May 2008 Newsletter
May Showers, Cows Grazing and the Trees are in Leaf...
I am looking out through the afternoon showers with my bird's eye view of the garden at the expanding colours and textures, the aralias coming into leaf at first-story height and the cows grazing in the distance. The woodland has changed mood and appearance once again. The starkness and architectural feel of winter has rapidly given way to the soft mantle of summer with the recent warm weather. The understory is an ever-changing display as one plant follows another in taking its bow at centre stage. My favourite of the moment has to be the extraordinary blue of the Himalayan poppies (Meconopsis lancifolia ‘Lingholm'). As delicate as they appear, they stoically weathered the recent winds by turning their flowers to face away from the oncoming wind and have now turned about again to face the sun, none the worse for the weather. Jimi has offered Dipelta ventricosa as his current favourite in the garden, although he always has trouble narrowing it down to just one. Bonus points to any of you who know it - he has to drag me out to the garden so I know what it is, mere acolyte that I am! More up my alley is the veg garden which is keeping ahead of the slugs and is bursting with produce.
From now through June the woodland garden will be at its peak. The woodland garden in the ring fort currently contains over 800 different species and cultivars of plants which are the high point of the garden from now until the end of June. The Podophyllum delavayii and Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty' are leafing out like huge toads expanding on the forest floor. The woodland garden also contains a large collection of ferns, Arisaemas which will be in flower throughout June and a large variety of exotic plants collected by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones of Crug Farm Plants in Wales (http://www.crug-farm.co.uk/). In addition, many of the Cardiocrinums which Jimi grew from seed eight years ago will be flowering for the first time this year, so please come and enjoy the show in June!
Apologies for the misinformation in the last newsletter regarding the airing of the piece on Hunting Brook by TV3; it actually aired a day later than the date we were given. I hope some of you caught it. We didn't! Here's to better luck next time.
Gardening Events Past and Future
The Rare and Special Plants Fair at Larchill was a great success and a beautiful day. It was wonderful to see some of you there and also at our garden opening last weekend. The next big event on the gardening social calendar is Bloom in the Phoenix Park which takes place from the 29th May to the 2nd June. We will have a stall in the Floral Marquee. Please do stop by and say hello. For more information on Bloom, go to www.bloominthepark.com.
Upcoming Garden Open Times
Our next garden open weekend is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday the 14th and 15th of June. The gardens promise to be in fine form judging by the current growth. Jimi will be giving a guided tour of the garden at 2 pm on each day or you can wander the gardens and woodland at your leisure. He will also be available all day to answer any questions you may have regarding plants in the garden. As always, please feel free to bring picnic lunch with you if you like and relax in our new seating areas. We will be serving afternoon tea and the book shop will also be open selling books on gardening and cookery. The entrance fee for open days is €6 per person and children under 6 are free. Jimi will be spending most of his time in the garden in the upcoming months, so if you would like to visit the gardens at any other time with a group of friends or individually, please ring Jimi on 087 285 6601 and if he's around, he'd love you to stop by either for a guided group tour or a walk on your own. Please note that due to the limited parking space at the house, a new overflow parking area has been built down the hill from the garden. If visiting during the open days, please park in this area and walk up to the gardens through the new woodland walk. If you are or someone with you is unable to walk up the hill, you may drop them at the house and park below or park at the house if space is available.
Our second ‘Let's Talk Plants' evening will be held on Thursday, 19th of June starting at 7 pm. Jimi will lead you on a leisurely stroll through the gardens discussing his favourite plants and latest additions to the collection. Following the tour, you are welcome to join us at the new banqueting table in the woodland for a glass of wine or homemade lemonade. The cost for the evening is €15 per person and booking is essential.
Upcoming Courses
Upcoming courses offerings at Hunting Brook are listed below. All courses include coffee and tea on arrival and lunch using fresh vegetable from our gardens and eggs from the Hunting Brook hens. To book, ring Jimi on 087 285 6601 or download a registration form from our web site (http://www.huntingbrook.com/).
One Year Plantsperson's Masterclass
This new addition to our course schedule will be a practical and tutorial course suitable for current students and dedicated amateur gardeners interested in deepening their plant knowledge. Jimi and other specialist guest lecturers will lead the class in demonstrations and lectures on the identification and cultivation of a huge variety of plants which can grow in our climate. The culmination and highlight of the year will be a garden and nursery tour to England at the end of the spring/ summer term.
The course will be held on one Saturday a month from September to the following August with no classes in January. The cost for this course will be €950, excluding the cost of the garden tour to England. Dates for the classes and course details are currently being finalised. Please ring Jimi on 087 285 6601 for more details.
Watercolours in the Garden
Kathy Saunders will lead this three day course for intermediate level artists to help you to discover and develop your observation of colour and the wonders of nature. The course offers the opportunity to explore the challenges of natural light, the joys of botanical colour and the intricate details of the natural world under the Kathy's expert tutelage and in the harmonious setting of Hunting Brook.
This class will be held over three days from Friday the 6th to Sunday the 8th June from 10:15am - 4:00 pm each day.
Cost €300
Botanical Drawing
Kathy Saunders returns to conduct a class which uses the panoramic views and intricacies of the gardens at Hunting Brook as inspiration for your imagination. Under Kathy's direction, you will have the opportunity to explore and expand your understanding of style, colour and medium during this three-day course. This is a course not to be missed as the gardens will be at their most splendid this time of year.
This class will be held from Thursday the 3rd to Saturday the 5th July from 10:15am - 4:00 pm each day.
Cost €300
Plant Person's Masterclass: Plant Hunting in the 21st Century
Bleddyn Wynn-Jones and his wife Sue are the proprietors of the renowned Crug Nurseries in Wales and are perhaps the best-known modern day plant hunters. During this masterclass, Bleddyn will give an illustrated insight into his plant hunting experiences. Jimi and Bleddyn will lead a tour of the gardens at Hunting Brook where many of these plants can be seen growing. This should prove to be a fascinating day for those who have an innate curiosity about the stories behind the new plants which periodically become available for use in Irish gardens.
This class will be held on Sunday, 13th July from 10:15am - 4:00 pm each. Please note that this date is a change from the previously stated 12th of July as printed in the course schedule.
Cost €180
Other Bits and Bobs
Jimi's sister, June Blake, is still hard at work and has created a new nursery sales area and expanded her gardens over the winter and spring to include large, new sun and shade borders in the former car park, a stunning allee of Dicksonia squarrosa and sculpture and seating by the talented local blacksmith, Michael Calnan (www.calnan.anhoj.dk). She will have one of his pieces as part of her installation at Bloom, so please stop by to see her display.
If you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter, please forward it on to them or let us know and we can add them to our mailing list. If you would like to be removed from the mailing list, let us know and we can take care of that as well.
For those of you who are new to Hunting Brook, our contact details and directions are available on the attachment to this newsletter.
Hope to see you at Bloom!
Kind regards,
Glenda