Garden Show Ireland has revealed the four finalists for UTV’s The Magazine Show Garden Designer Competition who will now bring their designs to life in time for the 2014 Garden Show Ireland event which runs from Friday 9th – Sunday 11th May at Antrim Castle Gardens. In addition, it has been announced that FREE garden design consultations will be available for visitors throughout the whole weekend in association with the Garden and Landscape Designers Association (GLDA) at the brand new GLDA Design Pavilion.
The UTV Garden Designer Competition tasked existing and budding garden designers to present a small garden which was fun, useful and easy to maintain. The initial designs were judged by a panel comprising of Ireland’s world renowned plantswoman Helen Dillon, gardening guru Geoff Stebbings and Reg Maxwell – former Head of Botanic Gardens and winner of Best in Show at the first Garden Show Ireland event 10 years ago.
Hailing from all over Ireland the four finalists are; Ryan McGee from Garden Design and Build in Ballycastle with a Family focussed garden, Micheal O’Reilly from the Garden Design Shop in Belfast in partnership with Maurice Maxwell from Omagh with their “Room for All Seasons” design, James Sheridan from Golden Homes Landscapes in Carnmoney with a “Garden Bath-Thyme’ concept and Chris Kinghan from Ballyhoe Nursery Gardens in Monaghan with a “Bizzy Bee Gardening and Nature Schools Garden”. The winning garden will be announced on Friday 9th May at Garden Show Ireland when it will become the centre piece for filming for UTV’s The Magazine which airs that evening.
Sarah Travers, The Magazine host said: “We have seen a fantastic response to the Gardening Designer Competition with a variety of promising designers stepping up to the mark with their garden proposals. I would like to wish the four finalists the very best of luck and I cannot wait to see the end result featured on The Magazine in May.”
Building on the strong design content at this years Show the GLDA Design Pavilion will offer visitors the unique opportunity to avail of a free 15 minute consultation with a professional designer and member of the GLDA who will outline in schematic form various design ideas to inspire and assist visitors with their garden plans. All visitors need to do is bring a photo or sketch of their garden, some measurements and let the professionals do the rest.
Commenting on the role of garden design Chairman of the GLDA, Gary Foran stated, ” The importance of good garden design cannot be underestimated. It is as important as the architecture of your house and completes a home. This is the first time that free consultations have been offered on such a scale and we are hugely excited about our members meeting and assisting visitors to Garden Show Ireland with their individual garden challenges.”
Taking place in a brand new venue for 2014, an expanded new look Garden Show Ireland will include appearances by Alys Fowler from BBC Gardeners’ World and Ireland’s world-renowned plantswoman Helen Dillon. With thousands of specialist plants, great garden shopping, garden designers and show gardens, a craft village, a free design pavilion, artisan food stalls, live music, garden gourmet, garden challenges, a dedicated kids zone and more, the event promises to be the ultimate garden show experience for gardeners of all ages and experiences.
The 2014 Garden Show Ireland will run from 9th – 11th May at Antrim Castle Gardens and is open daily from 10am-6pm with parking nearby. Adults are £10 (concession £8) and the event is FREE for children under 16. There is a reduced rate fobooking and for more information visit www.gardenshowireland.com.
