AFTER two decades working in a prominent Limerick garden centre, Stephen Reddan took courage and experience in his hands to open Hillberry Garden Centre.
Named after the Isle of Man track on the TT circuit where this motorbike fanatic first saw Joe Dunlop take first place, Hillberry in Crecora, on the Croom Road, is appropriate in other ways.
The acre of nursery is bordered by hips, haws and Irish varietals and Stephen himself has an inclination to foster “plants and vegetables and fruits of Irish origin. So many species are”.
His and fellow gardener Helen Carroll’s focus is “getting more people to enjoy more plants, getting away from the same type of stuff” and plants are 95 per cent of his business.
Look to Hillberry Garden Centre for some 50 varieties of the magnolia plant, “a supreme beauty, the aristocrat of garden trees” and wisteria, again multiple variations of same, “with blue reams of flowers trailing long scent”. Apple trees are another hot tip from the point of view of harvest and sturdy good looks.
You can sense the passion and sensibility at Hillberry for gardening and the land, working with our own landscape and indigenous species that flourish here. Make the Spring season easy on yourself and tool around here 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 2pm to 6pm on Sundays. Stephen Reddan’s diploma in Horticulture and his natural savvy make Hilberry a friend to cultivate. Tel. 355692.
