Departing Dublin: Gardens of Killruddery and Powerscourt
On our last day in Dublin before we head into southern Ireland, we went out to see the gardens at Killruddery and Powerscourt. We will be returning to Dublin before we head off to London for the Chelsea Flower Show.
Killruddery House has been the home to the Brabazon family since 1618 and the gardens have been preserved in their...
Top new plants and flower displays at Chelsea Flower Show
It's always tricky to decide which are the key plants at the Chelsea Flower Show because there are literally thousands on display.
But it did appear that purple and blue were favoured for flower and foliage colours with sprinklings of white, particularly white flowers of lychnis and ragged robin flowers.
Irises are always a popular pick by designers along with verbascum...
Into Levens and the Lakes
Before leaving Manchester for the Lake District, we stopped to see the superb art of 20th century painter L.S. Lowry at the Lowry Museum at Salford Quays.
This spectacular complex, opened in 2000 by the Queen, was part of a major transformation of the former derelict dock lands.
Lowry painted dramatic landscapes of factories and mills with smoking chimneys and treeless...
Who knew Irish gardens could be this exotic and eclectic
When I went to see gardens in Ireland a few weeks ago, I really expected to see pretty much the same kind of plant material we have in our gardens here in Vancouver.
I knew there would be rhododendrons and azaleas, Japanese maples and hydrangeas and so on.
What I was not expecting to see in Irish gardens was such an...
Tale of two beautiful Dublin gardens
We came to Ireland to see gardens and to experience Irish hospitality and culture.
And today we did all of these things when we visited two of Dublin’s loveliest private gardens, one owned by Mark and Olive Wilkinson and the other by Patricia and Michael Maguire.
We arrived at the Wilkinson’s garden at Tyrrelstown first thing in the morning and...
A plantman’s paradise and Ireland’s jewel garden
On our way to Waterford, we stopped at one of the cutting-edge new plant gardens in Ireland, Hunting Brook, owned by Jimi Blake, one of horticulture’s new generation of plant cognoscenti.
Jimi met us at the gate and immediately began pointing out some of his fantastic plant treasures, starting with what he sometimes calls his signature plant, Aralia echincaulis.
We immediately...
Two lovely gardens are Ireland’s dynamic duo
Killruddery, a large estate outside of Dublin, has been in the Brabazon family for the past 400 years.
We arrived early Sunday morning and immediately headed to the border with the superb stand of echium.
There must have been more than 30 tall, thick, giant specimens, some at least 16 feet high, scattered throughout the border.
None of us had seen this...
What was missing at Chelsea this year . . . spectacular potatoes!
At the Chelsea Flower Show last month, I spent quite a bit of time searching for something rather unusual - a fabulous potato exhibit I saw there in the Grand Pavilion back in 2015.
I looked and looked, searched and searched, but this amazing potato exhibit was no where to be found.
Into Altamont, one of Ireland’s great garden treasures.
Altamont is one of Ireland's loveliest gardens, largely due to the work of Corona North who continued the work of improving the garden started by her father.
Before we stepped foot in the main garden, we were dazzled by the Corona North border, which was stunning with a jumble of blue flowering perennials - geraniums, delphiums, nepeta as well as...
Ode to Gelert and Powis revisited
From Llandudno, we again headed down to the village of Beddgelert to visit the grave of the dog, Gelert, who lost his life defending the children of Prince Llewellyn against a huge wolf.
When I was 10, I visited this site with my Dad who told me to be like Gelert - loyal and quick to defend but not like...
Last day in Dublin: Book of Kells, Guinness and literary pubs
Our last days in Dublin were spent making a few important visits - one to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, another to tour the Guinness factory and a few key sights around the cit.
We ended our time in Dublin with a magical literary pub crawl that involved being guided through the streets to quality pubs by...
Golden memories of great Welsh garden Powis Castle
In May, I will be taking a group to North Wales to see some of the loveliest gardens there.
One of them is Powis Castle garden, just outside Welshpool.
I have been there twice before. The first time, I walked down the terraces from the house (castle) with its red brick walls and to the Orangery where I saw a magnificent...
My garden tours are a big hit
Over the past eight years, I have led 20 garden tours around the world. My first tour was a cruise around Italy and to Croatia, starting in Rome and visiting Florence and Sicily and Venice and seeing some spectacular gardens on the way - Villa d'Este outside Rome, Boboli garden in Florence, Villa Cimbrone in Ravello and the botanical...
Goodbye Wales, hello Ireland
From Portmeirion, we travelled across the Llyn peninsula to Caernarfon to see the castle and wander the town.
But first, we popped into what is one of the meccas for lovers of rare and unusual hardy plants, shrubs and trees - Crug Farm, a speciality nursery, owned and run by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones.
Bleddyn started out as a beef farmer...
From Waterford to the glorious garden of Mount Usher
Waterford, which is said to be Ireland’s oldest town, dating back to the time when it was a Viking settlement, was a delight.
We toured the famous crystal factory and saw some amazing crystal pieces. We wandered the town and found some fantastic little pubs and great eateries.
Waterford is a very cute, calm, mid-size town with population of 50,000-plus. It...
Time to see great gardens in England, Wales and Ireland
Today I am heading to the UK to lead two garden tours in England, Wales and Ireland, starting in Manchester, then to the Lake District and North Wales, then over to Dublin and southern Ireland and from there down to London for the magnificent Chelsea Flower Show.
More than 60 people are coming with me; 30 on each tour. It is going to wonderful.
To get...
From Llandudno to Portmeirion
After visiting Bodnant Garden, we travelled to the seaside town of Llandudno and checked in to one of the stately, old-world Victorian-style hotel on the promenade. I had been here with my father when I was 10 and I had very fond memories our time together there.
I was worried a little that this popular seaside town that was at...
Into fantastic Powis Castle garden
Today, we travelled from Portmeirion to the town of Welshpool on the Wales-England border to visit the famous garden of the 13th century, Powis Castle.
Powis is not a castle like others we have seen at Harlech and Criccieth; it is more of a grand country mansion that acted as a medieval fortress and has castle-like walls and turrets. Unlike...
Goodbye Wales, hello Ireland: Back to delightful Dublin
People ask me how does it feel to do back-to-back tours when you end up going to the same places twice and seeing the same things one more time.
My response is always the same: Fantastic.
But the biggest challenge is not comparing one moment with another. It doesn't work. You have to accept each day, each moment, as a unique...
In Dublin fair city where the gardens are so pretty
Dublin is not a huge city. It takes no time at all to walk from St. Stephen's Green to Grafton Street to the River Liffey and O'Connell Street and into the Temple Bar area. Trinity College is close by and St. Patrick's Church and Christ Church are easy to find.
From our hotel, The Long Hall, one of Dublin's most famous...
