In the second week of May the gardens we visited in the Republic of Ireland were not a riot of color. The tulips and daffodils were gone leaving the rhododendrons and azaleas to carry the show. The structure and settings for the gardens, played a huge role in carrying the gardens through this gap in bloom. I was impressed at how well these gardens rose to challenge of providing interest during the transition. Of course there were enough azaleas and rhododendrons to please the garden visitors
Kylemore Abby sits a couple hours drive north of Gallway on the edge of a small lake. The azaleas were lovely. I found several places here where the gardens were farther through their season than my Seattle garden.
The walled garden at Kylemore Abby. These gardens situated well north of my Seattle gardens were way ahead of mine. This is a south facing slope and the gardens do have a wall around them. The wall is covered with espaliered fruit trees.
My flower arranging and gardening teachers are always reminding me that green is a color too. I loved the layers of shape and form all done in shades of green.
This species glad surprised me with its substance. I've been unimpressed with them in catalogs. I'm so getting some for my May garden.
Camasia is a North American native. They grow wild in damp ground here. I was surprised to see it in Ireland.
The Cliffs of Mohr: Sometimes wild places are gardens too. These tiny little flowers looked so brave to bloom in the wind above the cliffs.
Killarny House gardens: Look at this setting! This long border and open lawns wouldn't do much anywhere else but here they beg the visiter to sit and contemplate the lakes and mountains of the Kerry peninsula. I loved the use of the tall waving grasses in this border, giving it a constant sense of movement.
Kilarney House gardens were a bit of a hidden gem. They weren't mentioned in any of our guide books and our tour guide casually mentioned they were open to the public as we drove past. They were well worth a visit. I found lots of unusual specimen plants. These blue columbine are finicky in my garden, but they thrive here.
This garden used lots of geum-the red things. I have wild geum in my garden. They're not impressive. I was impressed with this domestic cultivar. The flowers are over an inch across and have a nice substance.
Blarney Castle gardens: Don't waste your time kissing a stupid rock. These are world class gardens on a grand scale. Do take time to walk the gardens and woodlands.
I loved the way I'd walk around a corner in this garden and be met with something like this blazing azalea underplanted with the bluebells. The blues seemed to glow in this far north light.
The garden is composed of lawns edged with understory followed by huge trees in the woods. Even in Seattle I haven't seen so many colors of azalea mollis.
Sigh. Where else could you plant the flaming orange azalea in the same planting as the fuchsia colored one. It worked.
This is a western red cedar. The brochure I saw called it the most photographed tree in the world. I have western red cedar in my yard. They're native here, growing straight up from one trunk. Who knows what happened to this weird tree, but its fascinating and begs to be climbed.
Don't forget to look at the little things around the castle gardens. I loved the ferns growing in a rock wall near the tower.
This is the driveway leading up to Blarney house. It's perfect. The house at the end of the drive comes as a bit of a surprise.
The woodland was underplanted with allium. Yes, the woods smelled faintly of garlic. This is a low maintenance solution to making the woods look great in the spring. Deer probably don't bother the garlic.
Azaleas don't get the attention they deserve, perhaps because of their short bloom time. This was a small bed that will soon be planted with annuals.
Not all color comes from flowers. This Japanese maple begged to have its picture taken.
Private garden in Kindle: The composition of the gray stone wall, yellow tree and purple flower caught my attention. The golden chain trees were blooming all over Ireland while we were there. They do better there than in my garden. I came home to find mine fried from one 80* day following a cold wet spell.
Japanese gardens near Kildare. This red bridge provides the splash of contrast to all the shades of green in this garden.
The waterfalls, stream and stepping stones were the main features of this garden. We found splashes of color tucked into corners but they didn't quite compete with the splash of water.
Azalea bed at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens and stud farm at Kildare. Since the main attraction here was the stud farm, hubby took one look at this and asked if the sculpture was supposed to represent a giant horse testicle. No. He was just grumpy because he's hauled food and water to too many horses.
Here we are at St. Stephen's green in the middle of Dublin. We stopped here at the end of our vacation. We'd spent the previous day touring Dublin. I was tired and the noise of the city was starting to get to this country girl. We entered the garden and the noise went away. The hedges effectively blocked the sound of traffic and a half-million people buzzing about. Blessed quiet. Slip into this garden in the heart of Dublin to get refreshed.
What an interesting flower border. I loved the weird alliums in the foreground. The peonies were blooming and the whole border was filled with interesting things to study.
Part of the peace of this garden came from the water and the trees. Again I was fascinated by the golden chain. The park was full of people but the grounds are big enough and the plantings thick enough that we didn't notice others strolling about.
This is the shady back side of the border up above. The blue flowers in the brunnera and hostas were a peaceful contrast to the reds and yellows on the sunny side of the border.
The center of St. Stephen's green is open and sunny. It's still quiet. The spikey plant in the lower left foreground is a phormium, New Zealand Flax. I try to grow it in Seattle, but it freezes out at about 28* F. This plant tells me that Dublin doesn't get the winter cold that we get in Seattle.
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