Ciaran Burke Plants & Gardening
Some more photos of Bay Garden, Camolin, Co. Wexford. If you want to see more pictures of Irish gardens throughout the summer and from our own garden follow us through the summer on my main blog
Shopping done,we travelled from Kilmurry Nursery to Acvoca in Kilmacanogue in Co. Wicklow for lunch. More shopping was done, including more plants and seeds. Then it was time for lunch. After lunch it was back to Dublin, Trinity Capital Hotel, where they very nicely supplied plastic bags for everyone to help them pack their plants for taking home.
Their is no problem transporting plants between EU countries, the luggage weight allowance is the greatest obstacle. We explained how to chop back the foliage of herbaceous perennials,”Be brave”. Then take the plant from its pot and knock away the compost, wrap it in dampened newspaper, remember to pack the label, and put them into plactic bags. The wrapped plants can then go in the check-in luggage.
After all that work was done a group as went for an “Irish night” in the Arlington Hotel. It is not something I would usually enjoy, however, there was surprisingly good food, and although the music wasn’t the greatest, the dancers were excellent. Then it was back to bed before midnight because the poor Finns had to be up at 3.30 am to go to the airport.
We had a fabulous time, with great company, in beautiful places. I hope all our group has returned home safe and sound. We are glad to be home, the grass needs cutting, the borders need weeding and plants need planting.
Post-tour updates (including group photo) will be published on my main blog site on :
www.ciaranburke.ie (click on blog tab at top of page)
After leaving the Bay garden, we took a short coach trip to Kilmurry nurseries near Gorey in Co. Wexford. It is a family run business, Paul and Orla Woods specialize in growing quality herbaceous perennials and grasses. Orla is an ex-classmate of mine from college, National Botanic Gardens.
Kilmurry are regulars at BLOOM and other horticultural events throughout the year and are members of the Irish Specialist Nurseries Association (ISNA). In the past they have won a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their nursery exhibit as well as countless other medals at UK shows and here in reland.
Kilmurry is more than a nursery. They have beautifully planted borders around their house and approaching the nursery. When we arrived, our group dispersed, most took time to k=view the plants growing in the borders, some went straight to the dales area while one lady reclined on a sun lounger to just relax in the floriferous surroundings and take some sun.
Kilmurry nurseries sell wholesale and retail. Plants can also be purchased as mail order.
Photos below – from top:
Path approaching house; Geranium pstilostemon in front of house; twisted stemmed bay tree with Iris forrestii and Primula florindae; Primula florindae; Silene ‘White Robin’ in front of Pericaria polymorpha; sun lounger; copper “tree” in border;Finns in the nursery
When walking around the woodland garden in Bay Garden, I had a moment of disorientation. I looked around and thought I was in the woodland garden of RHS gardens in Wisley. Ian Mac Donald says that the Wislay garden was his inspiration, and he has certainly achieved his goal. Broad sweeping grass paths lead you through woodland borders packed with interesting herbaceous perennials and choice shrubs.
Elsewhere in this county Wexford garden, you will find a cottage garden, formal rise garden, red borders, a formal pond area and a wonderful meandering path that loses itself amongs prairie style planting.
As we wandered and admired, Tom the cat, was close by. Ian and his wife Frances, who runs a garden tour company, answered all our questions about theplants and gardens. This was the last garden of the tour, but it is not over yet. Kilmurry nurseries next then shopping and lunch in Avoca.
After leaving Cedar Lodge we had lunch at Jamesons in Middleton and then drove from Cork to Bunclody in Co. Wexford. Tomorrow we visit Bay Garden in Camolin and Kilmurry Nursery, both in Co. Wexford. The time has flown by, we must be enjoying ourselves!
Photos below- from top:
Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’; ornamental grasses; Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’; new gravel garden; Dianthus ‘Fire Star’; Helianthemum and Osteospermum; view of front garden; Lilium ‘Lolipop’.
I remember hearing of Neil Williams about 20 years ago. I was working in Murphy & Wood Garden Centre in Dublin, Neil was propreitor of Carewswood Garden Centre in Cork. Both garden centres had a similar focus, sourcing rare, new and unusual plants to sell to their plant mad customers.
I remember when the blue flowered Corydalis flexuosa first became available in Ireland, it was Carewswood that got it. They were the only ones to have it, and everyone wanted it, and all at Murphy & Wood were a little bit jealous. Since then a lot has changed in the plant retail world, Corydalis flexuosa quickly became a common garden plant, it’s premium price reduced, it’s snob value lost.
Neil retired from the business 14 years ago, and since then he with his wife Sonia have had the time to plant their own garden, filled with great range of unusual plants. He has now moved to the other side of the garden centre counter and is a customer seeking out the interesting new introductions.
Visiting Cedar Lodge and walking through the garden in the company of Neil is a treat. He is a gentleman, who is happy to talk plants, share information and inspire enthusiasm about plants and gardening. “Do you know this plant?”, “I love this one”, he enthuses about plant after plant in the perfectly maintained garden.
He took me to see his latest pride and joy. A plant that he saw in a catalogue from a nursery in England. He remembers saying to his wife, as he admired the catalogue picture, that it was too expensive. But Sonia told him he should buy it if he really wanted it. He like every clever man listened to his wife, and be bought the plant. He still sounded as if he felt a bit guilty as he related the story.
The specimen in question is a fabulously flowered peony, Paeonia ‘Garden Treasure’ with large double orange-yellow fragrant blooms. He relates that the plant is the result of crossing a tree peony with a herbaceous one. It’s hybridizer died before the plant flowered, but his wife continues his work. It may have been expensive, but you dont just purchase plants, you make investments. Neils plant had eight flowers this year, he expects that there may be as many as fifty in a few years. Fifty flowers, uncalcuable pleasure, years of enjoyment, you can’t put a price on that.
Photos below- from top:
Neil Williams welcomes our group to Cedar Lodge; Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’; Magnolia wilsonii; Hostas; Deutza ‘Strawberry Fields’; Papaver orientale ‘Curlilocks’; Clemtia ‘Arabella’; Paeonia ‘Garden Treasure’.
Hosta ‘Chinese Sunrise and H. ‘Alan P. Mc Conell’; Hosta ‘Praying Hands’; Salix sp. And Eryngium bourgatii; weeping larch; path under acer and cornus in back garden; blue hosts; Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’; view through Stipa gigantea.
Ciaran The Gardener 