Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Matt T on October 29, 2015, 04:11:16 PM
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Following the DWE we headed over to Ireland for a week. Some Colchicums found their way to P's mum's garden along with quite a few plants I'd grown from the SRGC Seed Ex 2014/5. After a few days gardening labour (blessed with glorious sunshine!) we had time for a garden visit or two (both NT properties). We had all-too-short a visit to Mount Stewart and only saw a small part of the gardens, so I'll just post a few pictures from Rowallane, which we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around with the mutts 0 so nice to visits gardens where friends on four legs are also welcome!
The walled garden was looking good with plenty of autumn colour, sheltering treasures such as Colquhounia, beautifully fragrant Phlox and plenty of colour from autumn leaves, flowers and fruits, such as this Dianella.
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One border was full of Colchicum 'Waterlily' - I'm not really a fan of double flowers, but these looked spectacular en masse and the friends seem to appreciate them too. There were also some nice clumps of Crocus speciosus. Many specimens of Eucryphia were growing in the walled garden, some at their peak and some just past their best. However, these Hydrangea strigosa really captivated me.
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Some huge specimens of Rhododendron 'Shilsonii' provided lots of interest in their colourful trunks and attractive fruits, which almost look like an exotic flower themselves.
The Rock Garden Wood might once have been a lovely rock garden, but now appears to be mainly a shrubbery with a few treasures tucked away, including some well-flowered Cyclamen hederifolium and nicely patterned Crocus speciosus. This Philesia was also a nice surprise.
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Overall, where the garden excelled for our visit was in its autumn colour. So many trees and shrubs were at their glorious best.
Overall this is a garden well worth visiting and repeated visits at various seasons would not be a waste of time. Mount Stewart is close enough to visit both in one day if you don't dawdle.
PS: It's well worth having a rummage through their second hand book shop - some excellent titles at bargain prices to be had!
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It strikes me that Rowallane has lots of colour in October - and not just because of the lovely Autumn leaves.
I'm not a big fan of fully double flowers either- but Colchicum 'Waterlily' is an exception for me too - even when battered by bad weather it still manages to look pretty and the display lasts for quite a long time. No mean feat!
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M: "Pretend that you're enjoying the Colchicum, Patrick".
No pretence necessary really.
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Hi Matt!
Great colors! I love Colchicum Waterlily, it is a firework in the fall garden. Mine died after a cold vinter, they simply rotted ::)
Marit
M: "Pretend that you're enjoying the Colchicum, Patrick".
No pretence necessary really.
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I'd hoped to post these photos some time ago, but I have been diverted lately by a hectic work schedule and ill health in the family. We paid another visit to County Down for the first half of June and I couldn't resist taking a trip back to Rowallane. I had all three dogs with me and only 2 hands, and these photos were taken on my phone, so they're not the best quality images, but I hope they'll give you an impression of the floral display on offer. As expected, there is so much to see here all year round. Again I picked up a good bundle of excellent value second hand books as well as some lovely ceramics from the pottery run by Matt Liddle within the grounds of the garden itself. My only complaint about the gardens at Rowallane is that labelling is sparse, so I must apologise that many of the Rhodo pics are unnamed.
We also spend a lovely day with Susan Tindall at Timpany Gardens and Nursery (no photos though, sorry) and both Patrick and I came away of boxes full of great plants. The best Primula selection I've ever seen!
In the second week was made a trip to the Burren, of which more later...
In the walled garden:
Syringa palbiniana
A single yellow rose
Meconopsis
A dark, double Rosa rugosa filled the garden with perfume
Unnamed Rhodo
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Primula japonica alba
Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum' - pink cow parsley
An ornate pool
Unnamed Rhodo that looks too exotic to be hardy?!
Enkianthus campanulatus
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Rhododendron campylogynum in the walled garden
Magnolia wilsonii
A bright, flowering glade
Embothrium coccineum
Meconopsis in the rock garden
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A view of the rock garden
Unnamed Rhodo
A larger Rhododendron campylogynum in the rock garden
More unnamed Rhodo's
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Rhododendron trichostomum
Unnamed Rhodo
Davidia involucrata - handkerchief tree
Viburnum plicatum Mariesii
Colourful azaleas and Acer
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Rhododendron falconeri
More unnamed Rhodo's