently enter the nursery trade?

Tim: Yes, both my parents wanted to move abroad at the time, they

09 / INTERVIEW had considered a few countries including France, England, New Zealand and Ireland. They ultimately settled in Ireland in February 1980. They chose Ireland because they liked the countryside and people, and saw an opportunity in the horticulture area. Garden centres, nurseries and the landscape sector were all fairly undeveloped at that time. The landscape and design element of the business was initially used as cash flow to finance setting up the nursery. The nursery grew as any nursery at the time did, slowly and in stages.

Barry: What motivated you to enter and ultimately take over what is considered a very tough business?

Tim: Growing up in that environment as a child you’d be surprised what you’d observe and learn. I had never intended to enter horticulture at all until sometime in the later stages of secondary school. I had grown to love the industry and see a future in it.

Barry: You have been involved in the business almost all your life. What are the key differences between the business you run today and the one your parents ran?

T. We have seen the industry change significantly over the years. The end consumer unfortunately has even less knowledge than in the past and is now really only shopping on impulse. This has forced nurseries to adapt to growing a product fast, at low cost with high impulse purchase factor.

This is not something that I would agree with as it is only a race to the bottom. While we have had to adapt our offering to suit demands, our core philosophy still remains the same.

We want to offer a high quality good performing product, grown in the Irish climate for the Irish climate. It doesn’t please me to see garden plants being replaced by cheaper, softer ones.

Barry: What are Schram Plants’ USPs? Tim: They would be quality, range, and presentation. We feel that the presentation of the product in a garden centre needs to be right to encourage sales. Quality in this day and age is a must. It is essential to have a product looking as good as it possibly can, and presented strongly with the addition of a picture label.

Barry: Operating a nursery can be demanding, and can take a toll on an owner’s personal life. How do you manage to keep a good work life balance?

Tim: It can be difficult. In our season we are busy when the weather is good and quiet during the winter. Since I have a very young family I try to spend as much time with them as I can and try to keep weekends as free as possible. This of course means that I take paperwork home to work on at night when the children are in bed. It is just what needs to be done to get through the workload.

Barry: What are the most rewarding aspects of your work?

Tim: There are some elements that can be very rewarding such as procuring a sizeable sale or converting a prospective customer into a new customer. I enjoy the variation in job tasks. While my work involves 80% office jobs, I look forward to getting out and meeting customers on a weekly basis when

visiting with our samples. I usually break up the office day by walking the nursery to inspect product progress.

Barry: Your engagement with horticulture from a young age has provided you with amazing opportunities to learn and build skills. Did you formalise your learning through college or university, and if so, what was your experience?

Tim: I undertook the Batchelor of Science in Horticulture in the Botanic Gardens Glasnevin in conjunction with ITB, and concentrated on the nursery module within the course, an element which was conducted in Warrenstown College.

Barry: The disconnect between horticultural education and practice has been well documented over the last decade. While it is great to see Teagasc experimenting with apprentice learning, problems remain. How do you think horticultural education should evolve to reflect sector needs?

Tim: Yes, there are some big issues with the horticultural education system. Looking back on my education I was slightly privileged because I already knew the industry quite well. People entering the system without that background really lack knowledge of the industry. There are some major gaps in the system and I believe there should be mandatory placements in all major aspects to get a good understanding of it. I think only six people from my year stayed in the trade, and of them three were already in it before starting the course. The course semester approach is not very well suited to the industry.

Barry: What advice would you give to a young horticulturalist considering a career in nursery operation?

Tim: Familiarise yourself with the industry first. Be prepared to work hard. Too often I hear “Oh it must be lovely working outdoors with flowers in the fresh air” when I say I am a nurseryman. A commercial nursery is very different from that picture.

Barry: An open market, limited scale, cheap imports, Brexit, weather, currency fluctuation and transport infrastructure are frequently referred challenges faced by Irish nurseries.

What’s been your experience?

Tim: These are all quite major factors we face on a daily basis.

The availability of online ordering is very attractive and easy for garden centres. However, looking carefully at offered products, they are not always cheaper or better than those home produced, it’s mainly the ease of ordering. The Irish market is shrinking and we all need to consider other market avenues. Transport cost to the UK per trolley is not much more than to certain areas of Ireland. Nurseries here should be able to deliver an order as easily as importing one from The Netherlands. Sadly that is not always the case.

Barry: Some might say that the real opportunities for Irish nurseries are embodied in the challenges above. When you look to the future of Schrams, where do you see the opportunities?

Tim: We would constantly be looking for opportunities be they overseas or here in Ireland. The market is big enough

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09 / INTERVIEW for everyone if we could only import substitute more. There is a lot of product coming into Ireland that can’t be grown here for whatever reason but there are a lot of imports that are grown here, and grown here very well. If nurseries look for their point of difference and exploit it the market is big enough. It is also up to garden centres to check their buying habits and purchase more Irish product. This would help keep money within the industry and the country, as well as supporting local jobs.

Barry: Some say the large multiple retailers have destroyed the plant market, others say they have helped it by shifting plants from a discretionary purchase to a weekly event.

What’s your opinion?

Tim: I don’t particularly see the large multiple retailers as having destroyed the plant market. I think they have capitalised on an area that maybe wasn’t done well enough by certain players. Garden centres shouldn’t try to compete with the multiples directly but should focus more on added value, better quality, bigger plants and most importantly on advice.

Plants are not minded in the multiples and consumers know this. Plants have become disposable items to a degree. It is up to garden centres to find their point of difference and entice customers in that way. There is still a huge lack of knowledge at consumer level that garden centres can address and those that do so are doing very well.

Barry: Opinion is also mixed on experience in dealing with multiples. Some complain it is impossible, others seem to have no difficulty. What’s your experience been?

Tim: I haven’t dealt with any of the multiples. While I have not dismissed the idea of it, I just haven’t approached it head on yet. I have heard mixed reports from within the industry but I think with some decent planning and the right product anything can be achieved.

Barry: Technology is reshaping our lives; how do you see it shaping the future of the sector?

Tim: Technology is also becoming part of gardening.

Everyone nowadays has a smartphone and can access everything at the touch of a button. People Google or check YouTube to solve many issues these days, why should gardening be any different? I think knowledge is key and if someone wants to know how to prune a hedge or plant a bulb they will revert to the internet.

Barry: It is generally agreed that plant buying behaviour has changed significantly over the last 10 years. How have you adapted your business model to reflect these changes?

Tim: We have had to introduce high impact sellers to accompany our main offering. It is all high impact and pick-me-ups these days. If the plant has a flower on it, it will generally sell. We still offer the same range but have tweaked quantities. Coloured pots, decorative labels and good POS material have all seen an increase in the last number of years.

Barry: To the outsider, nurseries may appear as ecoconscious businesses; but peat, chemical, plastics and water use all present real environmental challenges and serve to

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undermine the sector's environmental credentials. What is your personal philosophy on environmental business practices and how does this translate into practice?

Tim: We try to be as eco-conscious as possible in all our processes. All plastic, card and organic waste is collected and recycled. We collect rain water from almost every growing structure for re-use for watering crops. It is very difficult to move away from peat, plastic pots and plastic labels. Any of the alternatives don’t have the shelf life required for garden centre benches. We wash, sterilise and re-use any of the pots in-house within our processes to minimise our footprint as much as possible. We have reduced our chemical arsenal in favour of chemical free biostimulants. I like to think we are doing the best we possibly can in this area.

Barry: Following from the last question, environmental legislation, compliance and enforcement have tightened in the last decade. In your experience how does legislation filter down to actual practice?

Tim: We have lost many chemicals over the years due to legislation. While we chose naturally to reduce our chemical usage there have been no major alternative chemicals or otherwise. The Irish horticulture industry is too small to introduce or register a new product. We are probably a step ahead of some nurseries in terms of collecting run-off water, as is currently required in parts of Europe.

Barry: The previous generation of nursery owners demonstrated an understanding and willingness to work together on shared goals. Do you subscribe to the ideals of collaborative working, and if so, what would you like to see happen in the coming years?

Tim: I believe we are stronger standing together. There are some major issues that would need to be overcome in order to achieve this but I believe it is the way forward. Cooperation is definitely the way forward. Maybe it is by cooperation that we can aim to better serve the multiples and indeed the entire industry by import substitution.

Barry: How do you think nursery business can be best supported?

Tim: I think the continuation of investment funding is critical to the industry to allow those that are growing to invest. In my opinion, education is also a key element that needs to be addressed, to attract fresh enthusiastic people into the industry. And as a whole I feel the entire industry needs to be revived and made trendy. At the moment it is not interesting enough for people to consider a career in the nursery sector.

It is almost impossible to step into a greenfield site and start up a nursery. ✽

We'd love to share your storY Are you a horticultural entrepreneur, perhaps you are developing a new business idea, working on research and development, bringing a new product to market or reinventing an existing one? If so, we’d like to share your story with the sector.

Drop me a line at editor@hortitrends.com

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

10 /FLORISTRY Photos by Ultan Devaney

Autumn’s best

performer

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utumn is my favorite time of year. From the depths of hues of flames of oranges and ochres to the plunge of purple to the bounties of berries and textured leaves, I feel spoilt for choice.

An almost forgotten florist’s flower amongst the Samhain harvest is the curious form of the Cyclamen, but one which I feel needs to raise its head above the parapet and be heralded for both its form and function for flower creations. These beauties are so dainty, so delicate and come in shades from white through to red, magenta and purple and a wealth of colours in between. Some, but not all are scented.

No wonder I feel spoiled.

Cyclamen season falls between October and February and as cut flowers, their stems have a vase life of approximately a week. Despite their amazing aesthetic qualities, what I adore most about cyclamen is their heritage. The name Cyclamen comes from the Greek word ‘kyklos’ meaning ring or circle, the ‘amen’ comes from Hebrew meaning truly in reference to the coiled fruiting stalk and rounded tubers. The species name hederifolium derives from the Latin for ivy or Hedera and folium meaning leaf. Another common name is sowbread, the corms are regarded as a favourite food for swine in the south of France, Sicily and Italy but it’s prettiness in its punkiness is far better than a term like that.

Cyclamen hederifolium is native to woodland, shrubland, and rocky areas in the Mediterranean region from southern France to western Turkey and on Mediterranean islands, and naturalised farther north in Europe and in the Pacific Northwest. It is the most widespread cyclamen species, the most

Renowned independent florist, Ruth Monaghan shares her thoughts and techniques on how to get the most from the humble but top performing Cyclamen widely cultivated after the florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), and the hardiest and most vigorous in oceanic climates. It is classified in the family Primulaceae.

The symbolism of the cyclamen lies in resignation and goodbye. Other beliefs around the cyclamen include that if its flower is worn by a woman in labour, her childbirth would be easier. It is reputed to protect against nightmares if placed beside your pillow, and to make a recipient fall in love with the sender. It’s also meant to raise one’s self-esteem and confidence. Whichever association you prefer, they all sounds pretty positive and magical.

Cyclamen is a delightful perennial that sports colour when all else is grey and wintered. Ideal for shady borders and banks, this relative of the primrose is the perfect autumn gift. It literally springs to life once the first of the autumn rains fall, lasts for weeks and keeps a succession of flowers during the season of short daytimes. As long as it is kept watered without a frost, it will follow the common pattern of coming into growth in the autumn, growing through the winter and spring and then going dormant while there is no rain and intense sun in the summer.

But then for us florists, the best thing this season is that we can buy cut Cyclamen to add that extra sense of magic to our work.

Conditioning is key to having the cut cyclamen stem survive for a few weeks.

We usually receive them in dry batches so the first thing we do is to slice the stems vertically with a pin or very fine sharp knife. We then place the stems in a centimeter of water and store in a fridge. With a 20cm stem length, the cut Cyclamen suits our famous Tray of Blooms and also the malleable stem can be wrapped around the inside of a vase, bound into small bouquets and fixed into jar posies. Their colour and scent add that extra twist of texture and uniqueness for the time of year. Our favourite so far this year is the red magenta version.

So let’s herald this autumn bloom which will also bring great winter delight, to plant in a bed or a pot, or arrangement. ✽

Ruth Monahan is one of the most Ireland’s most successful independent florists. She is managing director of Appassionata Flowers, a thriving Dublinbased florist with a retail shop on Drury Street and a floral studio on South Cumberland Street. She can be contacted via email at ruth@appassionata.ie and via her website at www.appassionata.ie

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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11 / EDIBLES

Assuring Sustainable Practice Andrew Mahon of Bord Bia’s quality division frames The Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS), the revised quality assurance program being launched through the edibles sector and extending into the ornamental and mushroom production in the coming months

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any studies and reports have been published relating to the rise of socially conscious consumers and the opportunities that this trend presents. These consumers tend to make their purchasing decisions based on how their own beliefs align with the product’s impact in areas such as environment, ethical values and methods of production.

Bord Bia sets one of its strategic priorities as enhancing the reputation of Irish food, drink and horticulture, among consumer and trade buyers in the marketplace, based on the principles of sustainable development. One of the key pillars underpinning this is the Origin Green programme.

Origin Green is a strategic plan to implement a sustainability programme for the entire Irish food, drink and horticulture industry. The programme is designed to bring sustainability from farm to fork. (Further information on Origin Green can be found online at www.origingreen.ie) In line with this strategy, Bord Bia is expanding the Origin Green programme to the supply chain at producer level through the well-established Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes for primary producers. The measurement of farm performance against a measurable sustainability matrix was first introduced through the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme and will now be implemented across the range of Bord Bia Quality Assurance Standards for horticulture. The

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first horticulture standard to be revised is the Producer and Pre-Packer Standard which was launched in January 2009.

The new standard will reflect changes in legislation and best practice that have occurred in the intervening eight years.

The Sustainable Horticulture Assurance Scheme (SHAS) will provide a framework for the development of management practices that will help develop the long-term economic, social and environmental viability of the Irish horticulture sector appealing to the socially aware consumer. The revised requirements of the standard will be benchmarked to other leading standards internationally. Certification to the new standard will mean that produce carrying the Bord Bia Quality Mark not only meets the highest levels of safety and quality, but has also been produced on a farm that is embracing sustainable practices in line with the Origin Green promise.

The rollout of the new SHAS will commence with the introduction of a revised standard applicable to producers currently certified to the Horticulture Producer Pre-packer Standard. The structure of the SHAS will see the introduction of a modular standard. Module 1 namely “M1-Grower” is applicable for producers who are involved in the growing of fresh produce, Produce handling and packing is now a separate module and will be covered by “M2-Produce Handling and Packing”. The requirements of the new modules have been written more concisely than the previous standards and will

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

11 / EDIBLES be supported by the provision of a full range of templates for records procedures and policies where relevant, and additional support materials for scheme participants on the SHAS. The new standard will focus on a risk management based approach to food production, with risk assessments for hygiene, environmental impact and water use required.

Producers will be able to avail of online risk assessment tools via the Bord Bia database to complete risk assessments, or a hard copy version can be downloaded where required. The revised scheme also places greater emphasis on traceability throughout the food chain. Based on the new modules the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) has decided that compliance with the SHAS will be taken into account by the DAFM risk assessment, which determines the frequency of DAFM inspections. Therefore, compliance with the SHAS may result in a lower frequency of farm inspections/ audits by DAFM for SHAS members.

The SHAS modules for growers (M1) and packers (M2) of fresh produce will be introduced in early 2017. The launch will coincide with a number of workshops and training seminars for scheme participants and industry representatives. All participants will receive correspondence in the coming months including invitations to attend workshops and seminars, along with copies of the new standard and further information on implementation plans for the new standard.

The workshops will focus on the key developments in the scheme and the producer support tools that have been developed to assist in achieving and maintaining certification.

The workshops and seminars will also provide details as to how the roll out will be managed and the implementation of

a transition period to phase out the current producer/prepacker standard in 2018. It is intended that from the launch of the new standard, producers will be assessed against the requirements of the new modules which are applicable to them, at their next renewal audit. For the duration of the transition period, at the end of the renewal audit the producer will be able to discuss their performance against the requirements of the new standard, and determine whether they would like to proceed with certification to the new SHAS or if they will seek certification to the existing HQAS Producer Pre-Packer Standard for the next certification cycle while working to meet the requirements of the SHAS modules before the next renewal audit.

Work is progressing in relation to the development of SHAS modules to cover ornamental producers, distributors, mushroom casing production, mushroom substrate production, and prepared fruit and vegetables. It is hoped that a number of these will be introduced in 2017. ✽

Andrew Mahon is a Quality Assurance Sector Manager with Bord Bia. He can be reached via his email at andrew.mahon@ bordbia.ie.

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Photo by kengmerry

People , Place, Quality of Life –

Hope for Blue-Green Infrastructure in Ireland Aidan J ffrench MILI disseminates a recent research conference paper on the drivers, reality and potential future for green infrastructure in Ireland

F

ebruary 2007 IUF publishes its General Election manifesto - ‘A Better Quality of Life for All’ containing proposals for sustainable planning, site tax, green infrastructure (landscapes, parks), housing and transport. The manifesto gained extensive media coverage and was well received by political parties. Simultaneously, ILI published ‘A Manifesto for Irish Landscapes’, which was only partly incorporated in the 2007 Programme for Government. October 2009 - the Irish Urban Forum (IUF) revised manifesto examines the economic boom’s hangover effects, pointing to oil and car dependency, urban sprawl, infrastructure and housing demands.

The seeds of economic crisis and austerity - sown during Ireland’s flirtation with the resource-hungry, economic neo-liberalism – grew alongside planning corruption and ineptitude. The results impact deeply on citizens, severely diminishing their quality of life, and marginalising environmental imperatives.

2016 - Ireland faces critical challenges: unrestrained urbanisation, car dependency, declining health, ageing population and political inertia around Blue-Green Infrastructure (B-GI). Climate change is real and present.

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Severe flooding threatens lives. A fragile economic recovery is set against a background of impoverished public services.

There’s a housing crisis, there are inequitable health services and infrastructure deficits - all driven by ongoing neo-liberalism and dysfunctional governance.

Despite this, inspiring examples of progress exist, driven by civil society and state actors. Community activism in placemaking, urban horticulture and ‘green exercise’ has emerged, with potential to advance B-GI with socioeconomic benefits.

Lessons and Imperatives The IUF/ILI manifestos remain conspicuously relevant. But, a facile mantra - “the lessons have been learned” – has emerged, vague and unsubstantiated: evidence of significant deficits prevails. The longstanding failure to put parks and landscape services (P&LS) on a statutory basis is inexcusable: still an optional function for councils (solely in the gift of senior management, dependent on patronage/bureaucratic whim; with mandarins and management ‘captured’ by the seductions of ICT and ill-conceived ‘reforms’. Very few of the 31 councils provide P&LS or employ landscape architects

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

12 / LANDSCAPE horticulturists, tree or biodiversity officers. Ireland is an embarrassing laggard, compared to more progressive countries. For 16 years ILI has called on successive governments to take action.

Few lessons have been learned.

Mindsets and values remain unaltered, subservient to flawed ideologies and rhetoric. A client list culture is disengaged from urgent environmental issues, with pressure on politicians, addicted to short term thinking. For many, resumption of ‘normal service’ (Celtic Tiger style), would be welcome.

The Irish, not known for their environmental consciousness (a minority sport?), seem wedded to the dominant capitalist ethos of unfettered materialistic, consumptive lifestyles, of which Pope Francis so eloquently warns us in his inspiring eco-encyclical, Laudato si.

Significant deficits in policy, law and investments are self-imposed errors, revealing Ireland’s comparative delinquency, vis-a-vis progressive states and cities (Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Portland, New York, Vancouver). The general election in 2016 reflected this malaise. The minority government eschews a radical shift towards genuine sustainability, ignoring vital capital investment in infrastructure, sustainable communities, GI and services. Severe reductions in resources (e.g.28% - 10,600 less staff in councils) are constraining the public sector’s capacity, harming Ireland’s competitiveness and sustainability.

Urgent imperatives include: ●C OP 21 Paris – targets to reduce CO2 ●C limate change adaptation – sectoral plans a legal obligation (Climate Action & Low-carbon Act, 2015) ●H ousing/sustainable communities and public health ●B -GI – outdated Parks Policy (1987) requires modernisation, statutory obligation and investment.

management of natural, semi-natural and manmade environmental assets and resources, for socio-economicecological goals, by studying, understanding and applying their inherent multi-functionality and ecosystem services, through policy and practice.

Warning! The definition is anthropocentric - critics of GI’s natural capital approach point to naive expectations and questionable ethics.

Nature’s intrinsic value is independent of Homo sapiens. Pope Francis has eloquently expressed the dangers of econometric-technological reliance.

So, will the anthropocene usher in enlightened self-interest?

Fig. 1. GI practices and benefits

Projects and Initiatives A B-GI placemaking approach can evoke earth stewardship. Linking GI and placemaking is a happy synergy: many projects bear testimony. Some involve admirable volunteerism, evocative of previous generations’ love of the meitheal (seasonal gatherings in rural communities, with collective harvesting). Meitheal - an act of mutual, neighbourly support - is related to placemaking. Meitheal partly fulfils humans’ innate desire for belonging to place, expressed by the late John O’Donohue, that most loved of poet-philosophers and lover of Irish landscapes. Meitheal is not confined to rural life; it’s alive in urban communities

and horticulture projects. A model worth expanding.

Examples Irish GI is relatively new and varied as shown by some randomly selected projects, with shared characteristics, such as visioning, partnering and collaboration.

National and Regional levels ●T he Wild Atlantic Way and Mayo

Greenway: Fáilte Ireland and Mayo Co Co. 2,500 kms long, with places designated as points of interest; objectives include local economy stimuli, sustainable eco-tourism ● H eritage Council Grant Scheme: HC’s admirable expertise, successes in fostering, promoting partnerships and community projects is testimony to vision, persistence of a state agency that’s survived recessionary cutbacks providing inspiring public service.

Local level – Dublin ●D ublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere special

UN designation, intimate to Dublin city.

Biosphere Partnership (DCC, DLRCC, FCC councils, Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, Dublin Port) runs the project ●T emporary urban landscapes (arts, community gardens etc) ●D ublin: various project from early 2010s, in the inner city, on abandoned, derelict sites, led by grassroots community activist ● D ublin Mountains Partnership (DMP)]:

Definition Any definition of B-GI, should reflect the varying emphases of planners, ecologists and landscape architects.

GI is inherently cross-disciplinary and ‘silo-busting’ (e.g. conventional ‘grey’ infrastructure meets eco-landscape design). The following is proposed: ●T he planning, design and

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

12 / LANDSCAPE active recreation in peri-urban landscapes (SW County Dublin); partnership - 3 councils (Dlr, DLRCC, SDCC, DCC), Coillte, Dublin Mountains Initiative, NPWS, with landowners ● S hanganagh Community Gardens, Shankill, active citizenship /community gain, from ‘grey’ infrastructure project (sewage plant); committee of local growers, located in low-income neighbourhood; social engagement a strong key to success ● C ommunity Placemaking URBACT EU Project: DLRCC Community-led (Enterprise Officer); capacity-building, social capital in disadvantaged housing estates in Loughlinstown; results = stronger sense of place identity, empowerment of previous disengaged residents, enhanced environment ● D LRCC Green Infrastructure Strategy 2016-2022. A multidisciplinary project, jointly delivered by Dún LaoghaireRathdown’s P&LS and planning departments with a team of consultants, that is integral to DLRCC’s new County Development Plan 2016-2022, giving it a legal status. It will contribute to DLRCC’s climate change strategy.

DLRCC’s GI has contributed significantly to the county’s reputation as a vibrant place with a high quality of life and vital to the socio-economic and environmental wellbeing of the county. The strategy has three mutually reinforcing themes:

1. A ccessibility, recreation, health and wellbeing: quality and continuity of GI connections (greenways, walking routes); access to open spaces and recreational resources; activities in key amenities 2. Natural heritage: natural and man-made assets of value; areas for biodiversity (watercourses, woodlands, coastline) 3. W ater management: opportunities for CC adaptation, GI to optimise stormwater management and water quality.

Spatial Framework A structure for decision making and interventions, it spans short to long term, identifying existing and planned GI: ● S ix multi-functional corridors connecting higher level hubs, mountains, urban areas, coasts ●A chain of improved gateway hubs (parks), in transition between the mountains and the urban areas The framework reflects DLRCC’s slogan – “O Chuain go Sliabh” - as the county is located between Dublin Bay and Dublin Mountains.

Delivery A robust approach is essential, pointing to an opportunity for DLRCC to build new partnerships; key recommendations: ●A multi-disciplinary, inter-departmental working group reporting to CE ●D elivery plan ●L ocal and external funding ●T ools for integrating GI into planning Fig. 2: DLRCC Strategy: Spatial framework

Pilot Projects The strategy harnesses existing initiatives, while recommending specific pilot projects to demonstrate benefits. Projects include constructed wetlands, green streets and sustainable urban drainage schemes. Green streets

could help DLRCC meet its obligations under the EU Water Framework Directive, attenuate flooding; contributing to placemaking by enhancing aesthetics, biodiversity and public participation. Criteria is being drafted now for selecting streets for retrofitting as green streets, based on best international practices.

Conclusions "The measure of any great civilisation is its cities and a measure of a city's greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares." - John Ruskin

Implications for Health and Sustainability Volunteer ethics and practice remain strong, aided by dedicated public sector champions. In future, civil-society – public sector alliances could radicalise public consciousness, bringing concerted pressure on the political system to fully address deficits.

Key lessons ●B uild healthy, synergistic relationships between Civil

Society and State (e.g. leverage Tidy Towns Movement to boost local horticulture entrepreneurship through local enterprise offices) ● D on’t rely on a narrow relationship model (OECD 2006: Ireland’s relations-based society is prone to cronyism, corruption, unlike systems-based societies, e.g. Germany) ● P rioritise systemic governance (policy, law), invest in services and people ●P ut GI and landscape services on a statutory basis (as a core service with drainage, housing, information and communication technologies, roads, planning. As long as it’s optional, delivery will remain weak ●D issembling some myths regarding urban parks – T hey are not luxuries – they’re vital to human wellbeing, economy and resilience T hey are dynamic assets - vital to culture, economy, tourism, leisure, social cohesion, prosperity, biodiversity T hey are indispensable to climate change adaptation These claims are based on a growing catalogue of evidencebased research by academics, think tanks and agencies.

Views expressed are the authors and not those of the ILI or DLRCC. A copy of the full paper and list of references is available from the author on request. ✽

Aidan J ffrench MILI is a registered landscape architect, chair of the Irish Landscape Institute (ILI) working group on green infrastructure, former ILI President (2005-2007), and is a member of European Foundation for Landscape Architecture’s Landscape Policy Group. He can be contacted via email at affrench@dlrcoco.ie

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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Photograph by by-studio

12 / LANDSCAPE

What you see...

Renowned nurseryman and tree specialist, Ronan Nangle shares a positive story of how seeing and selecting trees first hand can contribute to the creation of wonderful places Two years ago I contributed to an article on difficulties with landscape specifications and the negative impact they are having on our public spaces. That article set in motion a process which continues today and which will produce Ireland’s first landscape quality management system and standards. The new system will address many of the issues which plague our landscape but it won’t solve one of the simplest yet most damaging challenge: that of blind specification.

Blind specification is when a professional specifies plant materials from a list with little or no knowledge of the outcome, or for that matter what they are missing out on. Unfortunately, Ireland has more than its fair share of blind specifiers. The evidence is all too apparent, and too often our cities, town and villages are blighted by the sorrowful site of poorly specified, inappropriately sited and ill maintained trees struggling to cling to life. It breaks my heart.

I am all too aware of why blind specification takes place. It’s not an intentional practice, it is one necessitated by limited time, budgets and continual pressure from all sides. Even the most well informed and well intended come under pressure to make hurried choices. So this article is not intended as a critique on poor decision making; it is intended to share a positive perspective, a story of a town created by the sighted with a vision of the future framed by a diversity of well considered and selected trees.

20 years ago, most people would have considered Ballincollig a drab suburb on the western outskirts of Cork city. Though its population was rapidly expanded through the 70s and 80s, it was, like many suburbs

38

around the country, essentially still a village, albeit one that was bursting at the seams.

Ballincollig has a military history dating back to the late 1790s where it produced gunpowder for the British Military. The Barracks was still in operation in 2002 when the gates closed for the last time. The Barracks occupied almost the entire northern part of the village and when it was purchased by O’Flynn Construction in the early 2000s big changes were about to happen.

The situation was almost unique, not just in Ireland but across Europe. Rarely did a town with a population of over 25,000 people have the chance to directly influence how its future layout would be planned. Aesthetically the town was going to grow from a village to a European style suburb. Ballincollig was going to grow up, and the landscape was going to play a big part.

The Dawning of a New Era By the early 2000s Ballincollig was still growing rapidly and was about to undergo a radical change. It was fortunate in many ways that the main players in this new era were all keenly interested in the landscape of the town, in how it would actually look. It was lucky that O’Flynn Construction were the developers who bought the barracks. The group were high-end operators, interested in quality, and were both the developers and the builders, which always results in a better end product.

They were all too aware of the negative impact of short term thinking, of blind specifiers. The local area engineer at the time was Ken O’Riordan, who also had a good eye and was interested in aesthetics. He had a clear vision for the town and got things done.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

12 / LANDSCAPE Also of major importance to the greening of the town was the growing involvement of the Tidy Towns committee. An incredibly hard working, ambitious and motivated group, they cajoled, pushed and encouraged the area engineers to make improvements at every turn. The group have gone from strength to strength and Ballincollig received a gold medal in the last five National TidyTowns competitions, with a score of 321 in the 2016 competition, just eight points behind the overall winner.

The last key player, and one of the most important, is Jack Casey, the local parks superintendent, landscaper, designer and tree expert. His influence on the landscape is everywhere and it is through his good eye for design, careful plant selection, expert planting and maintenance and astute vision that the greening of the town has been achieved and continues to grow.

Tree Selection Selecting and specifying trees is an art in itself. To do it blindfolded takes a lifetime of practice. The best designers and landscapers I have worked with, both in the public and private sector, have an area in mind and a clear idea of what they want. Rather than simply listing some names, they visit the nursery to see for themselves. The best specifiers only trust their eyes. The results from this method are always superior to using a blind selection method. Jack Casey is an expert at this method and the results, in my opinion, stand for themselves. His work in the Ballincollig Regional Park is a shining example, taking an underused and overgrown public space and transforming it into a public park of extreme beauty and purpose.

Ballincollig Regional Park The transformation of the Ballincollig Regional Park from an overgrown and underused public space into the lungs and lifeblood of Ballincollig is an amazing story. The change was started by Ken O’Riordan and driven on by the resourceful area engineer, Vincent Flourish. The 134 acres of parkland are busy every day of the week and jammed all weekend with people walking, talking, living and playing together. From its freshly planted car park, to the three acres of well maintained wildflower meadows, nature trails, tarmac walkways, rough

Avenue of field maple 9 (Acer campestre 'Elsrijk' just turning into their butter yellow Autumn colour

running paths, basketball court, astro pitch, playground, exercise areas, history guides, mature woodland and ongoing planting projects, it is a stunning example of how things can and should be done.

The Himalayan birch (Betula utilis Jacquemontii) var. jacquemontii) at the entrance are the first hint of the fantastic selection of trees that grow within. A unique Emperor oak (Quercus dentata ‘Carl Ferris Miller’) on the left as you come into the park will have you guessing, and the multi-stemmed tupelo tree (Nyssa sylvatica) will grab your eye this time of year with its vibrant autumn colours. While the mainstay trees of the park are beech, oak and hornbeam, both existing and newly planted, it is the infill planting and unusual bits and pieces that will provide interest for most of the year. In the autumn stunning colour is provided by Sorbus dodong ‘Olympic Flame’, upright pin oak (Quercus palustris ‘Green Pillar’), Freeman’s Maple (Acer x freemanii ‘Autumn Blaze’), and golden birch (Betula costata), while in the spring and summer you have the beautiful Magnolia ‘Heaven Scent’, yellow flowering buckeye chestnut (Aesculus flava), and the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata). Winter interest is provided by the Japanese cornel cherry (Cornus officinalis ‘Robins Pride’) which offers fantastic bright yellow flowers in late January/early February.

As you are led into the main body of the park you are met by weeping Japanese maples, rhododendrons (Inkarho rootstock) and multi-stemmed snake-bark maple (Acer davidii). The avenues around the playing pitches are planted with hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and turkey oak (Quercus cerris). These trees give the landscape scale and form, and should stand the park in good stead for the next 100 years.

As you walk around by the weir an old scrubby area has been cleared away and planted with a fantastic selection of trees: big dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) grow alongside Chinese red birch (Betula albosinensis ‘Fascination’), dogwoods (Cornus kousa ‘China Girl’), Persian ironwoods (Parrotia persica ‘Vanessa’), ginkgos, sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa), sweet gums (Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’) and Magnolia kobus amongst others. The selection of trees is fresh and exciting, with both a nod to the past and an eye to the future.

Newly planted avenue of turkey oak (Quercus cerris) planted in the Ballincollig regional Park

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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Street trees

Lime trees (Tillia x europea Pallida) on the Western entrance to Ballincollig

When you have 25,000 people (about 8,000 homes) living in a relatively small space, it takes a lot of trees and greenery to help them blend in.

Function, aesthetics and scale are all important in selecting trees that marry these three requirements. In the last 15 years developers such as O’Flynn Construction, Owen O’Callaghan and O’Brien & O’Flynn Construction and the local council’s parks department under Jack Casey and area engineer Vincent Flourish have done a good job in doing just that. The entrance on the western side of the town through Greenfields and Coolroe Meadows is planted with a beautiful avenue of field maples (Acer campestre ‘Elsrijk’) and lime trees. They have the effect of drawing your eyes forward and screening the 600 houses that lie behind. Further on to the west, intelligent planting of blue cedar trees, beech, oak and holm oak hide large parks from view.

Travelling east you come to three large apartment complexes that could easily have been an eyesore. Instead, smart use of upright oak (Quercus robur fastigiata ‘Koster’) provides a shuttered screen while the two metre high beech hedge on the other side of the road shields the view of a further

40

200 houses. As you move toward the town through the broad entrance road plantations of Norway maple (Acer platanoides ‘Emerald Queen’), golden ash (Fraxinus jaspidea) large groups of beech, lime and hornbeam soften almost all the harder elements of a town. The main street itself is planted with field maple, flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’) and a slow growing small leafed lime (Tilia cordata ‘Rancho’) which are perfectly in scale with the buildings around it. As you go towards Cork city further plantations of maple, limes and birch (Betula pendula), underplanted with thousands of spring bulbs, continue to soften the plethora of houses that lie behind. Individual specimens, such as a magnificent weeping copper beech continue to draw your eye away from the houses.

Block of apartments shuttered off by upright Oak (Quercus robur Fastigiata Koster)

what can be achieved with vision and planning. It really is amazing what a few trees can do.

Now there are benefits to blind specifying. The abstraction, or separation from reality is almost fundamental for competitive tendering, a process that typically results in the lowest price. But as we all know, price and quality are not the same thing. The reductionist, costfocused process of tendering leaves no room for the art, science, complexity and nuance of tree specification. The results are all around us.

If you are a blind specifier, I urge you to do a couple of things. Pick up the phone and arrange a few nursery visits. Ireland’s nursery men and women are perhaps the most helpful in the world. We are happy to share our knowledge and experience to help you make more well informed decisions. If you don’t fancy a nursery visit, then do yourself a huge favour and visit Ballincollig. Nothing beats seeing the evidence for yourself. ✽

The overall effect of the tree planting makes Ballincollig feel like a European town, but with an Irish accent.

As with all projects like this, there is no end; the work is never done. The Tidy Towns committee and the local parks department will continue to work hard and take on more projects. However, they are passing the baton on with pride, and with the satisfaction of knowing that Ballincollig with its distinctive landscape is now greener, cleaner, and more environmentally healthy. It is a better place to live in and a shining example of

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Ronan Nangle is managing director of Nangle & Niesen Wholesale Tree Nursery. He has over 20 years experience in the nursery and landscaping sector. For more information or to arrange a visit, visit www. nangleandniesen.ie

13 / INSIGHT

Education, Communities

and the role of horticulture in Ireland

In her second feature exploring the wider benefits of horticultural activity, Rachel Freeman shares her insights into the role horticultural education can play in sharing knowledge and building resilience in communities

I

reland has a rich history in community based activities, such as community gardening and environmental improvement endeavours.

Although popularised in recent years, their underlying philosophy is nothing new. For centuries meitheals came together to gather the harvest in towns and villages all over Ireland.

Gatherings and helping out neighbours and friends in the community is a long established part of Irish tradition. The number of community garden spaces and related horticultural and environmental activities is on the rise, flourishing in towns and villages throughout Ireland. These spaces are often situated in urban areas on previously neglected and forgotten pieces of ground, at the outset many are devoid of even the most meagre amount of plant material. Through a gathering of like minded individuals prepared to roll up their sleeves and get involved, these community gardens become havens of the natural environment, providing a structure and horticultural opportunity that people can easily engage with.

Community gardens and health Working in community gardens offers the potential for very positive social and economic outcomes, as well as having a good environmental impact on the community. Growing our own food and eating well, spending time outdoors, exercising through work and in companionship, using the social nature of the space, practicing sustainability, reducing and composting waste, harvesting rainwater and recycling all lead to positive benefits for individuals and communities. Opportunities are offered for people to socialise, and because of their nonthreatening nature are easy to take part in. For individuals in the community these spaces can give purpose and meaning to life, or become a credible alternative to gyms or keep fit classes.

A recent headline in the Irish Times (‘Ireland set to become the most obese country in Europe’) is based on a report from the World Health Organisation indicating that Ireland’s obesity rate is rising rapidly.

Couple this with the increase in mental health issues, and it’s easy to see that these spaces need the

Bug Hotel for garden: Designed and built by ITB students and Blakestown Drive Community Group (BDCG) members

recognition and support they deserve as beneficial therapeutic spaces.

Being in an outdoors environment enjoying our natural surrounds provides for our innate emotional need to connect with nature.

Environments such as community gardens have a proven restorative effect on human beings. They inspire, grow and heal our bodies and minds while improving our natural environment. Moderate activity in a natural environment can improve mental health. Gardening fits right in with this thinking, with the added benefits of gaining our daily vitamin D quotient, burning calories while releasing positive mood altering endorphins.

Education and environment Just last year in the Irish Times, Laura Burke, director general of the EPA, was quoted saying: “The development of key economic sectors depends on a clean, green Ireland. We need to mobilise everyone living in Ireland to place the environment at the heart of their decisions and actions every single day. Only by asking ‘What is this doing to our environment?’ can we build a sustainable future. We need to eat, work and travel. But our challenge is to do this within the planet’s capacity.

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13 / INSIGHT

Community Group Blakestown Drive Community Group (BDCG) describes itself as ‘a group of good willed local people from all types of backgrounds and family structures who came together in a common bond to promote the stewardship of the environment through work, deeds and education’.

They have three tenets, which they remain steadfast to through their work: education, environment and community.

This group aspires to make step driven change through project work in their community, forging partnerships, making connections and working towards inclusive enabling and proactive environmentally focused local activities.

They approached ITB in 2015 looking for some help with a community based garden project.

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The end of spring 2016 saw the creation of the ‘Wizard of Oz ‘ themed community and school garden. A collaboration between BDCG, Scoil Mhuire Blakestown and community horticulture students from ITB. Through the community horticulture module, staff, students, community members and the school group embarked on a transformation of a local black spot into an aesthetically pleasing linked school and community garden space which was opened by the then Tanaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, followed by a widely attended community party and pageant.

ITB students of community horticulture provided feedback through their technical and reflective learning journals kept as part of the assessment. They inform us that overall, there was a huge amount and great variety of learning, that students enjoyed interaction with the BDCG community and the hands-on experiential learning in the use of horticulture for the improvement of community spaces. This is evident in a journal reflection from one of the students: “Just wanted to say, really loved the module and I’ve used some of the techniques working at home with my own kids and that means a lot to me. Even though I struggled with the presentations and the IT side of it, I really can’t put into words what I have gained from this module. It's been by far my best experience in an educational environment.”

The community really came together as a group and enjoyed participating in the build alongside the students, as indicated in this note from one of the BDGC community group members: “It was fabulous to be part of this project and I must say it has really inspired me and also educated me and for sure I know I am walking away with a wealth of knowledge and I know well that I will be using it in the future.”

As a direct result of this experience, one of these community group members has taken the leap to return to college and is now studying horticlture at ITB. Community Hard at work: Community and students horticulture at install a new garden path ITB by lecturers Ciarnad Ryan and Rachel Freeman is a similar project planned for this year and we look forward to sharing news of our 2017 community horticulture module. ✽

Rachel Freeman is an assistant lecturer in horticulture at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, where she is also placement coordinator. In addition to teaching practice Rachel is also completing an MSc in social and therapeutic horticulture at Coventry University, UK. She can be contacted at rachel.freeman@itb.ie

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

Photo by KORALEY NORTHEN

Recent World Wide Fund for Nature data shows that living like an average EU citizen requires 2.6 planet Earths to sustain us. In Ireland we live as though we had 3.2 planet Earths at our disposal. The position held by community gardening groups is vital in getting the environmental sustainability message across.

Horticultural education is not just educating students on working within the confines of environmental legislation. It also includes teaching sustainability practices, and promoting respect for the global environment, for now and for the future.

It is widely acknowledged that education and training are central to economic prosperity and social progress in a modern society. Their provision is crucial if we are to create an inclusive society, where opportunity and incentive to fully participate in the social and economic life exist.

At the heart of ITB’s mission statement is a focus on increasing participation in third level education in Dublin 15 and surrounds, providing skilled labour for the local and wider economy. At ITB, as is the case with many organisations we are inundated with requests for assistance, in particular in community spaces. This type of activity is referred to ‘civic engagement’ and is just one way of involving communities in education.

Community gardening and environmental activities are attracting local authority funding and mechanisms are in place to support communities, yet many need a little help to navigate their way there and help in getting projects off the ground. This is where civic engagement comes in. As educators, engaging with communities gives us a unique opportunity to provide reality grounded education for our students, as part of third level education provision.

Community based learning offers a different educational perspective for students, and is key to providing quality, reality grounded education. Students working with communities get first hand experience of the challenges involved in completing projects with real life clients. They have the opportunity of testing their knowledge and fine tuning technical skills, as well as developing their emotional intelligence and communication skills through sharing their knowledge with the community. At the same time, they are fostering a sense of volunteering and engaged citizenship.

Our community horticulture module ensures that students are engaging in place based educational experiences throughout their horticultural learning, not just during their placement period.

14 / RESEARCH

Photo: WavebreakMediaMicro

Pick your Phytes

Michael Gaffney peels back the layers of data surrounding the nutritional values of fruit and vegetable to find the future of Irish production may be small

R

ecent reports have highlighted that Ireland has the lowest percentage (1%) of agricultural land devoted to vegetable production in the EU-28.

Given the market pressures on this sector from imported produce, there is a need for growers to develop new products and marketing strategies. The varieties of vegetables grown in Ireland are chosen for many reasons: customer preference, yields, disease resistance. But perhaps soon they could also be selected for their health properties.

With increasing concern over the falling nutritional quality of some fruits and vegetables and continuing debate over general ‘healthiness’ claims of particular agronomic practices there may be a commercial opportunity for growers to select varieties based on the content of specific health promoting compounds, known as bioactives. As part of the Irish Phytochemical Food Network (IPFN) research project, several varieties of carrots, broccoli and onions were grown over a two year period and assessed for specific bioactive compounds before and after minimal processing. In nature bioactive compounds (phytochemicals) play a role in a wide range of

functions within plants, such as pest and herbivory deterrence (glucosinolates); prevention of UV-induced oxidative damage (flavanols) and pigmentation (anthocyanins). A large number of studies have shown that several phytochemical compounds can exert a significant positive effect on human health. Indeed, phytochemicals have been defined as non-nutrient chemicals found in plants that have biological activity against chronic disease. The overall aim of this work is to provide Irish growers and companies with the knowledge to optimise primary production and processing of vegetables to create healthy and convenient products.

Falcarinol is a polyacetylene found in carrots where its primary function is to protect against fungal diseases, but it also has been linked with anti-cancer properties. The content of falcarinol and several other polyactylenes within different carrot varieties was assessed. Total and individual polyacetylene concentrations varied significantly. Total polyactylenes ranged from 701 to 104 mg/g dw, with three wild Irish carrot species (obtained with thanks from Warwick HRI, UK) returning the highest values. The range of values

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14 /RESEARCH from current commercial varieties ranged from 361 to 104 mg/g dw, with the content of falcarinol ranging from 34 to 164 mg/g dw. This data, and data for other vegetables, indicates that there is sufficient variation within commercial varieties to allow growers to select varieties for increased content of a specific bioactive compound of interest.

However, consumer research increasingly indicates that products, specifically fruit and vegetables, need to focus marketing on more than just health, and also promote other attributes, such as convenience.

Investigations into the effect of minimal processing indicated that removing the outer skin of the carrot with a brush had less effect on polyacetylene content than peeling.

Also, how carrots were prepared (shredded, batoned, disced, cubed) had a significant effect on the retention of polyactylenes: shredded carrot showed the largest decrease while carrot cut into batons retained the same polyacetylene levels as unprocessed carrots. When stored in modified atmospheric packaging, carrots maintained or increased their polyacetylene content over a 15 day period.

Glucosinolates Glucosinolates are sulphur containing compounds found in many brassica species. The glucosinolate, glucoraphanin combines with the enzyme myrosinase to form the isothiocyanate, sulphoraphane. This compound has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant and also to be anticarcinogenic. Climate had a significant effect on the levels of glucoraphanin found in years one and two on a range of 35 commercially available broccoli species. Overall, some varieties had comparatively high levels of glucoraphanin in both years, while other varieties did differ significantly from year one to year two. There is a specifically bred variety of broccoli for glucoraphanin accumulation ‘Beneforte’, which typically records glucoraphanin levels 3.5 times higher than ‘Marathon’ (used as a standard variety). Over the two years we identified an existing commercial variety which displayed an increase above ‘Marathon’ of 2.6 and 3.4 times (depending on year). The variety we have identified is a dome shaped broccoli as opposed to a tenderstem variety (such as ‘Beneforte’) and therefore may be readily acceptable to the market. This variety develops in approximately 80 to 100 days in Ireland, producing medium sized heads. It may potentially be a more acceptable variety for marketing purposes, if the trait of comparatively high glucoraphanin accumulation remained consistent.

While glucrophanin was shown to be influenced by the impact of climate and variety, other glucosinolates were shown to be affected by agronomic practice. Over a four year experiment, broccoli was grown under both organic and conventional practices in north Dublin. Previously published research identified that within organically grown broccoli crops, two glucosinolate compounds, glucobrassicin and neo-glucobrassicin had elevated levels, a finding confirmed by this project. This finding and confirmation, across two different types of study (field experiment and market purchase ‘basket’ survey) strengthens the conclusion that these two glucosinolates can be enhanced by agronomy.

Separate experiments we conducted did indicate that the

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“Phytochemicals have been defined as non-nutrient chemicals found in plants that have biological activity against chronic disease” level of nitrogen input did not significantly alter the levels of glucosinolates found in broccoli crops, suggesting that the drivers of the difference observed in the organic plots were not due to the availability of nitrogen. Overall, these findings do suggest that by combining knowledge of the variety and agronomic system, we can design crop production systems optimised towards to produce crops with specific traits.

However, overall the data suggests a deep complexity in the expression of these compounds, with the main drivers, in order of importance, being climate, genetics (variety selection) and agronomic practice.

One interesting observation was that by years three and four of the organic, conventional experiment, crop yields from the plots had largely equalised although the time to harvest was still slightly longer with organic broccoli taking seven to 14 days on average.

Similar to the data obtained from carrots, minimal processing did impact on the retention of glucosinolates broccoli.

Steaming broccoli was shown to be the cooking method which minimised glucosinolate loss, while boiling broccoli reduced the glucosinolate content by 76%, with 80% of the lost glucosinolates being leached out into the boiling water.

Commercially, the exploitation of research such as this is difficult, as the European Food Safety Authority has very strict criteria on product labelling, particularly in the area of health claims. However, it would be possible for Irish growers to use research such as described above to differentiate their crops from imported produce and create interest from the buying public.

Acknowledgements: The research described was funded

by DAFM under the Food institutional Research Measure (06TNITAFRC06). The input of Dr Kim Reilly, Mr Leo Finn, Dr Dilip Rai (Teagasc) and Dr Nigel Brunton (UCD) is acknowledged. ✽

Dr Michael Gaffney is an entomology and IPM researcher working in the horticulture department in Teagasc, having previously worked at the University of Wales, Swansea University, and UCD. He leads a diverse research group focusing on crop protection and crop quality issues. He can be contacted at Michael.Gaffney@Teagasc.ie

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

14 / RESEARCH

Mycorrhizal and root

initiation and development As part of our continued drive to promote and communicate horticultural research conducted by Irish students, we’re delighted to share the work completed by Institute of Technology Blanchardstown student Paul Dunlea on mycorrhizal fungi

T

he word ‘mycorrhiza’ was originally derived from the Greek words ‘mycos’ meaning fungus and ‘rhiza’ meaning root and was first adapted in 1885 by the German researcher Albert Bernhard Frank.

Mycorrhizal fungi co-evolved with the colonisation of plants on land and have remained morphologically unaltered for approximately 450 million years. It is thought that as many as 90% of all plant species now live naturally in mutualistic symbiosis with soil fungi. Symbiosis is the term used to define two or more organisms living together, with both receiving benefits from the association.

The symbiotic relationships between the plant and fungus are often referred to as mycorrhizal associations and are essential to the biology of the majority of plants within the environment. This relationship benefits both the plant and the fungus through the exchange of carbohydrates and other nutrients from the plant to the fungus while providing the plant with an enhanced capability to absorb water and nutrients.

As plants inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi are known to have greater absorption of micro and macronutrients and water, they have reduced requirements for irrigation and fertiliser application. Inoculated plants tend to be healthier and more vigorous and therefore have a greater ability to resist pathogens such as pests and diseases.

Mycorrhizal fungi are classified into two major groups: ectomycorrhizal and endomycorrhizal fungi. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations make up approximately 20% of all mycorrhizal associations. ECM fungi are a group of mutualistic root symbionts that provide nutrient uptake and increased resistance

to drought and stress, and in return the fungus receive carbon from the host plant. ECM do not enter the root cells or vascular bundles, instead the fungus penetrates the root cortex forming a sheath of septate hyphae around the entire root surface, replacing the root hairs and root cap. The hyphae form an intercellular network between the root cortex cells, known as the Hartig net, which is responsible for nutrient exchange between the fungus and plant.

Endomycorrhizal fungi, also known as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, are the most common type of mycorrhizal association formed by the majority of horticultural crops.

Endomycorrhizal fungi do not change the gross morphology of the host roots. During the infection process, the chlamydospores (thickwalled vegetative cells that function like a spore) in the soil germinate close to the plant roots. As they penetrate the epidermis of the roots, irregular mycelia develop between the cells of the root cortex. Hyphal coils, or peletons form within the cells of the outer cortex. As the fungus penetrates the parenchyma cortex, structures of special branched haustorium called arbuscules develop intracellularly. These arbuscules act as the site of carbon exchange to the fungus, and nutrient and water exchange to the host plant. Vesicles are either produced intracellularly or intercellularly and act as a storage structure containing lipids.

As the fungus colonises the plant’s root system, a network of branches called hyphae (long white filamentous branches of vegetative growth) is extended into the soil surrounding the plant roots. The hyphal network

replaces the function of the plant’s root hairs, extends the plant’s root system and increases the plant’s ability to absorb water and additional nutrients, primarily Phosphorus and Nitrogen. In return the fungus obtains carbohydrates and other nutrients from the plant.

As part of my undergraduate thesis in the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, I undertook a project to determine whether using mycorrhizal fungi, rooting hormone or a combination of both was most beneficial in aiding root initiation and root development of semi-hardwood cuttings during propagation. I decided to focus my thesis on this topic as I have keen interests in the various aspects of plant propagation and the research involved in order to improve the efficiency of nursery stock production.

For the purpose of the experiment, 360 semi-hardwood cuttings of Lonicera pileata (privet honeysuckle) were prepared, divided into four groups and subjected to one of the following treatments; mycorrhizal fungi inoculum (containing both endomycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi), rooting hormone, a combination of mycorrhizal fungi inoculum and rooting hormone and the control (no treatment application). All cuttings were placed on a warm bench in a randomised block design and covered with a polythene sheet for the duration of the experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to determine which of the four treatments would provide the most positive results in terms of rooting initiation, percentage of cuttings rooted, root length, root ball diameter and fresh and dry root weights, just six weeks after initial propagation.

The rationale for the project was to assess the many benefits of

Autumn/Winter 2016 / www.horticulture.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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14 / RESEARCH

TOP: Propagation materials including rooting hormone dip and mycorrhizal fungi dip; BOTTOM: Cuttings on warm bench in randomised block design

incorporating mycorrhizal fungi during cutting propagation and to establish how these beneficial fungi may potentially increase the success rates and efficiency of cutting propagation in nursery stock production.

The findings of this study suggest that mycorrhizal fungi in conjunction with rooting hormone produced cuttings with the largest root system when compared to those treated with either mycorrhizal fungi or rooting hormone alone. The most significant findings of this study were observed when analysing the average fresh and dry root weight per cutting. The combined treatment of mycorrhizal fungi and rooting hormone produced cuttings with highest average fresh and dry root weights. The combined treatment resulted in a 46.94% and 20.41% increase in average fresh root weight per cutting when compared to the control and rooting hormone treatments respectively. There was also a 50% increase in average dry root weight per cutting over the control and a 19.45% increase over cuttings treated with rooting hormone alone.

When compared to the control, the treatment of mycorrhizal fungi alone achieved better results in all of the parameters tested, but overall was not One sample from each of the four as successful as the treatment groups combined treatment or the treatment of rooting hormone alone.

The increased benefits of using the combined treatment could greatly aid the nursery stock industry in terms of crop productivity and the quality of the stock produced.

Cuttings treated with the combination of mycorrhizal fungi and rooting hormone showed a quicker rooting response when compared to the other treatment applications, only three weeks after initial propagation. It is believed that the

46

application of mycorrhizal fungi in combination with rooting hormone can increase root initiation for some cultivars that usually take longer to root. This increased root initiation can decrease the length of the production cycle while increasing the quality of cuttings produced. By reducing the time it takes for cuttings to root, large scale producers could potentially yield a greater amount of stock at a faster rate and therefore increase their profits.

Although many previous studies have shown the benefits of incorporating mycorrhizal fungi into the rooting medium during cutting propagation, there has been limited research into its use when applied as a root dip to the base of semihardwood cuttings. The results of this study demonstrated that use of mycorrhizal fungi inoculum during the propagation of semi-hardwood cuttings has shown to increase root initiation and development when applied to the base of the cuttings prior to insertion into the rooting medium.

These findings indicate that there were increased benefits from the mycorrhizal fungi inoculum when root colonisation by the mycorrhizal fungi occurs as early as possible during root development. It is believed that the fungal inoculum should be present during the adventitious root formation of cuttings in order to achieve the greatest benefits from the mycorrhizal fungi.

The nursery industry is currently facing increasing challenges from the introduction of government regulations restricting the use of certain fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides. As a result, there is now a greater demand to produce plants that are more resistant to environmental and biotic stresses and have reduced requirements for fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation. Another challenge facing the nursery industry is the increasing cost of irrigation and the further regulations reducing the run-off from irrigation systems. With the introduction of these government regulation and increased awareness of the harmful effects on the environment with the overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, there are increasing opportunities for the utilisation of mycorrhizal fungi during propagation in large scale nursery systems. Mycorrhizal fungi improve the plant’s health and vigour, encourage root formation and promote plant growth, while reducing the need for pesticide and fertiliser applications. ✽

Paul Dunlea recently completed his honours level degree through the BSc in Horticulture in the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.

His main interests lie in plant propagation and the research involved in order to create ecologically sustainable and efficient propagation methods.

He would be very interested in carrying out further research for large scale propagation systems in order to improve plant productivity and is currently pursuing a career in this field. Email: pauldunlea@ outlook.com, Phone: 085 821 1521.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Autumn/Winter 2016

15 / EDUCATION

FU TU

Learning Growth

RE

A Strategy For

EDUC

ATIO N

John Mulhern, Principal of the College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens summarises findings of the recent strategy review for horticultural education in Ireland

D

uring the summer of 2016 Teagasc embarked on a strategic review of its education delivery.

The policy context that has driven this review emanates from Food Wise 2025, the Report of the 2025 Agri-Food Strategy Committee, which sets out a cohesive, strategic plan for the development of agri-food sector over the next decade.

“The committee has identified that opportunities will arise as a result of significant population growth and greater access to international markets. In addition, the committee recognises that the increased pressure on global agricultural resources and the environment will offer potential further growth opportunity for the Irish agri-food and fisheries sector.” (DAFM website), Action 65 under the Human Capital actions in Food Wise 2025 states, “Teagasc to continue to calibrate its education function to match the needs of industry, for example through the development and introduction of customised short training programmes”. Teagasc education, advisory and research services have a substantial involvement in both accredited and non-accredited short training courses and continuous professional development for adult farmers, growers, operatives and professionals operating across the land based and food sectors.

Teagasc is the primary provider of QQI accredited further (vocational) education and training at education levels 5 and 6 on the Irish national framework of qualifications (NFQ) for the overall land-based sector. Teagasc, through its partnership with the higher education sector, has a substantial input into higher education delivery at NFQ levels 6, 7 and 8.

Teagasc also has a significant involvement in postgraduate education at level 9 (Masters) and even more extensively

at level 10 (PhD) with typically over 250 PhD participants annually primarily delivered through the research programme.

During summer 2016, Teagasc Horticulture based in Ashtown, The National Botanic Gardens and Kildalton teamed up and invited stakeholders from all over the Irish horticulture sector to meetings to get their views in relation to our education business.

There was a very welcome response from industry in relation to this exercise. Over 25 members of the horticulture sector joined us for deep and probing discussions in relation to our education programme structure. Among the questions we posed to the stakeholders were the future of the industry, drivers of change in the industry, structure of our courses to match changes, current staff training requirements and gaps that may arise in the future.

Overall this was a very worthwhile exercise and I wish to thank most sincerely the stakeholders that gave of their valuable time to engage in this process.

Summary of Stakeholders views on Teagasc Horticulture education programmes The overall views of the sector will be produced in a document that will be overseen by a steering committee in Teagasc in early 2017. Here are some of the views of the stakeholders.

In relation to future education levels it was widely supported that levels 6 and 7 were the primary qualifications needed by the industry. Level 5 should be introductory and that levels 6 and 7 would produce graduates needed by the industry. A general grounding in horticulture should be available to all students. Plantsmanship is an area that needs to be improved. Digital media /social media /apps

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15 / EDUCATION should be stronger with students. The area of compliance and QA is needed in the industry. This particular area could be addressed through targeted CPD courses for individual sectors. In relation to office skills, computer skills, including knowledge of Excel were mentioned strongly. Customer service, marketing skills, trend awareness, IPM, and the use of machinery are all skills sets that will be needed in the future.

Stakeholders commented that students should be solution focused and good problem solvers. There should be longer placement in all programmes. Teagasc should consider the role of an apprenticeship programme and have customised CPD for each sector. Business ethics should be included as a subject which includes aspects of technology and business management. Entrepreneurship must be grown through programmes. Online/part time and blended approaches would be strongly recommended Overall, stakeholders were happy with the programmes but felt that more practical learning period was a key requirement.

They felt that we are not necessarily attracting the right students to our courses, especially in the food sector. Our courses should include more precision technology and allow students to have better problem solving acumen. Possibly the calendar of course delivery should be altered to reflect the seasonality of the industry.

typically from non-farming backgrounds.

Demand for horticultural education, both for full time further education and Teagasc linked higher education, is trending downwards and appears to reflect similar difficulties facing horticultural education in many European countries and a lack of clarity of what horticultural education is about. Preliminary findings indicate there may be untapped demand for part time, distance education and continuous professional development and upskilling in the horticultural sector. There is a need to more deeply explore the level and nature of demand for more industry focussed training in the context of Teagasc education. To this end we in the Teagasc College in the National Botanic Gardens will have a Masters Walsh Fellowship student appointed from January 2017 for an 18 month period to examine the training needs of the horticultural sector in the Leinster area now and into the future. We intend to use this data to guide our training and education delivery over the next few years. ✽

Horticultural Education Demand Horticulture students are quite diverse in terms of age, education qualifications and backgrounds. The majority are

JOHN MULHERN has worked with Teagasc for more the 17 years, primarily in an educational capacity.

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

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

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Autumn/Winter 2016

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

Facing charges

Patricia tyrell tackles a very difficult subject

What You see

ronan nangle on the benefits of hand Picking trees

Horticultural Wages

WE SHARE RESULTS FROM OUR RECENT NATIONAL SURVEY

BREXIT AND IRISH HORTICULTURE

CONTROL ISSUES GroMór Hit the Ground Running in 2015

IRISH HORTICULTURE UNITES TO ENTHUSE A NEW GENERATION OF PLANT BUYERS

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS, NEVILLE STEIN

Retail Adaptation: Changing to Meet Evolving Consumers

EAMONN WALL, EXPLORING THE EVOLUTION OF PLANT BUYER BEHAVIOUR

CONTROL ISSUES

Two point perspective.

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES ON WEED MANAGEMENT IN THE IRISH LANDSCAPE

JOHN JOE COSTIN AND JIMI BLAKE ON BLOOM 2016

Maximising your surface Growing Confidence

MIKE NEARY SHARES POSITIVE DATA ON THE IRISH GARDENING MARKET

Right Tree, Right Place

PREFERRED PERENNIALS

EAMON KEALY ON ARTIFICAL PLAYING SURFACES

IRELAND’S FIRST SURVEY OF PREFERRED LANDSCAPE PERENNIALS

National landscape and garden design survey

Perennial Passion

MIKE NEARY, DERMOT CALLAGHAN AND NEVILLE STEIN SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS

ARE THINGS REALLY PICKING UP?

DESIGNER INSIGHT

WATER FEATURE

PATRICIA TYRELL CASTS AN EXPERT VIEW OVER BLOOM 2016

MARYANN HARRIS EXPLORES HOW DESIGN AND HORTICULTURE CAN MEDIATE FLOODING ISSUES

tim schram talks to barry luPton

assuring sustainable Practice

andrew mahon frames the sustainable horticulture assurance scheme (shas)

CULTIVATING CUTTINGS

APPRENTICESHIP 2.0

ANDY WHELTON ON IRELAND’S FOLIAGE SECTOR

WHY THE FUTURE OF HORTICULTURE LIES IN THE PAST

SUD AND YOUR GROWING BUSINESS

BARRY LUPTON REPORTS

REGULATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

IRELAND’S EXPERTS ON WHAT TO PLANT

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HORTICULTURE CONNECTED News, Analysis and Trends

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Spring 2016

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

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Summer 2016

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

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Autumn/Winter 2016

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

Facing charges

Patricia tyrell tackles a very difficult subject

What You see

BREXIT AND IRISH HORTICULTURE

CONTROL ISSUES

ARE THINGS REALLY PICKING UP?

WATER FEATURE

MARYANN HARRIS EXPLORES HOW DESIGN AND HORTICULTURE CAN MEDIATE FLOODING ISSUES

APPRENTICESHIP 2.0

WHY THE FUTURE OF HORTICULTURE LIES IN THE PAST

ronan nangle on the benefits of hand Picking trees

MIKE NEARY, DERMOT CALLAGHAN AND NEVILLE STEIN SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS

DESIGNER INSIGHT

PATRICIA TYRELL CASTS AN EXPERT VIEW OVER BLOOM 2016

Perennial Passion

tim schram talks to barry luPton

CULTIVATING CUTTINGS

ANDY WHELTON ON IRELAND’S FOLIAGE SECTOR

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