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Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Kerry gardener 'elated' after third gold medal win at Chelsea Flower Show
A Kerry master gardener who won his third gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London on Monday for his impressive ferns collection has said he is 'elated, relieved, and overjoyed' with his huge win. Billy Alexander from Kells Bay House and Gardens in Cahersiveen claimed the top prize at the world famous show —this time for his largest creation 'Wilde Kells Bay Gardens' which features more than 100 species of ferns. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, he said he was still 'trying to take it all in.' 'I am elated' he said. 'When I saw the gold, it just made it so worthwhile. 'You never know what the judges will find fault with until the day. It has been non stop with visitors congratulating me. It is also great to see the Irish who left home in the 60s and 70s, and never went back, coming to see the Irish displays with their children.' Billy spent nine days preparing his display with his head gardener Grzegorz Zawlocki. 'I feel if I am happy with it, then it usually means everyone else is. You have to be so serious about your plant selections and the Chelsea show is different, the magnitude is massive — you have to be ready even when you're not ready, you have to be mentally planning it for a long time in advance. This took around two years. 'My first display was 39sqm in 2018, this display is 120sqm. It's four times the size of my first display but I don't think I'll ever go as big as that if I ever enter again. We packed up a 40ft container last week drove over, using the ferry. It was very hard work, he said. 'But it is only a microcosm of Kells Bay back home, everything I do is based on the gardens there, I have a primeval forest with a couple of bog pools and ferns and moss.' Billy Alexander with Joanna Lumley at the famous flower show. Picture: Kells Bay House and Gardens The father of two, who lives and works alongside his Thai chef wife Penn Alexander, is originally from Dublin. He credits his maternal grandfather for teaching him about plants. 'I was always in the garden with my grandfather Harry Harte Barry, he showed me how to grow strawberries, and I learned about plants. 'My mother Maeve Alexander nee Harte Barry was also a gardener, her family were gardeners. 'I am a hands in plants gardener, I have no formal education I learned everything with my hands, we use no pesticides, or weed killers, it's all a manual organic process." His key advice to anyone trying to help the environment is to 'save your rainwater". 'Collect it from your roof and reuse it, and recycle your plastic plant pots," he said. Read More Kerry gardener wins gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show
The Journal
20-05-2025
- The Journal
Irish gardener wins third gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show
A COUNTY KERRY horticulturist has won his third gold medal at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show in London. Billy Alexander, the owner of Kells Bay Gardens, was this morning awarded a gold medal by the judging panel at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show for his fern collection. 'Wilde Kells Bay Gardens' is Alexander's most ambitious display yet in terms of scale, at 120 metres and featuring over 100 species of ferns. The Chelsea Flower Show takes place from today until Saturday 24 May. Alexander said he was 'speechless' and is 'over the moon to have received another gold medal this morning'. He said today's gold medal is the 'culmination of 24 months of planning, cultivating and working with my incredible team and partners to get to this moment'. 'It takes a huge amount of work to protect the plants, get them looking their best and to transport them safely all the way from Cahersiveen to Chelsea,' said Alexander. 'But it is worth every minute. I'm delighted to be able to share my passion with others and want to extend my gratitude to the RHS and its judges for this acknowledgement'. Advertisement Wilde Kells Bay Gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show As one of the oldest family of plant species in the world, ferns thrive in the naturally temperate microclimate of Kells Bay Gardens, situated on the Ring of Kerry. But Alexander complemented this with rare and exotic fern species from New Zealand, Australia, Juan Fernandez Islands, Vietnam, Chile and Japan to name a few. Alexander said he regularly travels to exotic locations to meet with other plant experts and to seek out new specimens to add to the collection at Kells Bay. The Wilde Kells Bay Gardens fern exhibit, supported by Wilde Aparthotels, wowed judges at prestigious horticultural event which opens today This morning's gold medal caps an impressive run for Alexander at the Chelsea Flower Show. Last year, he was awarded the Lawrence Medal for his contribution to the sector, which is the highest honour awarded to an exhibitor for their display. And in 2023, Alexander secured both a Gold medal and the coveted 'Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion' award. He also received Gold medals in 2021 for his displays at the Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Garden Festival respectively. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
