The Gardens of Arne Maynard

Arne Maynard’s gardens are those which garden magazine editors dream about and, indeed, they are gardens we could all dream about with the greatest of enjoyment.  They are those gardens which adorn the romantic and historic houses of old England, the quintessentially English gardens of good frameworks, excellent workmanship, rich planting and conscientious maintenance. That …

This is The Burren

A beautiful book on a beautiful part of Ireland is simply perfect! My introduction to The Burren was one of my most enjoyable holidays ever. It was organised by The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and combined a stay in the hotel with an introductory talk on The Burren by Tony Kirby of Heart of …

A Room with a View

A room with a view ... and a story. Villa Giulia is on the outskirts of the town of Bellagio on Lake Como. It was built in 1624 by Eudemio Camutio and then called Villa Camuzia. At the end of the 18th century it was renovated by Conte Pietro Venini, a native of Bellagio, and …

To be honest…

To be honest, honesty is not all it’s cracked up to be.  We certainly avoid honesty in many areas of our lives. How many of us use the “white lie”, an untruth used to avoid hurting somebody? Blunt honesty could make social intercourse quite uncomfortable. On the other hand there are occasions and situations where …

Now’s the time!

Carpe diem! Beauty and perfection can be fleeting in the garden and it is well to make the most of that occasion when it comes. Mount Usher Gardens in Co. Wicklow has just started that period of intense beauty and it is time to get in the car and go visit. The annual display of …

Asters are the Stars!

Asters are the highlight plants of the garden at this moment. They are the ones which shine out and provide outstanding colour as the season is otherwise drawing to a close. They lengthen our season of colour and interest in the garden and are again being appreciated as the wonderful plants they are, easy to …