Charity day at the NGEC
16 September 2009 18:14:51
Garden Guru
It was a gorgeous day at Kilquade on Sunday and I was very impressed with the number of gardens on show there. I would definitely recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in gardening - particularly if you have a new area to develop, or an old area to redevelop as there are so many different styles you are bound to be inspired. Actually, come to think of it, I didn't see any gardens with fruit and veg areas, so maybe they have yet to embrace the trend for GYI, although there were pineapples growing in the Eco Dome! It was great to be able to stroll around the gardens with fellow gardeners Clara and Claire E. There are gardens by the winning designers at Bloom. I especially liked the 'Jurasic Park' style garden - I don't know the proper name for it - but it was all tree ferns and pink stone.
Over 1200 euro was raised for the Niall Mellon Trust, which is good, but more is needed. As Clara said, the kids had the chance to work on some mosaic tiles that will be included in the Community gardens in the areas of Capetown where the teams of builders will be working.
Normal admission to the gardens is 6 euro per adult so its well worth it for the amount of gardens you get to see. Some might need a little attention but on the whole the standard is very good and I loved the various sculptures dotted around. The kids loved all the water features(and would have had no problem going for a dip!), the hammock and pet shop. My kids now want a Chinchilla for christmas!
On the way home I picked up the Holly from Claire E - it is huge - I don't know how we got it in the car without having to cut the top off. All I'll say is it was an unusually quiet journey home as the kids were afraid of the slightly prickly leaves above their heads! Thank you Claire and Clara thanks for those two lovely Cannas and the whistlestop tour of your garden! I've never had a Canna before so will be looking for tips on the best way to look after them. A great day all round!