The Sustainable seafood garden

This journey starts in the water and ends on a plate and it is the fabulous bounty it produces that the garden hopes to celebrate. The garden was designed to illustrate how the fishing industry has been modernized and developed by Bord Iascaigh Mhara in an ecological and sustainable way into the industry it is today.  The garden encourages an appreciation of the incredible resources, industries and produce that this island has to offer and reminds us that it is in all of our interest to protect it.

There are two piers in this garden one traditional and one modern. The purpose of these structures was to highlight how the very old tradition of fishing has been modernized into the cutting edge thriving industry it is today. The fishing boat is an obvious center piece, reminding us of the people and industry behind the seafood we love. In order to continue our celebration of seafood, it is fitted with and outdoor kitchen where some of Ireland's top chefs demonstrated how the wide range of Irish seafood can be prepared.

The garden was inspired by the Irish coastline and the inlets and bays that connect to it.  As such the ground often appears sparse, rocky and wind swept. However, on closer inspection, these areas can produce a bounty of flora. The garden is set in a harbor close to the coast and surrounded by mountains and birch woodland. The aim was to be inspired by the native plants and trees that inhabit our coastline but also to recognize that in many of these areas, unique micro climates exist that allow us to grow non-native species that might not otherwise survive.

Plant list

Wildflowers

Prunella vulgaris	Malva moschata	Achillea millefolium
Leucanthemum vulgare	Origanum vulgare	Rumex acetosa
Hypericum perforatum	Primula veris	Silene dioica
Lychnis flos-cuculi	Stachys officinalis	Centaurea nigra
Daucus carota	Galium verum	Knautia arvensis
Lotus corniculatus	Ranunculus acris	Rhinanthus minor
Sanguisorba minor	Plantago lanceolata	Filipendula ulmaria
Trifolium pratense	Vicia cracca	Silene latifolia
Geranium pratense	Linaria vulgaris	Leontodon hispidus
Hypochaeris radicata

Grasses

Festuca ovina glauca 'Golden Toupee'

Deschampsia cespitosa

Trees

Betula pendula

Shrubs

Arbutus unedo

Prostanthera cuneata

Rhododendron molle subsp. japonicum

Ferns

Athyrium filix-femina	Asplenium trichomanes	Osmunda regalis
Matteuccia struthiopteris	Athyrium filix-femina 'Frizelliae'	Adiantum capillus-veneris

Herbaceous plants

Angelica archangelica	Armeria maritima	Achillea 'Moonshine'
Erodium manescaui	Silene uniflora 'Robin Whitebreast'	Ammi majus
Sedum spurium 'Coccineum'	Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'	Campanula poscharskyana
Pilosella aurantiaca	Astrantia 'Moulin Rouge'	Primula beesiana
Omphalodes cappadocica 'Cherry Ingram'	Filipendula vulgaris	Daucus carota 'Dara'
Trollius x cultorum 'Cheddar'	Geum triflorum	Bupleurum rotundifolium bronze-leaved
Centranthus lecoqii	Aruncus dioicus 'Zweiweltenkind'