Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem’s Good Bones!

The last days of November would generally not be regarded as good garden-visiting days but there are some advantages. It is a time to see a garden without the distraction of summer colour, without the fullness of summer borders and without too many other visitors also. It is a time to see the bones of …

The Irish Garden, A Cultural History

The Irish Garden, A Cultural History by Peter Dale, Illustrated by Brian Lalor What is it that makes an Irish garden different?  Devon, Cornwall, western Scotland and, indeed, many parts of England have basic conditions very similar to those in Irish gardens yet our gardens differ and it is this difference and the reasons for …

So Usher-ly Kind!

On a recent visit to Mount Usher Gardens I received a most unexpected greeting from the lady in the Ticket Office, "Aren't you Paddy Tobin, the photographer?" I didn't know how to reply. Yes, she had my name and I do enjoy photography - as a pastime - but have never regarded myself as a …

Enjoying Death!

It is rather odd, rather a contradiction for the gardener who usually devotes all efforts to promoting growth, nurturing good health and fostering the treasures of the garden that, at this time of year, s/he should rejoice in the death processes of those very same plants.     Autumn is almost a second spring rather …

A Less Mundane Morning

The daily morning walk can become routine, dull even; almost a non- event and I often pass the little landmarks of our surrounding fields without a second glance. Thankfully, there are also occasional special mornings which make everything fresh and interesting again and the mundane is reinvigorated, snazzed up, sparkling and beautiful.