‘Vallygael’ village blooms at US flower exhibit

SHAMROCKS have long enjoyed a monopoly on evoking the luck of the Irish, but at this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show tulips, rhododendrons and azaleas are giving the old classic some competition.

The Legends of Ireland is the theme for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s annual show, running from tomorrow until March 11 in the Pennsylvania Convention Centre. It could be called the Emerald Isle’s greatest hits.

Leprechauns made of ivy wear impish smiles as they paint a rainbow that dips into a pot of gold-coin yellow leaves. Trickles of water make natural music streaming off the cords of an oversized harp. A cobblestone path leads to a quaint village front, complete with a wool shop, jewellery store and pub.