I was delighted to have joined John Gallinagh and his son Connor on a tour of their nursery in Stranorlar – Finn Valley Nursery. John runs the only independently owned tree nursery in County Donegal. The Finn Valley Nursery is a real family affair, with 3 generations of the Gallinagh men coming together to provide a wonderful product, much acclaimed tree and forestry exert Tony Gallinagh founded the nursery many moons ago and now John and his son Connor run the nursery. John grows many hundreds of thousands of plants on site, ensuring that the plants he offers are fully acclimatised to the Donegal conditions, which in turn he sells the lengths of Ireland via the Finn Valley Nursery website . Indeed when I was there Connor was busy selecting 1000’s of Oaks for a planting project in county Mayo, indeed every tree was being inspected for quality before they were bundled and bagged.
Freshly struck cuttings under netting in Finn Valley Nursery
Oleria cuttings struck through polythene under netting in Finn Valley Nursery
Connect with the Gallinagh men on the Finn Valley Nursery Facebook Page
1 year old Beech grown from certified seed in Finn Valley Nursery
2 year old spruce in Finn Valley Nursery
Great selection of bare root hedging was heeled into a dispatch area on the area, awaiting collection/despatch by courier.
It was a cold morning, and after I left John was away to cut some more fresh christmas trees from his on-site plantation….no better way of getting a good fresh tree…than having it cut for you then and there!
Finn Valley Nursery can be contacted through the Finn Valley Nursery Website and via the Finn Valley Nursery Facebook Page.
Tony Gallinaghs garden is open to the public, check it out here
Copper Beech hedging in Finn Valley Nursery
Gareth Austin is a Community focused Horticulturist based in Derry-Londonderry and voice of Gardening on the Mark Patterson Show on BBC Radio Foyle. Gareth specialises in Community horticulture, offering a wide range of events, programmes and acitivity on engaging people in the exciting world of Horticulture. Gareth lectures in Horticulture in the North West Regional College and offers school horticulture programs through the Western Education + Library Board. Gareth is passionate about changing land-use to a more positive use, urban food production and showcasing the flora of county Derry through the City of Horti-Culture programme of events.
