Glenarm Tulip Festival: A 'wonderful way' to kick off the garden season
This bank holiday weekend, if you are taking a trip to Glenarm, you may be forgiven for thinking you are in the Netherlands rather than County Antrim.Glenarm Castle and Walled Gardens is awash with floral colour for its annual Tulip Festival.The head gardener, Jordan McWhirter, told BBC News NI that the preparation for the festival starts in Autumn."We plan what our displays are going to be like, we get in touch with Bloms (supplier), we have different borders with certain colour schemes for each border. A hot border is all warm colours and different white borders," he said.
This initial planning stage then allows for the logistics to be thought out."We can think, what are we needing quantity ways in bulbs, colour schemes and flowering times as well."We get our bulbs in around Christmas through to the first week of January and we will be planting right through the Christmas holidays," he explained.Then it is a waiting game, watching for any flowers that are not "show quality."
"It's a wonderful way to kick off our garden season. To have the garden awash with colour," Lady Antrim, who lives in the estate and oversees the garden, told BBC News NI."It seamlessly goes into our summer planting." Lady Antrim explained that she approached a 165-year-old company, which has a long-standing history and tradition in the world of horticulture, about 20 years ago."They're a wonderful Chelsea Flower Show award winning bulb company, I approached them because I know that they do other tulip festivals across the UK. I said that we would love to do something similar here, because it is a great way to quick of the season. All the great colour."There are not that many things that are flowering at this time of year," she added.
Two decades of tulips
The garden had just started to be open to the public around this time, Lady Antrim said: "At that moment they didn't have anything in Ireland, so they were keen to get involved."We have been building on it ever since. It has turned into a lovely weekend family festival."This year will also see a pre-show involved in the festival for people who want to come in "peace and quiet" and have a look around the garden. On the days of the festival there will be events for families.Lady Antrim said there are at least 60 varieties this year"I think the team plants around 9,000 in total," she added.She said it was a "really big job" over the winter months."You have to look out for the odd pest and we do lose a few along the way."
What's the history of tulips?
According to the National Trust, almost half of the 120 known tulip species are native to central Asia.They thrive in extreme hot summers and harsh, cold winters. Tulips were a powerful emblem for nomadic people and a welcome sign of spring.By the 14th Century, wild tulips were being taken and planted in Ottoman palace gardens. It's likely that ambassadors and envoys from Western Europe first saw them in these gardens.There's no record of when the first tulip left Asia, but its scarcity and beauty led to a huge desire for tulips in 17th-Century Europe, particularly in France and most famously, the Netherlands.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
Korean budget airline T'way Air launches new direct Singapore-Jeju flights with round trips under $350
Jeju's gorgeous hiking trails, seaside cafés and flower fields are now closer than ever – all thanks to a brand new direct flight route by Korean low-cost airline T'way Air operating between Singapore's Changi Airport and Jeju International Airport. Before this, T'way Air's only direct flights from Singapore to Korea landed at Incheon International Airport in Seoul – the popular capital city that's since become rather overcrowded and tourist-laden. It also offers flights from Singapore to a whopping seven destinations in Japan including Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa and Sapporo, all of which require a stopover in Seoul. T'way Air's non-stop Singapore-Jeju flights aren't the first of their kind. Before this, there was already such a route via Singapore's Airlines' low-cost sister airline, Scoot – aka the Value Airline of the Year as awarded by Air Transport World. In any case, that was the sole direct option available, and taking any other airline would require a stopover with a domestic flight – so we're excited for this alternative that'll help shake things up in the aviation scene. This news comes around the same time as Jetstar Asia's sudden closure due to tough competition – a move that many are still in shock over. What's especially surprising about this is that Jetstar just announced a couple of exciting new flight routes, including direct flights between Singapore and Broome, Australia, as well as Singapore and Labuan Bajo, an underrated island paradise in Indonesia that's a great alternative to the done-and-dusted Bali. Without Jetstar in the picture, Singaporeans will once again have to look to more time consuming, non-direct options in order to get themselves to these holiday destinations. But on to less depressing news: We did a little research and found that Singapore-Jeju round trips on T'way Air can cost less than $350 in total, inclusive of taxes and checked baggage fees if you manage to snag one of the limited 'event fare' rates. As shown below, we managed to score a two-way journey for just $343. 'Event fare' rates on T'way Air include allowance for 15kg of checked baggage and 10kg of carry-on baggage. On the other hand, Scoot's lowest rates typically do not include checked baggage allowance and accounts for 10kg of cabin luggage, so you'll have to make a top-up in order to accommodate all the shopping you might plan to do while in Korea. Even if you opt for T'way's 'smart fare' rates, which come with free 23kg checked baggage allowance, you're likely to score round trip tickets to Jeju in the $500 range, depending on the dates you've picked. Of course, peak periods such as the end-of-year school holiday season or the Christmas and New Year stretch would see higher prices. The 'normal fare' rates are more or less on par with that of full-services airlines, so that might not be an attractive option for everyone. However, the question would be whether your priority is extra comfort with free meals and an in-flight entertainment system – which T'way doesn't offer – or to save time by getting straight to Jeju in a mere six hours, without having to hop off the airplane and on again in between. The flight schedule for T'way Air's Singapore-Jeju flights is as follows: The Boeing 737-8 aircraft is used on this route, with a seat configuration of two rows of three.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a former check-in agent and the worst time to travel is not during summer'
The busiest month to travel isn't during the summer despite many craving the sunshine - you'll more likely be delayed at a completely different time of year By the middle of the year, most Brits have some form of travel plans in place - especially those about to fly away to a tropical destination. But there's no denying that security queues are bustling, families with a trail of luggage trying to navigate through the terminal are plenty, and the roads leading to the airports themselves are traffic-ridden. The more flights landing and taking off from airports can also lead to the common misconception that delays are more likely during this time period. According to former check-in agent Ashley Bautista, now a Mirror journalist, this is not the case. "Believe it or not, the most chaotic period is during the Christmas holidays," she said. "This is because compared to peak travel days, there are fewer flights on Christmas Day." Christmas is the time when everyone's flying out to spend time with their friends and family. If you live hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home, the most convenient method of travel is by plane. But just as you're trying to reunite with your loved ones, hundreds of thousands of people are also trying to do the same thing. During this festive period, it's common to see a lot of flights getting delayed or cancelled, whether for weather or maintenance reasons. It's a frustrating feeling especially during such an important time, but it's inevitable. Remember, ground-crews also have to de-ice the aircraft in sub-zero temperatures before it takes off which can often lead to a delayed take-off. According to Heathrow Media Center, London's Heathrow Airport welcomed more than seven million passengers alone. It turned it into the busiest period ever, exceeding the pre-pandemic numbers in 2019 by three million. The UK also saw a total of 11 million passengers jetting off from all UK airports, as reported by the UK CAA. Ashley continued: "As a former check-in agent, I've been in situations where flights were overbooked because the airline oversold their seats or because passengers had been moved from one airline to another due to cancellations. Still, that didn't guarantee them a seat. "It wasn't the best news to deliver, especially during that time of the year, as families were travelling to reunite with their loved ones." She even recalled instances where passengers would have to wait for days until they got to board the flight. In the worst case scenario, the airline would offer financial compensation for those who volunteered to be pulled out of the flight, if needed. "So, the myth that summer is the busiest season to go abroad has been debunked - at least for now," she continued. "If you plan to book a holiday this summer or in the upcoming months, it's good to be aware of it. Just like Tuesday's are known to be the cheapest day to fly out, it's also good to learn some other travel hacks."
Time Out
4 days ago
- Time Out
The FAA just extended the Newark Airport mess through the end of 2025
Just when you thought the turbulence at Newark Liberty International Airport might clear up, spoiler alert: It's sticking around through 2025. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed on Friday that flight caps at the embattled New Jersey airport will continue into next year in an effort to ease congestion and prevent the travel chaos that's plagued travelers since spring. Starting June 16, Newark will limit arrivals and departures to 34 per hour through October 25. Then, beginning Labor Day weekend, weekend flights will face even stricter caps of just 28 per hour from Friday night through Sunday until the end of the year—including the Thanksgiving and Christmas crunch. These changes come after a nightmarish season of delays and cancellations caused by a perfect storm of problems: an aging radar system, chronic staffing shortages at the Philadelphia air traffic control center (which now oversees Newark) and a two-month runway shutdown that only wrapped early last week. Six controllers even went on trauma leave during the worst of it. Fun! Despite the FAA's early spring attempt to minimize delays, the initial plan 'was quite insufficient,' aviation analyst Jason Rabinowitz told Gothamist. Now, they're playing catch-up with tech upgrades and more structured flight schedules. Some good news: That notorious runway rebuild finished nearly two weeks early, thanks to extra shifts and late-night asphalt marathons. And the FAA is finally modernizing outdated infrastructure by replacing 90 miles of copper cables with new fiber-optic lines, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says could go live by July if testing goes smoothly. The agency is also boosting staffing at the Philadelphia TRACON center and looking to install a new backup air traffic system to keep Newark in the loop, even if things go haywire. Still, while you might be able to score a cheap flight deal, none of this means Newark will be running at full speed anytime soon. The FAA's order, which followed public input and coordination with airlines, aims to stabilize operations and keep the airspace safe and functional. But if you're flying in or out of Newark this year, consider packing your patience. Because until that new tech is humming and staffing levels are 'very healthy' (FAA's words, not ours), the only thing arriving on time at Newark might be your frustration.
