Destination Ireland - Summer 2021 - What ’ s Hot
Gardens at Mount Stewart
Powerscourt
MAGICAL GARDENS REVEAL NATURE ’ S BOUNTY
Ireland has some of the most beautiful gardens on the planet and in spring they are bursting with blossoms and filled with birdsong .
We may feel that normal life is currently suspended , but nature shows us that , no matter what , the world still turns , night slips into day and the seasons change . And nowhere is the arrival of spring more apparent than in the grand gardens of Ireland where the season brings forth a bounty of loveliness .
Among the most impressive are the magnificent gardens of eighteenth-century Powerscourt in County Wicklow . The landscaped grounds stretch over 47 acres that feature Italian and Japanese gardens , waterfalls , tree-lined arbours , fine statuary , ornamental lakes and over 200 variations of trees and shrubs . The Japanese garden is particularly delightful in spring when the azaleas are in full bloom .
The gardens of Mount Stewart estate in County Down , Northern Ireland are so unique that they have been listed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage tentative list . The extraordinary range of plants includes exotic climbers , rhododendrons , lilies and tulips in the Sunk Garden , arcades of cypresses in the verdant Spanish Garden and the amazing topiary of the Shamrock Garden . In a theatrical twist , the Italian Garden has colours that resemble those of a sunrise on one side , and on the other those of a sunset .
Hillsborough Castle Gardens , also in Northern Ireland , offer intriguing contrasts between ornate formal gardens , woodland and meadow . Among the highlights are the eighteenth-century walled garden , the beautiful Yew Tree Walk and the gorgeous glen , which in spring is bedecked with magnolias , camellias , rhododendrons and azaleas .
Ireland has many lovely walled gardens . At spectacular Kylemore Abbey on Ireland ’ s Wild Atlantic Way is an award-winning heritage garden displaying only plant varieties from the Victorian era . The bedding is changed twice a year , for spring and summer , reflecting seasonal hues .
Another walled garden at Ballynahinch Castle , County Galway , is part edible garden producing a wealth of vegetable and fruits , and part flower garden with rose bushes , a roof-trained pergola area and a mixed tree area which is bee and butterfly friendly .
Ireland ’ s wonderful gardens are not just a feast for the eyes , they are also alive with the music of birds . A sighting of a swallow , returning from its winter migration , is a sign that spring has arrived .
Wheatears , whimbrels , terns and cuckoos are also spring returners as is the sedge warbler , which Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney called “ the Irish nightingale ”. Firmly tongue in cheek though , as its song is not exactly melodious .
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Kylemore Abbey , Connemara
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