Tralee

Trowels at the ready because Ballyseedy Garden Centre is back. Sort your garden out with expert advice from people who light up when they talk about perennials. They'll happily give you wheelbarrow loads' of advice on air-purifying plants, keeping things organic or on how to prune a rose, if you're a newbie like me. But Ballyseedy isn't just a garden centre, it's a veritable family-day out. Mosey inside for lunch in The Café and check out their stunning Meadows &amp; Byrne range of home-furnishings. Pick up somethng nice in the boutique. Did I mention they have a kid's play area? They do. We caught up with owner, Nathan McDonnell, and asked him how life in Ballyseedy is looking after lockdown .&nbsp;
Congratulations Nathan, on your new staff intake. Is business booming?
Business has been robust since we reopened. The garden centre industry is seeing huge growth again this year across all categories. Most of us have been cooped up at home over the past 18 months so the home décor, furniture and gardening sectors have benefited hugely from the lockdowns. We have all spent a lot of time in our homes, every wall has been painted at this stage and every blade of grass has been manicured. This has been a big factor in us adding significantly to the Ballyseedy team in recent months and everyone is playing a big part in our current success.
How did lockdown affect the garden centre?
Initially it was a challenge no different to anyone else. We adapted quickly by building a new web-shop for curated houseplants www.ballyseedy.ie and thereafter spent a lot of time refurbishing the centre and adding real inspiration for our customers. It is great seeing everyone return and the feedback has been very positive. We are a young and vibrant team that challenge ourselves daily to continually improve and excite our customers.

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You have a cabin and home-office section at Ballyseedy. Are they in demand more since lockdown? &nbsp;
This area of the business is a concession run by Steeltech Sheds. They are beyond busy due to the explosion in home offices, gyms, sheds, storage facilities and 1 and 2 bed homes. Current lead times are 3 to 4 months so that says it all. This industry is also challenged by the shortage of raw materials and the sizeable price increases across the board. The interest in steel sheds is staggering. Check them out at www.steeltchsheds.com.
The plants look amazing right now, so lush and healthy. Where do they come from?
The plants are fantastic at the moment and really do add life and vibrancy to your home and garden, not to mention the health benefits. We don’t have a nursery on site so all our plants are sourced in Ireland where possible or from mainland Europe. This way we control the volumes, quality and range. Our curated range of houseplants are primarily sourced from Holland and all our large specimen trees and exotic plants come from Italy. We have weekly deliveries of stock which allows us to consistently maintain the highest quality at all times.
Do you have green fingers yourself?
I was brought up around plants so I guess its in my DNA. All my family have a passion for gardening and food and ironically they are the industries that we pretty much all work in now. Gardening is therapeutic and thoroughly enjoyable. I see my own kids now spending more and more time at the centre and whilst they are very young they are learning about plants and the importance of them all the time. Outside of being a nice pastime for people gardening enhances homes, values and is also good exercise.

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The home-decor/retail side of Ballyseedy is up and running again. That must be a relief.
Yes, it’s great to see Meadows &amp; Byrne back up and running again. Retail has been hit very hard in the pandemic as has hospitality but we are a resilient bunch and will bounce back quickly. The demand out there is significant and with people having their movements restricted for such long periods we are now seeing very strong sales across the business and a big rebound is on the way I believe.
Ballyseedy Garden Centre houses a hugely popular family-friendly restaurant. Can punters still enjoy food with the restrictions in place?
Our cafes are now open and we will be able to offer outdoor dining with indoor dining to follow shortly afterwards. Luckly, we have retained many of our great staff and feel well positioned to benefit from the summer staycations. Ballyseedy is a big site so we have many new outdoor areas that have been built over the lockdown.&nbsp;
‘The Yard’ opens shortly selling burgers, beers &amp; hotdogs in a new area created to the west of the site.&nbsp;
The ‘Pokebowl’ is a new fresh salad bar serving fresh &amp; local ingredients from the demo kitchen.&nbsp;
‘The Oven’ is a new pizzeria serving 6 different types of fresh pizzas which will cater for all age groups and the Café of course, is the main business serving a nice mix of local &amp; international style dishes. We have a new Ice-cream concept in production&nbsp;
‘The Old Dairy Co.’ which is due to open in June, is very exciting. It will serve high quality ice cream and features a small production factory where the kids can watch the ice cream being made. Our partnership with Dairygold is going well with our cafes in Raheen, Limerick and Midleton &amp; Carrigaline in Cork all now open. It’s all go go!!
June has just arrived. What should gardeners be doing now?
It’s a great time in the garden. There is so much going on. Grass is fed and should be looking fantastic, summer bedding is gone in or about to go in so that will add life and colour to your home, cottage garden plants are in flower and the trees and large shrubs have all leafed up. Make sure that you stay on top of weeding and where possible use organic methods of removing any undesirables.&nbsp;
You will see massive growth in your garden from now until the end of September so be sure to feed and water your plants, trim up your hedging and topiary plants and stay on top of dead heading your pots and containers. Try and purchase or grow some plants this year that will encourage wildlife to visit your garden. We all need to be very conscious now about adding areas of biodiversity in our spaces. Bees, butterflies and insects play a very important role in our food chains and we must protect them.
Finally, what makes Ballyseedy Garden Centre so successful? 
Our Team. They are committed, willing and play a huge part in our success. As a family we are wholly immersed in the business and it is amazing to see so many of our great staff who feel the same. We have huge plans as a company and without the support of our customers, staff, suppliers and their families we would not be where we are today. The Ballyseedy family is growing all the time!

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Ballyseedy Garden Centre is Blooming

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