This live talk took place on 24 February 2021, on Crowdcast.
The John F. Kennedy Arboretum in Wexford, Ireland, has a plant collection of presidential proportions. Covering over 600 acres, it contains 4,500 types of trees and shrubs from temperate regions around the world, many of them rare and endangered. The arboretum contains substantial collections of rhododendrons, berberis, maples, birch and oak and 200 forest plots grouped by continent. Craft Gardener Gary Mentanko will take you through the history of the arboretum, the challenges of maintaining the plant collection and the exciting ongoing conservation stewardship.
Gary Mentanko graduated from the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens in 2016 with a BSc in Horticulture. He has travelled to the Arctic on several expeditions in search of rare flora. Since 2018, he has worked in Wexford as a Craft Gardener at JFK.
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