Cork garden that has the wow factor!

INDEED, it was a wet spring, and the great benefit of that is now showing in newly-planted trees and shrubs, either planted last winter or in the previous few years.

The consistently wet weather over a few months has certainly helped them to get their roots down into the soil and become independent, and the evidence is in the new growth. Every cloud has a silver lining, I guess!

Planting out has been underway in earnest over the last few weeks, with transplants of vegetables, hardy and half-hardy annuals all being planted into prepared soil which is ready to crops and flowers over the growing season.

Direct sowing can be undertaken now as well with the soil warmed up and ready to go.

The vegetable garden is really starting to get going, with broad beans ready for harvest, lettuce, courgettes and the coveted early potatoes starting off the harvest season.

Potatoes will be at a this year, with the delayed planting due to soil conditions making these first harvest potatoes all the more precious.

Festival season means that there will be some garden-related or green-fingered event to attend most weekends, and now is also a great time to visit gardens open to the public.

The Irish Garden magazine issued a county by county listing of open gardens throughout Ireland this summer and it is a very useful guide for planning inspiring garden visits. Many of the gardens are open by appointment only so it is best to ring ahead so as not to be disappointed.

A recent visit to Knock House, Christine and Sean Linehan’s garden near Coachford in Co. Cork, revealed an interesting garden full of beautifully grown plants, stone walls, and wonderfully incorporated salvage against the backdrop of a quiet rural setting.

It is a little slice of heaven that has been shaped by Christine and Sean together over the last 25 years. Christine is the plant lover and Sean the stone mason, and together they continue to plan and create beautiful spaces within this 2.5 acre garden.

Speaking with them both, they gave some interesting insights about the creation of the garden, which is facing north and incorporates a few frost pockets.

The garden has a thin layer of top soil so when holes are dug to plant, buckets of stones must be removed and replaced with top soil to give plants a fighting chance.

Lots of topsoil has been incorporated into the garden, with the level at the front of the house raised considerably and stone walls built as retaining walls.

The garden awakes early in the growing season with a collection of hellebores and snowdrops to entice one out into the garden, and a huge collection of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants have been amassed by this couple in the relatively short time that they have been developing the garden.

Many seating areas are dotted throughout the garden and grouping of pots make attractive displays with a salvaged baker’s bread mixer one of the largest planters on display.

There are shady corners where tree ferns and ground ferns take centre stage, and a most impressive composting area.

Wood shavings and grass clippings are layered here to create their own compost, which is ready for use in about 12 months and is used to mulch beds after weeding.

An abundance of outhouses surrounding the house will keep this hard-working couple busy creating interesting spaces for potting sheds, seating areas, and re-purposing materials to create new uses for buildings.

Specimen trees like weeping cedar frame views creating focal points, and there is so much inspiration to be gained from walking around the garden.

A beautiful lean-to glasshouse is home to tomatoes and salad crops and was a ‘Covid project’ created from recycled glasshouse frames, glass and bricks.

This garden is a testament to what hard work, creativity, determination and team work can achieve. The growing conditions are far from ideal with the aspect and soil conditions, yet the garden is flourishing with the new life that this couple have breathed into the space.

The creation of this garden has been the ultimate family affair, with the couple’s three daughters actively involved in the ongoing work and maintenance in the garden also.

The ion, love and respect for nature, gardening and the built environment is everywhere in this garden and a visit here will raise the spirits.

Plant of the Week

This week, inspired by the Bloom Festival I attended last week, and the use of a naturalized style of planting, I have begun looking at the ground elder differently.

Aegopodium podagraria is a perennial plant that spreads quickly by means of underground stems (rhizomes) and it can grow from fragments of these stems. It is competitive and will quickly smother slower growing plants.

The young leaves are edible raw in salads, but as the plants proceed to flower, the leaves change in taste and composition and are mildly laxative. The underground roots are also edible.

In an attempt to get this plant under control in the herbaceous border, the plan is to use the flowers as part of cut flower arrangements to ensure that it does not seed itself.

It does look good when combined with lady’s mantle, geum, sweet rocket, alstromeria, and iris as shown.

This time of year is so abundant with fresh foliage and colour starting to emerge. A great time to experiment with different combinations of colours and textures from the garden, and so satisfying to use material from the garden and even better, weeds from the garden!

Happy Summer Gardening!