Garden Digest: Events to help you to enjoy your green spaces

Here are some ideas on what to do in the room outside right now

Spring crocus add a splash of colour to the wet grass in Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork City. Picture: Chani Anderson

Celebrate nature and support Irish Cancer Research at the Snowdrop Garden open day on Sunday, February 22, 11am-5pm, Bride Park College, Killumney, Co Cork. Admission €10.

Glenville Flower & Garden Club will meet in the Holy Family Centre on Tuesday, February 24, at 8pm. There will be a talk by interior designer Mairead Collier. All welcome.

The Lough Flower and Garden Club will welcome Geraldine McCarthy for a talk entitled “Architecture meets Nature” on Tuesday, February 24, at the SMA Parish Centre, Wilton at 7.30pm. Visitors €10, members €5.

Cork Alpine Hardy Plant Society hosts a talk by Mat Reese, head gardener at Malverleys, UK, titled “Making and keeping an English Garden” at Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Station Road, Carrigtwohill, T45 PF80, on February 26, 8pm. Visitors €10.

Blarney & District Garden & Flower Club holds its annual AGM on Thursday, February 26, at 8pm at Whitechurch Community Centre, Whitechurch, Co Cork. All welcome.

Ballincollig Flower & Garden Club hosts a demonstration by Rose Hickey (Conna Club) titled “Spring Awakening” at Gaelscoil Uí Ríordáin, Ballincollig, Co Cork, P31 V242 on Thursday, February 26, at 8pm. All welcome. Non-members €10.

Snowdrop Month at Altamont Gardens runs from February 1 to 28. Guided tours are available daily. Free admission and free guided tours. Booking is at Altamontplants.com.

Owenabue Garden and Flower Club, Carrigaline, is celebrating its 50th year with a lunch, featuring a floral demonstration by Lorraine O’Brien AOIFA, on February 28 at the Carrigaline Court Hotel from 10.30am. Tickets €50, non-members welcome. Contact Millie 086-8091443 or Deirdre 086-8228856.

Cobh Flower and Horticulture Club meets on March 2 in Cobh Community Centre at 7.30pm for a demonstration by Mary Halligan entitled “All Things Spring”. Admission €10.

Tralee Flower and Garden Club will hold an event on March 10, at 7.30pm in the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee. It will include a garden talk. New members and visitors welcome, €10.

Youghal Flower and Garden Club will hold a gala charity demonstration supporting Breast Cancer Ireland by Ali Dietrich, AOIFA, on Wednesday, March 11.

A two day floral retreat at the luxurious Almanage in Tipperary – a chance to create and connect with a small group of flower lovers, using only Irish grown flowers and sustainable mechanics. Hosted by Sarah Evans of Flowers From The Secret Garden, taking place April 28-29. For more information https://blossomintospring.my.canva.site/ or contact Sarah on 086 1200 269.

Bord Bia Bloom, Ireland’s most celebrated festival of gardening, food, and sustainable living, returns for its 20th year this June bank holiday weekend. Bord Bia Bloom returns to its home in the Phoenix Park from May 28 - June 1, 2026. Early-bird tickets are available until March 16, and can be purchased on bordbiabloom.com (priced from €25, excluding booking fee). Visit bordbiabloom.com for further information, and follow @bordbiabloom on Instagram and @bordbia on Tik Tok for more festival updates.

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