must see gardens ireland
 

Traveling to Ireland late MAY- I love gardens, flowers etc- my husband will indulge me for maybe 1 or 2 - so based on that can anyone suggest some of the best - and I can work 1 or 2 into my itinerary- still in early early stages- Northern Ireland is a must and west coast and we will fly into Dublin though no tickets as of today so ... THANKS!

Botanic Gardens, about 2 miles from Dublin city centre -- http://www.botanicgardens.ie/

Powerscourt Gardens at Enniskerry, about 14 miles south of the city centre -- http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_n...o?page_id=1559

Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co. Wicklow, about 18 miles south of the city centre (and not too far from Powerscourt) -- http://www.dublingardens.com/mount_usher.html

The Japanese Garden at the National Stud, Kildare Town, about 20 miles west of Dublin city centre -- http://www.irish-national-stud.ie/japanese.html

If you are using a car, you can do the last three as one big garden day if you move efficiently. They are three very different experiences. Get into negotiations with your husband. Maybe he likes horses, so he can visit the stud while you see the gardens.

Since you are traveling to Northern Ireland I suggest Mount Stewart in Co. Down. To add to Padraig's list (and depending on where you are going) Muckross Gardens (the rhododendrons are as big as houses), Ilnacullin Gardens on Garinish Island, Derreen Gardens (on Beara Peninsula), Anne's Grove, Birr Castle.

If I could only choose two it would have to be Powerscourt and Mount Stewart.

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To add to the above, if you are in Connemara the Victorian garden at Kylemore Abbey is lovely.

I would recommend any of the above mentioned and add the gardens at Lismore Castle (the castle itself is not open to the public). Though not on the scale of those at Muckross, Garinish, or Powerscourt, I enjoyed the quiet paths and the setting. Johnstown Castle has quite a garden display. The Castle itself is now an agricultural school, I believe, but there are parts open which have displays on the history of agriculture in Ireland--early machinery and tools. Both of these are within an easy drive of Wateford or Cork. Johnstown is quite close to Wexford.

40 years ago when I lived in County Wicklow I remember going out to Howth from Dublin and walking up among rhodendrons and looking out over the sea. It was the first time I had seen red rhododendrons. I have not been back to this spot since so don't know if this spot has been developed or closed to the public, but if you are staying in Dublin, the DART (commuter train service) goes out to Howth. It is quite a short ride.

You can also enjoy lots of private gardens from without the walls as you walk past them while you stroll around small towns and villages. I alsways love looking at what people plant in their front gardens. I think of them as small pieces of heaven.

Powerscourt and Dublin's Botanic Gardens were near where I lived and I was lucky to be able to watch the changing seasons in them.

Enjoy!

Thanks for all the great input! How long would you allow for POWERSCOURT Garden?

Skerries has a nice garden at Ardgillan Castle. We will be staying near Skerries in June so we don't have to drive to NI and also to show my brother and sil the beautiful area.

kathie

Glenveagh Castle, Co donegal, in the midle of a huge national park... Wonderful place; Old gardens.

PS ireland in may is a glory.. Gkenveagh has a long, long rhododendron causeway which will be in full flower and these grow wild everywhere..

If you have any arrangements in Belfast, you could pop down into their Botanic Gardens too.

HOW ABOUT FOTA ISLAND, OUTSIDE OF CORK CITY?
www.fotawildlife.ie

Bob

How long would you recommend for visting POWERSCOURT ? THANKS !!

aprilmay,

You could do it in an hour if that is all the time you had. I believe I spent 3 hrs. and part of that was in the cafe. Oh, the roses and the locale. Just beautiful. You'll always remember it.

Regards, Joan

Hi,

I'm a Dublin local and have visited Powerscourt many, many times. There are two parts to it. The Gardens which are formal and also a waterfall which is more rugged. Haven't been to the waterfall in years but have been to the gardens often.

Part of the charm of Powerscourt is the restored house that you enter the gardens from. The house has many little rooms that see all sorts of things, from the usual Irish gits to china and clothes. It's definitely worth a look around. They also have a lovely cafe and restaurant, but this can get very crowded. It is especially beautiful to be able to get your meal/coffee and sit outside on the patio with the amazing gardens and view spread out before you. Once of the MOST beautiful places in Ireland - IMHO !!

So to answer your question, if you are hurrying around, you could easily do the walk around the gardens in a hour, but you could also spend a very pleasent half day there. My only advice would be try not to go on a weekend and lots of Irish people go there too. And if you plan on eating, check the queue for food as soon as you arrive - if it's not too long, eat first! Even if you have to queue, it is worth the wait.

One of the best times to go is May as all the azelea's and hododrens will be in bloom - beautiful!

Enjoy! Laura

Yes, we have the rhodoendrons and azalas in their glory now.. early this year because of the warm month without rain...

If you like roses, the public gardens in Tralee are very impressive.