Tag: peter donegan

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Reeling In The Years – Howth Golf Club

howth landscaping

I was having a rummage through some old images of plants for a little garden research last week when I stumbled across these pictures taken during my time landscaping at Howth Golf Club.

Their date stamp tells me they were taken January 22nd, 2004. Timeline-wise, I would have just completed my 2nd year in business as Donegan Landscaping and was still but 27 years of age.

If memory serves me right, I believe my time spent working on the grounds there would have been done over a two/ three-year period. And for a wee young cherub of the Irish landscaping scene at that time, to have an established and very respected name employ me to work on their front of house, was only ever a good thing to happen to me.

howth landscaping howth landscaping

As I remember it, I needed some images for an article in The Irish Entrepreneur Magazine [March 2004] and a lot of calling around eventually found me one person I knew who knew owned a digital camera.

Almost ten years on, it makes me smile every time I drive past the what was very new at the time planting to see how it and the now established avenue of Tilia cordata Greenspire trees that I planted have evolved.

Regarding the article in The Irish Entrepreneur magazine article, the first ever piece written about me, I found this scanned in section of it; the print version of which hangs framed in my bathroom to this day.

donegan landscaping, irish entrepreneur

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Landscaping: Back Garden. Knocklyon, Dublin

peter donegan garden

Like that delightful fellow you played football with in school who never got the concept of passing the ball, ever… in gardens, it is sometimes the oversized patio that can claim all the glory and very simply stand out for all of the very wrong reasons. And what that leaves behind, is 10 other guys standing there with their hands on their hips wondering why on Gods earth they even got togged out in the first place.

Garden analagy translated, what you should take from this garden at first glance is that there is no ‘lovely or very large individual big player. It’s more an overall feeling of a great home and or a great garden, and it all just seems to fit.

That and that feeling, behind the scenes in part comes down to proportion; the distances between each sector and within each, that they also sit very happily with each other.

Equally as important is that the calculations should only ever equate [to you] to ‘I love staying longer than I should’ in that [or this] garden. A little like Muddy Waters singing 24 Hours. And though I love listening to that song with my eyes closed, I’ll never type the sheet music into a calculator and press the square root button, if you get me.

Enter the obligatory before Peter got his hands on it picture.

Continue reading “Landscaping: Back Garden. Knocklyon, Dublin”
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Garden Talk: May 23rd 2013. Bealtaine Festival @ Stewarts Library

peter donegan television

What South Dublin Libraries and Bealtaine Festival 2013 say:

Gardening with Peter Donegan of The Sodshow, Ireland’s award winning dedicated gardening radio show on Dublin City fm. A must for those passionate about gardening! Thursday, 23rd @ 7.30pm

Of note:

The lovely people at Stewarts Library note in the poster that they made, see below, that although the talk is free booking is essential. Personally, I like to think booking is essential to avoid disappointment 😉 Also Bealtaine is a festival that celebrates creativity as we age with many varying events on for the entire month of May.

Honoured to be invited to talk at this little beauty of a library and Bealtaine Festival by South Dublin this should be a cracker of a night, in gardening terms; and the talk is open to all age groups. The talk should last about 35 minutes and there’ll be time for Q’s after.

To Book:

garden talk, bealtaine festival

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Garden Demonstration Talk: National Potato Day 2013

peter donegan

  • when: Tomorrow, Saturday March 23rd
  • time: the day runs 11am – 4pm. I’m up at 2pm
  • what: National Potato Day at Sonairte Ecology Centre

But you’re a landscape fellow ?

This is true and though I studied horticulture for 4 years specialising in landscaping, garden design and plants; part of my studies included field grown crops, one of which was potatoes. That and the fact that I have been gardening since I was 6 and growing my own spuds, before grow your own was grow your own…. if you get me.

Anyhow’s, assuming you are not a spud farmer, I’ll be chatting and demonstrating how to grow spuds in small spaces and domestic gardens. From the smallest amount of just one seed in one pot and upwards. From balcony gardens to the larger. That and well anything else you might want to know.

Also there on the day:

Ireland’s Largest Potato Collection; David Langford of Co Mayo and Dermot Carey who was the Head Gardener at Lissadell House will be there. The Sunflower Cafe will serve both usual and unusual potato dishes; also there will be Countrycrest, Meade Potatoes & Bord Bia along with over 15 varieties of potato to buy, from the most modern to some of the oldest, Admission Adults €5, children free, members free.  More details from info@sonairte.ie,  Tel: 041-9827572, www.sonairte.ie

Below is a pic of me with Trevor Sargent who asked me to do the gig tomorrow, taken at Sonairte.

garden group, sonairte, pic by jennifer farley

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Garden Talk: March 3rd 2013, Sonairte Ecology Centre

peter donegan, garden talk, sonairte 2013

  • When: March 3rd, Sunday 2013
  • Time: 2pm
  • Subject: Garden Design Trends
  • Cost: €3
  • Where: Sonairte Ecology Centre, Laytown, Co. Meath

Details:

If you are looking for a great day out then you won’t go too far wrong with a trip to Sonairte Ecology Centre. It really is a place where I simply love to go to escape the hustle and bustle, yet it is still very much everything I love about horticulture and the great outdoors. The ultimate busmans holiday for me.

Here I will be giving a talk/ chat on the evolution of landscape design dating all the way back to the 17th Century right up to today. From the early 17th century trend of walled gardens and growing your own to the log roll pandemic and decking epedemics of the late 1980’s and 1990’s; and from topiary pruned hedges to the rise of raised beds and [eh…] grow your own in the late noughties and teens. Even in gardening and horticulture it’s funny how history repeats itself.

There should be more than enough time after for a chat, Q &A and a bit of conversation after.

Never been ? Take a listen to this with Trevor Sargeant:

listen to ‘The SodShow meets Trevor Sargent of Sonairte’ on Audioboo

Getting To Sonairte:

  • Map Sonairte is in Laytown, Co. Meath, 25 km north of Dublin. View Larger Map
  • Car Northbound from Dublin on the M1, take the exit for Julianstown. Look out for the brown tourism sign in Julianstown and turn right. You will spot Sonairte from a distance when you see the white wind turbine on the hilltop. The entrance to Sonairte is on the right just after the turbine.
  • Rail From Dublin take Drogheda train from Connolly Station to Laytown. Turn right under bridge and walk 5 minutes towards Julianstown. Click for Dublin to Laytown train timetable.
  • Bus New bus service from Dublin by Matthews Coach Hire stops outside centre. Click here to view the timetable.

Contact Peter Donegan:

spirit of folk 2012, peter donegan