Mt. Congreve Gardens, near Waterford, Ireland

This garden is about a one hour drive from Waterford. It is a privately owned 70-acre garden which includes a 4-acre walled garden. We come at the right time, May, but England this year has been cold and drizzly, and so we are probably about 3 weeks early. Many shrubs are budding, but little is in full bloom.

Our guide is Mike, who looks about 14, but tells us he has worked in the garden for over 30 years. He is now the Head Gardener. He regales us with stories of the owner, Ambrose Congreve, who, at 104 years old, tootles around in his wheelchair, waving his stick at Mike and criticizing what Mike has, or has not done, in the garden.

The walled garden is full of vegetables and fruit trees. Mike tells us this feeds the family, staff, and provides table food for the large parties often held at Mt. Congreve. There are 8 full-time gardeners to care for this magical woodland.

We walk down long graveled paths, bordered by several varieties of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. It is a cool, damp day, really nice for strolling through this wonderland. We learn, as we have learned also on Tresco, that when the lichen is very full on the trunks of the trees and shrubs, the air is healthy. We see giant clematis winding up tree trunks, up to 100 feet high.

There is a spectacular waterscape, relying on a natural stone formation, but adding in some more stone pathways for the water, and ending in a secret pool. There are 'windows to nowhere' that frame the view. There is a tiny summerhouse in the midst of a velvet glade...only it's at the bottom of a quarry and how do you get there? This is a charming garden, full of mystery and delight.

At every prospect, you can either hear or see the River Suir. This garden is built along its bank.

These are beech trees hurt by storm winds, and come back slanted.

Clematis

The River Suir

Such orange color!

The reds, pinks, and oranges all show each other off.

The secret summerhouse

Poppies, which I think of as invasive, truly are everywhere. I saw them in Spain as well.

** A sad note: after I left England, some friends I made on the trip wrote to me and told me they had seen on the news that Ambrose Congreve passed away on May 24, one week after our visit to his garden.