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Mount Usher Gardens In Wicklow Is One Of Ireland’s Favourite Gardens

Mount Usher Gardens in Ashford County Wicklow is a paradise for the nature lover and for the horticulturalist. The gardens were established by the Walpole family, when Edward Walpole, a Dublin businessman acquired a small parcel of land in the mid 1800s and left it to his three sons when he died.

The Walpoles increased the size of the gardens and collected trees, shrubs and flowers from all over the world. The preferred style of garden at the time was formal but Mount Usher was laid out in a much more naturalistic style in the style of Robinson around the River Vartry which flows through it.

Visitors to Mount Usher will experience a series of fabulous views and a splendid collection of trees, plants and shrubs in woodland settings. The rotation of the seasons, with the ever-changing colours and hues of the foliage provides an unlimited variation of views. A wide range of rhododendrons and azaleas in spring, lilies – such as the giant crinum and martagon – and Eucryphias in the summertime, and the splendiferous autumn colours of bright scarlet Acers, golden Liquid Ambers and yellow Liriodendron tulipfera can be seen at various times.

The garden has a range of more than 4000 plants which can be classified in three major groups: Nothofagus (the southern hemisphere beech), Eucalyptus, and Eucryphia. There are numerous other varieties of exotic trees and shrubs which cannot be found anywhere else in Western Europe. Magnolias, Camellias, Handkerchief trees, Chilean Firebush, Mock Orange, are all to be found there.

A visit to Mount Usher in different seasons will be a different experience each time because of the changing colours and foliage and visitors often return again and again.

There is a shop, tea rooms and good quality restaurant in the grounds where you can relax and dine while exploring the garden.

Visitors to Ashford often go to the nearby Devil’s Glen which is a large mountainous forest area managed by the Irish state forestry management company, Coillte. The forest has many species of trees including native Irish species as well as varieties introduced from abroad. The forest consists mainly of evergreens like fir and spruce but in recent years there has been an emphasis on planting broadleaf varieties. The forest is open to the public and is served by car parking, picnic areas and a series of marked walks and pathways.

Sculpture in Woodland is located in the heart of The Devil’s Glen and features a unique collection of modern sculpture by Irish and international artists. Sculpture in Woodland was conceived in the 1990s to give artists an opportunity to express themselves in wood. Artists are commissioned on an annual basis and so far 13 creations have been installed in the Devil’s Glen.

The area around The Devil’s Glen and Mount Usher has numerous bed and breakfasts and some excellent hotels as well as good restaurants and pubs.

Visitors to Wicklow will find hotel accommodation at Wicklow Hotels or bed and breakfast accommodation at Wicklow Bed and Breakfast

October 23rd, 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: garden

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