SERIES OVERVIEW
Ireland’s Garden Heroes – Thursday July 22nd at 20:30
This new series for RTÉ One reveals the hard work and imagination ordinary people have put into their gardens across the island. We’ve sought out the best amateur gardeners to celebrate the joy of transforming your own space. Each week three contestants will open their gates to our experts horticulturalist Jimi Blake, garden designer Niall Maxwell and landscape designer Ingrid Swan. The experts will take the tour, examining every leaf and sniff every flower, to evaluate the gardens. How the garden is laid out, how the planting has been done, and what features have been added, are all investigated. But we also want to know what the garden means to the owner. Maybe it’s a place of adventure for kids, perhaps it’s a special space for relaxation, or maybe it’s a fully functional extension of your home, for entertaining and dining. How the garden fits into and enhances your life is an important factor too.
The gardens will be split into different categories in each episode, and the experts will assess the plants, the design, the functionality, and the feel of the garden before ultimately choosing a winner. Each episode will have an individual winner, and they will become one of Ireland’s Garden Heroes.
This series is a celebration of nature, of planting and growing things, and the beauty we can all create for ourselves.
Further details on the experts:
Jimi Blake – Horticulturist, owner of Hunting Brook Gardens
http://www.huntingbrook.com/lectures-tours/about-jimi/
Niall Maxwell – Garden Designerhttps://www.niallmaxwell.ie/
Ingrid Swan – Landscape Designerhttps://glda.ie/designerprofile/ingrid-swan/
EPISODE 1 GARDENERS (images available on request)
CARL WRIGHT
Our three experts visit Carl Wright in Fanore, Co Clare. Born and raised in Devon, Carl was drawn to the landscape of Ireland and made it his home over 30 years ago. Carl never intended to be a gardener but once he started he couldn’t stop. For Carl the wild landscape of the Burren is his inspiration. He has created his garden with his senses, his heart and his hands. “We belong with nature, not apart from it, if I could sleep outside I would.”
BERNIE MCCORMACK
Our three experts visit Bernie McCormack in Dublin’s city centre. Bernie grew up in Athboy, Co, Meath and having spent her summers at her aunt and uncle’s sheep farm considers herself a country girl at heart. Having never gardened before, Bernie decided to bring some of her country life into the city centre. Bernie has created a bright and beautiful secret garden in the most unexpected place. A green space of her own in the city, for reading, eating and relaxing.
FIONA WHOOLEY
Our experts visit Fiona Whollley in the leafy Dublin suburb of Rathmichael. When Fiona and her family moved into their home six years ago, their garden was a building site. Despite three hip replacements Fiona has worked tirelessly to make her garden the lush and tranquil spot it is today. The backdrop of the Rathmichael woods makes it even more idyllic. Fiona is helped by her son, Murray who supplies Fiona with tonnes of manure from his work in Festina Lente, a local horticulture and equestrian centre for adults with intellectual disabilities. Murray and Fiona love to be in the garden together.