21 Library Road

Opening Months: May, June, July, August, September
Opening Days:
Opening Hours:
Admission Charge: €5.00

• Appointment Only
• Admission Charge

Statuesque echiums and a profusion of unusual plants bursting over the garden wall signal the presence of a promising garden. But the real treat - a sumptuous feast for plant lovers- lies hidden behind Carmel Duignan’s house. For here is a series of the most fascinating conversations going between rare southern hemisphere plants and unusual varieties of more familiar species.

Plants talk colour to each other - the metallic blue tinge of Acacia baileyiana purpurea speaking in unison with Aconitum ‘Stainless Steel’ and the silver of Buddleja agosthera. Unlikely bedfellows vie with each other to produce the most scintillating associations, the red black of Aeonium‘Swartkop’ smoulders against a lime green tansy. And choice solo numbers like Prostanthera wateriiwith trumpets that glow like pearls in the dusk or prolific golden Tropeolum ciliatum compete for notice.

On a lime rich sheltered site, the garden, started from a field 17 years ago, is laid out with a strong rectangular framework, the better to contain the glorious profusion of plants. Reds are marshalled to one side of the central lawn and blues to the other, with an arbour at the end as a the focal point. Paths burrow between the main herbaceous borders, punctuated by fountains of roses and clematis grown on pillars, and leafy side borders with unusual plants have inviting seating areas half way along this deeply satisfying voyage around the plant world.

Fuschias, clematis and pseudopanax feature strongly in a collection which stretches all the way from Salvia corugata, with a black calyx and intensely blue flowers, discovered in Ecuador in the last 20 years to Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ with droop headed pink bells who had her title changed just like HRH Princess of Wales.


Best time of year to visit: June, July, August

Rare Plants worth mentioning

Tender Plants

Groups & Tours

• Groups Accepted
• Groups Need Appointments
• Accept Only Groups
• Guided Tours

Minimum Group Size:

10

Tour Days:

Additional

Trails

Dublin Garden Group

Festivals

No

Events

No