We recently had visitors staying from England and, because they like walking, old houses and gardens, we decided to take them somewhere special. Woodstock Gardens in Inistioge, County Kilkenny are now being restored by Kilkenny County Council and are a wonderful place for a walk. I’d been before years ago but could only remember the famous Monkey Puzzle avenue, which would’ve been an impressive feature in Victorian times.
Victorian-era plant hunters were an intrepid lot
Would you have applied for a job as a plant hunter in the 19th century? The first skill you would have needed was an adventurous spirit. Plant hunting botanists had to survive shipwreck, pirates, numerous accidents and foreign diseases, such as dysentery and yellow fever. Some never came home. I’ve been doing some research on medicinal plants and popular Victorian garden trees and, in this month’s blog, I take a look at a few of the specimens these brave, intrepid men brought back with them that still adorn our gardens today…
Spring is here and it's competition time
Competition to win a paperback of ‘The Neglected Garden’
Spring is here today and I ran out with my mobile and took this photo of wild cherry blossom flowering in our garden against a clear blue sky. To celebrate its arrival, I’m holding a competition for a paperback edition of my novel The Neglected Garden. To enter all you have to do is go to the competition page and pick the answer to the question. If you’ve already read the book, you’ll know the correct answer and, if you haven’t, just take a guess. You’ve got a 50% chance of being right.