Visit to Linda Murphy's Garden
2023-08-19 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Dublin)
Those of you who enjoyed Linda’s excellent talk during the year will be delighted to hear that the Club will visit her garden on Saturday, 19th August at 11.00 am.
Linda Murphy is a keen gardener with an arts background who, having completed a Masters in Landscape Architecture at UCD in 2000, joined the staff of the Teagasc College of Horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens working as a lecturer specializing in Design and Plant Materials. She is a very keen gardener with an interest in landscape architecture and we are delighted that she is opening her garden to us for our visit.
A €10 euro charge applies and light refreshments will be served.
This is a member-only event, you will receive booking details by email.

Dave Hardy, Esker Farm Daffodils: A year on the farm
2023-09-26 20:00 - 21:30 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Dave is an award-winning daffodil grower running Esker Farms with his partner Jules in Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Dave has a degree in Horticulture, previously he was a teacher for 16 years. He started growing daffodils in autumn 2011 and has competed in daffodil shows around the world and won many awards. He will take us on a trip through his horticultural year.

Billy Alexander, Kells Bay Gardens: "Plant Travels to Robinson Crusoe Island and South America"
2023-11-28 20:00 - 21:30 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Fresh from his prestigious gold medal win at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Billy has already been acclaimed by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for his rare and exotic fern displays. His gardens at Kells Bay Gardens are home to one of the largest private collections of exotic tree ferns growing naturally in the microclimate of the Dingle Peninsula. Billy will share his recent trip to Easter Island where much of the island’s vegetation is limited to grasses, sedges, and, of course, ferns!

Roisin Graham & Marie Laird, Floral Artists: Christmas Floral Sparkle - a demonstration & social evening
2023-12-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Award-winning flower artists, Roisin Graham and Marie Laird are joining us to demonstrate a variety of floral Christmas decor!
All of the arrangements will be raffled on the night, in aid of the Club’s charity fund.

Join us for a festive social evening after the demonstration!

Nick Bailey - plantsman, garden designer and author
2024-01-23 20:00 - 21:30
Nick Bailey has worked across many sectors of horticulture over the last 30 years, including nursery stock production, garden management, garden design, teaching, public speaking, horticultural consultancy, writing and broadcasting. He studied horticulture at Hadlow College, continuing his studies there to obtain a first class honours degree in Landscape Design in 1995 awarded by the University of Greenwich.
Nick created his first Main Avenue Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2016 (Silver Gilt) and is a former Head Gardener at London’s oldest botanic garden – Chelsea Physic Garden, where he spent seven years redesigning and developing the site and its plant collections for a contemporary audience.

He is a regular contributor to Gardeners World. He has been an editor for Garden Answers and Garden News and has also contributed to The Mail, The Times and The Telegraph. He has appeared on BBC Two’s “Great British Garden Revival” and “Big Dreams, Small Spaces” as well as various news and magazine-style shows.

Nick has published three books – Chelsea Physic Garden – A Companion Guide in 2014; 365 Days of Colour in your Garden in 2015 and Revive Your Garden in April 2018.

Rosie Maye - The Insomniac Gardener - Color For All Seasons
2024-02-27 20:00 - 21:30
Rosie Maye, aka The Insomniac Gardener, has been gardening the three acres around her home near Slane, Co. Meath for over 20 years. She has created a woodland garden, an ornamental meadow and a Mediterranean courtyard among the ruins of old farm buildings.
Rosie writes about gardening in the Irish Garden as well producing a popular blog, The Insomniac Gardener.

Jenny Wainwright-Klein - Growing Alpines in the Schachen Alpine Garden - a satellite garden of the Munich Botanic Garden in the Bavarian Alps
2024-03-26 20:00 - 21:30
”
The Schachen Alpine Garden was opened in 1901 as an outstation of the Munich Botanic Garden and and is one of the oldest alpine gardens in the Alps. Situated on the northern flanks of the Wetterstein Range, above the Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the garden has the ideal combination of a cool, moist summer and snow-covered winter for the cultivation of Meconopsis, Himalayan Primulas, many European alpines, plants from the Lesotho Drakensburg and many more Alpine plants. The Schachen garden has over 1,000 species of high-altitude plants from Europe to the Carpathians, the Caucasus, Himalayas, the Arctic and North America.
Head Gardener, Jenny Wainwright-Klein maintains the three acre Alpine Garden at Schachen with the help of two to three gardeners from its sister garden in Munich. Jenny is a Zambian-born horticulturist who has been coming to work at the Schachen Garden for nearly thirty years during the 12 weeks the garden is open. She has previously worked at Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden and Kew Botanic Garden. For those who would like to visit – beware! It is open to visitors from mid-June to the end of August and is accessible only after a four-hour climb by foot up a mountain road.

Photo 243365355 © Anastasiyakamysheva | Dreamstime.com

Orlaith Murphy, RHSI - From Petal to Plate
2024-04-23 20:00 - 21:30
Orlaith has been with the RHSI for three years, where she is administration and development officer.
Passionate about ‘edimentals’: ornamental plants which are also edible, she is an organic gardening teacher with a background in forest gardening and permaculture.

Assumpta Broomfield, Garden Consultant - For the Love of Roses
2024-05-28 20:00 - 21:30
Assumpta Broomfield graduated with distinction from the National Botanic Gardens in 1998 . Assumpta has a special interest in Roses, having collected many old cultivars for propagation, securing their survival. A well-known and popular speaker, she will discuss the importance of the rose in gardening, including some tales of eccentric women and anecdotes about great explorers and collectors.
Assumpta is also an expert on snowdrops and has travelled on three botanical expeditions to China. With Robert Miller, Assumpta designed and constructed the Corona North Commemorative Border at Altamont. She was a key committee member of the Irish Garden Plant Society, which won a Silver Gilt Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. She has worked in the private sector designing and constructing gardens.

Annual General Meeting followed by a summer cocktail
2024-06-11 20:00 - 22:00

Open Garden: Mairin Dunlea, Foxrock
2024-06-15 14:00 - 17:00
Mairin hosts an open day at her garden at 3, The Birches, off Torquay Road, Foxrock.
Donation at the door in aid of the Capuchin Day Centre.

Open Garden: Elaine O'Donoghue, 15 Clonkeen Road
2024-08-05 11:00 - 16:00
A chance to visit Elaine’s garden at 15 Clonkeen Road, Deansgrange in aid of the Laura Lynn Foundation.
Tea & Coffee will be available.

Laura Willgoss, WiIdegoose Nursery : Creating Beautiful Borders
2024-09-24 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
At Wildegoose Nursery in Shropshire, Laura and Jack Willgoss specialise in growing choice hardy perennial plants. Having studied together at RHS Garden Wisley, they had a dream to find and restore an abandoned walled garden and run a nursery of their own. Wildegoose, set in the Shropshire countryside, is a small independent nursery, garden and tea rooms within the old redbrick walls of Millichope Park’s former kitchen garden.
Created in 2011 to safeguard the Bouts collections of Perennial Violas, Wildegoose Nursery has gained a reputation for both its violas and an extensive range of wonderful perennials and grasses. Concerned with climate change, Laura and Jack believe that understanding first hand which plants are coping with stress best is hugely valuable, as is gorwing plants in an environmentally sustainable way. 95% of their stock is propagated on site from seed, cuttings and divisions. Laura will talk about creating vibrant and beautiful borders.

Helen Picton and Ross Barton - The Picton Garden in the 21st Century
2024-10-22 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Helen is third generation of Picton’s to run Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden in Colwall. Having trained as a Botanist at the University of Reading she has been running the nursery since 2009 with the help of her husband Ross Barbour. Co-Author of the 2014 book ‘The Plant Lovers Guide to Asters’ and author of a number of articles as well, Asters or Michaelmas daisies are very much her speciality but a love of all plants has been key to the continued growth and success of the nursery and garden. The large collection, more than 300 varieties, of snowdrops now plays a key role in the garden and the winter garden aspect has been featured in a number of magazines including January 2023’s issue of The English Garden and February 2024’s issue of the RHS magazine The Garden. Tender succulents are also taking an increasingly important role both on the nursery and in the garden thanks to Ross.
Ross Barbour trained in horticulture via the traditional journeyman route. Spending a number of years working and attending college in Scotland to gain an HND in Horticulture. Amongst other early jobs he worked in Oregon at the Iseli Conifer Nursery. Later he worked at Berriedale estate and then Drumlanrig Castle for the Duke of Buccleuch. Once Ross moved south of the border to the slightly drier climes of England he took up his first head gardener position in Berkshire, before taking on the head gardener role at Ragley Hall in Warkwickshire, home of Lord and Lady Hertford. Ross transformed the garden at Ragley Hall over a period of 16 years before meeting Helen and joining the business at Old Court Nurseries. Here he has not only been able to release his creativity in the 1.5 acre Picton Garden but also his skill as a plantsman with much propagation work on Snowdrops and tender succulents.

A little background for the nursery and garden:
Old Court Nurseries was founded in 1906 by Ernest Ballard as the home for his Michaelmas daisy breeding programme. The Picton family became involved in 1947 when Percy Picton joined as nursery manager, later buying the business and continuing Ernest Ballard’s work with his son Paul Picton. Over the years the range of plants expanded including alpines, bulbs, unusual trees and shrubs as well as the ever present Michaelmas daisies. In the early 1980’s Paul married Meriel and together they founded the National Plant Collection of autumn flowering asters and related genre (aka Michaelmas daisies). It was also at this point the garden was laid out to be a feature for visitors as well as stock beds. Helen and Ross are carrying on this important plant heritage and continuing to develop the garden and range of plants that can be found at Old Court Nurseries and the Picton Garden.

Derry Watkins, Special Plants Nursery
2024-11-26 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Derry is author of two books on greenhouse gardening and has introduced many plants from her plant collecting trips to South Africa and elsewhere. The result is a collection of unusual plants from all over the world, including an amazing range of hardy herbaceous and rockery plants as well as many tender perennials for terrace and conservatory.
Special Plants is a garden, nursery and online seed shop run by Derry Watkins near Bath in Southwest England. The site was purchased in 1996 as a derelict barn surrounded by muddy fields, and has since been converted into a thriving garden, home and business.

Seasonal floral displays and social evening
2024-12-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland

"Growing and arranging flowers seasonally and sustainably" - Fionnuala Fallon
2025-01-28 08:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Fionnuala Fallon is a trained horticulturist, gardening correspondent for The Irish Times, author and flower farmer. With her photographer husband, Richard Johnston, she grows a very wide range of seasonal, sustainably-produced cut-flowers on her flower farm in a Victorian walled garden in west Wicklow. She uses her flowers to create bouquets and arrangements for private customers, restaurants, events, weddings and for TV and films.
Fionnuala is particularly interested in the impact of climate change on gardening and what that means for sustainable planting and the growing of seasonal, sustainably-produced Irish cut flowers.

"Dynamic planting - combining plants, materials and place" - Mathew Wilson
2025-02-25 20:00 - 22:00
Matthew Wilson is an award-winning garden and landscape designer, writer, radio & television broadcaster and lecturer. He has extensive garden design experience having worked on a wealth of projects – from small urban gardens to master planning country estates. Since setting up the practice in 2016, Matthew has designed many gardens and landscapes for private and commercial clients, from London courtyards to country estates and hotels.

Matthew sums up the practice ethos: “Every project is unique and requires an individual response, to ensure that client needs are met, but also to fulfil the full potential of a site. This encompasses aspects such as the practical needs of the client, maximising the potential of the garden setting, respecting the local vernacular and utilising innovative approaches to outdoor living to ensure the finished garden delivers not just useability but also the maximum amount of pleasure. We believe that gardens should always be joyful.”
Environmental considerations are at the heart of Matthew’s vision; from the re-use or ‘upcycling’ of materials and waste reduction, to following the credo of ‘right plant for the right place’ to reduce the need for interventions such as irrigation. For all the joy gardens can bring humans, they can and should always benefit biodiversity and the planet.

"Leaf Lust" - Conrad McCormick
2025-03-25 20:00 - 22:00
Conrad is a garden designer, freelance garden journalist and environmentalist. He has appeared on the television and regularly contributes to BBC Radio Ulster’s Gardeners Corner programme. He has a passion for unusual and exotic plants which he grows in his suburban North Antrim garden.

"Spring has sprung!" - Nigel Hopes
2025-04-22 20:00 - 22:00
Nigel Hopes, the Head Gardener for John Massey in his private garden at Ashwood Nurseries in the West Midlands, brings a wealth of experience and gardening knowledge. His background includes work experience at Ashwood, studies at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and placements at RHS Garden Wisley, as well as a plant hunting trip in South Africa.
Nigel will guide us through the essentials of spring gardening. He will share expert tips on planting, nurturing, and maintaining a vibrant landscape that transitions into summer.

"Caher Bridge revisited" - Carl Wright
2025-05-27 20:00 - 22:00
Carl Wright gardens at Caher Bridge, an award-winning garden located near Fanore in the Burren, Co. Clare. He is originally from Devon and has lived in Clare since the 1990’s. He created the garden from what was originally dense hazel and blackthorn scrub; it is based around a restored riverside cottage, blending in with its surroundings and blurring the lines with the local landscape.
The garden showcases many unusual plants including large collections of snowdrops and daffodils, hostas, daylillies, crocosmia, and woodland plants and ferns. It has been featured in the Irish Times, Irish Garden Magazone, and is included in “The 100 best gardens in Ireland”. Carl describes his garden as an “all-absorbing passion”.

AGM & Social Evening
2025-06-10 20:00 - 22:00

Andy McIndoe: The Creative Shrub Garden
2025-09-23 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Andy McIndoe is a garden consultant and designer, garden writer, author and lecturer with over 40 years experience in retail and production horticulture. Working on gardens of all sizes, his special interests include hardy shrubs, trees, herbaceous perennials, flower bulbs and garden design. During his long career with Hillier Nurseries he was responsible for the development of the Company’s chain of garden centres and for 25 consecutive Gold Medal winning exhibits at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Andy was awarded the prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal (one of the highest accolades in the world of horticulture) by the Royal Horticultural Society in 2017 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the science and practice of horticulture. Two of his books in particular relate to the topic he will discuss with us: ‘The Creative Shrub Garden’ (2014) and its sequel ‘Shrubs: discover the perfect plant for every place in your garden’ (2019).

Paul Smyth: The story of Angela Jupe and RHSI Bellefield
2025-10-28 20:00 - 22:00
Paul is the Head Gardener at RHSI Bellefield in County Offaly, a property bequeathed to the RHSI by the renowned architect and garden designer Angela Jupe. Alongside its house and cottages, the estate features a two-acre walled garden celebrated for its collection of perennial plants and rare bulbs. The wider grounds encompass pasture, forestry, a bog area carefully managed for biodiversity, and a plantation of native trees. Bellefield also holds one of the finest collections of snowdrops in Ireland, both named varieties and naturalised drifts.

Paul Smyth graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology in 2015 with a BSc in Horticulture. He worked as chief propagator in Crug Farm, the internationally renowned nursery in North Wales, for 3 years. His work at Crug brought him to Vietnam on plant hunting expeditions and he has helped create award winning nursery displays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He has also recently co-authored ‘Gardening Together’ with Diarmuid Gavin.
He was mentored by Angela, herself a visionary thinker, designer, plantswoman, architect, and collector. Drawing on this legacy, he will share his experience of caring for and continuing to develop this beautiful exceptional garden.

Karl Flynn: The evolution of Medina Garden
2025-11-25 20:00 - 22:00
Medina Garden is the private coastal garden of Karl Flynn and Marcella Dunne. The garden has an exotic, tropical atmosphere created through dramatic plantings of palms, tree ferns, bamboo, and other striking architectural species. Located near Howth Summit at 150m above sea level, the garden is sheltered by tall hedges that buffer the coastal winds, enabling an impressive array of unusual trees and shrubs to flourish. Set on a third of an acre, the garden unfolds through a series of distinct compartments, including a tranquil Japanese-inspired space, a shaded woodland corner, a reflective water feature, inviting patio areas, and richly planted mixed borders. Despite its modest size, Medina feels like a tropical oasis: lush with bold foliage, textural contrasts, and unexpected combinations. Gravel paths, stepping stones, and water elements weave the spaces together, creating a sense of discovery at every turn.
Karl, a distinguished horticulturist, will offer both a visual and narrative exploration of garden design, focusing on the ways in which gardens reflect historical and cultural change.

Sharon O'Sullivan: Arranging flowers for Christmas and Social Evening
2025-12-09 19:30 - 22:00
Sharon is a well-known floral demonstrator, teacher and judge. She will show us how to create arrangements for the festive season!
Arrangements will be raffled after the event which will be followed by Christmas drinks.
Please note the earlier start time for this event.

Dean Charlton: The Journey of Hootens Walled Nursery
2026-01-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Dean Charlton and his Dad
After six formative years training at the renowned Great Dixter and time at the Beth Chatto Gardens, Fine Art graduate and plantsman Dean Charlton returned home to South Yorkshire to realise a long-held family dream. In 2024, Dean and his father Glenn revitalised a historic four‑acre walled garden near Rotherham, launching Hooton’s Walled Nursery as a new hub for horticultural excellence in the region.

In this talk, Dean shares this story – from inspiration and restoration of the garden to cultivating a family‑run nursery rooted in both tradition and creativity. He’ll reflect on the gardens and nurseries that shaped their vision, the art that informs his planting ethos, and how passion, generosity, and community underpin his work.

Mat Reese: Making and Keeping an English Flower Garden
2026-02-24 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
From an expedition to Greenland that sparked a lifelong fascination with plants to formative years at Great Dixter under Christopher Lloyd, Mat Reese has built a career at the intersection of horticultural skill and artistic vision. After training at Ness Botanic Gardens, Wisley, and Kew, and travelling through the Himalayas in search of plants, Mat became head gardener at Malverleys near Newbury, where he has spent the past decade creating an acclaimed English Flower Garden in the naturalistic, Robinsonian style. In this talk, Mat reflects on the lessons from Dixter, the influence of his plant‑hunting journeys, and the design principles behind Malverleys’ evolving garden – an expressive, richly layered landscape where structure, spontaneity, and nature meet.

Rosemary O'Flynn: Sustainability and Biodiversity at Powerscourt
2026-03-24 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
A dedicated horticulturist at Powerscourt Gardens, Rosemary O’Flynn plays a pivotal role in nurturing the estate’s renowned landscapes, with a particular focus on their stunning herbaceous borders. Rosemary couples her gardening expertise with an enduring commitment to biodiversity and sustainability initiatives, leading walks and educating visitors on creating wildlife-friendly habitats and promoting environmental stewardship. An accomplished photographer, she captures the estate’s flora and fauna, contributing to Powerscourt’s promotional efforts and social media presence. Rosemary also engages with the community through talks and events, sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to embrace sustainable gardening practices.

Jimi Blake: The Combination of Plants Through a Year in Huntingbrook
2026-04-28 20:00 - 22:00 | Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Foxrock Church Pastoral Centre, Dublin, Co Dublin, 18, Ireland
Nestled in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, Hunting Brook Gardens spans five acres of contemporary exotic plantings and fifteen acres of enchanting woodland and valley.
Since opening in 2002, it has become a haven for plant enthusiasts worldwide, showcasing one of Ireland’s largest private plant collections. Jimi’s planting varies vertical structure, color and repeated planting to create magical rhythm in his gardens.
In his talk, Jimi will share the evolution of Hunting Brook’s dynamic, year-round designs, blending exotic, shade-loving, and prairie-style plants.
