BLOOM in the Park
| 2009
DSH
Vegetable Garden at Burton Hall | 2009
Lissadell House, Co. Sligo
Mary Aikenhead Day Care Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin | May 2007
Wisley Gardens
Annual Visit | 2009
History is made...
Horticultural Links - New Links Added (14-02-2010)
BLOOM
2009, Phoenix Park, Dublin
Bloom
2009 was a four-day garden show held in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. The show was
great success and although the weather at times left something to be desired there
was a tremendous turn out.
The
Dublin School
of Horticulture will once again be at Bloom
in the Park, 3rd - 7th June 2010. Please pay us
a visit at our stand.
DSH
Vegetable Garden at Burton Hall
The
Dublin School of Horticulture Vegetable Garden could be described as a Potager
given its setting in the formal gardens of Burton Hall. The eight raised beds
were cleared of weeds and filled with top soil in November/December 2008 by the
students from the two RHS Level 3 Practical Courses currently running at Burton
Hall. Likewise the Lean-To Glassless house long borders were unearthed from beneath
a jungle of weeds, brambles and wild everlasting sweetpea. Though the Lean-To
roof is without glass there is a micro-climate here and the soil is crumblier
and warmer than the soil in the raised beds. This will allow early sowings of
a wide range of crops.
In
January the students completed a suggestion form indicating the vegetables they
would like to grow under the following headings, Roots, Legumes, Brassicas, Alliums
and Other. Ideas were sought for the Lean-To Glasslesshouse and two cold frames
(also cleared in December). The completed forms were thoroughly digested and a
plan drawn up. All students have received a list of three seeds to buy (a learning
process in itself, such is the choice available) and one unusual vegetable or
fruit to research only. By pooling all the resources everyone will have access
to seed, transplants and produce of over 60 vegetables throughout the growing
season. The items under “Research”, for example Aubergines, Rhubarb,
Grapevine and much more will add to the ever increasing knowledge of the students.
February
saw the first sowings/planting take place. Each class has sown two double rows
of broad beans and planted garlic (cloves) in the raised beds. In the Lean-To
spring onions, radish and beetroot were sown, two rows of each across the width.
Early potatoes were set up on the windowsills of the Plant ID Room to chit. There
was definitely an air of excitement together with some exhaustion among all the
students as an understanding of how all the Plot Work could be utilised productively
i.e. forking over, raking to a fine tilth, lines, draw hoes and that impressive
demonstration of the use of a trowel – back of the trowel always facing away
from you, stab into the soil, pull back the soil, drop in clove of garlic and
firm back soil with top of trowel handle, the trowel never leaving your hand.
March
classes will be dedicated to the first early sowings of peas, mangetout, sugar
snap peas, carrots, parsnips, white turnips, swedes and red and white onion sets
in the raised beds. Nursery beds/seed beds of cauliflower, cabbage. broccoli,
calabrese, Brussels sprouts, and leeks will be sown. In the Lean-To sowings of
rocket, various salad leaves, early carrots, parsley and lettuce will take place.
There are plans for metre square Salad Knot Gardens in the raised beds. So follow
our progress through the seasons.
Please
click here for February 2009 Update on the Vegetable Garden by Brona Dore.
Lissadell
House, Co. Sligo
Late
in 2006 I was contacted by Isobel Cassidy who was most insistent that I should
come and assess the alpine garden and become involved in its rejuvenation. There
were very extensive records of the gardens prepared by Josslyn Gore Booth from
the heyday of Lissadell. However, when I actually visited the garden I was overwhelmed
by the enormity of the task that lay ahead.
The
gardens at Lissadell House had been unattended since the 1950s. The first to be
brought back into cultivation was the 2.2 acre vegetable garden which is ably
managed by head gardener Dermot Carey. The vegetable garden is well worth visiting
and is shown to good effect on the Lissadell web site.
The
alpine garden was in extremely poor condition with self sown trees including ash
and sycamore growing abundantly; after these trees were removed the rock work
was largely disturbed and in need of realignment before planting could take place.
As our first viewing took place during the month of December it was difficult
to assess the extent of the weed population and also what problems might be lying
underground.
I
decided to take on the project and in consultation with Brian Wood of Murphy and
Wood Garden Centre, a list of plants was chosen that would in short order provide
good ground cover and bring the garden into a condition suitable for opening to
the public towards the end of May 2007.
Sourcing
a good range of plants locally and with the numbers needed, proved to be quite
difficult but eventually we succeeded in obtaining the required specimens both
in Ireland and aboard. The plants were duly purchased and planting began at the
beginning of April 2007. The major problem encountered was trying to plant through
the remains of tree roots, ater planting the area was mulched with stone in an
attempt to control potential weed problems. By the middle of June 2007 the rock
garden was beginning to look quite well furnished.
The
revêtment beds at the top of the garden had originally been planted with
alpines but due to maintenance and labour considerations a decision was made,
again involving Brian Wood, to plant them with shrub roses inter-planted with
Russian sage (Perovskia), catmint (Nepeta) and Lavender. By the end of October
2007 these beds were still in good colour this was also apparent through all areas
of the garden.
During
the summer months further plantings of shrubs and herbaceous were made. Throughout
this project the energy and on-going enthusiasm and commitment of Eddie Walsh
his wife Constance Cassidy and Isobel Cassidy has been phenomenal.
Rachael
O'Sullivan, a former student of the Dublin
School of Horticulture, started working at Lissadell in the beginning of
April 2007 where she is gardener in charge of the alpine garden with Pat Curneen.
The alpine garden consists of some 1.6 acres and over the next few years it is
intended to build up an outstanding collection of alpine plants.
Please
click here for a pictorial review of the progress at the Lissadel House garden.
Mary
Aikenhead Day Care Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin | May 2007
The
garden at the Mary Aikenhead Daycare Centre in Donnybrook, Dublin, was opened
by President Mary McAleese on Wednesday 9th May 2007.
Tremendous
work went into creation of the garden by a diverse group of volunteers along with
the support of students from the Dublin
School of Horticulture.
Please
click here for a pictorial overview of the work carried out at the Mary Aikenhead
Day Care Centre garden.
Wisley
Gardens Annual Visit
Winter
in the garden can be colourful and full of interest. During the winter months
it is often the more subtle features of plants such as bark colour and textures
that provide interest to gardeners. January is a month for scent in the garden
with many beautiful fragrant flowering shrubs gracing the winter stage, it is
also a time when the first snowdrops appear signalling the coming of spring.
Over
the weekend of the 16th and 17th of January 2009 we visited the RHS Garden at
Wisley in Surrey to see and sniff some of the winter delights.
This
years Wisley Garden Visit will
take place from 13th & 14th March 2010 - Limited
Availability
History
is made...
Every
year since 2002 the DSH has held the practical module of the RHS Practical Examination.
In 2009 the examination was held in RHS
Wisley. The results of the DSH candidates were excellent.
RHS Practical
Examination Class 2002
