Fota fair is a showcase for the south

Visitors enjoy last year’s Fota House and Gardens Fair. Note the extremely attractive seat for positioning around the trunk of your favourite tree!

The season of open gardens and plant fairs is upon us. These are merry events, packed with garden enthusiasts; plant collectors, would-be specialists, old-timers and the young, all eager to see and purchase the very best that horticulture has to offer.

My abiding memories of these are many, mainly the ache in my feet and the search for somewhere to sit down. And yet I plod on, finding that the more you attend the more fun it becomes. I have yet to meet a gardener who did not enjoy attending one of these great events even among the few who complain about the inadequacies of the site, the layout of the event, parking, or the lack or otherwise of facilities. A great passion keeps them interested and this matures and grows with the years despite economic restrictions and age limitations.