Clare Garden Festival was founded in 2013 and its main aim still is to-date to bring Garden Expertise from the whole county and the whole country to Clare showcasing their experience in an accessible manner in the indoor arena of the festival as part of our Garden, Plant, Craft and Food fair.
We have some firm favourites that we bring back year after year; and in addition we invite other experts to join us covering all areas of Gardening and beyond for Beginners and Experienced Gardeners.
We want to offer all talks in a hands-on manner and have great feedback for our demonstrations also.
We hope you enjoy this years talks & demonstrations!
Email info@claregardenfestival.com to book.
GROWING IN POLYTUNNELS with Jim Cronin
In this Masterclass, Jim Cronin will be looking in detail at the siting of a polytunnel, the growing conditions, aeration and maintenance of a tunnel, growing thought the seasons 52 weeks a year and the key crops that you can grow.
This information-packed course is suitable for complete beginners and more seasoned gardeners and is of interest also to those who do not (yet) have a
polytunnel or glasshouse. Jim promises that 'going organic' is much easier and more rewarding than you might think!
Limited spaces so please book to avoid disappointment.
1 class = €20, excluding festival entry
Overview of our Gardeners and their Focus at Clare Garden Festival
Jim Cronin has been gardening in Co Clare from his early childhood and is now known to many as a leading national expert in organic horticulture. He is a mine of information and advice on all aspects of growing organically, with a lifetime of experience and a deep love of working in cooperation with nature. Jim is also an advocate of local, sustainable agriculture and was a founding member of the thriving Killaloe Farmers Market. He is running successful courses from his farm both for beginners and comprehensive 9-month educational programmes.
Klaus Laitenberger - FESTIVAL Focus: Extending the Season
Klaus Laitenberger is the author of four gardening books. He works as an Organic Inspector for the Organic Trust Ltd and works as a consultant at the Herbal Medicine School in Co. Kilkenny, L’Arche Community in Cork and various other community gardens throughout Ireland.
Together with his wife, Joanna, they run a seed company, specialising in the most suited vegetable varieties for the Irish climate as well as the most resistant and delicious ones (Green Vegetable Seeds). They are currently starting their new horticultural project in Co. Mayo – Tilled Earth.
He is contributor to various gardening magazines e.g. The Irish Garden, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, GIY magazine and Clover. Klaus also works as an organic advisor and runs gardening courses throughout the country.
More information on the courses and seeds can be found on www.greenvegetableseeds.com
Christopher White - FESTIVAL Focus: Flower Arranging
Christopher is a national demonstrator with NAFAS, National Association of UK Flower Arrangers, and in 2024 he received best in show at the Irish National Flower Arranging Show in Wexford. He has done floral demonstrations in Cork Show in Fota Island, Cork, and at ISNA shows. Christopher runs Three Gates Nursery and Florist in Dublin and he specializes in rose bushes, herbs, alpine plants and dahlias.
Vick Ind - FESTIVAL Focus: Ornamentals - Benefactor of our 2025 Programme for Specialist Nurseries
Based in Co Waterford, Vick runs Individual Plants nursery. She takes pride in propagating all her stock on-site from seed which she sources from responsible collectors around the globe, or cuttings taken from her own stock plants (or generous donors). She grows peat-free, using organic principles to produce well grown, resilient and healthy plants. She specialises in quirky, rare and unusual, drought tolerant, med-climate species but is building and diversifying her plant selection all the time. More info about Vick and Individual Plants Nursery, here.
Peter Czech - FESTIVAL Focus: Ornamentals and Fruit - Benefactor of our 2024 Programme for Specialist Nurseries
Owner and Grower at Newports Green Hands. Specialising in Espalier Fruit and flowering plants.
Jo Newton - FESTIVAL Focus: Talks Host & Organic Gardening
For over 25 years Jo has lived in Co. Clare, off the mains grid, on a little oasis of self- planted woodland and orchard, bogland and wild riverside, alongside productive organic gardens. This is all managed as sustainably as possible. For 20 of these years she worked with the Irish Seed Savers, co-ordinating the growing, harvesting, threshing and saving of seed of over 200 different crops of vegetable, grain and flowers each and every year. The best way of showing a self-sustaining lifestyle is to live it, leaving biodiversity, natural beauty and abundance for our descendants. Since 2022, Jo has been exploring new and exciting gardening paths.
Lieke Schoenemann - FESTIVAL Focus: Grow your own
Lieke is the owner of Lieke's Natural Way and she produces edible plants to encourage people to start growing themselves. She says: We start them off for you, so you can enjoy the process of planting ready plants, without worrying about germinating seeds. It’s especially handy for people who don’t have much experience in growing their own food but want to start. All our plants are acclimatised to the Irish climate, being hardened off outside in Kilfenora, Co. Clare. All our seeds are sourced from local organic seed producers.