The author Alfred Mercier had a quote which said “What we learn with pleasure we never forget”. There is so much truth in this idea. I certainly know that the information I remember in most detail has been given to me in friendly conversation with an expert or in lectures which the talker has made fun and accessible. In this context there is truly no better way to learn about
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There is nothing more satisfying than that first cup of tea in the morning. The process of sleepily brewing, steeping the bags and slowly watching the colour deepen. To many of us tea drinking is a form of ritual, a moment of calm before the days starts. In essence tea is therapy. In many countries tea culture has become a form or ritual where not only the drinking of
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Considering modern trends what do we think of? Garden rooms, sustainability, green walls, urban greening. The idea of an ‘alpine rockery’ is not one that brings contemporary design to mind. For many of us, the design style of rockeries feels firmly lodged in the style of 1960’s to 1980’s when they featured heavily in show garden circuit and played a strong role in setting garden trends. Often used as a
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What plant is more perfect for creating drama than the tulip? This wonderfully elegant plant rises up out of beds and containers in a most theatrical fashion-standing proud and tall above most other bulbs and perennials. I love tulips. They remind me of weekend visits to Holland when I was a child, the saturated fields of colour stretching endlessly to the horizon as we drove through the landscape. They also
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There is something truly magical about the thought that the plant for this week’s column was around when the dinosaurs were. In fact, the oldest fern fossil records of ferns date back to around 360 million years ago making the fern plant even older than the dinosaurs. It is no wonder so that ferns have an ancient and mythical feel to them. Unfurling slowly like a pre-historic snail, these
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Happy Valentine’s day! Every year around this time I love to get inspired to create a romantic combination of flowers. This early in the year there are not many plants from our own gardens that can be used for flower arranging. Foliage is a popular go to for vases and trees such as Eucalyptus are beautiful even in their own right. Beautiful structural dried thistles and seed heads can also
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There is no plant I know as beautiful and sensual as an tropical orchid. Perfectly elegant and reminiscent of warmer climes, these flowers are such wonderful additions to the window sill in colder months, with many blooming in the depths of Winter. The most common orchids available here in Ireland would probably be the relatively robust Phalaenopsis- the Moth orchid. These beauties are native to southeast Asia and are very
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When you think about gardens what is the first colour that comes to mind? You will undoubtedly answer green and this is no surprise considering that green is the colour of most planting and considered the colour most associated with Springtime, nature and growth. Even the word green comes from the middle English and Anglo Saxon word ‘grene’ which, like the German word grün has the same germanic root as the words
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December is one of my favourite times of the year. Every year, Winter seems to surprise me with its arrival. Suddenly, the temperatures drop and you are given beautiful Winter mornings , with their crisp, frosty-pink, dawn glow. In the evenings darkness falls sooner, often bringing amazing star-studded, sky blankets of inky blue. Every year I forget how breathtakingly beautiful nature is in Winter. It is this nature that is
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When it comes to garden design there are so many different styles of planting. From romantic cottage gardens, minimalist approaches or self-sustainable havens, we create gardens to suit our lifestyles and our tastes. One style that I find particularly fascinating is the tropical style of garden. Admittedly, tropical is not the first style of garden you would think of when designing gardens in Ireland but with clever planning and
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