EMO - International Garden Festival

The International Garden Festival is located in the demesne of Emo Court in Co. Laois, on a gently sloped field of 6.5 ha (16 ac.) which is located between the historical Mansion and the Lake. The principle of the festival is to provide an exhibition space for Irish and International garden designers; the festival layout features fifteen show-gardens, each garden space is the same size (200 sq.m), the gardens can be renewed each year by designers selected by an international competition. The exhibition is open each year for three months in summer time.

The main concepts underlying the design of the Park are:

• setting the exhibition gardens within an agricultural context in this regard the gardens are hidden within an oat-field
• the creation of raised terraces that provide views of the Lake and the historic Mansion.

The Oat field was conceived in order to give emphasis to the rural setting of the festival. It is also a cost effective way of landscaping the entire site. It requires little maintenance during the three months of the show and, is sown and harvested by local farmers.

The quick growth of the Oats in height and colour during the three months of the festival provides additional interest and encourages visitors to return to the show.

Site levels are set out to both to control views and to sink some of the gardens into the sloping landscape. The changes in level are minimal, not more than a meter, the terraces are marginally high enough to allow the visitors to clearly see above the Oats to enjoy the surrounding scenery.

The gardens are set randomly within the Oat field. The gardens are accessed by a 3.0 m wide path which allows visitors to walk down the slope and provides access each year for services and construction vehicles.