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 was pleasant to be in a bustling town that has a lively, engaging centre but also has a relaxed and safe feel. We loved it. (See photos of the crystal factory and more at the bottom of this article.)
From Waterford, we headed back to Dublin, stopping on the way at Mount Usher, a knockout garden that had some people in my group telling me, “So, you have saved the best for last.”
The garden, which was created by four generations of the Walpole family and dates back to the mid-1900s, covered about 20 acres on the banks of the River Varty.
It is one of three gardens that were given a top rating by the UK’s Good Gardens Guide. It was also voted the best garden in Ireland by BBC’s Gardener’s World Magazine.
The moment we stepped into the garden, we realized we were in for a wonderful treat for the senses with flashes of colourful rhododendrons and magnificent trees and a top notch display of flowering perennials.
It turned out to be one of the prettiest gardens we have ever visited with wonderful views in all directions and plants arranged in picturesque and creative patterns on multiple levels.
The ticket into the garden is a very handy guide to 88 exceptional trees, all of which are numbered in the garden, so you can easily identify each one as you come across them.
Everyone loved this guide. And all the trees singled out as special were indeed spectacular specimens.
We found some very well-established family favourites, such as Acer griseum
(paper bark maple) as well as our own native dogwood (Cornus nuttallii)
But what really blew our socks off was seeing a magnificent, huge Mexican blue pine (Pinus montezumae) on the edge of the river next to giant banks of gunnera and billowing white viburnum mariessi).
Narrow paths allow you to explore all the garden, guiding you around in an easy-stroll route that takes you deeply into woodlands full of rhododendrons and fragrant azaleas and beside creek beds full of candelabra primula and lush leafy stands of skunk cabbage.
We loved seeing a grove of eucalyptus with giant size trunks.
We spotted an enormous umbrella pine and Armenian oak , silver beech, and Chinese coffin juniper and huge King George rhododendron, now a massive tree and a stunning Delavay’s magnolia.
This was a great way for people to discover trees and see them at their most statuesque and imposing.
In the restaurant at Mount Usher there is a sign on the wall that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.”
So the garden continues to promote the idea of the value of trees and planting trees and loving them and getting to know them. All of which made us very happy.
Some of the more unusual specimens include a Chilean myrtle, one of the oldest trees in the garden, and Tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides).
In Dublin, our plan is to continue exploring the city, doing a literary pub tour, visiting the Guinness factory and going to see the Book of Kells.
