Al-Fresco

It would have been nice to stroll around Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co Wicklow after all the snow but they're not open in the winter, so this photo was shot through the window of their Avoca Garden Café which is open all year round although I'm not sure I'd take up their offer of al-fresco dining just at the moment!

Mount Usher Gardens Again

Back in Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co Wicklow which is open from March to end of October and is home to a collection of more than 5,000 trees and shrubs.

In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a great fashion for importing exotic plant species from all parts of the globe and, thanks to the more naturalistic approach to planting here in Mount Usher, they are displayed in what seems like their native habitat.

The gardens started in the 1860's when Edward Walpole took over the lease and was developed over two further generations until taken over by Mrs Madeleine Jay in 1980 who insisted on gardening all 22 acres entirely organically and, since 2007, is now run by Avoca, the Irish retail company.

Several different walks and paths around the gardens are suggested and depend very much on the time one has to spare - the Woodland Garden and The Island are rather special and have many interesting specimens - and it's somewhere to revisit as the seasons change, spring with the 150 different species of rhododendrons and azaleas, lilies and Eucryphia in summer and, of course, the spectacular colours of autumn.

Mount Usher Gardens

This visit to Mount Usher Gardens, Ashord, Co Wicklow is one post I just had to fit in before Autumn was over, but even so, Spring, Summer and Autumn each would have their different attractions in these wonderful 22 acres of gardens laid out in the Robinsonian style of free flowing informality and natural design on the banks of the Vartry River.

Time for quiet contemplation in this area pictured left which is not in the gardens - this is the garden cafe open area, outside!

 

Careful on the suspension bridges, as you take in the waterfalls and views along the garden stretch of the Vartry River.

The Work Of Another Day

Just gone 6am and coffee's brewing.  Slide back the screen door and step outside to sunup.  Trusty camera phone in hand, as one does at this hour, just snap; a little Photoshopping, and we're almost done.  Well, I like it!  Don't look too close, though, because the solution is The Work Of Another Day.

The Gardens

The 17th century gardens in Killruddery are the oldest examples in Ireland still surviving in their original style.  The Gardens were designed for the entertainment of a large number of people and were thought to have been laid out by a French landscape architect named Bonet, a pupil of Le Notre, in 1682.

The Long Ponds, left, twin canals 187 metres long, offer magnificent views, but they were also used to stock fish for the house.

Numerous events and concerts are held in Killruderry each year and below is the setting for the concert given the night before by Jose Carreras which was attended by the Earl and Countess of Meath - and about 5,000 others!

The Orangery

During the recent National Heritage Week we took the opportunity to visit Killruddery House and Gardens, home to the 15th Earl of Meath in  Bray, Co Wicklow - well, they were offering visitors free entrance to the gardens that day!

So, here we feature The Orangery, designed and built by the Scottish architect William Burn in 1852.  According to Killruddery's website, 'the original glass dome was the work of Richard Turner who designed the curvilinear range at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin and at Kew Gardens in London'.

The Orangery, which was restored in the year 2000, has a collection of classical marble statues gathered in Italy between 1830 and 1850.


Tomorrow, we take a stroll in the gardens.

Indian Summer

Hopefully, the good weather we've experienced this week is a sign of an Indian summer to come, so, it's very appropriate, then, to lead today's post,  from the recent Dahlia Show in Greystones, Co Wicklow,  with one of the prize-winning entries - Dahlia 'Indian Summer'.

Organised by Delgany and District Horticultural Society, the show was held in St Patrick's School, Church Road and your Wicklow Daily Photo crew just happened to be passing the school gate when we spotted the Dahlia Show announcement.  And thus, we are able to present yet another diverse entry for your amusement.

One Of A Kind IV

We've made our way back to Hunter's Hotel, Rathnew, Co Wicklow, following our brief interlude, yesterday, for City Daily Photo's Theme Day.

Now, in case this and previous posts appear to be of an advertising nature, we at Wicklow Daily Photo do not promote commercial enterprise per se but merely feature that which we find attractive and interesting and which, from time to time, takes our fancy (e.g. it's a good place to stop for a pint!)  So, to conclude our visit to the mythical Hunter's, we finish our garden stroll among the roses and the lilies!

What's this, I hear you say, these flowers are all out of season?  Well no, our visit was actually at the beginning of July - and now our photos are resurrected here today for your delectation!

One Of A Kind III

Back in Hunter's Hotel, Rathnew, Co Wicklow and it's time to check out the two acres of gardens, one of the 32 private gardens featured in the Wicklow Gardens Festival which runs from Easter to end of September.

Above and left is where we could have taken our afternoon tea instead of in the lounge, but that would have been at the expense of the interior photos featured in the last post!

I like this quieter and wilder area below, the River Walk, which stretches down to the River Vartry and Newrath Bridge.

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One Of A Kind II

The creaky floorboards, the old furniture, the ambience of a bygone age, all here at Hunters Hotel near Rathnew, Co Wicklow.  Did you know that the King and Queen of Sweden have been regular visitors over the last few years?  And was that Steven Spielberg spotted having lunch with Daniel Day Lewis, a nearby resident, not so long ago?  I don't know!  I wasn't there, but that's the type of establishment Hunter's is - very discreet!

So we content ourselves with a seat in the lounge, above, where we await our afternoon tea.  All around is deserted, the bar, left, and the lounge, below. Where is everyone? Answer is, it's a beautiful day and everyone is relaxing in the wonderful gardens!  And that's where we're heading, tomorrow!

One Of A Kind

Our next stop on the never ending tour is Hunter's Hotel, Newrath Bridge, Rathnew, Co Wicklow, a very special place and certainly one of a kind.  The oldest coaching inn in Ireland, Hunter's dates from the early 1700's and has been owned and run by the same family, the Gelletlies, since 1820.

We at Wicklow Daily Photo are not constrained by the need to publish only tourist friendly images, so, today we present above, the hotel sign at the front of the hotel, left, the arched entrance to the car park, yes, tall enough for the coaches (i.e. the horse-drawn variety), and below, the car park, albeit a very pretty car park!

Tomorrow we go inside.

Sundown At The Old Same Place

Sundown, and a disturbed sky was shortly followed by a downpour. I just know that central tree is going to feature in a lot of my shots!

Flowering Herbs

Now, while our summer is just about hanging on, we have to capture, for posterity, some images of the flowering herbs in the backyard.  Above, chives and left, thyme.