Visit to Mount Congreve Gardens, Waterford, Ireland

[Paddy Tobin]

Mount Congreve Gardens are on the outskirts of Waterford City in the south-east of Ireland. The gardens were created within woodlands which surrounded the house at Mount Congreve by Mr. John Congreve and continued by his son Mr. Ambrose Congreve.  Much of the undergrowth of the mainly beech woodlands were cleared in the 1950s and the first magnolias planted. These they grew themselves from seed brought from China. Since then Ambrose Congreve has continued planting, growing, breeding and selecting cultivars. The woodland plantings continued with rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and acers in countless varieties. The gardens have been recognised as the foremost spring gardens of the world and Ambrose Congreve has been honoured by many horticultural societies internationally. He attributes the success of his gardens to the inspiration and guidance of the Rothschilds at Exbury and to Herman Dool who came from Holland and was Head Gardener for approximately 30 years.

Fortunately for me the gardens are only a ten minute drive away. They are situated on the banks of the River Suir (pronounce as "sure" and not "sewer", please!) An internet search will give further reports on the gardens and further photographs.

Today's visit brought home the cleverness of the positioning of the garden. We had a very windy day here today but while walking the garden we were in a pleasant calm atmosphere though we could hear the wild whipping through the shelter belts which surround the gardens.

The woodland gardens are entered by first passing through the walled gardens, first the walled vegetable garden, a well-ornamented vegetable garden, then the ornamental walled garden. The woodland is broken here and there by clearing with lawns which allow vistas and allow light and air into certain areas and create conditions which suit a wider range of plants than might be possible in woodland conditions alone.

Enough said, here are some photographs from today's visit.
Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Continuing into the woodland gardens, a sequence of views from today's walk around the gardens.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Continuing through the gardens, Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Now to some flower, first some in bud - all magnolias. Hopefully, I will get time tomorrow to show a few rhododendrons tomorrow. Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Final few for tonight. If you are not tired, I can assure you I am.

The final photograph is of my absolutely most favourite magnolia, M. 'John Ambrose' bred at Mount Congreve and named by Ambrose Congreve for his father. It is a huge tree, almost 20 metres high, and has the most wonderfully deep-red coloured flowers.

Paddy

[Paul T]

Paddy,

Great pics!!  Can you, or someone else that knows, tell me which the double Magnolias you posted are?  "Flower Opening" and "Flower - 2"  are just beautiful, but I don't recognise them.  Being a lover of Magnolias I may just have to see whether I can find them if I have a name..... if they're here and available of course.  Like I can fit more Magnolias into my garden???    I'll find a way!! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

Many thanks for your comments. I have found in the past that while on a visit to Mount Congreve trying to see the name of each different magnolia would mean a walk about would take the whole day. There literally are hundreds of different cultivars. I will show the photographs to the Head Gardener and get a name for you.

Paddy

[Luc Gilgemyn]

WOW - it was nice walking with you around a brilliant garden Paddy - breathtaking views and stunning Magnolia's.
Thanks for showing  ! 

[Lvandelft]

What a beautiful garden Paddy.
So many Magnolia's, one more beautiful than another.
Thank you for sharing your pictures. 

[Maggi Young]

I am thrilled to have been taken on this walk about Mount Congreve.... these magnolias are just magnificent.  Your close-up shots are just mouthwatering, Paddy. The darker colours are so yummy and rich but the shape and form of them all is perfect.

If there are Rhododdendron pix to come sometime, then i am a very happy woman 

[Brian Ellis]

Paddy, thanks for this trip round Mount Congreve, the magnolias are absolutely stunning, as are your photos, and the scent?  I have to agree with you that M. 'John Ambrose' takes the biscuit.  What a wonderful colour, wish I had room for one.  Look forward to more photos.

[David Nicholson]

Smashing pictures Paddy, thanks for posting them. Although we have visited Northern Ireland many times we have never visited the South, we must put that right sometime.

[Paddy Tobin]

Many thanks for your comments. Quite honestly I adore this garden. It is a child's and an old person's garden. The former would run wild and have the greatest of games playing hide and seek or simply galloping about without any fear of doing damage to the garden. Sorry, this is a woodland, just one planted with the most beautiful of plants. Many of the original big trees were retained but now the magnolias are the canopy plants. Rhododendron, camellias, azaleas and Japanese maples make up the undergrowth and for the large part the groundcover is left pretty much to nature. Weeds don't become any problem under such a planting. There are areas of bluebells, ferns etc. The latter, the old person, is the gardener who has come to accept nature and enjoy it, has developed self and the garden to such a stage that weeds no longer impinge on the plants or on the gardener's pleasure. Those between youth and old age might be bothered by the proliferation of celandine and piss-a-beds. This is a  wood and these plants are natural there. It is not manicured garden. Peculiarly, though the walled gardens are very interesting we generally just walk through to get to the woodland. We do pause to see if there is anything interesting in the propagation frames behind the glasshouse - we can ask the Head Gardener for a plant when we meet him - know him well and in a garden where plants are propagated by the thousand, there is always one to spare. Indeed on a previous visit I came away with over a hundred plants - they were in too small a number for the purposes of their wholesale business.

OK, a few photographs. Before showing some rhododendrons for Maggi's sake let me show one which demonstrates my point above about the magnolias being the canopy plant in this garden/wood.

The first rhododendron is not in flower yet but it has such a good foliage that I thought it might be of interest. It is the darkest, deepest burgundy.

The second rhododendron, again in foliage only, is one which, with me, almost induces vomiting.

Paddy

 

[Paddy Tobin]

By the way, later in the year there is a lovely walk to enjoy - one mile of hydrangeas.

Continuing...

Paddy

[Andrew]

... hear the wild whipping ... belts ...

Freudian slip ?