Belvedere Walled Gardens

If I whetted your appetite with my flower pattern’s post yesterday form the walled garden at Belvedere House, Co Westmeath, here are some more photos. The garden slopes, so some of the photos may seem to be a a bit of an angle.

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Belvedere – Walled Garden

Pattern

Patterns and shapes are everywhere in Nature.  Today, we visited Belvedere House and Gardens in Co Westmeath.  Once a country villa, Belvedere is now owned and managed by the local council. You can visit the house, enjoy lovely woodland walks and a fairy garden. But for me the highlight was the walled garden. There was a small vegetable garden, an ornamental pond, fruit trees and some beautiful flowers beds. Here colour, shapes and patterns blended and did everything to please the eye.

I was also happy to see many pollinators,  mostly honey bees but also three different bumblebees species. The honeybees were visiting the pond to gather water.  It is the first time I have witnessed this, though I have read about it.

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Joining with this week’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge – Patterns.

 

 

Picton Castle Walled Garden

This week the Lens Artists Photo Challenge theme is Wonder.  P. A. Moed Creative Exploration In Words And Pictures invites us “to create a post that captures a moment, a feeling, a place, a person—which filled you with wonder.”

Walled garden Picton Castle

Last week, we were in Wales, and one of our days out involved a trip to Picton Castle, a 18th century stately home (that was a previously a medieval Castle) in Pembrokeshire. The highlight of the day was the magnificent walled gardens.  It is definitely a place to fill you with wonder on the amazing world of plants. The shapes, colours, textures of the flowers, from hot red to spikey blues and greys.

Spikey greys

Thistles

A pond plant

Brigt pink

Shapes

Colour

Hot reds

Patels

pink rose

Ferns.

Fernery

Fernery

A herb garden and succulents.

The garden has only three full time staff members looking after it (and the rest of the grounds). And some volunteers. They do an amazing job.

Sculptures

This week’s Monthly Meet Up Photo Challenge is Sculpture. We were in Wales last week and had a lovely visit to Picton Castle in Pembrokeshire (more to follow during the week). Within the walled garden there was this lovely sculpture. The wings of the seed head catch the wind and it moves around.

Sculpture at Picton Caslte

There were some more lovely willow and wood structures in the adventure garden. Here is just a little taster.

Wooden mushrooms

Willow house

Enniscoe House

Enniscoe House and Estate can be found near Crossmolina in Co Mayo, on the shores of Lough Conn.  Steeped in heritage the Georgian house dates from 1790 and today is run as a family hotel. We visited a couple of weeks ago to take part in a bumblebee workshop (held by the National Biodiversity Data Centre). The second half of the day involved looking for and identifying bumblebees.  It also allowed us to enjoy the grounds including the beautiful woodland, but especially the organic walled garden. The garden is divided into two; first the formal garden or pleasure grounds, and secondly the vegetable and impressive fruit growing area. Strawberries, apple trees and currants were all in bloom.  The garlic was huge in comparison to my own! And the potatoes were coming on very well.

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Walled Garden, Enniscoe House

Walled Garden, Enniscoe House

Amazing garlic beds

Apple blossom

Enniscoe is also the location of the Mayo North Heritage Centre, where people can go and explore their North Mayo ancestors / genealogy. There is also a looped walk, a museum and all important tea rooms.

Beech tree

Enniscoe House

Emperor moth

Walled garden