Was It Worth It?

Winston Churchill never said it but the "quotation" has grown legs over the last few years and I'm sure he would have been happy to have spoken the words. The story (the false story!) is that at some stage during the second world war, it was suggested to Churchill that funding for the arts should …

Drummond and Nelson

Dr. E. Charles Nelson has enriched my gardening for over twenty five years though it has been a disappointment that I have never had a plant from him – he has a special interest in plants of Irish origin or connection and he grows a few that I would give my eye teeth for. Charles …

Nature Steals the Show!

The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, in Dublin hosts an annual “Sculpture in the Garden” event and I like to visit each year. I missed the launch this year as we were away but I have found it more enjoyable to stroll the gardens at ease and view the sculptures at leisure. The launch is an …

Iris pallida ‘Phylis Moore”

Phylis Lady Moore was wife of Sir Frederick Moore, Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin - now, the National Botanic Gardens. She was a very enthusiastic gardener with an eye for a good plant and she grew this form of Iris pallida in her garden at Willbrook. Dr E. Charles, formerly taxonomist …

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 …

Going Home to Cork – Brownea x crawfordii

William H.  Crawford (1812 - 1888) was one of a set of enthusiastic gardeners in Cork in the 19th century. William Edward Gumbleton and Richard Beamish were two others of this group.  Crawford inherited ‘Lakelands’ on the shore of Lough Mahon and, as with Gumbleton’s ‘Belgrove’ and nearby ‘Fota’, the garden was situated in an …

Heritage Irish Plants – Plandaí Oidhreachta

The beauty of the work of the members of the Irish Society of Botanical Artists was the inspiration for this project which features heritage Irish garden plants. The ISBA is quite a new society but has already made a fabulous contribution to Irish art and to our heritage of Irish plants with its initial exhibition, …

Julius Caesar, where did you come from?

Primulas do very well for us in our Irish climate and it is no wonder that we have a long list of cultivars which have arisen  and been named here. These are passed around from friend to friend but, unfortunately, can be lost over the years so it is well to take care of them …