Gardens & Estates

This summer, take in a garden or two...
or three or four.

On a recent trip to Northern Ireland, Diarmuid Gavin with his wife Justine, and daughter Eppie, discovered some of the greatest and most beautiful gardens in the world.

'My home country of Ireland has some of the finest gardens I've seen, both tended and wild, and many of these can be found in Northern Ireland'.

'Visiting Glenarm (Castle Walled Garden) felt like stealing away with a mistress.  What would it be like returning to my true love Mount Stewart in County Down, my long time favourite Irish Garden'.

TV personality Diarmuid Gavin certainly enjoyed visiting Northern Ireland's gardens, and they delight not just specialists like Diarmuid, but everyone, over and over!

Northern Ireland has one of the best gardening climates in the world, enjoying mild winters, high humidity and long hours of sunshine particularly in the east of the country.  Our mild oceanic climate is attributed to the Gulf Stream Drift. Enriched and cultivated by generations of gardeners, the soils are mostly free draining and lime-free, ideal for growing rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris which are the pride of many gardens.  The conditions suit plants from many parts of the world - sometimes even better than in their native habitat!

Such is the variety that flourishes here, plantsmen past and present have created public and private gardens in many styles. From medieval formal to colourful contemporary creations incorporating sculpture and water features. But it's not all floral beds and herbaceous borders; our gardens also encompass arboretums, woodlands, estates, demesnes and parks. Some form the grounds of stately homes, so if showers threaten, visitors can pop in for a tour. 

Acclaimed examples, such as National Trust properties Mount Stewart, Rowallane and Florence Court harmoniously combine many styles. In a single garden discover a rocky outcrop brilliant with Alpines; an arboretum of giant redwoods; a walled garden ablaze with hot Mediterranean colours, banks of rhododendrons, and of course, traditional beds filled with Northern Ireland's renowned McGredy, Dickson and Steele roses.

Visiting gardens is a fabulous way to explore more of Northern Ireland!