By Declan Varley, Galway Advertiser
Claregalway Castle will host Ireland’s Specialist Nurseries (ISNA) and rare plant specialists at the Spring Garden and Food Fair on Sunday April 2 from 11am to 6pm.
Get along and get all your gardening questions answered and enjoy coffee and cakes in the coffee shop. This year – thanks to the Foodie Forum and friends – there will also be a wonderful programme of family friendly, educational, gastronomy workshops at the Claregalway Castle Spring Garden Fair.
Admission to this charming event is free and among the long list of exhibitors are:
Pontoon Nursery – will be selling a wide range of perennials many of which are unusual and unique to Pontoon Nursery.
Leamore Nursery – will have a range of herbaceous plants, featuring a large selection of Peonia.
Future Forests – will have a range of unusual trees, conifers and climbers plus fruit trees and bushes. Mostly container-grown but some bare-rooted. Pre-orders welcome. All the lists are online www.futureforests.ie and pre-orders are welcome.
Boyne Garden Centre – Winners of ‘Best in Show’ at Bloom 2016. Growers of hardy plants, with many unusual varieties new to Ireland, at competitive prices. Herbaceous perennials, Paeonia roses, grasses and shrubs.
Mulhall Obelisks – is a metal-work company located n Abbeyleix in County Laois. Established in 1989 they specialise in handmade metal garden plant supports and obelisks, which can be designed to all gardeners individual needs. Whether you want to train climbers, control bushy shrubs or restrain bordering plants, Mulhall Obelisks will help to ensure that your garden looks its best http://www.mulhallobelisks.com/180.html.
Sarah Largue – carefully puts together a selection of contemporary and mainly vintage architectural pieces to add interest to both garden and conservatory. Included in which, cloches, rhubarb, forcers, terracotta pots , bird baths and much more.
Caherhurley Nursery – grows and sells a wide range of unusual, home grown, certified organic, fully hardy perennial herbaceous ornamental garden plants. The plants are grown without artificial fertiliser, herbicides or insecticides, so they are great for bees and wildlife in your garden. The plants are grown outdoors on a windy hillside, in order to be able to provide strong and healthy plants, well able to cope with the challenges of the Irish climate.
Deep Route Gardening – Mungret Street Limerick and George’s Quay Cork. Specialists in organic medical and culinary herbs, indoor gardening equipment and hydroponics.
Harrington Exocits supply a comprehensive range of cacti and other succulent plants. As well as the common and easy to grow they always have the rare and unusual plants that are not usually available elsewhere. They also supply other exotics as they become available and have a good range of carnivorous plants in stock.
Other nurseries in attendance will include – Rare Plants Ireland, Flower Shed and Irish Water Plants.
Admission is free – Don’t miss this special opportunity to meet the experts as the gardening season gets underway.
This year, thanks to the Foodie Forum and friends, there will also be a wonderful programme of family friendly, educational, gastronomy workshops at the Claregalway Castle Spring Garden Fair. With Galway set to become European Region of Gastronomy in 2018 a number of events focused on children will be incorporated into featured events throughout the year.
The aim of these events is to give children greater insight into gastronomy; how their food grows, where it comes from, how to cook it, and the associated benefits for all the family to be gained from growing and cooking. The following programme of events will run in conjunction with the specialist Spring Garden Fair at Claregalway Castle.
Feeding our Future! With Liam Heneghan – Children will learn how to to plant and grow easy to manage food items to take home. Get Buzzy! It’s all about the bees Noel Leahy Beekeeping & Gabriel O’Flaherty Aran Ireland’s Goat Cheese – See the bees busy at work in a hive, whilst learning about the health benefits of eating local, natural raw honey. Taste the perfect marriage of Honey and Goats Cheese and see how cheese is made.
Pizza Making Jacinta Dalton/Diarmaid O’Conghaile/Corma Handy GMIT – Children will learn how to make healthy pizzas and locally grown tomato sauce. “From the Hedgegrows – Fast Food” Jim Gilchrist-Chef Network and Shane Sheedy GMIT – Learn to make Wild Garlic, Pesto to accompany homemade pasta and delicious elderflower cordial.
The Garden Burger Rory McCormack – The Handsome Burger – Rory will demonstrate how to make a healthy meat free burger from locally grown produce.
Behind the Food Label Lisa Corbett – Community, Nutrition and Dietetic Service – Learn to read food label and understand what you are eating. This is a parallel event with the Galway Foodie Forum and friends at the Claregalway Castle Spring Fair.
