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PHOTO: KORALEY NORTHEN
RIP KIERAN SKELLY OF K&M NURSERIES
NEW ‘GARDEN CAFÉ’ RADIO SHOW SEEKING A SPONSOR
The team at HC would like to pass on our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of a well known nurseryman Kieran Skelly. Kieran was also the breeder of Potentilla 'Glamour Girl', which was launched at Glas 2013. A full Obituary will follow in the summer edition of HC. ✽
ITB HORTICULTURE NEWS UPDATE After the success at Bloom 2015, ITB horticulture lecturers and students will once again be collaborating on Fingal County Council’s garden entry for Bloom 2016. The syllabus at their horticulture department continues to adapt to the sectors needs with a new course module 'Health, Recreation and Green Infrastructure' being added to their industry offering. Prospective industry members and new students can meet with staff and tour the new horticulture facilities at their upcoming ‘Open Evening’ which takes place from 5-7pm on Thursday, April 14th. ✽
GLDA MEMBERS VISIT TULLY NURSERIES Over 20 Members of the GLDA recently visited the family-run nursery in Ballyboughal. The founder of the business, Martin Tully gave a talk about how the nursery has developed over the last 30 years. They also toured the production facilities and were shown an extensive range of perennials, multistem trees and shrubs grown specifically for the landscape sector. Also, on display were two new Prunus varieties, rotundifolia ‘Greenpeace’ and ‘Genolia’. ✽
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HORTICULTURE NEWS A new radio show ‘Garden Café’ is currently under development and seeking interested sponsors. Creator Eugene Higgins and producer Andrew Mangan of Castaway Media recently recorded the first demo episode. Eugene Higgins tells HC that 'Garden Café' was created and designed as a ‘Top Gear’ type of experience for gardeners. Informative to gardeners while also entertaining enough to retain the general listening public. It is being offered as a seasonal radio programme with perhaps two runs a year of 8 episodes. Eugene says “This type of programme can be worked into a radio schedule with relative ease. The Garden Café team includes most importantly a non-gardener in our guest presenter Sile Seoige, who represents the audience who are sometimes bamboozled by too much latin based gardening talk.” The concept is currently being pitched to all the main national broadcasters and the production team would also ideally like to be bringing a sponsor to the table, which will help it secure a prime slot in the broadcasting schedule. The ‘Garden Cafe’ team are Eugene Higgins, Marie Staunton and Peter Donegan. Listen to the demo at www.horticulture.ie/garden-cafe. Interested sponsors can contact Eugene on 087 225 7310. ✽
GARDEN CAFÉ TEAM - (FROM LEFT) PETER DONEGAN, ANTHONY HEIJANGA (GUEST), MARIE STAUNTON, SILE SEOIGE, EUGENE HIGGINS
HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY TO THE RHSI On the 30th of September 2016 the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland’s 200th birthday Gala will bring renowned gardeners Monty Don, Dan Hinkley and Roy Lancaster to speak at the RDS, Dublin 4. Chelsea Gold winning florist Jenny Murphy will also be demonstrating for floral art enthusiasts. Gardeners, active and armchair, whether members of the RHSI or not, are all welcome. The RHSI originated when a group of professional gardeners gathered in a Donnybrook tavern in September 1816 to drink beer and worry about ‘the art of gardening falling away and rapidly declining’. The modern RHSI has a more sanguine view of the future of Irish horticulture. With a mixed membership of hobby and professional gardeners, the organisation offers lectures, workshops, garden visits, overseas tours and hands-on volunteer gardening in the walled garden renovation project at Russborough, Co. Wicklow. To book tickets for the RHSI Gala on 30th September go to www.ticketmaster.ie ✽
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / Spring 2016
