Garden Visits.

Greengage · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 6:48 am Post subject: Garden Visits.

I tried to post some photos last night without success so ill try again later when I get time.
Visited Ashford castle during the week, €10 to access the grounds but if you go through the village of Cong there is a back entrance and its free. Anyway very impressive well kept, I was impressed with the walled garden which had a shrubbery, Herbaceous plants and a vegetable plot and a small orchard. well worth a visit.
Next stop Kylemore gardens, it cost €13 per person to visit this would have cost €26 to visit sorry but too expensive besides it was raining when I got there so opted for the tea and coffee. There were 13 42 seater buses parked in the car park there so guess they didn't need my money. Would liked to have visited but I cycled on.
I visited Burtown house and gardens near Athy, I believe this was on one of the TV programmes recently where the two chaps from kerry were helping open their new restaurant. We had to make a reservation to have a cup of tea it was so busy hope its not going to be a flash in the pan. The older restaurant held 20 people the new one holds 120 people. Any way the gardens is what I went to see and it is really worth a visit. I was impressed with the woodland walk and the planting by the river. Their herbaceous borders are coming along lots of growth and they have a sculpture garden. if your in the area worth a visit, I visited it in early Spring last year and looked good then too with its bulbs. The veg garden is worth a walk around as they hope to supply the restaurant with 80% of its produce good luck with that, although salad leaves should be easy when in season the same for root crops, they are also opening a new 2 acre veg garden but I did not see it so will call again. €8 to visit garden €5 for senior citizens. hear a few complain about cost of visit to garden but I can live with that as its well maintained.
Next up is a visit to Kilmacurragh this week I hope then the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and the Bots all going to plan. Cost to visit free all OPW sites. Ill try to post the pics again. problem not here its with me resized them and saved them in wrong place to transfer.

kindredspirit · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:12 am Post subject:

Coolwater ( www.coolwatergarden.com ) is only €6 AND you get free tea, coffee, biscuits and a glass of port!

You also usually get a personal tour of the garden. (1 hour 20 minutes)

And any belligerent customers get a free slap on the ear! Smile

Still waiting for the first one so I can give them an almighty slap ! Smile

( Must up our prices.)

Greengage · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:34 pm Post subject:

Sounds good, But I cannot think of any good reasons to go to Limerick aside from the garden. I cycled across the Ballyhouras once. You would never know though I could be the next mystery guest.

kindredspirit · Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:23 pm Post subject:

"But I cannot think of any good reasons to go to Limerick aside from the garden"

This is next door. Smile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Jad-Q4jBM

and Lough Gur is a couple of miles away. Smile

Greengage · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:10 pm Post subject:

Pictures from Burtown as promised.

tagwex · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:20 pm Post subject:

@ Greengage. Why cycle all that way and for the sake of €26 not go in and see what you wanted to see? I bet the teas alone were 5 or 6 euro.
@ K'S. Hey I got no port but having said that I didn't pay €6 either!!!

Greengage · Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:15 am Post subject:

I did not cycle all that way to see the gardens it was part of a longer trip it just happened we were passing, I didn't visit Brigits garden in Galway either, sometimes you need a break from the day job. If the sun was shining and it was later in the season I would have had a look around, If I was really interested I would have gave Anja a call and got in for free. I have visited it about six times before but now they are running it as a business it looks like its time to screw the visitor, We dont have the population to sustain this price long term and most visitors are once off. You can kid some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. €26 is too expensive to have a look around a garden.

tagwex · Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 11:00 am Post subject:

Brigit's Garden? Was that the one created by Mary Reynolds? I worked closely with her about 11 years ago on the landscaping of a large hotel. She is cracked!

Greengage · Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 6:47 am Post subject:

That's the second time her name has cropped up this week in conversation, When I was having a discussion about design and planting suggestions, the person wanted some dandelions introduced. They saw one of her designs on TV End of conversation Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tagwex · Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:56 am Post subject:

She likes the wild natural look. Do you want her mobile?

Greengage · Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:48 am Post subject:

she even supplies the rabbit droppings, and is a plant whisperer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/chelsea-flower-show/meet-mary-reynolds-the-plant-whisperer-who-dared-to-be-wild/

tagwex · Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:14 pm Post subject:

She also put Prince Charles in his place at a Chelsea Flower Show.

Margo · Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:05 pm Post subject:

I looked at this weeks Gardeners World and they were on about planting bananas etc, which I found totally disinteresting. They then went to the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Don't know if anybody has been there. I haven't been for about 14 years and to be perfectly honest I much preferred The lost gardens of Heligan. Just for a laugh I decided to Google the prices. I was horrified to find it was £27.50 to get in. If there are 2 of you and you have something to eat whilst your there, you can quite easily get rid of £100. Where as I said I much prefer Heligan. Thats £14.50 entry nearly half the price. I don't know how that compares with the gardens here.
It makes me cross how much money they must be making. When I went it was packed and they was rating that quite a few thousand go through the gates daily. I expect it will be busier now, What do you think.

Greengage · Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 9:29 am Post subject:

I also much preferred Heligan to Eden very expensive and get there early in the morning before the crowds gather.

Blowin · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:30 pm Post subject:

Having spent most of my working life in the coach industry, you get used to the fact that, all the time the punters will keep coming, they'll carry on doing what they're doing, but by far the cheekiest I found was a trout farm in Yorkshire that's somehow linked to the North York Moors Railway, I think, and they charged a small sum for admission but then sold 25p bags of food to throw in the ponds so that people could see the water boil as the fish fought for the pellets - effectively feeding the £$%+*&%&£ fish for them.