The Rare and Special Plant Fair 2025

Sunday, May 11th

  Mount Congreve, Co. Waterford

Up to 40 Specialist Nurseries from all over Ireland will be on site to offer and showcase beautiful, unusual, and hard to find varieties of plants for sale, as well as giving expert advice on care and growing.

Home to one of “The Great Gardens of the World”, Mount Congreve House, home to six generations of Congreves, was built in 1760 by the celebrated local architect John Roberts.

The Gardens comprise seventy acres of intensively planted woodland, a four-acre walled garden and 16 kilometres of walkways. The original gardens at Mount Congreve had comprised of a simple terraced garden with woodland of Ilex aquifolium (Holly) and sweet chestnuts on the slopes falling to the river. Ambrose Congreve began planting parts of these in his late teens, but it was not until 1955 that he began to make large clearings in the woodlands to create the necessary conditions where his new plants would thrive.

With the arrival of Mr. Herman Dool in the early sixties, the two men began the process that would lead to Mount Congreve’s recognition as one of the ‘Great Gardens of the World’.

Up to the very last years of his life, Mr Congreve could be found in the gardens dispensing orders and advice relating to his beloved plants.

We look forward to welcoming you to this special event on Sunday 11^th May from 11am to 4pm.

Mount Congreve Gardens is situated in the heart of Ireland’s Ancient East

Mount Congreve, Kilmeaden, Co. Waterford, X91 PX05, Ireland

The Rare & Special Plant Fair was established, in conjunction with Bord Bia, in 2001 to ensure that the gardening public has an opportunity to purchase rare, unusual, and special plants at reasonable prices, and to ensure that nurseries and breeders of these plants in Ireland have an opportunity to present them for sale. At the same time, the Fair aims to provide an opportunity for visitors to visit a private garden that they might not otherwise visit. The fair is an annual event, always held on the second Sunday in May.

Over the years the event has grown in stature and reputation with the fair being hosted in some of Ireland’s most notable and beautiful private gardens, and more recently in public and state gardens of note, including Fancroft Millhouse Gardens, Roscrea, Lakeview Gardens, Co Cavan, Kilfane Glen, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Anne’s Grove Gardens, Co Cork, Castleforbes, Co Longford, Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin, St. Anne’s Park, Raheny, Russborough House, Co. Wicklow, Killruddery House, Co. Wicklow Airfield Gardens and Farm, Dublin, Burtown House, Athy, Co. Kildare, Glin Castle, Glin, Co. Limerick, Airfield, Dundrum, Dublin, Fota House and Arboretum, Borris House, Carlow and Huntington Castle Carlow in 2024.

For further information please visit www.rareandspecialplantfair.ie or https://mountcongreve.com/