Gardens of the Emerald Isle

Upon arrival in Belfast, join our coach and transfer to the private garden of Holly House. Here we see a garden comprised of woodlands, herbaceous borders and an iris garden, plus an alpine bed, wildlife ponds and a newly planted shrub and woodland garden. We also find areas of contrast between traditional garden styling and a more modern and contemporary approach.

We continue to Antrim Castle Gardens, bursting with botanical beauty and heritage – there is nothing like these 400-year-old gardens anywhere else in Northern Ireland. Highlights include the magnificent 17th-century Anglo Dutch-style canals, ponds and avenues, a 12th-century motte, Victorian Pleasure Garden, large Parterre Gardens and the Platinum Jubilee Clockwork Garden.

Following this, we head to Northern Ireland’s answer to New York’s ‘The High Line’ – Randalstown Viaduct Community Garden. This former railway viaduct, which spans the River Maines, has been transformed by leading garden designer Johnny Knox into a relaxing space which brings year-round floral interest, bee corridors, seeds and berries for birds and also shelter for hibernating species.

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Co Antrim

After breakfast, we depart for Mount Stewart, the dazzling and idiosyncratic gardens which bask in the microclimate of low rainfall and humid coastal air that exists here. The Italian Garden south of the house is in the form of a giant parterre, edged in startling golden thuja or smouldering purple berberis and filled with plantings of carmine, yellow and scarlet on one side, with cooler blue, lavender and grey on the other. Elsewhere, there is a Spanish garden with huge eucalyptuses looming in the woods behind, and an exuberant and formal sunken garden surrounded by a fine pergola planted with clematis, honeysuckle and roses. The entrance façade of the house overlooks an entirely different landscape, a scene of serenity with noble trees leading gently uphill to a lake. East of the lake are blood-red and orange rhododendrons, while the banks of the lake are planted with long drifts of arum lily. This is one of the most attractive and stimulating gardens, where traditional features are carried off with exuberance and panache, and we have allowed plenty of time here to take everything in.

In the afternoon, we travel to Rowallane Garden. The first impression is one of mystery as you approach the house through a dark tunnel of conifers and rhododendrons, but this is quickly dispelled by the flower-filled spectacle which opens up before us. The liveliest gardening is to be found in the walled garden, where mixed borders are stuffed with big old shrubs and the occasional rare rhododendron animates the scene. Astilbes, hostas, meconopsis, primulas and much else form the underplanting. The walled garden has a kind of inner sanctum, where a lawn is planted with specimen trees and shrubs. Outside, the walled gardens and the walk through ramparts of rhododendrons lead to a naturalistic rock garden planted with azaleas, daphnes, olearias and pieris.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel in Co Antrim

Today we travel to Hillsborough Castle, King Charles’ official residence in Northern Ireland. It is not strictly speaking a castle but a Georgian country house, built in the 18th century for the Hill family, Marquesses of Downshire, who owned it until 1922. The 6th Marquess sold the mansion to the British government, and it became the official residence of the Governor of the newly created province of Northern Ireland and later the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Since 2014, it has been managed by Historic Royal Palaces who commissioned a £16m-restoration programme, which has breathed new life into this historic building. The extensively redecorated interior spaces include the elegant State Rooms, still used by the Royal Family for investitures and receptions, and we spend time here discovering tales of celebration and diplomacy.

We later visit Ardán Garden, where chosen planting and design are a direct response to its coastal hillside location close to the summit of Howth, a popular scenic peninsula north of Dublin. It is situated on half an acre of what was rugged mountainside when the current owners initiated the garden in 2003. The twin themes of creating a vibrant place of aesthetic beauty and embracing the environmental conservation status of the peninsula, has dominated and influenced the approach to gardening at Ardán. The varied nature of the garden has created habitats for a range of creatures and has resulted in Ardan being recognised as a garden of the UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere. We later continue to our hotel in Dublin.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel In Dublin

The morning is spent at June Blake’s Garden and Nursery. June is a passionate plantswoman who grows from seeds sourced all over the world. Her garden is extensive and sits in the old cut granite farmyard of Tinode House. It is surrounded by majestic old beech and chestnut trees which provide a sheltered environment in which she grows a unique mix of bamboos, ornamental grasses and perennials with many plants offered for sale in her nursery.

Following our visit, we continue to June’s brother’s garden at Hunting Brook, home of Jimi Blake. Hidden in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, the garden is a plantsman’s paradise with contemporary borders creating a fusion of prairie and tropical planting in a natural setting. There is something for everyone here, from lazy woodland walks through the ancient glacial valley to the remains of a 7th-century ring fort, where an extensive range of woodland plants are grown, many of which were collected on various trips around the world. Hunting Brook is now home to Ireland’s largest collection of ornamental grasses with over 200 different species and cultivars.

We conclude today at Russborough House, a stunning Palladian mansion overlooking some of the most impressive views in Ireland. Designed in 1741 by Richard Cassels, it took 10 years to build and with the Wicklow Mountains and Blessington Lakes just a stone’s throw away, the setting is idyllic. There are two self-contained gardens within the estate, a woodland garden and a walled garden which has been restored to use in recent years by volunteers from the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Dublin

This morning, we check out of the hotel and head south, stopping en route at Mount Usher, a lovely informal garden which dates back to 1850. The garden was inspired by Irish gardening maverick William Robinson who eschewed formal Victorian bedding schemes in favour of a more naturalistic style. There are approximately 5,000 different species of plants, shrubs and trees originating from all over the world, including some exceptional species from the southern hemisphere, such as the wonderfully scented Japanese magnolia obovata and collections of eucryphia and eucalyptus.

Our second visit today is to Powerscourt Gardens, Ireland’s most famous gardens, which first began to take shape over two and a half centuries ago. Enjoy the charming walled garden, the striking terraces, fine statuary and varied trees which are linked by carefully designed walks and are all set in the magnificent surroundings of the Wicklow Mountains.

We return to our hotel, where the evening is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel in Dublin

Today we begin with a visit to the National Botanic Garden, Kilmacurragh, which sit within an estate developed extensively during the 19th century by Thomas Acton in conjunction with David Moore and his son Sir Frederick Moore, who were curators of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin at that time. It was a period which saw tremendous botanical and geographical explorations with numerous plant species from around the world being introduced to Ireland for the very first time. The different soil and climatic conditions at Kilmacurragh resulted in many of these specimens succeeding where they had been struggling or failing at Glasnevin. Kilmacurragh is particularly famous for its collections of conifers and rhododendrons.

Next, we visit the gardens of Mount Congreve, home to one of the largest collections of plants in the world. The gardens comprise 70 acres of intensively planted woodland, a four-acre walled garden and ten miles of walkways. Among the treasures to be discovered are a Chinese pagoda, a rock waterfall and a splendid Georgian glasshouse. We later continue to our hotel in Bantry.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Maritime Hotel

After a full Irish breakfast, we travel west to Bantry Bay and take the ferry across to Garnish Island to visit Ilnacullin, surely one of the high points of our visit to Ireland. Some gardens become so well known that their reputation quickly outstrips the actuality. Ilnacullin is, if anything, even more beautiful than one expects it to be. The garden, commissioned from Harold Peto, was made for Annan Bryce in 1910. The elegant Italianate folly overlooking a sunken garden is familiar from countless photographs with the Caha Mountains behind. The beauty of Ilnacullin comes from its wonderful intermingling of the formal and the wild.

In the afternoon, we explore Bantry House & Garden, constructed in the early 18th century on the southern side of Bantry Bay. The house has been in the ownership pf the White family since 1739 and is home to an extensive private collection of furniture and art. The gardens of Bantry House were developed by the second Earl of Bantry and his wife Mary and inspiration was taken from their various travels across Europe. The gardens contain seven terraces; the house is located on the third. One hundred steps are located behind the house and are built to appear to rise out of a fountain and are beautifully surrounded by azaleas and rhododendrons.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Maritime Hotel

After breakfast, we transfer to Cork Airport where the tour ends.

Meals: Breakfast