It’s a book!
March 24, 2011 § 15 Comments
My late father, J.F. Powers, was a writer of note in the United States. His first novel, Morte D’Urban, won the National Book Award in 1963. There was some pretty heavyweight competition. His output was small and choice: two novels and three books of short stories. His last book took 22 years to write. I hate to think of the excuses he fed to his agent and publishers, or the guilt that he must have felt after a long day at the office deciding whether to plump for a colon or a dash.
Well, I’ve just written a book too. It took me a little over two years — a mere sprint compared to my father’s marathon. I took all the photos, except for six that my husband Jonathan Hession shot, and one (of my late mother) that my sister Katherine provided.
The book, The Living Garden, is published by Frances Lincoln — my dream publishers. When I started writing about gardening sixteen years ago, I used to look at the beautiful books produced by this independent London house, and imagine my name on the cover and spine of something published by them. So, I was delighted (and more than a little terrified) when I was actually asked by them to submit an idea for a book.
And, a month or two ago, when I finally got my hands on a single, precious advance copy, I put it on the shelf between Beth Chatto’s and Helen Dillon’s books (two of my favourite garden writers), just to see what it looked like. It looked delightful. But I took it down fairly quickly, as it seemed an impertinence to let it linger next to these two great gardening women. (It never even occurred to me to put it next to my father’s books. That would have been far too bumptious.)
If you feel like buying the book, there are links on this page to Amazon (but do try your local bookshop first).
You can read the introduction by clicking on the thumbnails here.
And finally if you want to meet me, I’ll be doing some book signings:
Newbridge Silverware, Newbridge, Co Kildare: 3pm, Friday April 1st.
Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin 2: 2pm, Saturday April 16th 2011
Launch of the West Cork Garden Trail, Glebe Gardens, Baltimore, West Cork: 11 am, June 11th 2011
Primrose-tinted Spectacle
March 12, 2011 § 7 Comments
Over in my weekly column in the Irish Times today, I wrote about the primroses that Joe Kennedy has been breeding in his back garden in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, and which have been introduced to the market this spring. He’s had an avid interest in plant breeding for decades: “rhododendrons, auriculas and all sorts: I can’t pass a stigma!”
He settled on primroses in the late 1970s, and using a gene pool of about twenty old, old Irish cultivars, he gradually produced his own distinct lines of Kennedy primulas. He didn’t sell them, and didn’t look for publicity for them. He mounted spectacular displays at flower shows, where they were seen (and much admired) by other gardeners. But, because of the specialist nature of such events, only a few hundred people would see his plants per year.
His cultivars got more and more refined as the years passed — and they continue to do so, as he is still working on them. Of the thousands that he raises annually, he keeps a hundred or so possibles, casting the others onto the compost heap.
Backyard breeding operation
Then, about five years ago, Pat FitzGerald of FitzGerald Nurseries contacted Joe, and offered to bring his primroses to the public. After a rigorous selection process, two were chosen to be launched this year: ‘Drumcliff’ and ‘Innisfree’. More will be released in 2013: the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland. It’s not that Joe Kennedy is related to JFK (that I know of), but Pat FitzGerald has a grand nose for a marketing opportunity. And this one is too good to be missed — especially since the primroses bring the Kennedy and FitzGerald names together in a useful coincidence. And, God bless Pat FitzGerald, sure didn’t he manage to bring Yeats into the mix as well, with the names of this year’s introductions. ‘Innisfree’, as you know, is the lake isle where the poet would “arise and go now”, while ‘Drumcliff’ honours the Sligo village where his mortal remains are laid to rest.
Unnamed primrose bred by Joe Kennedy
But, believe me, these little touches will make the primroses more marketable in the United States, which is where Pat FitzGerald is right now — with the aforementioned beauteous Kennedy cultivars. After being launched at the Philadelphia Flower Show, they will be available as plants from Burpee, I believe. When I get more details on that, I’ll post them here.
In the meantime, if you’re Irish, you can buy them from the following garden centres. If you are travelling far, do phone first, just to make sure they’re still in stock.
Arboretum Garden Centre, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow (059 9721558)
Ardcarne Garden Centre, Lanesboro Road, Roscommon, Co Roscommon (090 6627700)
Bandon Garden Centre, Glaslyn Road, Bandon, Co Cork (023 8842260)
Beech Hill Garden Centre, Montenotte Cork, Co Cork (021 4643254)
Blackwater Plantsplus Garden Centre, Kinsalebeg, West Waterford (024 92725)
Canning’s Home & Garden, Sligo., Co Sligo (071 9160060)
Carmel’s Garden Centre, Kilworth, Co Cork (025 27276)
Clonmel Garden Centre, Glenconnor, Clonmel, Co Tipperary (052 6123294)
Coolaught Gardens, Clonroche, Co Wexford (053 9244137)
Dunsland Garden Centre, Glanmire, Co Cork (021 4354949)
Fernhill Garden Centre, Cornamagh, Athlone, Co Westmeath (0906 475574)
Greenbarn Garden Centre, Inchiquin, Killeagh, Co Cork (024 90166)
Haggardstown Garden Centre, Co Louth (042 9337627)
Horkan’s Garden Centre, Bundoran Road, Sligo (071 9138870)
Horkan’s Garden Centre, Turlough, Castlebar, Co Mayo (094 9031435)
Johnstown Garden Centre, Naas, Co Kildare (045 879138)
Jones’ Garden Centre, Swords Road, Donabate, Co Dublin (01 8401781)
McGuire’s Garden Centre, Rossduff, Woodstown, Co Waterford (051 382136)
Nangle’s Garden Centre, Model Farm Rd Carrigrohane Co. Cork (021 4871297)
O’Driscoll’s Garden Centre, Mill Rd, Thurles, Co Tipperary (0504 21636)
O’ Meara’s Garden Centre, Mullingar, Co Westmeath (044 9342088)
The Secret Garden, Aghaneenagh, Newmarket, Co Cork (029 60084)
Northern Ireland
Craigville Garden Centre, Sligo Road, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh BT74 5QR (028 6632 6004)
Glenavy Garden Centre, 26, Main St, Glenavy, Crumlin, Co Antrim BT29 4LW (028 9442 2826)
Joe Kennedy's primroses at the Alpine Garden Society show in Dublin
One Bean Row 