Agapanthus ‘Helen’
Beginning in the 1990’s Gary Dunlop, the founder and owner of Ballyrogan Nursery in County Down, bred, selected, and introduced Agapanthus, Crocosmia, Dierama, and Erythronium to mention but a few of the plant genera in which he had an interest. Charles Nelson (E C Nelson, A Heritage of Beauty, IGPS, 2000) lists some fifteen agapanthus […]
Olearia ‘Talbot de Malahide’
Olearias are popular plants with Irish gardeners, especially for those of us who live by the sea. Native to Australia and New Zealand, many of the species have a thick, resistant foliage which tolerates salt-laden winds and can be grown as part of a shelterbelt or as a specimen within coastal gardens. However they should […]
Visit to Anne and Danny McCaughan’s Garden, 5th August 2023
Text and images courtesy of Andrew Gee On Saturday 5th August, there was a great turnout of IGPS members for a visit to the garden of Anne and Danny McCaughan. Situated in coastal Cultra, near the shores of Belfast Lough, this is a mild, one acre garden which provides just the right environment for Anne’s […]
Congrats to Andrew Gee from all at IGPS
Congratulations Andrew Gee on your fabulous A level results. A*AA. Exceeded expectations. Wishing you the best of everything at Queen’s doing Geography. Great that you can stay in the area and continue with your beautiful garden. From all at IGPS.
IGPS Visit to Ballyedmond Castle Gardens, Saturday July 8th
Text courtesy of Arlene Welsh and photos by Rosie Campbell Wedged between the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough, the garden at Ballyedmond has its own microclimate. There have been a lot of changes since the last IGPS visit five years ago. At the rear of the castle the lawn banks have been removed, lots of […]
Pogue’s Entry Open Day Friday 7th July
Text courtesy of Patricia Kernohan and images by Barbara Kelso On July 7th The small walled garden in Pogue’s Entry held its open day. Owned by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and in conjunction with the IGPS, it has been developed and maintained with the planting of many Irish Heritage plants. Situated in an historic […]
Gash Garden, Co Laois in Summer
Text and image courtesy of Struan Bickerton Nested in the beautiful rural location of Castletown, Co. Laois is a gem of a garden named Gash Gardens. During the mid-80s local dairy farmer Noel Keenan embarked on an extraordinary venture to turn 4 acres of grazing farmland, close to the River Nore, into an inspirational garden […]
IGPS Presentation of Jasminum officinale ‘Crimson Bud’ to Hillsborough Castle
Recently, the IGPS presented the specimen Jasminum officinale ‘Crimson Bud’ to Hillsborough Castle. In the picture above, Claire Woods (centre), head gardener at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens and IGPS Northern Committee Member, is receiving the pot of Jasminum officinale ‘Crimson Bud’ from Maeve Bell, Newsletter Editor, and Helen Murphy, Northern Region Committee Member.
A June visit to The Rectory Garden, Cultra.
Text and photos courtesy of Caroline Mercer In June, the last of the late daffodils have died back and the garden is awash with colour. This is the month the roses in the rectory garden start to bloom. Climbing up the front wall of the rectory and just starting to flower is the pink-tinted, large […]
Recent IGPS visit to Clonohill Garden, 24th June 2023
On June 24th, some IGPS members drove in convoy to Clonohill House and gardens, home of Enda Thompson Phelan. As this is also the home of the Laois Angling Centre, many anglers could be seen plying their trade on one of the huge lakes not far from the house! Enda greeted us warmly, served up […]
Congratulations to IGPS Claire Woods on receiving an MBE
Congratulations to Claire Woods, member of the IGPS Northern Committee and Garden Manager of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, who was appointed MBE in the recent Birthday Honours List granted by HM the King. Claire is Head Gardener at Hillsborough Castle, the official residence of the Secretary of State and it plays a central role in […]
A summer update from Pogue’s Entry Garden, Antrim
Courtesy of Robert Logan with photographs from Billy McCone and Yvonne Penpraze For the last 10 years or so, The Irish Garden Plant Society have played a role maintaining and developing Pogue’s Entry Garden, the property of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council. The property marks the birthplace of Alexander Irvine in 1863, whose claim to fame […]
A walk in Ardgillan Castle Gardens with IGPS member Paddy Tobin
Ardgillan Castle and grounds are in the hands of the local authority, Fingal County Council, and provide a fabulous amenity to the people of north Co. Dublin with great space for walking as well as giving access to excellent gardens. There is an artist collective in residence at the castle with regular exhibitions. A range […]
Report from the 41st Annual General Meeting: 20th May 2023
Text and images courtesy of Maeve Bell Last Saturday, approximately 50 IGPS members gathered at Ardgillan Castle and Gardens for the first AGM to be held in person since 2020, due to Covid-19. The attendees heard a positive report from Chairman Mary Forrest, who covered a wide range of activities which had occurred throughout the […]
Osteospermum ‘Lady Leitrim’
Osteospermum ‘Lady Leitrim’, is an attractive, long-blooming perennial which can flower from late spring all the way through to the autumn. Its daisy-like flowers are blush-white deepening to a lavender-pink as they age while each petal has a blue-mauve back giving a very attractive two-tone effect. The flowers open and close depending on the light. […]
Pittosporum ‘Nutty’s Leprechaun’
The profile of Pittosporum ‘Silver Queen’ in issue 153 mentioned that it occurred as a sport of Pittosporum tenuifolium and could reach more than 30 feet. At the opposite end of the height spectrum is another Irish cultivar of the same parent, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Nutty’s Leprechaun’ which originated at the nursery of the late Fred […]
Aspidistra ‘Irish Mist’
On Plant Heritage’s 2021 shortlist for Threatened Plant of the Year, was an Irish plant, Aspidistra ‘Irish Mist’. Though not the eventual winner, it was voted People’s Choice. I have in the past cited A. ‘Irish Mist’ as an example of a cultivar which may not have a large fan club because of its yellow […]
Malus ‘Irish Peach’
There are many wonderful Irish apple varieties; an excellent one is Malus ‘Irish Peach’, sometimes known as M. ‘Early Crofton’ as it is thought to have originated in Sligo as part of the Crofton collection. This is a fine dessert apple described as having fruits that are small and round with a smooth pale yellow […]
Presentation of Zelkova carpinifolia ‘Glasnevin’ to Castlewellan Arboretum
As part of its aim to preserve and celebrate Irish plants, the Irish Garden Plant Society (IGPS) has identified some of our rare trees and assisted in getting them propagated. A noted specimen of Zelkova carpinifolia grows at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin and recently, about a dozen young trees have been raised by […]
The 29th annual conference of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust
A date for your diaries: 5-7th October 2023: The 29th annual conference of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust. This year in County Donegal, on the theme ‘Robinsonian Gardening – a living legacy’. Sometimes called ‘the father of the English flower garden’, William Robinson (1838-1935), the Irish gardener, journalist, and publisher, had a profound impact […]
