Famous landscape architect excited to return to Laois for Ballintubbert garden festival

A renowned landscape architect and horticulturalist is looking forward to welcoming Laois locals to the county's favourite garden and nature festival.

Ms Catherine Fitzgerald co-founded the Ballintubbert Festival of Gardens and Nature alongside her longtime friend Minnie Preston in 2024.

The pair have blended both the promotion and celebration of nature seamlessly, and are eager to welcome locals to Ballintubbert House this May Bank Holiday weekend. 

A descendant of the Fitzgerald aristocratic dynasty, Ms Fitzgerald and her husband actor Dominic West now live between their homes in the UK, and Glin Castle in Limerick. Ms Fitzgerald's ancestral home greatly influenced her love for nature.

Pictured: Landscape architect and horticulturalist Catherine Fitzgerald, organiser of the Ballintubbert Festival of Gardens and Nature. Credit: Supplied

"I was surrounded by a garden with a granny who was keen on wild gardening, we had beautiful natural gardens. I was lucky to be surrounded by it- I had a couple of other epiphanies while visiting gardens around Ireland. It very much influenced me to study horticulture, to pursue what I love," she said.

Ms Fitzgerald has recently begun working on landscaping gardens at Ballyfin Demesne, a task she is thoroughly enjoying. 

"Minnie and I used to find ourselves at other garden conferences around, some focused on plants, some on historic gardens and more," Ms Fitzgerald explained.

Pictured: Ballintubbert House and Gardens

"We wanted to combine these elements together and create a festival that is appealing to everyone, not just the experts. We want to experience the rich world of garden design and horticulture, with people bringing in innovation through sustainability and other facets," she said.

Sustainable practices is central to the festival's ethos, which aims to promote ecological considerations in the garden.

"The industry can be quite wasteful, we use a lot of plastic pots. It's difficult to not be wasteful in an industry but we do. We want to encourage people to avoid herbicides and grow organically, even growing herbs makes a difference to biodiversity," the landscape architect said.

The festival will feature plenty of demonstrations throughout the weekend, including  'growing exceptional cut flowers' with Sarah Raven; 'designing a romantic garden' with Jo Thompson; 'soil health' with Klaus Laitenberger; 'medicinal herbs with Helen Begadon and live cooking demonstrations with Thomasina Miers.

In a recent piece with the Financial Times, Ms Fitzgerald spoke fondly of fantastic local artisans and chefs in Laois.

Pictured: the Ballintubbert Festival of Gardens and Nature taking place at Ballintubbert House, Laois.

Ms Fitzgerald praised businesses such as Bramley's in Abbeyleix, the Merry Mill in Vicarstown, the Fruit ‘N Nut Health Store in Portlaoise and Mueller & O’Connell Bakery in Abbeyleix.

"Promoting local growers is so important to me," she told us.

"It's people doing something original, by themselves. They are the lifeblood of a place, it's important to encourage people with brilliant ideas who use good quality ingredients. I did a course with Ballymaloe Cookery School when I was 18 and Darina had a profound effect on me," she said.

"I learned how to think about food. It's important to be aware that you should support our organic growers, there are plenty of local growers in Abbeyleix. They help bring places alive, hats off to those," Ms Fitzgerald praised.

The horticulturalist has a love for Laois, and adores the Rock of Dunamase.

"I definitely have a draw to Laois, I try to go there more. I have always loved the Rock of Dunamase, I find it completely wonderful. I've spent a lot of time visiting Abbeyleix, and would travel through to visit friends in Offaly too," she said.

From Saturday May 2 to Sunday May 3, the Festival of Gardens and Nature 2026 offers a rich and immersive experience designed to nourish mind, body and spirit. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or simply seeking inspiration, visitors will leave feeling energised, informed and deeply connected to the natural world.

This year’s festival welcomes an exceptional range of speakers, includin Cullohill's Rory O'Connell, Sarah Raven, Dan Pearson, Anja Murray, Catherine FitzGerald, Tom Coward, Jo Thompson, Kitty Scully, Cúan Greene, Alannah Weston, Dominic West, Adam Nicolson, John Anderson, Jimi Blake, Katy Merrington, Mick Kelly, Mary Keen, Isabel Bannerman, Brendan Dunford and Thomasina Miers.

Pictured: The stunning Shackeleton garden at Ballintubbert House 

Bringing new creative energy to this year’s festival, internationally renowned botanical artist Işik Güner will join the programme for the first time, offering a detailed talk and demonstration that explores the intersection of science and art.

Acclaimed landscape painter Andrew Gifford will also return to paint live en plein air, giving visitors another chance to experience his process in real time.

A curated selection of Ireland’s finest plant nurseries will also be present, including Howbert & Mays, Mount Venus Nursery, Leaf & Petal, Individual Plants Nursery, and Boyne Valley Nursery.

Under elegant canvas installations, visitors can explore the retail offering featuring sustainably sourced homeware, clothing, antiques, tools, architectural salvage and art. Adams Auctioneers will also showcase garden pieces ahead of an upcoming specialist auction.

The festival’s food offering is equally considered, featuring Julia’s Lobster Truck, Ballymaloe pre-ordered picnics by Sinéad Gorman, Bambino Pizza making its festival debut, Neighbourhood Coffee (Carlow) and Daily Dose (Abbeyleix), serving gluten-free baked goods and speciality coffee.

"A lot of effort has gone into creating an immersive atmosphere, down to how our sourcing of sellers and food. We want to support organic artisans, we are trying not to use plastic banners, we want a homemade, small, friendly and social event that brings people out in the sunshine," Ms Fitzgerald said.

"It's such a wonderful venue and it's so different to many other commercial garden events. The festival feels right in the place, and people resonate with it."

"The speakers are heroes of mine, it will be so overwhelming and enjoyable to hear them, I will be juggling between different tents and stages so it can be quite a tailspin, but it is so rewarding to see all the people coming and enjoying it- I would hope and urge people to come and enjoy themselves," Ms Fitzgerald finished.

To learn more about the event, click HERE.