Private Gardens of Greater Dublin

15 to 18 June 2008 (3 Nights, 4 Days)
Staying at The Glen View Hotel, Co. Wicklow
Start Ampfield House, Romsey to Southampton Airport
£599  
We are sorry, no single rooms are currently available

The very mild and temperate climate in Ireland allows a wide variety of plants and shrubs from all over the world to exist side by side and is the envy of gardeners from many countries.  Most of the gardens featured in this programme do not open to the public and the majority of visits are hosted by the owners who wish to share their enthusiasm and knowledge of plants and designs.  They include the highly acclaimed garden of world famous author and plantswoman Helen Dillon and the suburban garden of gardening writer and self confessed “plantaholic” Carmel Duignan.  

The Glen View Hotel and Leisure Club at Delgany has been selected for its proximity to most of the gardens and to avoid a tedious motorway journey and toll each day from central Dublin. The hotel has a leisure club and panoramic views from its own gardens to the Wicklow Mountains beyond.   There will be plenty of time to travel to Ampfield on Sunday to join a coach bound for Southampton Airport and on arrival at Dublin Airport we’ll be met by a professional Irish guide and an executive coach. 

En route to our hotel, we’ll be able to enjoy an early garden visit to the garden of Carmel Duignan, a gardening writer and former television producer.  Carmel plants with emphasis on colour, shape and texture and old favourites combine with rare species and currently fashionable plants.  Of particular interest are the small flowered clematis and a good range of Pseudopanax. Afterwards, we’ll continue to the hotel and after checking in and freshening up, dinner will be served in the hotel restaurant. 

On Monday we’ll visit two nearby private gardens and the world famous Powerscourt Gardens.  Rosemary Brown’s family have been gardening at Graigueconna House for over 150 years and she is a wonderful character with many stories to tell.  Here you can discover rare trees and shrubs, good colour, climbing roses in abundance and interesting plants in the shady “jungle” walk.  By contrast, Richard and Corrine Hewit’s garden at Rachmichael Lodge is an intimate 2.5 ha and surrounds a charming ochre-coloured house. Here you can discover over 100 roses, colourful borders, a vegetable garden, orchard and Millennium Walk.   

The next stop will be Powerscourt - gardens on a grand scale with amazing views to mountains and with the backdrop of Powerscourt House, the restored exterior of a magnificent mansion that suffered extensive fire damage in 1974.  The Walled Garden and the Italian Garden are just two of the highlights and the great expanse of parkland provides an opportunity for you to enjoy one of Ireland’s greatest formal gardens. Lunch can be purchased in the self-service restaurant and there is a great opportunity to purchase traditional crafts and presents from the Avoca shop.  Return to the hotel with time to enjoy the leisure facilities before dinner.  

On Tuesday morning our first visit will be to Knockrose.  This beautifully cultivated unique garden has been evolving over the last seventy years.  The garden is packed with cottage garden plants, shrubs and trees interspersed with areas of lawn, a vegetable plot and secluded seating. Late June/early July is heavenly perfumed by roses and philadelphus. Old granite mushrooms, stepping stones and standing stones along with a variety of sculptures feature throughout. 

This is followed by a visit to The Dillon Garden, created by garden writer Helen Dillon and her husband Val in a leafy suburb of Dublin city. Helen or Val will provide an introduction in the elegant drawing room from where you can fully appreciate one of the most photographed scenes in contemporary gardening.  Stepping down in to the garden, you can discover rare, unusual and perfectly grown plants, beautiful borders alongside an Irish limestone canal and pathways to small garden rooms beyond. Helen and Val are constantly reviewing their collections and the design structure of this sophisticated town garden. 

Our next stop is Dublin City with its magnificent Georgian architecture, a rich literary heritage and a thriving economy.  Our Irish guide will offer a short orientation, leaving you free to lunch, shop and sightsee.  Dinner is not included although available to purchase in the hotel restaurant or conservatory for those who prefer not to remain in Dublin for the evening.  The coach will return to the hotel at approximately 6pm. 

After checking out after breakfast on Wednesday morning we’ll travel to Blessington to meet Jimi Blake, the owner and designer of  Hunting Brook, a fairly new but innovative and exciting private garden.  Jimi was the former head gardener at Airfield Gardens, and his own garden hidden in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains is a plants person paradise with contemporary borders and a fusion of prairie and tropical planting in a natural setting.  An extensive range of woodland plants have been collected on various trips around the world and Hunting Brook is home to Ireland’s largest collection of ornamental grasses.  Coffee and sandwiches will be served at Hunting Brook and time permitting, there will be a short visit to June Blake’s small nursery and garden nearby where some fine plants, including many of those grown by Jimi, can be discovered. 

From Hunting Brook to Dublin Airport and the return flight to Southampton

Includes:
Services of Hillier Hosts and Professional Tour Guide throughout
Three nights accommodation at The Glen View Hotel, Co. Wicklow in shared ensuite accommodation
A welcome drink and two dinners
Return flight from Southampton to Dublin
Executive coach transfers from Ampfield House to Southampton Airport
Executive coaching in Ireland
Private and exclusive gardens visits as detailed
Refreshments at all gardens except Powerscourt and June Blake's nursery
A light lunch on the final day

Not Included:
Travel Insurance
Dinner on Day 3, although available to purchase in Dublin or at the Hotel
Refreshments and lunches other than those mentioned above

For more details contact:

For more details contact

Brookland Travel
Hazelbank House
Whiting Bay
Isle of Arran
Ayreshire
KA27 8QA
0845 1212863
info@brooklandtravel.com 

Or talk to Tim Mason at Hillier, Tel 01794 368944 or e-mail tim_mason@hillier.co.uk