Landscaping award for Killeen Castle company

Instant Landscapes has been awarded the Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (ALCI) award in the commercial over €63,000 category in the recent annual awards of the association for its work at the Killeen Castle Golf Resort in Dunsany. The brief was to create the soft landscaping for the golf clubhouse, castle grounds and surrounds at Killeen Castle for Snowbury Ltd. As this is such an historic site, large mature landscaping was required in order to complement the setting and fit in with its surroundings.  The client also required landscaping that would have an immediate effect. Instant Landscapes and landscape architect Eilish Murphy, of Brady Shipman Martin, set about creating a landscape that incorporated trees and plants that were already mature rather than something that would grow over time. 'As such large, mature trees and plants were required, many could not be obtained in Ireland and were imported from Germany,' says Joe Cummins of Instant Landscapes. 'They were excellent as they created an instant effect. The clubhouse is situated in a woodland setting so a wooden pergola was constructed all around it and this was covered in large climbers to make it blend into the landscape. The clubhouse is on a raised area so terraces were created on the elevated site and covered with herbaceous planting with grass pathways allowing access from the golf course to the castle grounds. 'Top quality planting and workmanship were used on this project in order to create a beautiful, mature landscaped setting. The site is also maintained by us to the highest standards to ensure it looks its best all year round,' added Joe Cummins. Instant Landscapes was founded by Joe Cummins in 1991. The company specialises in commercial projects and is the landscape company of choice for the award winning Castlethorn Construction. In 2006, Joe"s son Joseph Jnr, and Martin Fagan joined the company as managers and have continued the strong emphasis on quality. Projects completed for Castlethorn include Adamstown in Lucan, Belarmine in Stepaside as well as Riverwood in Castleknock. Mr Cummins has worked in the horticultural industry for over 40 years, which began in the Botanic Gardens, Dublin, moving to the Parks Department of Dublin City Council and also with Des Smyth and Associates Golf Course Design.