Carlow Garden Festival ~ Friday, 25th July – Monday, 4th August 2014
Very soon Carlow will be awash with colour, scent and perfume as gardens all around the County open their gates to the 13th year of the Carlow Garden Festival.
During the 11 day festival that will be celebrating all things green and growing, I’ll be joining forces with Susan FitzGerald of the Vibrant Ireland blog in our new collaboration GREEN and VIBRANT as we share photos, tips and tales from some of the various walks and talks included this year.
If you’d like to keep up to date with what’s happening throughout the festival, just enter the #CarlowGardenFest into any of your social media channels and all of our (or anyone else’s if they’ve tagged them) posts and images about the festival will come up for you. If you’re attending any of the events at the festival and would like to share them with us all, use that hashtag with your posts and we’ll be able to find and share your updates too. We may even find you there 🙂
Have a Go at Winning Three Prizes to Celebrate Carlow Garden Festival 2014
To celebrate this wonderful event in Ireland’s gardening calendar and in my home town, we have three prizes to offer you. Prize #1 First of all and with thanks to Carlow Tourism, if you’d like to win two tickets to the opening night of the Garden Festival on Friday, 25th July where Carol Klein of Gardeners World will be sharing her secrets on creating a cottage garden, just leave a comment in the comment box at the end of the post that include the words Carlow Garden Festival. The winner’s name will be randomly drawn on the evening of Saturday, 19th July. These tickets are worth €24.50 each and if you’re not a gardener yourself, perhaps you have a friend or family member who’d love to win them.
Prize #2 Secondly, if you’d like to win a gardening tool set carefully chosen by Eamon Wall, Garden Centre Manager of the Arboretum Lifestyle and Garden Centre who kindly donated the hand fork, trowel and secateurs, take a look at the Vibrant Ireland blog for more details. This is a lovely tool set that would suit someone starting out or a gardener who’s looking to replace or add to their gardening kit. All you have to do is leave a comment on Susan’s blog before 6pm on Friday, 1st August.
Prize #3 Lastly, you could win a miniature family Coronet apple tree, ideal for small or patio gardens, also donated by the Arboretum Lifestyle & Garden Centre. To be in with a chance to win this prize, share a photo of your own from your garden or any of the Carlow garden trail gardens or Carlow Garden Festival events you attend and include the hashtag #CarlowGardenFest.
You can share your photo(s) before 9pm Saturday, 2nd August via your Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram accounts. Just remember to include #CarlowGardenFest so that we can find them and to ensure you will be entered into the draw. You can also post your photos to either the Vibrant Ireland Facebook page, or to the Greensideup Facebook page. You may enter on all three social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as many times as you like and each platform’s post will be counted as a separate entry. The winner can collect their tree at Duckett’s Grove at the Teddy’s Picnic (a great opportunity to try out some of Madeleine’s wonderful cake while you’re there) or at the Arboretum.
See below for terms and conditions.
Carlow Garden Festival
Carlow Garden Festival is a wonderful opportunity for budding and experienced gardeners or nature lovers to get practical advice from a range of informative workshops while visiting the many beautiful gardens in the county.
Gardens will be in full bloom and with the majority of gardening work completed, it’s the ideal time to relax, admire the work of others and make gardening plans for the coming months and year ahead. I won’t say too much more about it as both the Vibrant Ireland blog and The Sodshow have full details, but here’s a programme of events for you to have a peek at and see what takes your fancy…
Carlow Garden Trail
If you’re in or close by to Carlow, we have a fabulous Garden Trail that’s worth a look at with 18 different gardening attractions as well as two feature gardens in the surrounding counties of Kildare and Wexford. The trail includes old gardens that have been lovingly restored and maintained throughout the years, and smaller gardens which are maturing beautifully with time, where visitors can enjoy guided tours, usually with the owner or head gardener. Award winning garden centres and forest parks complement a visit here. Accommodation
Looking to stay? From the award-winning Step House hotel and Kilgraney Country House Herb Gardens to local B&Bs and town centre hotels, there are lots to offer in Carlow catering for all budgets. There are also some great value accommodation breaks along with details of the festival programme which can be found at www.carlowtourism.com or alternatively ring Carlow Tourism on 059-9130411 for further details.
Public Transport Carlow is on the direct train line from Heusten Station in Dublin and is on a national coach stop off point too. If a group of you are tempted to travel this way to save on your carbon footprint and are wondering how you’ll get from garden to garden, Bianka MacDonald runs Carlow Tours, a personalised day trip service and is well worth a call.
Terms & Conditions for the competitions:
Anyone is eligible to enter all three of giveaways. All three winners will be chosen at random and you could potentially win one or three prizes! These prizes are not exchangeable for any monetary value.The Carol Klein tickets may be be collected at the door on the night of the event. The tools can be posted anywhere in ROI, but not further, sorry. The Coronet Patio Apple Tree winner will have to collect their tree at The Teddy Bear Picnic at Duckett’s Grove on the 2nd August, or at the Arboretum Garden Centre, Leighlinbridge, County Carlow by 31st August 2014. You retain all rights to your photographs, knowing that we may also share them, fully credited to you, on social media and perhaps on a blog post on vibrantireland.com, greensideup.ie or greenandvibrant.com.
Best of luck and if you’re visiting any of the gardens during the festival and you spot Susan or me there, please come and say hello, we’d love to see you 🙂
Competition Winner
The winner of the Carol Klein tickets has now been drawn and was randomly chosen by using the random.org number generator. On this occasion, No 13 was the lucky number. Congratulations Denise Delaney, I’ve emailed details to you and thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment. Hopefully we’ll see you at #CarlowGardenFest
31 Comments
[…] a value of just under €50, so it is well worth entering! To enter contest #1, leave a comment on the Carlow Garden Festival post published on greensideup.ie. This contest will run until Sunday, 20 July, when the winner will be drawn at 9.30pm Irish Time. […]
Looks like a great festival Dee and such a good one for Carlow which is full of amazing gardens.
It looks like the 13th year might be the best one yet Amanda. There’s a garden open in Athy too I seem to recall. Maybe you’ll be able to cycle over 🙂
I’ve always loved the Carlow Garden Festival, and this one looks as vibrant as ever – I’ll certainly be there! Carol Klein is a great speaker, one among many this year.
Great to hear you’ll be coming along Deborah, give us a shout out and if you take any photos, don’t forget to share them #CarlowGardenFest and you may be in with a chance to win the tree as well. Thanks for the comment, you’re in the draw 🙂
Always enjoy the Carlow Garden Festival. Altamont has to be my favourite though, love the walks and the fact the deep herbaceous borders become todderly (mine aren’t half as deep but I don’t feel so bad about them being todderly when I see the Altamont ones!) Would love to hear Carol Klein.
I have a weakness of Kilgrany given their herb and kitchen garden but agree with Altamont, it’s just beautiful all year around. Must admit I’m looking forward to visiting a few different gardens this year too – I’ve never been to Huntingdon for instance. Someone on twitter mentioned this week that Carol Klein is lovely and fascinating to hear. You’re in the draw, thanks for the comment Lorna 🙂
Oh, I’d love to attend the Carlow Garden Festival — but we’re moving cross country from Wicklow to Mayo that weekend! Too bad, it looks like such a great programme of events. If I chanced to win tickets to the Opening Night I’d gladly step away from the packing boxes for a few hours….
Well Jamie, you’re in the draw and sounds like it might be a welcome relief! Thanks for taking time to comment, fingers crossed 🙂
I am so looking forward to the Carlow Garden Festival a county with extraordinary, unusual and beautiful gardens
Mary, we’re blessed here with so many lovely gardens close by. Thanks for dropping by, you’re in the draw 🙂
Great article about a super festival in one of the most attractive counties in Ireland
Thanks Trevor, we’re really looking forward to it! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Wow what a line up! i attended a Garden Festival in Galway recently and was really impressed… the events for the Carlow Garden Festival seem sure to please all… the right county to host it too!
It’s good to see that the Festival committee have thought about including events for all. I’m looking forward to so much of it and since spotting my very first wild otter in the river in the village, can’t wait to listen to Eanna and finding out more about them. Good luck with the competition, you’re in the draw 🙂
I would absolutely love love love to see Carol Klein at the Carlow Garden Festival. She is such an enthusiastic and encouraging gardener and I would have a million question for her!
Robyn, you’re in the draw! I’ve heard lots of lovely things about Carol and am really looking forward to seeing her too.
Great, thanks a million, I shall keep my fingers crossed! 🙂
Have been to a variety of events in the Carlow Garden festival over the last few years, but getting to meet carol Klein would be amazing – she is my favourite TV gardener for sure !!
Well fingers crossed then Mary, you’re in the draw 🙂
I will be attending the Carlow garden festival but would love to win tickets to see Carol Klein, I think she’s fab but my budget unfortunately dose not stretch that far.
You’re in the draw now Anthony, thanks for taking the time to comment and everything crossed for you 🙂
Carlow Garden Festival
I feel like I’ve grown up with Carol Klein. I’d love to win these for my Mam and Dad who are avid gardeners (I am just a novice). If I won them, I think I could persuade my siblings to chip in to an overnight stay for them in one of Carlow’s lovely B&Bs.
I wish I could go to this festival myself!
Tara
Tara if this was a best comment competition you’d have won it hands down with that one! Unfortunately it’s a random comp so you’re in the draw with everyone else but what a lovely gesture, am sure you’re Mam and Dad would be thrilled with a present like that 🙂
Carlow Garden Festival Carlow Garden Festival Carlow Garden Festival Carlow Garden Festival Carlow Garden Festival!
haha! You’re in 😀
Would love to go to the Carlow Garden Festival
The draw will be today, fingers crossed!
[…] World fame is even coming to Carlow tomorrow night. You can read more about it all on the Greenside Up blog and you might even be in time to be in with a chance of winning […]
[…] I’ll keep you posted about what you can expect over the next few days if you decide to visit Carlow and its surrounding villages for this or future festivals. Oh and before I forget to mention it, we still have two more competitions running this week. Take a look at the end of this post linked her for more information on those. […]
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