Discussions Take Place to Resolve Designated Bogs Dispute

Sinn Féin spokesperson on environment, community & local government Brian Stanley TD led a delegation to Brussels to seek a resolution to the designated bogs dispute in Ireland. He was joined by party colleagues, Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, MEP Martina Anderson and Cllr Martin Kenny.

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HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest November 15th

Today's articles:

• Experience Green Diversity at the IPM ESSEN 2013
• Nilfisk Outdoor Division Launch New Website
• ILI UCD Landscape Architecture Talk
• Teagasc Launch New Technology Updates
• Dalkey Island Forum
• Mothers Give 'Antibodies' to their Children in Plants Too
• Report on TCD Botanical Society Annual Mushroom Hunt
• Northern Ireland Forestry Sector Set for Development
• Galway Creates a 'Sense of Place' with Successful Open House Galway 2012

Read more: HortiTrends Weekly Comment & News Digest November 15th

Everyday Experimenting - Science Week at Teagasc

How clean are your hands? Demystifying DNA. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These are some of the many topics that over 1,000 second-level students will get the opportunity to investigate, including many hands-on experiments, at Teagasc's Science Week events around the country this week.

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HTA Announces Contact 2013: Inspiration to Grow

Contact 2013, the biennial conference for the hardy stock industry, takes place on 16 and 17 January 2013 at the Holiday Inn, Bromsgrove. Delegates can benefit from the early bird rate by booking their place before Friday 30 November 2012.

Read more: HTA Announces Contact 2013: Inspiration to Grow

Landscapes of Resilience & Transformation: Irish Landscape Institute Conference

Registration is now in progress for the ILI Green Infrastructure Conference at the end of this month, 'Landscapes of Resilience & Transformation: Progressing Green Infrastructure in Ireland'. Protecting and enhancing Green Infrastructure is a priority action of the Framework for Sustainable Development in Ireland and the European Union published its policy on GI earlier this year, in The Multifunctionality of Green Infrastructure document. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/studies.htm

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Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Lemon Slice’: Sparkling New Bicolour by Graham Rice

Since the Million Bells series of calibrachoas came on the market about twenty years ago they've come a long way. Often called mini-petunias, the earliest varieties had brittle stems, they tended to become hang in vertical sheets when trailing out of baskets and other containers and soon became bare at the base. They tended to suffer from root diseases and although the flowers came in bright single colours, they were not always very prolific.

Read more: Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Lemon Slice’: Sparkling New Bicolour by Graham Rice

Courses in Organic Horticulture and Agroforestry

In November a series of courses takes place for producers in the organic sector. For organic growers Iain Tolhurst from Tolhurst Organics in the UK will deliver a series of 3 workshops. Dates and venues as follows:

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SuperValu to Sell Over 110,000 Irish Poinsettias Over Christmas

SuperValu, Ireland's leading independent supermarket, has announced that it expects to sell more than 110,000 Poinsettias over the Christmas period. This will generate retail sales worth approximately €470,000 for Uniplumo, who supply SuperValu with 100% Irish Poinsettias.

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Large Attendance at RIAI Design Week Lectures and Design for Mental Health Seminar

The RIAI's Design Week Lectures have recorded a big attendance with over 200 RIAI members and public attending talks by the winners of the 2012 Irish Architecture Awards over the course of Design Week, from 5 to 8 November. The highly informative presentations were across a wide range of typologies and scales – from the Winner of Best Emerging Practice, Steve Larkin Architects, to Mary Laheen's extension for Scoil Mhuire in Crumlin, Robin Lee Architects' Wexford County Council Headquarters, O'Donnell + Tuomey's Lyric Theatre, Taylor Architects/RMJM's Engineering Building at NUIG, Paul Keogh Architects' Sean Treacy Housing and Dun Laoghaoire Rathdown Architects' popular Metals Project.

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Art Exhibition: Visions of Splendour by Michael Dillon

An exhibition of paintings inspired by the glasshouses at the National Botanic Gardens. Michael Dillon, known more for his decorative painting and mural work, has found a compelling distraction from walls in the palaces of light and reflection at the National Botanic Gardens. The combination of exotic flora, ambitious ironwork and glazing offer him an exciting opportunity to create and design work with his own special vision and veuve.

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TCD Botany and Environmental Sciences Students Graduation 2012

Congratulations to the Botany and Environmental Graduation Class 2012. The Department hosted a pre-graduation reception for the students and their families to celebrate their hard work and successful completion of their Degree.

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Ash Dieback Update

The RHS participated in the Defra Ash dieback summit (Wednesday 7 November 2012), which fed into the Government's Written Parliamentary Statement and action plan. The RHS welcomes the rapid action taken to combat the spread of the disease and while this is a quickly changing situation, and believes it has a critical role in providing appropriate information to help the nation's gardeners. 

Read more: Ash Dieback Update

CPD Stone & Lime Seminars

CPD Seminar Stone: Soiling, Conservation & Cleaning, 19th Nov

The Traditional Lime Company will host a CPD seminar on stone conservation on the 19th November 2012 in Tullow, Co. Carlow. The seminar on "Stone: Soiling, Conservation & Cleaning" explores how historic stone masonry buildings and stone surfaces deteriorate, and how to understand and assess their conservation needs. The seminar also explores treatment and repair options such as cleaning, stone repairs, desalination, consolidation, protective coatings and nano-technology, and the control of plant growth.

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Horticulture being ‘Let Down’ by DARD Minister – DUP

DUP MEP Diane Dodds has called on the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development to come forward urgently with a strategy to develop and support horticulture across Northern Ireland. Mrs Dodds has claimed that Michelle O'Neill has failed the horticulture sector in Northern Ireland through a 'lack of vision and the absence of a strategic approach'.

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O'Neill and McEntee Agree Common Position on Ash Wood Imports

Following a meeting recently in Armagh, Minister Michelle O'Neill, MLA and Minister of State Shane McEntee, TD agreed to introduce further restrictions on the importation of ash into Ireland. Commenting on recent reports about the disease in England and continental Europe, Michelle O'Neill MLA said "The threat of further ash dieback reaching our shores is so serious that Minister McEntee and I have agreed to bring in additional measures to prevent imports of infected ash timber and firewood".

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