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SUPER GARDEN ***NEW SERIES***

Super Garden judge Roisin Lafferty Image Name: Super Garden judge Roisin Lafferty
Mentor Monica Alvarez, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Mentor Monica Alvarez, Super Garden, Series 8
Mentor Monica Alvarez, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Mentor Monica Alvarez, Super Garden, Series 8
Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, Series 8,  RTÉ One Image Name: Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, Series 8, RTÉ One
Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, with mentor Monica Alvarez, Series 8,  RTÉ One Image Name: Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, with mentor Monica Alvarez, Series 8, RTÉ One
Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, with mentor Monica Alvarez, Series 8,  RTÉ One Image Name: Roisin Lafferty, Gary Graham and Leonie Cornelius, Super Garden judges, with mentor Monica Alvarez, Series 8, RTÉ One
Gary Graham, Super Garden, Series 8, RTÉ One Image Name: Gary Graham, Super Garden, Series 8, RTÉ One
Super Garden Series 8, judges, designers and mentor Image Name: Super Garden Series 8, judges, designers and mentor
Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Alexandra Hollingsworth, Hazel Morahan and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Alexandra Hollingsworth, Hazel Morahan and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8
Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Hazel Morahan, Alexandra Hollingsworth and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Hazel Morahan, Alexandra Hollingsworth and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8
Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Alexandra Hollingsworth, Hazel Morahan and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Designers Gerry McDonald, Rachel Gerrard, Alexandra Hollingsworth, Hazel Morahan and Glenn Keelan, Super Garden, Series 8
Designers with mentor, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Designers with mentor, Super Garden, Series 8
Designers with mentor, Super Garden, Series 8 Image Name: Designers with mentor, Super Garden, Series 8
Super Garden judge Roisin Lafferty Image Name: Super Garden judge Roisin Lafferty
Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8 Image Name: Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8
Designer Hazel Morahan in the garden in Westport, Super Garden Series 8 Image Name: Designer Hazel Morahan in the garden in Westport, Super Garden Series 8
Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8 Image Name: Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8
Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8 Image Name: Designer Hazel Morahan, Super Garden Series 8

 

SUPER GARDEN returns for a brand new series, featuring five up and coming garden designers who are competing to showcase their garden design talent at this year’s 2016 Bloom Festival.

 

Each garden designer works on a garden and to the homeowner’s brief. Mindful of their budget, the designer must design a garden with the homeowners’ in mind and to a level befitting the Bloom Festival. All five designers have different location and homeowner challenges to over come on their road to Bloom.

 

The series follows each designer from the initial concept and design stage, through the reality of the construction process and then the completion of their Super Garden. With just five weeks to design and build a show garden, and a budget of just €5000, the challenges that will face these promising designers unfold throughout the series.

 

This year the series has a new face and a new role. Previous Super Garden winner, Bloom Gold Medalist and Series Mentor for two years, Leonie Cornelius is taking up the position of Woodie’s Garden Design Ambassador.

 

‘This year as Judge I would love to find a garden that takes a bit of a risk in terms of design. I’m interested in seeing a garden that has a strong and unique concept and is then carried out to a high standard. I feel the he winning garden has to be one that takes its brief from the homeowners and the site and delivers for them but also uses that brief to create something totally new, exciting and show garden worthy. No easy task!’ – Leonie Cornelius

Leonie’s departure as Series Mentor has created a vacancy for a new Series Mentor and we are delighted to announce, Lecturer and Garden Designer, Monica Alvarez is the new Series Mentor.

The series is sponsored by Woodie’s and Cuprinol.

 

The Series will visit, Westport, Mullingar, Tyrellstown, Rush and Glasnevin.

 

Series 8, episode 1

Series 8 kicks-off in Westport with designer Hazel Morahan making over a garden with privacy concerns.

 

Westport

In episode one of series eight, Hazel Morahan takes over the Joanne McGreevy’s back garden in Westport, county Mayo. The brief for Hazel is to make the exposed garden more private from the public walkway that was recently commissioned by the Local Council. Joanne is a single working mum who would also like an area to relax with her daughter, Lily Rose (7) so the family can entertain.

Hazel rose to the challenge creating a garden that answers the McGreevy’s brief. The rugged location on the side of a hill influenced Hazel’s design ‘Gairdín Tuathúil’ (Rustic Garden) which reflects Croagh Patrick one of Ireland’s most important pilgrimage sites.

Hazel’s show is the first to be broadcast with another four shows to follow and a grand finale broadcasting live from Bloom 2016 to reveal the winner of the garden design series.

The garden makeovers are courtesy of the show sponsors; Woodie’s and Cuprinol (Paint Brand – part of Dulux Brand) and are brought to you by RTÉ One.

 

Hazel Morahan – the budding garden desinger

Hazel Morahan 31. Lives in Kilmaine, County Mayo. Hazel studied Garden Design in Senior College Dun Laoighre. And from that graduated from the University of Glostershire, Cheltenham in 2003 with a degree in Landscape Architecture.

It was Hazel’s ambition to set up her own business, and with hard work and dedication she has been running her own landscaping business for almost 10years.

“I have travelled extensively and feel it has not only been an inspiration but it has influenced my designs, and designing is the side of my business I want to develop and focus on now” Hazel Morahan.

 

A garden entitled ‘Gairdín Tuathúil’ (Rustic Garden)

The aim of the garden was to create a relaxed elegant area for mum Joanne while incorporating playful elements, which would encourage the creative imagination of seven year old daughter Lily as she grows up.

The hard and soft elements of the garden space follow a theme of “modern – rustic” with inspiration coming from the spirit of Gráinne Mhaol, the enigmatic and powerful seafaring Queen, who acquired many castles along the west coast.

No garden in the West of Ireland can ignore the magnificent natural land and seascape surrounding it, so elements of this rich environment are also present in the garden.

Recognizing the heritage and history of past generations and the enduring and poignant marks left on our landscape is also an important factor, reflected in the design of Hazel garden.

“Nature makes no mistakes” – Hazel Morahan

 

The Homeowner

 Joanne McGreevy

Joanne is a single working mum from Westport Co. Mayo. Most of the time Joanne is either working in a local hotel or spending quality time with her young daughter Lily Rose who is 7. This really does not leave much time for gardening, and Joanne would be the first to admit that she would not even know where to start. What she would love is a little more privacy as the garden is over-looked by a public walkway and school, and also a nice chill out area to relax in the evenings.