WANTED! Gardens in East Clare & North Tipp for exciting initiative

Event Manager

Hi, I'm starting a garden festival in the Lough Derg area. I want to get in contact with owners of impressive gardens in East Clare and North Tipperary. If you own a fab garden (at least 1/2 an acre in size) or you know of a suitable garden near Lough Derg, please send me a Private Message. Privately owned gardens would be ideal, but they would be open to the public at certain times of the year - obviously at times that suit the owner! K.

looksee

This seems like a very woolly notion. Are you an event manager, how much experience do you have, how do you make money out of this idea, what do you know about gardens, how can we engage in a discussion if you only want private messages?

Why would you think Boards is a suitable way of rounding up gardens. Do you have a website with more information? How are you going to advertise, are you affiliated with any tourist organisations.

What sort of inspection system will you have to make sure the calibre of the gardens is equally high, and for the visitor to be sure it is worth visiting.

And how much are you going to charge people to be included in your guide?

Sonnenblumen

Event Manager wrote: »

Hi, I'm starting a garden festival in the Lough Derg area. I want to get in contact with owners of impressive gardens in East Clare and North Tipperary. If you own a fab garden (at least 1/2 an acre in size) or you know of a suitable garden near Lough Derg, please send me a Private Message. Privately owned gardens would be ideal, but they would be open to the public at certain times of the year - obviously at times that suit the owner! K.

You want to use my garden for your event, you'd better tell me more!

flutered

methinks gardens of 1/2 acres and bigger would be scarce.

looksee

Not really, in the country you need that kind of area at least, for a septic tank.

Event Manager

Yes, I am an event manager, but that doesn't stop me from having a hobby or a knowledge of gardening!
I never mentioned a guide. I want to put together a garden festival, like the festivals in Tralee and Clonmel, where the private gardens are opened to the public. 1/2 acre gardens are rare in Dublin, but not so in rural areas. I'm lucky enough to have an acre of specimen trees and plants, which I'd like to open to the public during a festival. That's why I'm looking for garden-owners. I've already posted a request on an online gardening forum, but I haven't got a repsonse yet. Hence the post on Boards.ie. Hope this answer your questions.

looksee

Well it answers some of my questions. How will you get word around and tell people about the event(s)? If someone is going to the trouble of getting a garden ready for view/be available to show people round they will expect some sort of return for their trouble, unless its for charity. Who will collect the money, how will you decide what to charge? You will have to have some sort of publication if only to show where the gardens are.

Have you considered the insurance implications, if people are going to let the public view their garden on a commercial basis? And again, how will you make money out of this, if only for your costs, and I suspect you will require more than your costs out of it.

flutered

looksee wrote: »

Not really, in the country you need that kind of area at least, for a septic tank.

not really, i have one and it does not take up that much room.

looksee

The actual tank is not very big, but you need a perculation area which is controlled by planning permission.

touts

Event Manager wrote: »

I want to put together a garden festival, like the festivals in Tralee and Clonmel, where the private gardens are opened to the public.

Do you have any details of the garden festival in Clonmel?

flutered

looksee wrote: »

The actual tank is not very big, but you need a perculation area which is controlled by planning permission.

yes septic tanks need planning permission, the greens were requireing them to be licenced but the massive flooding of last year put paid to that notion, it would have been a nice little earner for the state, hire inspectors, refusal of licence, hire of contractor to do the repairs, purchase of materials, a nice bit of vat in that, also the licence would have to be paid for.

back on track, the op has a nice idea organised properly it would have broad appeal, the possibility of visitors from abroad is also there, as in other countrys it is big buisness,

op i have seen some nice gardens under a 1/2 acre on my wanderings, perhaps you are being too inclusive with the bigger gardens, the best of luch with your venture.

looksee

I agree it could be a very nice idea, but the OP isn't showing any signs of being organised. There are so many things he needs to have an angle on before looking for gardens - and I don't know where else he has looked but I would think that the kinds of gardens he wants are not necessarily owned by people who use chatrooms.

I think he was just throwing out a feeler, but for the people who would be involved they could put quite a lot of time and effort in and get no results.