Ireland’s Master Gardener Billy Alexander receives prestigious Lawrence Medal from Royal Horticultural Society

The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded the Lawrence Medal to Billy Alexander from Kells Bay, Co. Kerry.

The medal was awarded on Tuesday of this week for his Gold Medal and Best in Great Pavilion winning exhibit, The Ferns of Kells Bay Gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023. The Lawrence Medal is awarded for the best exhibit shown to the society during the year. The Lawrence medal is the highest honour an exhibitor can receive for their display.

Alexander, who has restored and developed Kells Bay House and Gardens on the Ring of Kerry since he bought it in 2006 also won a Chelsea Gold Medal in 2021.  This is his first time to receive the Lawrence Medal.

On receiving news of the award, he said: “I am honoured to receive this award, which is evidence of high standards of excellence in Irish Horticulture, and is also a recognition of the fantastic ferns which grow so happily at Kells Bay.

I am delighted that so many people saw the exhibit and recognised how the simplicity, beauty and elegance of the ferns can enhance any garden. We won’t be competing at RHS Chelsea 2024, but visitors are always welcome to visit them in Kerry where they are happiest.  I am pleased to report that the mild winter has ensured that the Ferns of Kells Bay Gardens in situ are in prime condition, and we are fully open to visitors. This award is also a recognition of the great team we have at Kells Bay House and Gardens and our commitment to achieving the highest standards.”

The presentation of the award was made at the Annual RHS Awards ceremony in Lindley Hall by Mr. Keith Weed CBE, RHS President. Mr. Alexander has also been appointed to the RHS Judges Panel.

With a pedigree of achievement, including RHS Chelsea Gold, Bloom Best in Show, and a twenty-year track record of Gold Medals, Kells Bay Gardens is looking forward to further success in the future. The nursery at Kells Bay, a modern bespoke facility situated adjacent to the famous 200-year-old gardens, are leading suppliers of spectacular exotics, particularly large tree-ferns. Situated on the Wild Atlantic Way, the soft wet microclimate, helps produce healthy resilient plants grown in optimal conditions. Over the last three decades, Billy Alexander, has supplied specimen Dicksonia antarctica to every Irish Garden and Landscaper of note. From 15-foot trunks to the more popular 1– 6-foot size these low maintenance plants, with frond-spans of up to 12-foot, make a spectacular impact on any outdoor space. The 2023 display included an array of native Irish ferns complemented by an unrivalled collection of Southern Hemisphere Tropical and sub-Tropical plants including Blechnums, Cyathea and Lophosoria.

The Robinsonian styled gardens, on the shores of Dingle Bay are renowned globally for their unique Primeval Forest of tree-ferns. Open to the public since being acquired by Billy in 2006, the gardens are a significant Kerry tourist attraction in their own right. They also contain a Palm & Succulent Garden, a Bamboo Glade and more than 10km of stunning walking trails, including the daunting SkyWalk, Ireland’s longest rope-bridge.

Situated just off the Ring of Kerry between Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen, the business offers Plants, Thai Restaurant and Café, Botanical Garden, Dinosaurs, Rope-bridge, and boutique accommodation. It employs up to 20 people in high season. When not designing award winning displays, Billy supplies tree ferns to botanic gardens in France, Britain, and Ireland. He travels extensively to the remote native habitats of lesser-known species, to enable replication of their optimal growing conditions.