New Dates for 2011: Friday 20 - Sunday 22 May 2011
Garden Show Ireland 2010 Awards
The 2010 Awards are now available to view online.
New Dates for 2011!
We are delighted to announce that Garden Show Ireland will return to the stunning surroundings of the walled garden at Hillsborough Castle from 20-22 May 2011.
Flowers and specialist plants galore, inspirational ideas for the garden, expert advice and all the tools and machinery to make the job easier, will send green fingered gardeners and budding enthusiasts alike home to their gardens to create their own magic!
10/06/10
BBC Radio 4 Gardeners Question Time at GSI 2010!
We are delighted to announce that Gardeners Question Time will be recording from Hillsborough Castle on Friday 21st May 2010!
Seasoned experts, which may include Anne Swithinbank, Bob Flowerdew, Bunny Guinness, Chris Beardshaw, Matthew Biggs and Pippa Greenwood, will be available to answer your questions with Eric Robson or Peter Gibbs in the chair.
We are delighted that this event is taking place during this year's Garden Festival and we are particularly pleased to be able to invite our regular visitors to the Show to be the first to be able to come along as our guests and participate in the the audience for this exciting event.
As well as fresh ideas and inspiration, Gardeners' Question Time offers solutions to most of your gardening problems. Packed full of practical advice from a panel of expert gardeners here's 45 minutes of top gardening tips, from vegetable growing to wildlife, new plants to dealing with garden pests.
A very limited number of tickets are available to this event and they will sell out fast, so book early to avoid disappointment.
The recording will take place in the magnificent Throne Room at Hillsborough Castle. Doors open at 5.30pm and tea and coffee will be available before the recording starts promptly at 6.30pm.
Garden Show Ireland Launch!
Counsillors Jenny Palmer & Jim Dillon with Carex Everillo
Glorious sunshine and the splendour of Hillsborough Castle set the set the scene for the launch of this year's garden show. Present at the launch was one very special guest with beautiful golden foliage and warm hazy flowers, this was in fact a new variety of Carex Everillo bred by Pat Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Nurseries and it will be making its debut to the gardening public at this years show 21st-23rd May. After such severe weather gardeners will certainly welcome the Carex Everillo- Pat Fitzgerald explained:
"One of the characteristics of Carex Everillo is that it can withstand temperatures as low as minus 15 and maintain its leafy golden appearance."
Pat went on to explain his reason for using the show for the plants debut:
"it has become a unique horticultural event in Ireland, it is a gathering place for the gardening fraternity as well as interested amateurs: that's why I wanted to use Garden show Ireland as a platform for launching Carex Everillo"
This is the sicth consecutive year that Garden Show Ireland has staged this unique horticulture event with its own stylish appeal and festival atmospher. Jenny Palmer, Chairman of the Economic Development Comitee, Lisburn City Council, says:
"Given the tough economic climate that we continue to face I am delighted that garden show Ireland is coming to Hillsborough. The event attracts people from across Ireland and is even promoted further a field, truly placing Hillsborough on the world map. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations who continue to support the event to make it the success that it is. After such a harsh winter, and in a tough economic climate, the Garden Festival is a welcome weekend in spring with its array of colourful plants and fun activities for families."
New for 2010 will be demonstrations on creating stunning flower arrangements by international florist Richard Haslam. Said Claire Faulkner, Director of Garden Show Ireland,
"We are delighted to have Richard Haslam. He'll advise not just on how to make an arrangement look wonderful, but also which plants and flowers to grow to create it! The Garden Festival is a wonderful opportunity to pick up tips from the experts, and this year there is so much that is new. As well as welcoming back old favourites like the Garden Roadshow team and the Garden Gourmet, there are new specialist growers, and expertise on using your garden to keep bees and bantams as well as growing vegetables or how to create a herb garden in pots at the back door."
"Mind you, it's not just about gardening," said local businessman and sponsor of Garden Show Ireland, Brian Snoddon of Snoddons of Hillsborough: "This event is a unique festival. The atmosphere in the walled garden with the jazz, the cream teas and the locally produced foods as well as being able to stroll through the gardens of Hillsborough Castle and the village, make it a very special experience."
16/04/10
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The School's Garden Challenge is back and from what we have seen so far there are some very ambitious garden plans! This year's competition sponsored by Allianz will see schools throughout Northern Ireland compete against each other to design and build the best garden with a theme of 'Wildlife in the Garden'.
Sharon Mc Taggart from Allianz said, "It is brilliant to see such enthusiasm for the Garden Show Ireland initiative! Designing anything as a team is a challenge: to create a garden to a set budget and then build it in just one day demands not only teamwork but hard work and creativity. We're all looking forward to seeing the results on display during this year's Garden Festival at Hillsborough Castle."
The School's Challenge Gardens will be opened to the public during the show. If
09/04/10
Chance to win £500 with every Online Booking!
Here at the Garden Show we are working in conjunction with the National Garden Gift Vouchers scheme to offer you the chance to win £500 of prize vouchers for selected garden centres across Northern Ireland. To be automatically entered into the draw all you need do is book tickets to this years show.
Garden Gifts for Mother's Day!
Why not buy the ultimate gift for Mother's Day on Sunday 14th March 2010?
Tickets to the Garden Festival at Hillsborough Castle which takes place on the 21-23 May 2010 are the perfect gift for Mother's Day!
Simple to buy, a Mother's Day gift to remember, tickets can be bought online at the special advance booking rate of £8 for adults and £6 for concessions (children under the age of 16 are free when accompanied by an adult).