RTE Super Garden 2013.....

paddy147 · 20-04-2013 05:28PM #1

.....is back on TV from next Thursday at 8:30pm on RTE 1.

5 different garden designs to be completed in under 4 weeks,with a budget of 5000 euro for each garden.All the plants/flowers used are supplied by Woodies.

The winner goes on to display their garden creation at Bloom 2013.:)

http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/super_garden.html

The winner of SUPER GARDEN will be announced on the sixth and final episode of the series, when all the designers and judges and mentors meet in the more convivial atmosphere of Powerscourt House & Gardens. The prize will be awarded to the contestant voted SUPER GARDEN designer 2013, and with it the life-changing opportunity to re-create their design at the prestigious Bloom 2013 and take a big step forward into the world of professional garden design. Each garden designer is working on a real garden - they are given a specific brief and budget and must design a garden to the home owners' specifications. All 5 have been given similar size gardens to work with, but each with a very different brief:

A Fire Garden (Dublin) - the owners of this property want a space which is both relaxing, exciting and child friendly, but designer Oisin Griffin has plans for a fire theme that will impress, adorned with bold steel structures.
A Beach Garden (Galway) - the owners want to rescue their chaotic corner site garden and turn it into a pleasant and welcoming space in time for their wedding later this year, so designer Nathan Nokes wants to create a Home by the Sea theme.
A Romantic Senses Garden (Limerick) - The couple who own this house are looking for a garden that's low maintenance, contemporary and classical, so designer Lisa McKnight plans to impress with an architecturally impressive combination of garden rooms, complete with romantic planting and furnishings.
A Farm to Fork Dining Room Garden (Kildare) - This young couple wants a garden that will entice them into it with areas to grow vegetables and fruit. Designer Amelia Raben wants to create 2 rooms, a kitchen (for vegetables) and an outdoor Mediterranean dining room.
A Contemporary Chinese Garden (Monaghan) - The client wants a 'Low' maintenance garden that she can impress her friends and family with, so designer Declan McKenna plans to build a Chinese themed space complete with rivers, tea house and moon gate.

paddy147 · 25-04-2013 05:14PM

Just a heads up on this.

Starts tonight at 8:30pm on RTE 1.

paddy147 · 25-04-2013 07:58PM

So what did everyone think of the Fire Garden??

Lots of hard landscaping and sculpture work,lots of turf lawn and black limestone paving area,but not too much in the way of actual planting or plant variety.
Hardly any planting schemes actually.....as he has admitted himself and the judges said to him.

Dogwoods grow big and he has planted alot of them.

Cant see those wavey fire sculptures lasting too long in any sort of windy conditions.

But its certainly a different garden style though.

On a side note........

I also think that the 5 garden designers should be allowed to source their plants from anywhere they like,and not just from Woodies.

There would be many a garden centre or nursery that would stock plants and flowers that Woodies wouldnt stock.

So maybe that can be allowed to happen for Super Garden 2014.

lottpaul · 25-04-2013 08:23PM

Thanks for the reminder Paddy.
Watched tonights show. Interesting design but like most of these programmes I wouldn't think it's practical in the long term. Very often it can point the way to what not to do, but it can give some nice ideas.
The work and effort put in by the designers, family, friends etc is very impressive and commendable.
I suppose if Woodies are sponsoring the competition then they would expect some "payback" but I would not like to have my own garden stocked only with the plants they sell. The choice is often limited enough - at least in the Tralee branch -- other, bigger ones, may be different.

Generally the owners seem pleased with the end result -- and I suppose that's the most important thing

Looking forward to next weeks show with the beach hut/ship design. Have had a hankering for a little hideaway like that since I was a lad.

paddy147 · 25-04-2013 08:33PM

lottpaul wrote: »

Thanks for the reminder Paddy.
Watched tonights show. Interesting design but like most of these programmes I wouldn't think it's practical in the long term. Very often it can point the way to what not to do, but it can give some nice ideas.
The work and effort put in by the designers, family, friends etc is very impressive and commendable.
I suppose if Woodies are sponsoring the competition then they would expect some "payback" but I would not like to have my own garden stocked only with the plants they sell. The choice is often limited enough - at least in the Tralee branch -- other, bigger ones, may be different.

Generally the owners seem pleased with the end result -- and I suppose that's the most important thing

Looking forward to next weeks show with the beach hut/ship design. Have had a hankering for a little hideaway like that since I was a lad.

Fair play to the lad for working away on his own in the lashing snow.Looks like his helpers had legged it at that stage..:pac:

It would be nice to open it up to non woodies plant and flower ranges though...but yep,Woodies will only want their plants used...which can be rather limiting.

It would also be nice to do a "follow up programme" on the various gardens and see how they are 12-18 months on and what they look like then.

Also how the home owners are maintaining them and what they think of their gardens.:)

Yeah,the beach hut/ship design garden seems like it will be an interesting one,judging by the few snipets shown from next weeks programme.:pac:

lottpaul · 25-04-2013 08:39PM

paddy147 wrote: »

It would also be nice to do a "follow up programme" on the various gardens and see how they are 12-18 months on and what they look like then.

Also how the home owners are maintaining them and what they think of their gardens.:)

Very good point. I suspect the results might not be too encouraging

paddy147 · 25-04-2013 08:41PM

lottpaul wrote: »

Very good point. I suspect the results might not be too encouraging

Especially with regards pets and kids,and also general wear and tear...oh and the growth of the various plants/flowers/trees....:pac::D

david75 · 25-04-2013 10:36PM

I liked his design overall but he seems like he should be designing nightclubs over gardens. What were those metal flame sculptures about? Really badly clashed with the whole thing, other than his waffle trying to justify their presence. I did like his overall look though.

Even if that garden goes into full bloom I can't help think the colours would clash with the colour palette he chose but hopefully not.

paddy147 · 25-04-2013 10:50PM

david75 wrote: »

I liked his design overall but he seems like he should be designing nightclubs over gardens. What were those metal flame sculptures about? Really badly clashed with the whole thing, other than his waffle trying to justify their presence. I did like his overall look though.

Even if that garden goes into full bloom I can't help think the colours would clash with the colour palette he chose but hopefully not.

Well in fairness to him,he did say on camera that horticultural experience was and is where he lacked/lacks experience in.

His mentor and the judges also pulled him up over the lack of planting (1 judge called it very bland) and that there would be no colour for the rest of the year in the garden.

So based on all of that,I dont think that this garden will be going to Bloom this year

ted1 · 26-04-2013 12:00AM

If any of you think you can do better I volunteer my garden

paddy147 · 26-04-2013 12:05AM

ted1 wrote: »

If any of you think you can do better I volunteer my garden

Do you want the 2 Super Garden judges around too???:pac::pac:

Did you see Super Garden last night?

Interesting to see and hear what the lads mentor and also the 2 judges had to say to him about the garden and its layout and planting.

ted1 · 26-04-2013 12:15AM

paddy147 wrote: »

Do you want the 2 Super Garden judges around too???:pac::pac:

Did you see Super Garden last night?

Interesting to see and hear what the lads mentor and also the 2 judges had to say to him about the garden and its layout and planting.

We could do a boards garden!! Tie in with the food forum and they can organise a BBQ when were finished.

paddy147 · 26-04-2013 12:17AM

ted1 wrote: »

We could do a boards garden!! Tie in with the food forum and they can organise a BBQ when were finished.

Dont forget the beer....:pac::D

Oisin Griffin · 28-04-2013 04:54PM

Hi all!

Oisin Griffin here, the designer from the first 2013 Super Garden episode.
Many thanks for all your comments, I’m always open to all critiques as I try and take it all in a constructive manner. I feel that the editing of the show portrayed certain aspects of my super garden process in a contorted manner and on occasion a number of key points which I wished to get across were removed.

As I have seen in the last number of posts to the board my planting has been the central topic of conservation. Throughout the super garden process I was very conscious of how to go about creating a planting plan therefore I felt I had two options;

i) block plant highly visual planting and / or seasonal flowering planting that would look good on the day of judging but would not stand the test of time.
or
ii) to go for a horticultural sound and in-dept planting scheme which would consist of a high proportion of herbaceous / perennials. This would ultimately leave the garden looking bare for the show but in the summer would really blossom.

In order to create a balance and one I believed Paddy may appreciate I decided to have elements of both. Although the planting may have looked sparse on the show (the mulch also hide a lot of the twiggy hydrangea’s, etc.) I can guarantee that during the summer this garden will have wide spectrum of colour in addition to the textures of the various grass seed heads. After all the garden I created is not just for the day of judging but rather for the family to enjoy for years on end. During the show my numerous explanations of why I grouped plant groups together and how I viewed they would be maintained and evolve was edited out therefore I believe it is an unfair depiction of my horticultural skill set and my over all horticultural vision of the garden.

With regard to the sculptures I had primarily imagined them to travel through the garden in a vertical sense, almost like a birds nest or a ribbon but my budget would not allow this so I had to settle for the horizontal compromise. Also I hoped they would have a corten steal finish but again the budget didn’t allow! With regard to there durability in extreme weather conditions they will withstand what ever the Irish weather throws at them. That was a key concern thought out there construction and the foundations and overall structural integrity was over compensated for with additional reinforcing welding / etc.

In conclusion I took a chance with this design and fully understood that not everyone would like my design. I did not want to create the average garden with a patio at the door, with a lawn boarded by planting beds and an outside room. I wanted to somewhat break the mould and challenge the usual design boundaries, after all I’m a youthful designer and feel this is what garden designers should aspire to achieve!!!

All comments are more then welcome.

Sonnenblumen · 28-04-2013 06:34PM

Would you not be better off refraining from making any critical comment publicly about the programme/format and certainly not before the Judges have made their final decision known publicly?

IMO these type of programmes although popular with the public, generally create unrealistic expectations and more often than not conceal the shortcomings of inadequate project budgets etc.

Anyways, if you go to a disco don't expect live music.

paddy147 · 28-04-2013 07:49PM

Oisin Griffin wrote: »

Hi all!

Oisin Griffin here, the designer from the first 2013 Super Garden episode.
Many thanks for all your comments, I’m always open to all critiques as I try and take it all in a constructive manner. I feel that the editing of the show portrayed certain aspects of my super garden process in a contorted manner and on occasion a number of key points which I wished to get across were removed.

As I have seen in the last number of posts to the board my planting has been the central topic of conservation. Throughout the super garden process I was very conscious of how to go about creating a planting plan therefore I felt I had two options;

i) block plant highly visual planting and / or seasonal flowering planting that would look good on the day of judging but would not stand the test of time.
or
ii) to go for a horticultural sound and in-dept planting scheme which would consist of a high proportion of herbaceous / perennials. This would ultimately leave the garden looking bare for the show but in the summer would really blossom.

In order to create a balance and one I believed Paddy may appreciate I decided to have elements of both. Although the planting may have looked sparse on the show (the mulch also hide a lot of the twiggy hydrangea’s, etc.) I can guarantee that during the summer this garden will have wide spectrum of colour in addition to the textures of the various grass seed heads. After all the garden I created is not just for the day of judging but rather for the family to enjoy for years on end. During the show my numerous explanations of why I grouped plant groups together and how I viewed they would be maintained and evolve was edited out therefore I believe it is an unfair depiction of my horticultural skill set and my over all horticultural vision of the garden.

With regard to the sculptures I had primarily imagined them to travel through the garden in a vertical sense, almost like a birds nest or a ribbon but my budget would not allow this so I had to settle for the horizontal compromise. Also I hoped they would have a corten steal finish but again the budget didn’t allow! With regard to there durability in extreme weather conditions they will withstand what ever the Irish weather throws at them. That was a key concern thought out there construction and the foundations and overall structural integrity was over compensated for with additional reinforcing welding / etc.

In conclusion I took a chance with this design and fully understood that not everyone would like my design. I did not want to create the average garden with a patio at the door, with a lawn boarded by planting beds and an outside room. I wanted to somewhat break the mould and challenge the usual design boundaries, after all I’m a youthful designer and feel this is what garden designers should aspire to achieve!!!

All comments are more then welcome and also please check out myself and Jonathans company web page ***** & ***** Landscape Architecture ***** contact us at ****

Hi Oisin,wellcome along.:)

Can I ask you this...

Do you as a contestant get to see the other 4 other locations/finished gardens before the show goes to air??

Or do you only get the see the other finished gardens when Supergarden is on the TV?

Allways wondered about that.

Sonnenblumen · 28-04-2013 09:33PM

Yeah, back seat moderating is also against the rules!

Sgt Pepper 64 · 29-04-2013 08:31AM

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Would you not be better off refraining from making any critical comment publicly about the programme/format and certainly not before the Judges have made their final decision known publicly?

IMO these type of programmes although popular with the public, generally create unrealistic expectations and more often than not conceal the shortcomings of inadequate project budgets etc.

Anyways, if you go to a disco don't expect live music.

Showing your age now Sonnenblumen, no one goes to discos since the 70's! :P

magicbastarder · 29-04-2013 08:36AM

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Would you not be better off refraining from making any critical comment publicly about the programme/format and certainly not before the Judges have made their final decision known publicly?

yeah, i'd be surprised if the contestants were not told to refrain from discussing the programmes until the show has completed airing.

Sonnenblumen · 29-04-2013 10:24AM

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Showing your age now Sonnenblumen, no one goes to discos since the 70's! :P

Big 80's revival going on for the last 20+ years:D

paddylonglegs · 29-04-2013 07:55PM

Fair play Oisin. Just watched on rte player. I think that garden will really come into its own as it matures. The galvanise will also mellow as time goes on

If you were to continue the fire theme for future projects, maybe have a look at cesar manrique, an artist and architect from Lanzarote. He developed a lot of his ideas from the volcanic eruption that occurred there in the 19th century.

Thunderbird2 · 09-05-2013 08:16PM

Would anyone have a link so I can see all of last years gardens ?
I want I have a look a Tims garden.

paddy147 · 28-05-2013 01:28PM

Well I had a nice chat with the Super Garden 2013 winner at Bloom this morning.

All I will say is that its a very worthy garden winner and its very beautifull indeed,especially when seen in the flesh/daylight.

Well done to all involved and the show winner.:)

Oh,and I took lots of pics over at Bloom this morning,but I dont want to spoil it for others,until Bloom opens to the public this Thursday.:)

wildlifeboy · 28-05-2013 01:56PM

i liked the guys japanese garden. the one with the bridge and the big pond. he got upset when they reviewed it. last weeks garden with the blue trellis was minging. i havent seen the firet garden or the beach ones yet.

paddy147 · 28-05-2013 02:02PM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

i liked the guys japanese garden. the one with the bridge and the big pond. he got upset when they reviewed it. last weeks garden with the blue trellis was minging. i havent seen the firet garden or the beach ones yet.

Well this years winning garden is very nice and a worthy winner.

Looked stunning this morning over at Bloom,in the shade and then when the sun came out.

Had a nice chat with the winner and that particular person was very happy with it.:)

wildlifeboy · 28-05-2013 02:08PM

paddy147 wrote: »

Well this years winning garden is very nice and a worthy winner.

Looked stunning this morning over at Bloom,in the shade and then when the sun came out.

Had a nice chat with the winner and that particular person was very happy with it.:)

pm me the winner

paddy147 · 28-05-2013 04:55PM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

pm me the winner

Is the suspense killing you???:D

Bloom 2013 opens to the public this Thursday morning ...so only 2 days to go.:)

Or you can wait till 8:30pm on Thursday night and watch the final Super Garden programme on RTE1,where they announce the winner.

wildlifeboy · 29-05-2013 09:37AM

any free day passes paddy?

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 09:47AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

any free day passes paddy?

I was only there yesterday to have a chat with a freind of ours who is planting/working in there at the moment.:)

I dont work for Bloom or have anything to do with them....some people seem to think I do though.:pac::D

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 09:52AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

any free day passes paddy?

Nope,but I,ll give you another little sneaky peaky at this years Bloom though.:D

RTE camera crews doing their rounds yesterday.

Cathmandooo · 29-05-2013 09:58AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

i liked the guys japanese garden. the one with the bridge and the big pond. he got upset when they reviewed it. last weeks garden with the blue trellis was minging. i havent seen the firet garden or the beach ones yet.

That was my favourite too, loved the water feature. The poor guy look exhausted when it was finished, I'd imagine it was all very overwhelming.

wildlifeboy · 29-05-2013 10:01AM

paddy147 wrote: »

Nope,but I,ll give you another little sneaky peaky at this years Bloom though.:D

RTE camera crews doing their rounds yesterday.

Funny that my next garden project is a pergola. should be able to make a decent one for less than 150. looks great

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 10:05AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

Funny that my next garden project is a pergola. should be able to make a decent one for less than 150. looks great

There is some absolutely beautifull Pergola creations at Bloom this year.

One particular display garden and structure makes great use of old scaffold boards from building sites.Its an eco garden for growing veg and catching/harvesting rainwater.

Scaffold boards sanded right back down,then oiled and used to great effect.:)

I had a good chat with the gardens designer/creator,and she was telling me about how they went to all the building sites and hire shops and collected around 200 scaffold boards to create the garden.

wildlifeboy · 29-05-2013 10:15AM

what length is a standard scaffold board?

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 10:16AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

what length is a standard scaffold board?

2.4 meters or just on 8 feet long.

2 inches thick and around 9 inches wide.

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 10:25AM

Scaffold board.

redser7 · 29-05-2013 10:25AM

Chap at out allotments built a beautifiul shed from sanded and varnished scaffold boards (and pricey slate). The boards came out fantastic.

Cathmandooo · 29-05-2013 10:28AM

What are pergolas originally for? Are they just to give a garden more of a 3D effect? I'm really warming to them anyway

paddy147 · 29-05-2013 10:36AM

Cathmandooo wrote: »

What are pergolas originally for? Are they just to give a garden more of a 3D effect? I'm really warming to them anyway

They were used to cover walkways in renaissance times and then also used to grow train climbers and trees/roses/vines up and over them.:)

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 09:34AM

Seen as Bloom 2013 is now open to the public.................

This winner of Super Garden 2013 is this garden creation.

Took this pic on Tuesday morning at Bloom,and had a quick chat with the gardens creator/designer.She was delighted to win.:)

And this time the water trough wasnt leaking and had water in it...:pac::D

catastrophy · 30-05-2013 10:00AM

Lovely garden and a worthy winner, but to be fair, all the gardens this year had elements that I really liked.

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 10:10AM

Heres the scaffold plank/eco garden.

Simple yet lovely.:)

wildlifeboy · 30-05-2013 10:23AM

thats deadly. if nothing else bloom gives you great ideas for designing your own garden. my biggest issue is cost. i reckon i'd need about 2k minumum to do some of the ideas i have seen here. i would love to build a natural stone raised bed along one side but the costs are super high. anyone know where you can get nice cheap stone?

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 10:35AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

thats deadly. if nothing else bloom gives you great ideas for designing your own garden. my biggest issue is cost. i reckon i'd need about 2k minumum to do some of the ideas i have seen here. i would love to build a natural stone raised bed along one side but the costs are super high. anyone know where you can get nice cheap stone?

Did you ever take a trip down the road to Kilsaran and their display gardens in Clonee??

Lovely place to visit and full of ideas.

Grab a free cuppa tea or coffee and go for a walk around.:)

wildlifeboy · 30-05-2013 10:41AM

paddy147 wrote: »

Did you ever take a trip down the road to Kilsaran and their display gardens in Clonee??

Lovely place to visit and full of ideas.

Grab a free cuppa tea or coffee and go for a walk around.:)

Funny you should mention that. i live 5 minutes away from there and have been in plantagen lots. i dont rate plantagen at all by the way. just sometimes go there just for a browse. anyhoo i have never been in the kilsaran place even though you have to drive right past the entrance for plantagen. i will take a look this weekend. i am going to give bloom a miss this year. first time in 4 years. ah well. i heard you can get in for free if you arrive at 5 o clock. i may try that.

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 10:43AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

Funny you should mention that. i live 5 minutes away from there and have been in plantagen lots. i dont rate plantagen at all by the way. just sometimes go there just for a browse. anyhoo i have never been in the kilsaran place even though you have to drive right past the entrance for plantagen. i will take a look this weekend. i am going to give bloom a miss this year. first time in 4 years. ah well. i heard you can get in for free if you arrive at 5 o clock. i may try that.

Well if nothing else,it might give you a few ideas and a nice stroll around the place..:)

redser7 · 30-05-2013 10:45AM

paddy147 wrote: »

Heres the scaffold plank/eco garden.

Simple yet lovely.:)

Love it. What sort of a sander could I get away with using on boards to get a nice effect do you think? Cheap being the main thing I have in mind

wildlifeboy · 30-05-2013 10:49AM

how come paddy isnt a mod yet or did you turn it down?

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 10:51AM

redser7 wrote: »

Love it. What sort of a sander could I get away with using on boards to get a nice effect do you think? Cheap being the main thing I have in mind

I was speaking to the young lady who designed it and who was planting it up on Tuesday morning.

She said that they used belt sanders and various grades of sand paper to get right down to the fine/bare wood.

Many hours of sanding she said.

The sails above catch the rainwater and send it down to 2 metal troughs on each side of the garden.:)

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 10:51AM

wildlifeboy wrote: »

how come paddy isnt a mod yet or did you turn it down?

I tend to "debate things" alot....:pac:

paddy147 · 30-05-2013 11:23AM

Close up pic of the scaffold plank/eco garden.

And the fantastic walled kitchen garden and new orchard.:)

RTE Super Garden 2013.....

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