Discover new gardens on the West Cork Garden Trail, open until 30th June. This annual event sees 15 gardens in the West Cork area throw open their gates to reveal some real jewels of Irish horticulture, giving you plenty of inspiration to take home to your own garden.
West Cork enjoys a warm microclimate, warmed by the Gulf Stream, and you'll find a garden you love no matter what your style. Enjoy the Italianate splendour of Glenview Gardens, near Enniskeane, or the coastal romance of Glebe Gardens, in Baltimore, complete with amphitheatre. The Inish Beg estate boasts 97 acres of walled gardens, orchards, bamboo groves and woodland walks; Carraig Abhainn gardens in Bantry is a subtropical oasis with tender and rare plants amid natural waterfalls; and Heron Gallery Gardens, also in Bantry, is a showcase for its artist owner full of colour and quirky ideas, as well as an orchard of Irish heritage apples.
It's a golden opportunity to talk to the gardens' owners and get the inside story on how these wonderful gardens were made. Many are not often open to the public, so this really is a once-a-year chance. For a brochure and more details on all the gardens featured, visit www.westcorkgardentrail.com.
