SOME IRISH GARDENS. 



247 



SOME IRISH GARDENS. 

 By J. G. Weston, F.R.H.S. 



[Read May 27, 191 9 ; Rev. J. Jacob in the Chair.] 



I feel that before commencing my paper on " Some Irish Gardens " 

 I ought to explain why I, a gardener in Kent, have taken this 

 subject, and in doing so I must give you a little personal history. 



After a pretty thorough training in some of the larger English 

 gardens, I was fortunate in being engaged in 1897 to go as gardener 

 to the Earl and Countess of Bessborough at Bessborough, in Co. 

 Kilkenny. I spent eight years there, and look back with a great 

 deal of pleasure to the time I passed in the Green Isle. 



Those of you who know Ireland are very well aware of the lovely 

 gardens that exist in all parts of that delightful country — those who 

 do not happen to have visited there would scarcely credit the almost 

 tropical vegetation that abounds in the gardens, parks, and wood- 

 lands of Ireland. 



During my eight years there I was able to visit many of the 

 gardens I am speaking about this afternoon ; in other instances, where 

 I have not visited, the owners and their gardeners have been most 

 kind in assisting me with photographs and notes of various garden 

 subjects. 



Amongst those charming scenes there are few that surpass Bess- 

 borough, whether in the beautiful natural scenery of the surrounding 

 country, or in the many choice subjects which flourish in the garden 

 proper. Lying in the fertile valley of the River Suir, between Water- 

 ford and Clonmel, the soil and climate are both eminently favourable 

 for gardening ; in fact, I have often thought that in Ireland plants, 

 and also fruit and farm crops generally, thrive almost too easily to 

 be properly appreciated. It is certain that with many gardeners 

 it is a good result after strenuous efforts, which affords real 

 gratification. 



Not only do the majority of shrubs and garden plants thrive so 

 well at Bessborough, but hardy fruit succeeds in a manner which is 

 a revelation to the casual visitor, who often has very dreary and 

 erroneous ideas about Ireland generally, associating its vegetation in 

 his mind principally with the potato ! 



When first taking charge of the Bessborough gardens I found that 

 though some of. the old fruit trees bore excellent crops, very few 

 young trees had been planted. We started to remedy this the first 

 autumn, eventually planting up a new orchard. In the year of the 

 Cork Exhibition (somewhere about 1902) a large fruit show was 

 held in the autumn to show what could be grown in Ireland, and, 



