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Miriam O’Callaghan and Lily O’Brien launch Tulip Festival in The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt with 10% of proceeds going to the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation
– Family friendly free festival on until Sunday 18th April 2010
On Wednesday 14th April 2010, well known broadcaster, Miriam O’Callaghan and Lily O’Brien, daughter of Jonathan Irwin and MaryAnn O’Brien, founders of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation were in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Powerscourt to launch the Tulip Festival in aid of Jack & Jill. The family friendly and free Tulip Festival runs until Sunday 18th April showcasing 10,000 planted tulips outside the hotel and 3,000 cut tulips inside the hotel, with 10% of the proceeds on the sale of bulbs going to Jack & Jill.
Ten thousand top quality, top size De Jager tulip bulbs have been planted by the gardening team at the hotel for the Tulip Festival and this wonderful array of flowers will be open to all visitors who can enjoy refreshments whilst admiring the tulips and developing their gardening knowledge from the de Jager team who will give advice on selection, planting and care.
According to the organizers, the Festival celebrates the versatility of the fabulous tulip and although we’ve had one of the coldest winters in the past 50 years, the tulips have really started to bloom thanks to the recent sunshine. According to De Jager owner, George Clowes “We want to demonstrate to visitors just how magnificent tulips are and how better to do this than to plant them in the grounds of a wonderful hotel on such an historic estate as Powerscourt. All tulips on display, whether they are growing in the grounds or are cut and arranged in vases, are carefully labeled so that visitors know exactly what they are called.”
The hotel planted the 10,000 bulbs in the front lawn and entrance to the hotel where visitors and gardening enthusiasts alike will be able to enjoy the wonderful array of colourful tulips. Commenting on the festival Max Zanardi, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt said, “The hotel was delighted to be chosen to host this festival and receive such a large number of tulip bulbs which were planted last year. We chose locations on our grounds that would be most pleasing to the eye and where visitors can really appreciate the beauty of these flowers throughout the Festival and beyond. We thank De Jager for their generosity and hope to raise much needed funds for the Jack & Jill Foundation who were pivotal in recommending our hotel – right in the heart of the Garden of Ireland – for this festival.”
De Jager flower bulbs was originally established in 1868 by Peter de Jager in the town of Heiloo, Holland. The business was passed to his two sons in 1920 who expanded the company by exporting to England direct to individual customers. De Jager started as flower bulb specialists and still maintains its remarkable reputation for producing only the highest quality and top-sized bulbs available anywhere in the world, a tradition firmly established by its founder. Experienced staff at de Jager are always on hand to give advice and to help if people need quotes for larger quantities of bulbs or bulbs that are not featured in the catalogue. For more information about de Jager, please visit www.dejager.co.uk