PRIVATE GARDENS OF DUBLIN

Thursday 17th June

Carmel Duignan, a gardening writer and former television producer, has created a beautiful garden in the mild, maritime climate of south-east County Dublin. A self-confessed plantaholic, she has amassed an extraordinary collection of plants from old, familiar favourites to plants that are on the cutting edge of tenderness, rarity and current fashion. Old and new have been plaited together with flair and artistry and the resulting combinations of colour, shape and texture produce pleasing and innovative compositions throughout the garden. Of particular interest are the small-flowered clematis and a good range of Pseudopanax. From the plant collector, who craves the new, the hard-to-grow, or hard-to-find, to the gardener who simply appreciates the beauty of growing things, this garden offers interest and enjoyment. A guided tour will be provided by Carmel.

RATHMICHAEL LODGE

Rathmichael Lodge, a charming rambling house situated between the mountains and the sea, has an enchanting 2.5ha old-world garden. It reflects the characters of Corinne and Richard Hewat and exudes atmosphere, fragrance and colour due, in part, to the over one hundred roses that grow there.

Old roses and modern hybrids, climbers and shrubs revel in the benign climate of this garden, proliferate on walls and through apple trees in an ancient orchard and mingle in abundant borders with other rare and interesting plants. A particularly inspiring sight is Rosa 'Parade' growing on the back wall of the ochre- coloured house.

Paths lead through the colourful borders to a vegetable garden, tennis court and up a hazel walk to a pavilion in a tranquil meadow, guarded by an ever-present resident fox! A guided tour will be provided by Corinne.

CORKE LODGE

The house was built in the 1820's as an Italianate seaside villa to designs by William Farrell. A Mediterranean grove was planted with a Cork tree as its centrepiece. In the remains of this romantic wilderness, the present owner, architect Alfred Cochrane, designed a garden punctuated by a collection of architectural follies salvaged from the demolition of Glendalough House, an 1830's Tudor revival mansion built for the Barton family by Daniel Robertson who designed Powerscourt Gardens.

"There is more fun at Corke Lodge" writes Jane Powers of The Irish Times, where " the 'ancient garden' of box parterres is punctuated by melancholy gothic follies, and emerges eerily from the dense boskage of evergreen oaks, myrtles, and a writhing cork oak tree with deeply corrugated bark. Avenues of cordyline palms and tree ferns, dense planting of sword-leaved New Zealand flax, and clumps of whispering bamboos lend a magical atmosphere to this rampantly imaginative creation." A guided tour will be provided by Alfred.

Cost €65

Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the car park of Brady’s Pub in Shankhill.

BOOKING FORM