A Garden in County Down

The nights have drawn in and it is bitterly cold outside, but earlier this year when the weather was warmer I discovered a beautiful garden in the Co Down village close to where I live. This hidden garden belongs to the double fronted Wisteria clad Grade 1 Georgian House at the bottom of the hill in the Main Street.

On the other side of the high stone wall at the rear of the garden are the grounds of the Castle where ancient mature trees provide a lush backdrop to the garden and a sense that the garden continues on further.

At the foot of the wall is a pond with stone edging covered in a carpet of "Mind Your Own Business".  A huge Gunnera plant and leafy ferns surround the pond.

Sitting with my back to the wall and looking back up the garden past the pond, the house could just be seen through a series of archways 

that separate the garden into a series of rooms,

connected by winding paths.

Through a jungle of bamboo a little secret path leads off the main room of the garden,

twisting alongside the rose clad perimeter wall.

Valerian grows randomly out of cracks in the old stone walls

creating an informal and natural oasis

around the old barn, glasshouse and wonderfully rustic outside WC.

Shells; wind chimes; salvaged vintage ephemera 

 and reclaimed garden ornaments

like the troughs 

and bird tables

add a quirky touch to the cobbled yard that leads to the garden.

Scattered unobtrusively throughout the garden are other reclaimed items 

that appear to have been there forever and blend seamlessly in with the foliage, such as the old saddlestones,

statues

and a sculpted horses head.

This is such a gorgeous garden - I am just sorry that my brief visit there did not give me time to fully explore and appreciate it.

xxx