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Ireland sits at the same latitude as Juneau and Ketchican Alaska, or Newfoundland and Hudson’s Bay. Despite its northernly location, it has a climate close to that of Seattle. The Roman explorers called it Hibernia—the land of perpetual winter. That is a bit of misnomer as anyone who experiences real winter can tell. Ireland doesn’t get much freeze in the winter. I saw plants there that would freeze in my Seattle gardens. With the temperate climate Ireland has beautiful gardens. I visited as many as I could in the brief time we were there in early May. Ireland is really just one big garden Not all gardens are planned in minute detail. Some of the gardens are open fields enclosed by hedgerows and stone walls. In early May these were blooming with Hawthorn and Gorse  Gorse blossoms are lovely and smell strongly of cinnamon and vanilla. The plants aren't cuddly, but they are a favorite for color and scent.  The rolling hillsides bisected with hedgerows create mesmerizing patterns as we drove past.  The conservatory at Belfast Botanical Gardens was closed by the time we arrived.  The palm house in the conservatory. The urn was the perfect accent in this tropical setting. The picture was taken from the outside through the glass.  Tulips underplanted with wallflower. Great clouds of wallflower perfume drifted through the garden, forcing us to just stand and sniff.  The planted beds were surrounded by huge trees, some were hornbeams . We don't see them in Seattle. Beyond the gardens was a green where students played frizzbee..  The arboretum portion of the Belfast Botonic Gardens. They really worth the time to visit.  A whole bed of bluebells. In the background are buildings from nearby Queens College.  Tulips and wallflower. My flower customers love any arrangement set off with a touch of blue as this bed is. Blue works well in northern gardens because of the nature of our light.  This phormium, New Zealand Flax is testimony to the mild winters. Mine froze out at about 28* F.  This pretty little flower was growing in the city wall in Derry.  Church garden as seen from the city wall of Derry. We walked about a kilometer of the wall.  Looking toward Scotland from the north coast of Ireland. The gorse brightens up a misty moist morning. |
AuthorDelinda McCann is a social psychologist, author, avid organic gardener and amateur musician. Archives
June 2019
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