As I looked into the various nurseries of Ireland, one that kept coming up was Tully nurseries, which is located just ten minutes north of the Dublin airport. This particular nursery has been in business for over 30 years, consists of over 25 acres of land, and produces over 750,000 plants per year. It boasts itself as having Ireland’s largest range of plants. As I looked through their available stock, it became clear that the amount of plant material they had to offer was quite extensive. They supplied readily available topiaries, large caliper container trees, herbs, shrubs, bamboo, grasses and annuals. They even supplied landscape materials, and pond kits for gardens. So in terms of what plant materials can be commonly found within Europe, there are many and they are quite comparable to those that are found in the United States. Some examples include Ginkgo trees, maples, oaks, azaleas, magnolias, rhododendrons, box woods, yews, and once again various species of bamboo.

Entrance to Tully Nurseries, for a tour, click the following link!

Tully Nursery Virtual Tour

Another interesting fact that I found in their profile was the fact that they employed over 35 workers from various countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and the U.K. This makes sense due to the fact that they supply materials throughout the continent, specifically herbs to the U.K. I was quite impressed with their operation, especially the fact that they had a section about their sustainability practices and environmental policy, which included the opening of a green waste facility. It seems as though this particular Irish nursery is very comparable to a high end nursery in the United States, and if anything, shows some significant advantages and an overall edge in the nursery industry. 

     

Another nursery that I looked into was Fitzgerald Nurseries, which was somewhat comparable to Tully in the sense that it was a larger production nursery. Their plant range was much more limited, but they supply a greater amount of material to eighteen countries. They also have two locations; one in Kilkenny, and one in Co. Wexford.

 FitzGerald Nurseries

Just like the United States, the entire nursery market isn’t just limited to large commercial nurseries. There are a number of smaller nurseries that exist in Ireland, and many of them are part of a larger organization, which is the ISNA, or Irish Specialist Nursery Association. It was founded in 2009, and consists of over 30 small independent nurseries, with many of them being award-winning.  

Sources and Sites

"FitzGerald Nurseries -Irish young plant nursery, specializing in hardy and semi hardy garden and patio plants for wholesale." FitzGerald Nurseries -Irish young plant nursery, specializing in hardy and semi hardy garden and patio plants for wholesale. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. <http://www.fitzgerald-nurseries.com/>.

 " Garden Centre." Garden Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. <http://www.tullynurseries.ie/>.

"Irish Specialty Nursery Association| Facebook." ISNA | Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Specialist-Nursery-Association/322583353963>.