SOME IRISH GARDENS. 



255 



Castlewellan, in Co. Down, is also well known to many garden- 

 lovers, and, at the time I visited it about sixteen years ago, was at its 

 zenith. It had at that time the most complete and the best-grown 

 collection of trees and shrubs to be seen in any private garden in 

 the world, these being quite a revelation to the average visitor. One 

 striking criticism I heard a great gardener make was that it was 

 " too much like a museum ; " nevertheless, the many specimen trees 

 and shrubs were marvellous and worth a long journey to see. 



Kilmacurragh, in Co. Wicklow, belongs to Mrs. Ball Acton, and 

 is certainly one of the very best gardens of its type. There are the 

 finest specimens of species of Rhododendrons in Ireland growing there, 

 and some of the rarer coniferae are well grown. The finest tree of 

 Embothrium coccineum is probably the specimen in this garden, and 

 the garden generally is one of great interest. A specimen of Abies 

 grandis, over 100 feet high, was blown down a year or two ago. 



Mount Usher is another famous Wicklow garden, though on a 

 totally different scale, and there are few garden visitors to Ireland 

 who do not know of Mount Usher, with its streams and wonderful 

 climate. All classes of plants are represented, and it has a splendid 

 collection, including very fine specimens of Eucalyptus. 



Mr. E. H. Walpole, the owner of Mount Usher, to whom I am 

 indebted for photographs, says: "The house is an old mill-house 

 which was taken by my grandfather in i860, and the place has been 

 worked up as a garden by my late father and uncle." 



The place lies in the valley of the Vartry and is very well sheltered 

 from most winds. The climate and soil are both exceptionally good 

 and suitable for many classes of plants. 



Old Conna Hill, Bray, belonging to Captain Riall, is another 

 very good garden where tender plants do remarkably well. Here 

 Cantua dependens has lived for many years on a wall, and flowers 

 freely. " There," says Sir F. Moore, " is the finest plant of 

 Dendromecon rigidum I have ever seen, it makes shoots 15 feet long 

 in one year, and is rarely out of flower." 



I should say the best general collection of trees and shrubs (but 

 mostly young) are in Sir John Ross of Bladenburg's garden at 

 Rostrevor House, Rostrevor. It has a wonderful climate, and the 

 soil is open, stony, and free of lime. It is sheltered by a hill from 

 the sea winds, and such plants as all the species of Leptospermum 

 flourish. Prostanthera lasianthos is a bush 50 feet high and un- 

 protected for years. There is a most complete collection of Eucalyptus. 

 Embothrium is splendid, and many rare plants usually grown indoors 

 flourish. Hakeas, Banksias, Acacias, several Agaves, Aloes, and 

 Crassulas live out unprotected. Tree-ferns also live here, and a great 

 variety of plants which one does not expect to see in the open air 



