Planting Design for Dry Gardens – Olivier Filippi

Though it might not seem immediately relevant for Irish gardens, the more I read this book the more I enjoyed it, for the philosophy of its approach, the beauty of the book itself and, believe it or not, for the many ways in which this approach to gardening might be applied in an Irish garden …

The Dilemma of Respecting the Elderly!

Some gardens, by reason of their history and previous owners, will have plants which are of great historic and horticultural significance. Their loss might be a great tragedy but their continued presence can be both a great burden of responsibility and an impediment to the development of the area as a garden.   Gardeners of …

What a Diva!

  Impossibly beautiful, fabulously elegant, deep rose-pink from head to toe and with a sensational presence which effortlessly dominated the garden - this was quite an encounter! I’m sure you all have had  moments when visiting a garden when you knew you had come on something supremely special, be it brilliant design, captivating plant association …

Primulas – The Plant Lover’s Guide

Our beautiful native pale yellow primroses announce, “Spring is here” more effectively than any other plant. It is no wonder we love them and delight in seeing them each year. They have a simple beauty which endears them to young and old, to gardener and non-gardener alike. Beyond the native species of our own country …

Three Days to Eternity

We spend time in the garden every day, even on bad-weather days, if only to have a quick peep to see what is in flower, what is doing well, or not, etc. We weren’t out over the weekend as we had an indoor attraction far more important than the garden – a six-month old grandchild …

Castlewellan Kindness

A little kindness can make a whole day great. We had wandered around the forest trail in Castlewellan Forest Park but a chance meeting with one of the gardeners changed a rambling, almost aimless, visit into an afternoon we enjoyed thoroughly. This was our first visit to the Forest Park and we approached through the …

Irish Heritage Plants – A Review

It was a delight to read this review of Irish Heritage Plants - Plandaí Oidhreachta from Fionnuala Fallon in Irish Arts Review   If you haven't yet purchased a copy of Irish Heritage Plants you can do so on the website of the Irish Society of Botanical Artists .To find out more about the Irish …

A Garden under Wraps!

Mount Stewart is one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland and we make a point of visiting whenever we are close by but had never previously visited so early in the year. A visit in mid February was quite different to other times of the year – for unexpected reasons! The garden is situated …

Get Your Snowdrops Now!

Fashion and promotion guide what we grow in our gardens and few plants are more fashion driven or more strongly promoted than snowdrops so it is no wonder that the snowdrops we choose can be more strongly influenced by those who wish to sell them than by considerations of good value and good performance in …