Development of Hunting Brook Gardens began in 2002 on 20 acres of land at the edge of Jimi’s family's estate. At the time, the land comprised fallow fields, the remains of a 7th century ring fort , and a glaciated, wooded valley containing native beech, oak and ash interspersed with numerous sycamores, stands of young spruce and larch planted in the early part of the 20th century. A small stream, which was identified on an 1837 Ordnance Survey map as Hunting Brook, is located at the bottom of this valley.
The land is located at approximately 900 feet above sea level and is at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains which significantly influence the climate in the garden. The majority of the land slopes somewhat steeply to the south-east and contains acidic soil.
Jimi began development of the site by building a log cabin imported from Poland. This cabin, along with the newly-added Garden Room, is used both as a home and as a venue for a wide variety and ever-increasing number of courses taught at Hunting Brook.
Development of the garden began with the construction of retaining walls of granite collected on the family farm along the driveway and the planting of broad beds of tropical herbaceous planting and grasses on the sunny slopes around the house. These planting areas have been modified over the years with the addition of trees and shrubs to lend year-round structure to the gardens and have been continuously redesigned and replanted to incorporate new finds from Jimi's plant hunting expeditions, from purchases and gifts of rare plants from around the world and from Jimi's sister, June Blake's, nearby garden and rare plants nursery. The Exotic Slopes currently occupy approximately three acres of land around the house.
Other early additions to the gardens include a woodland garden within the ring fort, a small kitchen garden and a hen house . Over the years, paths have been added through the wooded portions of the property to create a woodland walk that accesses the Hunting Brook. Work in this portion of the garden has increased this past winter with the felling of densely-planted spruce creating dappled shade in the woodland along the stream and facilitating the development of new gardens in this area.
