The Dublin School of Horticulture's classes are given by experienced horticulturalists. An introduction to some of our lecturers is presented below:

Carl Dacus
Caroline Elliott
Mary Ryan

Carl Dacus

The horticultural experience of Carl Dacus covers many diverse areas. He trained as an external student in the National Botanic Gardens and D. T. Poulsen's rose nursery in Denmark. Before co-founding the Dublin School of Horticulture, Carl ran a nursery specialising in pot plants for the home and export markets. In the past Carl has also managed a hardy nursery production unit in the UK and worked in the second largest garden centre in England. In the '80s he worked in Malahide Nurseries propagating hardy nursery stock and aquatics.

Carl's passion for plants has taken him to the South of Spain where he worked with ornamental trees, shrubs, climbers and citrus. In later years he has run his own nursery producing alpines, herbaceous, shrubs and roses. Many of the plants he grew were new introductions to cultivation.

Carl is well known through his involvement with various plant and garden societies, such as the Alpine Garden Society of which he was the founding chairman and long-standing committee member of the Dublin Group. He has been the Irish representative of the AGS at Vincent Square, London. Carl gives lectures to many societies on propagation and many aspects of gardening including his travels to Chile and Peru, and his garden which hosts a comprehensive collection of exotic plants from around the world, which he looks after with his wife Eliana. Their garden has featured on RTE's Garden Heaven and in gardening columns in the Sunday Times and the Irish Garden Magazine.

In 1999 Carl Dacus co-founded the Dublin School of Horticulture. He's now tutoring students of all ages in the RHS Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Horticulture.

Caroline Elliott

Caroline has been teaching with the Dublin School of Horticulture since 2002. Her horticultural education began with the RHS General Certificate in horticulture by home study in the early 1990s. After a year spent working in a plant nursery, she decided on full-time education and attained a Diploma (Distinction) in Horticulture from the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. Subsequently, Caroline read botany at UCD, achieving a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) Degree in Botany (1st Class Hons.). She is currently pursuing a PhD in Botany at UCD..

Caroline has worked in both a plant nursery and a garden centre. She has long been involved in horticultural education. She taught evening gardening classes for the VEC, and also the VEC Level 2 Certificate in Amenity Horticulture (FETAC). Recently much of her time has been spent working privately in garden design.

Her principle interest is in plant science: how plants grow, feed, survive, reproduce, survive, and manufacture compounds of interest (including medicinal). She has a particular interest in organic and sustainable horticulture i.e. gardening to protect and encourage local wildlife, and gardens organically at home.

Combining her knowledge of garden design with her love of plants, she has recently redesigned her own small garden to include trees, shrubs, climbers, herbaceous plants, bulbs and a composting area. An ornamental fruit, vegetable and herb garden will hopefully be implemented soon.

Caroline has tutored students in the RHS General Certificate in Horticulture and its replacement qualification the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture. From 2006, with Carl Dacus, she will teach the RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture.

Mary Ryan

Mary Ryan taught primary level for several years. A feature of her teaching was sharing with pupils her love of growing plants, her classroom being an obvious evidence of this. Inevitably this led to a career change in 1993, and she went on to establish her own garden maintenance business - with considerable success. She offered a reliable and efficient service, used only top quality plants, provided optimum growing conditions for them, and was always delighted to share her knowledge and expertise in horticulture with her clients. She supplemented this natural inclination and ability by following the RHS courses with the Dublin School of Horticulture, and qualified in the General and Advanced Certificates.

Her client base grew steadily - all new clients having been referred by word of mouth, and her client list is full, with others waiting. The maintenance business developed into what is now a very successful landscape and design concern, but still very much a "hands-on" affair. She has never been one to delegate the actual "in situ" work involved. She has designed and constructed many private gardens, from small courtyard style city gardens to large suburban gardens and while she admits that the hard landscaping is necessary, she believes it is the planting that actually makes the garden.

Her being, by nature, an organised person has helped to balance the many facets of her life - schedules tend to be planned carefully, punctuality is a must, and being involved in the whole process - design, construction and follow up visits if required - has made her business the success that it undoubtedly is.

Teaching skills that had lain dormant for years were brought to the fore once again when she was invited by the Dublin School of Horticulture to lecture in Level 2 & Advanced Practical courses with them.