Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit! Or perhaps we should say - Happy St Patrick’s Day! It’s our annual excuse to celebrate the wonderful island of Ireland and all things Irish, from Guinness and whisky to green hats and shamrocks. The Feast of St Patrick has been celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of the death of the patron saint of Ireland, since the early 17th century.
Green is our colour here at the garden centre in Athlone, and we love nothing better than a good St Patrick’s Day celebration. We have lots of special events planned throughout the weekend including a delicious themed menu in our restaurant (Irish coffee, anyone?) and some great bargains to get you in the holiday mood.
Luckily St Patrick’s Day also coincides with spring planting, so it’s a great opportunity to get a jump start on your early season purchases and stock up your garden with some fabulous Irish beauties to mark the occasion. Here are just some of our favourites:
- Shamrock: What would St Patrick’s Day be without the shamrock? The beautiful Oxalis clover comes in traditional clear green and deepest purple. Who knows – you might find a lucky four-leafed one too!
- Irish primroses: The newly-rediscovered Kennedy range of Irish primroses captures the delicate prettiness of these traditional spring flowers.
- Heritage apples: Ireland boasts a fine pedigree of mouthwatering apple varieties, from Ballinora Pippin to the Irish Russet – plant one now for years of sweet fruit to come.
- Snowdrops: Some beautiful snowdrop varieties were raised in gardens like Primrose Hill Garden in Co Dublin and Altamont Gardens, Co. Carlow. Now is the time to plant them, while they’re ‘in the green’.
- Daffodils: Another spring flower which adores an Irish climate, it’s perhaps unsurprising that there are dozens of fine Irish varieties to choose from with names like ‘Empress of Ireland’ and ‘Ulster Star’.
