Ireland
The seventh international “Fascination of Plants Day” around 18 May 2024 will be launched by plant scientists across the world under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO).
The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture and sustainable production of nutritious food, as well as for horticulture, forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation is also a key message.
Everybody is welcome to join this initiative!
An arboretum is a planned and ordered collection of trees grown for scientific and educational purposes. Join Mary O’Neill-Moloney, Head Guide, and learn about the amazing trees at the JFK Arboretum which has one of the most comprehensive plant collections in Ireland.
You’ll explore a variety of trees and shrubs in the arboretum, learn about the diversity of the plant collection, and discover the science of trees.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
Comfortable walking shoes, weatherproof clothing advised.
Enjoy the beauty of the world-famous gardens and explore one of largest collection of plants in Ireland: Mount Congreve, one of the ‘Great Gardens of the World’, is a stunning seventy acres of woodlands, wide lawns and a walled garden with many hidden secrets. Discover more than the bare eye may see on a guided walk to commemorate the late Ambrose Congreve (04/04/1907 – 24/05/2011) who, up to the very last years of his life, could be found in the gardens dispensing orders and advice relating to his beloved plants.
Meeting point: courtyard.
Comfortable walking shoes, weatherproof clothing advised. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
The Ashtown campus is the main location for horticultural research by Teagasc in Ireland. The tour will introduce some of the activities of the Horticulture department of Teagasc and will give an opportunity to see some of our trials.
Fleuroselect Trials help to build public awareness of the diversity of some plant species and also to inspire growing plants from seed. The trial for 2019 is Nasturtium and there are over 70 varieties of the popular plant in the trial. Attendees will have a chance to evaluate and rate the plants we have growing.
Eurotrials is a collaboration across 9 European countries assessing the performance of a selection of plant species. The trial commenced in 2019 is looking at 40+ varieties of Spiraea and will run until 2022.
There a number of fruit, pest and disease trials which will be seen on the tour also.
County Wexford Garden and Flower Club welcomes:
Jonny Bruce – “A Better Way – New Perennials & Organic Methods from de Hessenhof Nursery in Holland”.
Jonny Bruce trained in the magnificent Gardens of Great Dixer (Christopher Lloyd scholar), but since 2016 has worked as the Head Propagator in de Hessenhof Nursery in the Netherlands. Jonny is also a Botanical Illustrator.
The talk will take place at 8pm in Enniscorthy community workshop, Bellefield Enniscorthy at 8 pm. Free to members and just €5 for visitors. Tea/ coffee afterwards (9.30 approx)!
No need to book your place, just turn up on the night.
Mount Congreve, one of the great botanical gardens of the world which is visited by thousands of people each year, also nurtures often unseen and unexplored habitats. Join Author, photographer and naturalist Paddy Dwan to discover the wide variety of flora and fauna which quietly flourishes in the shadow of the great landscaped estate. Marsh, meadow and woodland combine to lead you across a small river which feeds into the river Suir. The marsh is the domain of rushes, sedges, reeds wild flowers and grasses which in turn host a wide variety of birds, butterflies, bees and insect life. Listen to the song of the sedge and reed warbler which mimic the calls of other birds they encounter on their long journey from tropical Africa. The elusive kingfisher and nocturnal otter find their home along the river and the occasional dipper may be observed as it walks under water in search of larvae and other delicacies.
This event celebrates the UN’s International Day of Biological Diversity.
Meeting point: Car park.
Walking on sometimes uneven terrain, ground may be wet. Suitable clothing advised.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
Open all your senses and discover the calming benefits of forest bathing at the JFK Arboretum.
This event celebrates the UN’s International Day of Biological Diversity. In 2019, the theme is ‘Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health’ and aims to spread awareness of the dependency of our health on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.
Comfortable walking shoes and suitable clothing advised.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
Climate change will affect all citizens and the measures that will be taken to combat climate change will impact on all. MET Eireann’s Head of Forecasting, Evelyn Cusack will be headlining an event where citizens can engage on climate change, particularly focussing on the role of research. We know what we know about climate change and about what might happen in the future through research. A great deal of this research is funded by the EU and the Irish government. Therefore, citizens should know more about how the research works and also have a say in the future of that research.
This meeting is part of a European project on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) called Nucleus and is coordinated by Calmast STEM Centre from Waterford Institute of Technology. It runs during the South-East Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
NUIG welcomes you to drop in to the Foyer of the Orbsen Building in NUI Galway for a weekend exhibition of Poster exhibits. The posters document Botany and Plant Science Undergraduate Students’ field course studies in The Burren and in Connemara in Ireland.
All welcome!
Set in the beautiful seaside town of Tramore, the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens reflect the life and extensive wanderings of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), who grew up in Ireland, and whose life journey embraced several parts of the world. Join us on a journey of Hearn’s life, first through the Victorian Garden, then to the American and Greek gardens, until you eventually arrive in the Japanese gardens which feature many Japanese plants and Japanese architectural features. See how these gardens pay homage to the fame he attained in Japan through his incomparable literary descriptions of the people, customs and culture of that country.
Comfortable walking shoes, weatherproof clothing advised.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Workshop Leader: Richard McMullen
Venue: The Barn, Tyrrellspass, Co. Westmeath
Date: Saturday, 18th May
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Audience: improving botanists
Fee: €30 standard; €20 student
When one becomes familiar with a relatively small number of botanical structures it is possible, by using botanical keys, to identify any wild or naturalised flowering plant in Ireland. This workshop will introduce you to these structures and we will then use this knowledge to key out an array of wild plants using the 8th edition of Webb’s ‘An Irish Flora’.
Interested in growing some food yourself, or just curious about how the food you eat grows and where it comes from? Join GIY founder, best-selling author and presenter of RTE’s GROW COOK EAT Michael Kelly for a full day immersed in real food at the home of the GIY movement, GROW HQ in Waterford. This one-day course will strengthen your connection with and understanding of real food, take the mystery out of how food grows and immerse you in GIY’s ‘grow, cook, eat’ ethos.
Michael Kelly’s personal story is about the potential of food to change lives. A random moment with a bulb of imported Chinese garlic in a supermarket 15 years ago started him on a food growing journey that transformed his health and led him to leave his IT job and start the GIY movement. He grows food for a family of four on a windy acre in Dunmore East. His food ethos is simple, no-nonsense:
“I think one of the biggest challenges for our society is that we’ve lost our connection and understanding with food,” says Michael. “For me growing food is not about gardening, it’s about food. Pure and simple. I am obsessed with real food and what I love about growing it is that it has thought me so much about how food works and where it comes from. My food growing has made me a more informed and better consumer, made me healthier and happier.”
You don’t need ANY prior knowledge about growing food to come along. Nor do you need to be considering a massive life-change where you’ll be growing all your own food. You might not even have the space to grow a lot of food.
You will learn about how fruit, herbs and veg grow, how and when to sow a variety of seeds as well as the connection between your health and the health of the soil where your food comes from. Michael will demonstrate GROW HQ’s organic approach to keeping plants and soil healthy, managing slugs and other pests, and simple techniques to get the most veg from the smallest of spaces.
On the day you will get to sow seeds (and take home a newly-planted seed pot), tour the GROW HQ gardens with Mick and enjoy a delicious, award-winning, home-grown HQ lunch cooked by our award winning Head Chef JB Dubois. At the end of the day take home a variety of veg growing guides, and lots of other information to get you growing.
To book a place on this course visit this link. Please note, there are other dates in April and September also available – all details are at the link.
Enjoy a guided tour through the Ericaceous Gardens in the JFK Arboretum. The ericaceous garden contains many types of Rhododendrons and Azaleas and is a must see for visitors to the Arboretum.
This event celebrates Global Fascination of Plants Day 2019 and Bealtaine Living Earth Festival
Comfortable walking shoes, weatherproof clothing advised.
The guided tour is free, but ticketed. Please book your free ticket at this link.
The WIT Horticulture team invite you to join us to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2019 on May 18th.
Join Yvonne Grace, Assistant Lecturer in Horticulture at Waterford Institute of Technology, for an interactive workshop where you can learn about our Bees and Pollinators and how you can create a feast for them in your garden.
There are two, one hour long sessions taking place on the 18th of May so participants can choose to attend at 11am or at 1pm.
This is a free event, but a ticket is required. Please book a ticket at this link.
Please note, this event is being held at WIT Hort’s Greenhouse Complex on the Carraiganore Campus (not on the main campus). Our Greenhouse complex is located near the WIT Sports Campus on our Carraiganore campus which is on the N25 side of the Waterford ring road very near the Greenway entrance. The coordinates for Google maps is as follows:
52.253673, -7.185434
Keep an eye out for the HORT WIT signs!
Explore the flora and fauna of the rocky shore of Garrarus Strand with Marie Power, author of the Sea Garden. We will take a closer look at rocky shore biodiversity including identifying edible seaweeds.
Walking on sand and rocks, so waterproof footwear and reasonable level of fitness required. No wheelchair access. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are free, but limited. Please book tickets at this link.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival.
Join Head Gardener Paul Cutler on a guided walk and discover the wonderful nature and biodiversity of the enchanting Altamont Gardens. Often called a jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown, Altamont Gardens are an enchanting blend of formal and informal gardens with riverside walks, majestic trees and exotic plants throughout the gardens which are home to many birds and mammals. With a bit of luck you might spot some interesting species before enjoying a break in the garden café with all kinds of birds coming up close.
Comfortable walking shoes, weatherproof clothing advised. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
This event is organised by Bealtaine Living Earth Festival, to celebrate Biodiversity National Week and Fascination of Plants Day 2019.
Join Blarney Castle Gardens Staff to Celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2019 with a day-long schedule of events.
11am – An Introduction to Blarney Castle Gardens Arboretum with Steve and Aaron. Meet at the 1st bridge inside turnstiles.
11.30am – A Tour of Blarney’s Poison Garden With Mary. Meet at the Poison Garden.
12pm – A Talk on Carnivorous Plants by Kieran. Meet at the Poison Garden.
2pm – Plant Conservation at Blarney with Rory. Meet at the Vietnamese walk.
3pm – Talk a walk in the Himalayan valley walk with Bruno. Meet at the Himalayan valley
3.30pm – Bee Demonstration and Information about good plants to grow for Ireland’s Pollinators with Sean and Darragh. Meet in the Walled Garden.
All day – Take a journey along our Plant trail identifying 10 specimen trees/shrubs within the gardens. Map available at turnstiles
Normal Admission fees to the gardens apply. €18 full price and €14 for students but discounts are available by booking online in advance.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Workshop Leader: Úna FitzPatrick
Venue: Red Stables, St. Anne’s Park, Raheny, Co. Dublin
Date: Sunday, 12th May
Time: 10:00 – 16:00 (field work included)
Audience: Beginner to intermediate recorders
Fee: €30 standard; €20 student
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is intent on equipping recorders with the skills to help track change in our pollinator populations. Join us for this one-day workshop where you will learn the basics of how-to ID Ireland’s bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies, before taking and testing your newfound skills in the field.
The JFK Memorial Park & Arboretum are delighted to announce Rhododendron Week. This will begin on Saturday 4th May to Sunday 12th May 2019 incl.
Guided walks will take place throughout the week by the guide staff at Office of Public Works – OPW John F. Kennedy Arboretum highlighting the magnificent collection of Rhododendrons.
Free entry from 4th to 12th May. Free guided tours at 12 noon and 3pm daily.
No need to book.
Have you admired the wildflowers of Courtwood woods, but you haven’t been able to name them? Join this guided walk and together we’ll explore and learn together. Suitable for youngsters and adults, we might even see some of the insects dependent on our native flora.
Hopefully by the end of the day, you’ll know the names of 10 new wildflowers!
Junior Growing Club
Ready, set, grow! Once a month the GROW HQ garden will be taken over by our Junior Growing Club. Our Garden Crew will be on hand to teach children all the essentials of GIYing, from planting to harvesting and plenty more in between. With all their new growing knowledge your kids will have no trouble caring for everything they take home.
May 12th Time for a bug hunt! Junior Growers will take to the HQ garden to learn about bees, butterflies, and biodiversity. We’ll even get artsy to help our pollinating friends
With limited places available, pre-booking is essential. Book online at this link, or call us with any questions on 051 584422.
Please note there are other dates available in June and September. More information at the link.
“Ireland’s Fascinating Wildflowers” A Talk by Naturalist and Author Zoë Devlin
Waterford Institute of Technology Department of Science are delighted to host author, naturalist and gifted photographer Zoë Devlin at the Waterford IT Auditorium to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2019
There is no booking required for this event. The talk is on the 11th of May and will start at 4.00pm sharp in Waterford IT, in the main auditorium on the Cork Road campus. Make your way through the WIT front door and turn left!
Zoë runs the renowned www.WildflowersOfIreland.net website, she has published three popular Wildflower books and is passionate about Irish flora, fauna and our environment.
If you are curious about our natural world, and want to know more about wildflowers, then please do attend this free event where Zoë will give an general interest talk about an array of wonderful wildflowers found all over the country. Some of those plants are sure to be on your doorstep!
This course provides an introduction to Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) Practice. The role of the practitioner will be considered, along with approaches and processes central to STH practice within different settings. You will explore how the garden can be a source of activity and occupation appropriate to individual development and recovery. The day will enable you to begin to explore how to harness and maximise the potential therapeutic benefits of gardens and gardening.
Course is delivered by Thrive in conjunction with GIY
Suitable for:
Beginners, career changers and volunteers
What you will learn:
- An understanding of the generalised benefits of gardening as evidenced by research,
- Discover the key theories supporting gardens as therapeutic settings,
- Examples of practice within an STH setting which aim to engage, enable and empower,
- An insight into the role of an STH practitioner.
If you are a non-voluntary/ statutory organisation please contact us for booking.
Included in fee:
- All course materials
- Course hand-outs
- A light lunch and refreshment
Please register at this link.
As part of this year’s Rhododendron Week the JFK Memorial Park & Arboretum are delighted to host a joint event with the RHS Rhododendron Camellia & Magnolia Group group on Friday 10th May 2019.
Keynote speakers are: Seamus O’Brien, OPW National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh and Chairperson, RHS Rhododendron, Camellia & Magnolia Group (Irish Branch) and
Neil Porteous, Head of Gardens Mount Stewart, National Trust.
Agenda for Friday 10th May 2019:
10.30am to 11.30am: Seamus O’Brien talk: Evolution of an 18th century Irish Estate.
12noon to 1pm: Neil Porteous talk: Rhododendrons at Mount Stewart.
2.00pm: Walking tour with both Seamus O’Brien and Neil Porteous in the John F. Kennedy Arboretum exploring the magnificent Rhododendron collection.
This is a free event, however booking is advisable (Tel: 051-388171 or jfkarboretum@opw.ie).
If you would like to learn more about the Arboretum, why not join a member of our guiding staff for our monthly Highlight Tour?
The tour starts at 12 noon at the Visitor Centre on the first Friday of every month (3rd of May, 2019) and lasts for approximately one hour.
The focus of the tour will be on items of seasonal interest and recent changes or areas of work.
Free tour.
Outdoor clothing/footwear advised.
No need to book, just turn up and join in.