Cork landscaper features in new Ireland’s Garden Heroes TV series

CORK-BASED landscaped designer Ingrid Swan is among the judges in a new TV series, ‘Ireland’s Garden Heroes’ which starts on RTÉ 1 this week.

The series has sought out the best amateur gardeners across the country. Each week three contestants will open their gates to the experts horticulturalist Jimi Blake, garden designer Niall Maxwell and landscape designer Ingrid Swan. The experts will take the tour, examining every leaf and sniff every flower, to evaluate the gardens. How the garden is laid out, how the planting has been done, and what features have been added, are all investigated.

They we also want to know what the garden means to the owner. Maybe it’s a place of adventure for kids, perhaps it’s a special space for relaxation, or maybe it’s a fully functional extension of your home, for entertaining and dining. How the garden fits into and enhances your life is an important factor too.

The gardens will be split into different categories in each episode, and the experts will assess the plants, the design, the functionality, and the feel of the garden before ultimately choosing a winner. Each episode will have an individual winner, and they will become one of Ireland’s Garden Heroes.

Up first in the series, which starts on Thursday, July 22, on RTÉ 1 at 8.30pm is a garden in Fanore, County Clare - whose design is inspired by the Burren, another in Dublin’s city centre - where the owner has created a bright and beautiful secret garden in the most unexpected place. Third up is another Dublin garden, in Rathmichael.