Main pic: Keelan Clarke with Gareth Austin and Joseph Croke from the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
A green fingered Donegal man has reached his second consecutive final in the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition.
Keelan Clarke, from Glenmaquin, works in Homeland Garden Centre in Letterkenny and is a graduate of the Donegal ETB horticulture course.
The competition, held by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, celebrates the talent and enthusiasm of young horticulturists throughout the island of Ireland. Keelan was competing in the Ireland final which was held yesterday in the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.
The final saw the top eight young practitioners from across Ireland compete for the right to represent Ireland at the Grand Final on Thursday, May 9th, 2024 at Hestercombe House and Gardens, Taunton in the UK.
Throughout the month of February, they competed online in Round 1 of the competition, with the eight best having been invited to progress to the final.
Keelan doubled his score from his last appearance, but with stiff competition he finished just outside the top three.
Gareth Austin, from the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, said this year saw one of their highest scoring finals for some years and competition was fierce on the day.
“The calibre of finalists was exceptional,” he said.
“In the Plant Identification round and the Pest, Diseases & Disorders round, he (Keelan) performed particularly strongly, and this is testament to the range of plants he works with on a daily basis in the garden centre”. It’s a testament to Keelans drive and employer support that he reached his second final.”
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