2017 Allianz Garden Show Ireland runs from 5th-7th May at the stunning Antrim Castle Gardens, and promises to provide buckets of inspiration for every level of a gardener from the expert to the budding enthusiast.
There are lots to tick off the ‘to-do’list at the Show!
This is where you’ll find specialist nurseries with hundreds of home-produced plants on display so you can buy all your spring planting! And experts are lined up with talks on how to design a small garden or to grow your own vegetables.
And of course, there are new recipes to add to your repertoire from resident chef Paula McIntyre’s mouth-watering menus for outdoor eating!
And if the family’s list this spring included making fairy houses, creating floral displays, crafting ironwork or just listening to the Jazz Band, then there are ticks for lists all round!
Festival of Flowers & Gardens
Garden gurus galore!
Allianz Garden Show Ireland brings together all the gardening expertise you need to get those garden questions answered!
Celebrity Gardeners will be offering advice and sharing some of their experiences with Show visitors. Joe Swift, a familiar gardening face having been a regular presenter on BBC Gardeners World since 1998 and anchorman for BBC’s coverage of Chelsea Flower Show, joins us on Friday 5 May to talk about ‘Making your dream garden garden come true on a budget’.
Hear about the ups and downs of growing your own from GIY (Grow It Yourself)Ireland founder, Michael Kelly. Michael suggests the Top 5 Veg you absolutely have to grow! And our team of experts will be there to answer all your gardening questions in the Garden Talks Tent which this year will be beautifully decorated by the NI Flower & Foliage Association.
Gardens and displays abound in this year’s Show with ideas and inspiration on how to achieve the results you want in your own garden space. A feature garden, created by young gold medal winning designer, James Purdy, takes centre stage and will be a ‘WOW’ with its wacky ideas! Taking its theme from the Show’s 2017 ‘Heritage’ theme, James’s garden “Heritage of Place” is inspired by the Mourne landscape which was Tolkien’s inspiration for his Lord of the Rings novels.
Hundreds of plants from the specialist nurseries in the Growers Pavilion and Plant Mall will be on display and to purchase. The growers themselves are on hand to share their knowledge and give expert advice on planting and growing. And visitors will be able to choose their favourite display and be in with the chance of winning a 3D landscape design package worth £300 kindly sponsored by AG(Acheson Glover).
Demonstrations and workshops on how to create stunning flower arrangements in the Flower Arranging Pavilion run each day. In 2017 the new expanded Pavilion will feature stunning floral artistry created by members of NIGFAS from around Northern Ireland.
Festival of Food
The Food NI Pavilion will be the focus for foodies at this year’s Festival!
Resident Chef, Paula McIntyre will be creating imaginative recipes for ‘Outdoor Dining!‘ and will be making use of all the local produce around her from Northern Ireland’s rich edible heritage. Paula will be sharing her superb knowledge of cooking with vegetables, herbs, and plants of all sorts including the creation of mouth-watering dishes from the produce you grow in your garden or in a hanging basket outside the kitchen!
On Saturday 6 May, the Food NI Kitchen hosts food judge from BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge, Thane Prince. Thane, who appeared as a regular chef on Ready, Steady, Cook, set up the acclaimed Aldeburgh Cookery School and has written extensively on food and cookery.
Gardens and displays around the Show will have experts on hand to provide advice on how to achieve the results you want in your own garden space to grow the herbs and vegetables you’ll really taste!
Indulge yourself in the Food NI Food Market! Local produce from cider and cheeses to chutneys and cupcakes, there’s mouth-watering local produce to buy.
Farm producers with locally reared beef, venison and fresh organic salads in the artisan food stalls are just some of the tempting delicacies on offer around the Show so visitors can relax and enjoy a delicious meal during their visit – or indeed share a cream tea with friends listening to the Jazz Band in the Punjana Tea Pavilion!
Festival of Family Fun
Enjoy a day out with family and friends, soak up the atmosphere, make all your garden purchases, listen to the Jazz with a glass of wine, indulge in cream teas, enjoy the artisan foods and browse among the local crafts whilst the kids have a lot of fun!
The unique Allianz Garden Show Ireland atmosphere in Antrim Castle Gardens is enhanced with live music. The Jazz Band is always a popular stop for visitors and pop-up artists wander the site to entertain.
Celebrating our rich heritage in 2017, the Show abounds with artist’s offerings. “Tree Hangings” (as opposed to wall hangings!) greet visitors on their arrival, a specially created exhibition ‘Down the Garden Path’ produced by Loose Thread Quilters from around Northern Ireland.
Threading its way through the 2017 Show is the heritage of Northern Ireland from the history of our Linen industry to Craftsmen demonstrating Traditional Countryside Crafts. Watch the skill of a blacksmith artist, see how to turn green wood or create a wood sculpture from bog oak!
The Heritage Craft Pavilion is the place to browse and buy! From wood crafts and wicker baskets to paintings and pottery.
Take time to introduce yourself on arrival at the Show to some of the “Local Legends” inhabiting Scarecrow Avenue brought to Antrim by primary school children from the Integrated Sector! And enjoy the ‘Enchanted Gardens‘ based on legends and myths created by primary school children around Northern Ireland.
The annual Team Garden Challenge supported by the Enkalon Foundation this year also celebrates our heritage with gardens inspired by CS Lewis’s Narnia!
In 2017 the new expanded Flower Arranging Pavilion will feature stunning floral artistry created by members of NIGFAS from around Northern Ireland.
Young gardeners of all ages will find lots to do! They can get hands dirty planting flowers and seeds, help to build a fairy house, make a kite or a flower arrangement, learn how to attract wild birds to the garden, make insect hotels, or have a go at all the outdoor activities, archery, climbing walls and scavenging in the parkland woods!
Be entertained with some of Northern Ireland’s young artistic talent with members of Sestina ‘popping up’ around the Show in song and the Brass Ensemble from the City of Belfast Youth Orchestra playing at the Show on Saturday 6 May. Sunday 7 May sees the ‘Sing for Life‘ Choir, a partnership between Cancer Focus and the Crescent Arts Centre, perform with their 70 strong choir.
… and after using up all that energy, explore the parkland and gardens of Antrim Castle Gardens, and chill out in the ‘hammock hideout’ under the trees!
Children under 16 are FREE accompanied by an adult.
