Scent Magic! Paddy Tobin Book Review November 3, 2019 Isabel Bannerman describes scent wonderfully: Witch hazel has a clean sanatorium smell of pure alcohol and Elastoplast. The crushed gourd-shaped seed pods of Wintersweet, if crushed, smell of dusty cloves, spiced wines and the depths of unused drawers. The rose, ‘Rosarie de l’Hay’ smells of cucumber, tea and laundered […]
Author: Paddy
“Adventures on the Road” with Shirley Lanigan
In the Northern region we were delighted to welcome Honorary Member, Brian Duncan, 60 other members and about 20 visitors, to our lecture on Thursday, 24th October, at Antrim Old Courthouse when we all thoroughly enjoyed Shirley Lanigan’s account of her “Adventures on the Road” over the past 20 years as she criss-crossed the island […]
A Radical Shift in Perspective
A Radical Shift in Perspective Paddy Tobin Book Review October 3, 2019 Instead of engaging in a constant battle to adapt our gardens to suit plants would it not be better to search for plants that suit our gardens? This would require a radical shift in perspective which has much to recommend it and Olivier Filippi’s book, The […]
Growing Native Orchids
How to Grow Native Orchids Paddy Tobin Book Review October 5, 2019 How to Grow Native Orchids in Gardens Large and Small Enthusiasts of our native orchids might well fear that a book on growing these precious and nowadays scarce plants in the garden is simply another threat to numbers in the wild but the very first […]
A Wonderful Start to the Winter Lecture Programme in Cork
Christopher Moore delivered an outstanding lecture to IGPS members in Cork this evening, a wonderful start to the winter programme: “Arcadia: Can we achieve it? Realistic inspiration – a critical look at some iconic gardens and how they have influenced our horticultural inspirations.
Northern Region Plant Sale 2019
The Northern region had a very successful plant stall at the Autumn Plant Fair at Rowallane Gardens, Co. Down last Saturday. The tables were groaning with an eclectic selection including Irish cultivars, house plants and fashionable succulents, garden-worthy plants in all stages of development, a colourful range of dahlias and, in pride of place, a large […]
Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants – Book Review
Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants – A Review Paddy Tobin Book Review September 26, 2019 There is a photograph of Beth Chatto on page 8 of this book, a black and white photograph, which I imagine is of her in her forties. She has that lean-towards-the-camera pose which was so typical of her. Her bright smile and […]
Great Gardens of London
Great Gardens of London gives an insight into a selection of the horticultural jewels of the capital city of what is probably the greatest gardening country of the world. England is a treasure store of wonderful gardens and it comes as no surprise that the capital city, London, is home to a significant and most […]
Visit to Terry and June Irwin’s Garden
There was one of the largest ever attendances at a garden visit locally when more than 70 members and their guests visited Terry and June Irwin’s garden in Belfast on Saturday 31st August with everyone thoroughly enjoying its thoughtful design and subtle colour combinations. A huge bonus was that our tour of this good-sized (one-third of […]
A Beautiful Obsession – Jimi Blake and Noel Kingsbury
A Beautiful Obsession Paddy Tobin Book Review August 6, 2019 In his seventeen years at Huntingbrook Garden, Jimi Blake has cut a dash through the traditional herbaceous border, the shrub border, the woodland garden and is leading the way in Irish horticulture with his innovative approach to gardening, with his new plant trials and introductions but, most […]
From Huntingbrook to Lismacloskey
The Society recently organised a very enjoyable visit to Jimi Blake’s garden, Huntingbrook, and we are most grateful to him for his kind gift of Geranium ‘Mount Venus’ for the Lismacloskey Rectory Garden at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. It was a perfect summer day when Barbara and Maureen arrived with the geranium for […]
The Lismacloskey Rectory Garden
It’s high summer in the Rectory Garden at the Folk Museum in Co. Down with some of our Irish plants putting on a colourful show. In full bloom are Hypericum ‘Rowallane Hybrid’ with a carpet of Osteospermum ‘Lady Leitrim’ underneath; the vibrant Lilium henryi is giving height at the back of one of the borders while Penstemon ‘Evelyn’ […]
The Old Rectory Garden, Lismacloskey
Terence Reeves-Smyth visited Cultra Folk & Transport Museum (outside Belfast) and posted this beautiful photograph of the garden at the Old Rectory. Glorious weather. This is the old rectory from Lismacloskey, about one mile east of Toomebridge in Co Antrim. It was built in 1717 and was dismantled and moved to the Museum in 1971. […]
Cherry Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms
The Cherry Man – A Fabulous Story! Paddy Tobin Book Review June 25, 2019 Some books give more than they have promised. Some books promise much and give even more and these books are to be treasured for they are rare things, giving testimony, insight and understanding to the deeper matters of our world and our lives. “Cherry […]
The Hidden Horticuturists
The Hidden Horticulturists Paddy Tobin Book Review June 25, 2019 When historic account is populated with individual stories it becomes real, all the more interesting and more accessible to us. Should we read of a First World War battle, with deaths in the thousands, we are duly shocked but should we be told of a young Lancashire […]
Annes Grove – A Recent Visit by IGPS Munster
IGPS Munster organised an outing to Annes Grove, Castletownroche, Co. Cork, recently. This was the garden of Patrick Annesley which he has gifted to the state and it is presently being restored by the Office of Public Works and, hopefully, will be open to the public next year. Photographs from Joe Burns.
Cherry Ingrim – An excellent book!
The Cherry Man – A Fabulous Story! Some books give more than they have promised. Some books promise much and give even more and these books are to be treasured for they are rare things, giving testimony, insight and understanding to the deeper matters of our world and our lives. “Cherry Ingram” by Naoko Abe is […]
Visit to Old Balloo House
After a cold wet week, the sun shone on Saturday 1st June for a most enjoyable visit to Old Balloo House and Barn, the adjacent homes of friends Lesley Simpson and Moira Concannon in the village of Balloo in Co Down. Fifty five IGPS members and more than a dozen of their friends thoroughly enjoyed […]
IGPS Munster Visit to Annes Grove Garden.
IGPS Munster organised a visit to Annes Grove in Castletownroche today. Annes Grove is the creation of the Annesley family and Patrick Annesley is the last of the family to care for the garden and the important collection of plants held there – rhododendrons being an especially significant part of the collection. Patrick has transferred […]