Mar. 7, 2013, Toronto — If you can’t make it to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, let Ireland come to you at Canada Blooms.
Tourism Ireland will present St. Patrick’s Day at Canada Blooms
on March 17 with a range of entertainment, treats and surprises for
visitors on this very special day. The "A Spring Gathering Garden" is a
2,600 square foot garden inspired by Ireland’s landscape, history,
people and culture and designed to bring Ireland to life.
The inspiration for A Spring Gathering Garden came following a trip to the Emerald Isle that Anna van Maris, president of Parklane Nurseries and lead designer, made in late 2012.
“The
theme of the Canada Blooms Show 2013, The Magic of Spring, fits
perfectly with the design for the show this year,” said van Maris.
“There is something very mysterious, mystical and magical about
Ireland.”
The garden has incorporated archaeological, cultural
and geological features of the Irish landscape such as the Newgrange
Passage Tombs, The Giants Causeway, Peatlands in Offaly, Gardens at
Blarney Castle, Standing Stones, Dolmens and Dublin’s famous Cobble
Streets.
The Parklane Nurseries team will construct an ancient
burial chamber and geological landforms created by volcanic eruptions,
and emulate the rolling hills of Ireland in its garden features.
“The
Gathering is Ireland’s invitation to the world to come home and enjoy
Ireland’s colorful history, culture and people in 2013,” said Jayne
Shackleford, manager of Tourism Ireland Canada. “We are delighted to
extend Ireland’s famous ‘céad mile fáilte’ to visitors of The Spring
Gathering Garden, and we hope to bring a touch of Irish magic to Canada
Blooms so Canadians can enjoy a flavor of the fantastic experiences that
await them on a visit to Ireland this year.”
The Gathering Garden will feature:
- 200 shamrock plants with approximately 100 to 200 leaves in each pot – or about 20,000 shamrocks.
- 30 Newgrange triscale swirls carved into rocks.
- standing stones weighing up to 3,700 lbs each.
- a limestone cliff wall that weight a total of 40 tons.
Special St. Patrick’s Day entertainment
On
St Patrick’s Day, Tourism Ireland will present a program of lively
entertainment on the Unilock Celebrity Stage presented by HGTV. Special
guests will include Irish celebrity gardener Trevor Edwards and
performers including a spectacular dance and music show from the modern
dance troupe Brogue and presentations on Ireland, Irish history and A
Spring Gathering Garden.
Ahead of their main stage performance,
Brogue will perform in the intimate gathering space and put guests
through their paces with one-on-one Irish dancing lessons.
Win a trip to Ireland
Parklane
Nurseries and Royal Irish Tours are offering Canadians the chance to
win the trip of a lifetime at Canada Blooms – an exciting driving
holiday for two to Ireland.
Discover the gardens of Ireland,
plus Ireland’s landscape, beauty, culture and history on this
unforgettable vacation that includes return flights, two nights'
accommodation in Dublin city followed by a self-drive exploration of
Ireland with stays at countryside B&Bs and finished off in style
with a night at Ireland’s luxurious five star Ashford Castle estate.
Details on how to enter can be found in A Spring Gathering Garden at Canada Blooms and online at www.ireland.com/gatheringgarden.
Canada Blooms runs March 15 to 24 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.
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