Irish herbaceous gardens well worth a visit

The Untamed Gardener

Aisling Blackburn

The narrow gauge is a three-foot railway track, laid down to carry peat from bogs around Ireland but also at times passengers. The Cavan Leitrim railway has been partially converted to a traffic free walkway, near where I live. The plants I find there are the regular ones, save for Veronica Beccabunga or brooklime. Say it out loud – BECCA BUNGA BECCA BUNGA becca bunga, becca bunga, becca bunga… sounds a bit like a train; is a low sweet blue flowered water plant growing in a rill.

Nearby is another path, which served a different, unknown purpose is less even underfoot but wide and still partially kept up, I slide along in my Chelsey boots that offer no support at all except for the excellent sole. The path looks as though it belongs to an old-world garden, with fine deep borders of flowering perennials on both sides.

The fireweed has stretched to nine foot tall in places due to the sheltered conditions, spikes of fluffy seeds burst free from crimson capsules on tall stalks.

Plants here are more varied and interesting, they include bright orange- red rose hips, and several fern varieties. One of my favourites is the polypody fern, growing happily in the sheltered moist shade. There is even some coppiced cherry, so someone has been hedge cutting here in the recent past, more clues. To do a full inventory will take a bit of time, and I am only blackberry picking and walking the dog and so I will come back, probably with my camera to photograph some amazing flying insects, which need a good lens to capture properly- though a smartphone will sometimes do the job. Living on the Cavan Leitrim border means that you don’t have to stray too far to see astonishing living beings with some basic equipment.

There are at least three gardens that I am aware of vying for the title of ‘Longest Herbaceous Garden in Ireland’. I have been to one of them, in Powerscourt Enniskerry; rated by the National Geographic as third best in the world. The other two are at Killarney House estate and Belfast Botanical gardens. I wouldn’t mind the job of visiting all of them and doing a bit of measuring. Powerscourt is said to host 700 varieties and 1,000 plants. Depending on what time of year you go, whether it is spring, summer, late summer or autumn you will find a different herbaceous border. Mid to late summer is usually the best time to see most HBs, and September is still very good because not only have you got the late blooms of Dahlia, Helenium, Rudbeckias etc, grasses are at their best, starting to colour and some with beautiful seed heads attached. Some borders are double, with a wide central walkway between a wall of colour on both sides. Tall varieties are placed at the back usually against an actual wall or backdrop. These could be enormous thistle like plants Onorpordan, very impractical to grow anywhere else or Echium pininana (up to four meters) or sunflowers. The centre row host varieties of angel’s fishing rod or other see-through plants such as Thalictrum. Low growing plants like nepeta, and the furry grey leaved Stachys byzantina form the edge, that’s the general rule but it’s often broken. I especially love the one near the entrance in Glasnevin botanic gardens, a hot tropical border of annuals and perennials that include vegetables like rainbow chard and red kale alongside sunflowers and canna lilies.

Closer to home are the spectacular Belvedere gardens in Westmeath and Strokestown gardens in Roscommon, worth a trip. Florence court is only up the road; it has a lovely double border. There are far too many to mentions here but I have been to the ones on Garnish Island which are fabulous, Festina Lente in Bray is quite lovely and finally the gardens of Jimi Blake’s Hunting Brook gardens, which is one huge herbaceous garden and June Blake’s Garden - both in west Wicklow.

On Saturday, September 20, you can visit both gardens and buy plants, refreshments and garden tours in aid of Families in Palestine, it’s the last day of the season.

Traditionally and even today, herbaceous borders are high maintenance. After three years, plants should be divided, lest they completely mesh and crowd each other out. Apart from weeding and feeding there is staking and chopping down and removing old plant material.

It’s a big job and you will only find these flower borders attached to houses of heritage as well as in privately funded estates. A similar effect can be attained by cultivating a wild garden, or prairie garden which is far less work, but still needs tending.

Aisling Blackburn is a visual artist and horticulturalist who nurtures the community garden at Jampa Ling in Bawnboy.