Review - Powerscourt Gardens, Dublin Ireland

Powerscourt Tower Garden - 2016

One a recent trip to Europe I had the opportunity for a day trip from Dublin to visit Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. It has been dubbed one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland and at some points in history - perhaps the world.  The gardens were designed in the 1700's  with rose gardens, reflecting ponds, tree plantations, long vistas and even a pet cemetery. As you can imagine over 300 years - there could be lots of pets :(

Top-line - an enjoyable visit and nice to get out of the city. I would not say it compares in quality for gardens in other parts of the world..

• Pros - a great historic site and good long vistas over the formal garden, very nice cafe
• Cons - a bit of a distance, trails beyond the core garden are not well maintained, on the bus route so can get crowded, pricey.

One the way back into Dublin we took the coast road and spent time at the James Joyce Museum which was quaint and  very interesting. 

Entrance to Powerscourt Estate and Garden 2016

Please read on for some photos of the day. Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

Ireland National Botanic Garden - Dublin (Review)

Entrance - Dublin National Botanic Garden

When on holiday I am compelled to visit local Botanic Gardens. You can see my prior reviews of the Huntington Garden in California, then Denver Botanic Garden, the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, the Bird Haven Conservatory outside Chicago... well you get the points. I love these places.  So I was delighted when I was able to drag my traveling companion to Ireland's National Botanic Garden located just outside Dublin. Easy to reach by bus!

I was attracted to the location based on the history. The first glass houses were built in the 1700's - then expanded as unusual plants from around the world started to make their way to Ireland. Between 1840 - 1860 the major glass display houses were created. This is the same time as conservatories were springing up in Chicago. It was so nice to see the similarities and differences. Oh the Victorian / Edwardian times when strolling in Greenhouses was the best day out, and when great strides were made in understanding the plant kingdom. 

Dublin National Botanic Garden

A very interesting role of this garden was the assessment of exotic trees to the Ireland environment. Strolling the grounds these old trees look simultaneously majestic and out of place. Many of these are planted in groves - so you can see several different species of Oak tree, Larch, Holly and others side by side.


Here's a quick review of garden overall - in addition I have some specific posts for the Rose Garden and an outdoor Dahlia display at the Dublin National Botanic Garden. 

All photos taken in the spring of 2015. Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

Dahlias - Display Planting in Dublin

A few years ago I enjoyed and reviewed on this blog the Dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I really enjoyed the diversity which was shown there. Dalia's were always a flower that my mother loved to grow - but my father didn't like the digging up and replanting which is required for these tuberous-rooted tender perennials when growing in cold climate gardens. 

National Botanic Garden - Dublin, Sept 2015

None-the-less, these bright and colorful flowers bloom from midsummer to first frost, long after many other plants are fading away. The range in color and size is so large - flower shows or clustered plantings of Dahlias can really highlight the spectrum from giant 10-inch blooms to smaller pompons. As many varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall, these plants can take a commanding place, a statement piece, in many gardens. 

On a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin, I was so pleased to see a large section of their Annual Bed dedicated to Dahlias. The outer beds were all daisies, the middle beds were mums and dahlias respectively . It was so nice to be able to not only see the blooms but also understand the slight differences in height, leaves, and structure of the plants.

I've captured shots of my favorite dahlias. I hope you enjoy too! Also see my other reviews of Ireland sites and adventures.

For the Love of Roses - Dublin Botanic Garden, Review

Rhapsody in Blue Rose

In a recent tour of the National Botanic Garden outside Dublin we walked through the Rose Garden. Virtually every botanic garden I have ever visited has a Rose Garden.  Roses are from China - a great export. The first "Rose Garden" occurred in the late 1700's in France. One avid (and wealth) gardener put in place a garden with over 250 rose varieties.  The Huntington Garden in California is the only the World Federation of Rose Societies Award of Garden Excellence recipient  rose garden that I've visited. 

I generally stroll through and think about how much love roses need - and how I've never been so lucky in my garden. Wild roses, no problem, but more typical roses never seem within my grasp. I enjoy the variety and the aroma! 

Little did I know that on this visit in Dublin, I would find my most favorite rose ever - that being the Rosacea Rosa Rhapsody in Blue - shown above. This picture makes it look a tad more pink.  The quest for the blue rose continues...

Dublin Botanic Garden - Rose Garden, Sept 2015

Take a look below for some of the great rose variety I saw.

Which will be your favorite?

Grand Reopening - Desert House at Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago

I've previously reported on damage and closure to Chicago's historic Garfield Park Conservatory, designed by Jens Jensen over 108 years ago. Several portions of the conservatory were repaired relatively immediately while other updates were done over time. This month (April 2015) the conservatory celebrated it's grand reopening. 

One of my favorite spots in the Conservatory is the Desert house. Here there used to be many pencil cactus and ponytail palms. Tucked in-between these tall succulents were some very unusual and rare plants.  When I give tours of the site, this room is always one where people want to linger and get closer to the "non-native" plants. It's also where children want to touch but parents are nervous!

Garfield Park Conservatory
Desert House - 2009

Garfield Park Conservatory
Desert House - 2009

So it was with much anticipation that I visited to see the renewed Desert House!  At first I was startled by how much more open the room seems - without the pencil tree that used to anchor the north side (all the way up to the ceiling) and with one of the large cactus severely cut back, the room is so much brighter!  There are also a wider variety of cactus and succulents as a result. Many plants which were previously maintained in the back-greenhouses and put on display at the reception desk, are now in the collection.  Plus the plants are spread out more - enabling viewing of each item more fully. This also makes it feel more desert-ish :)

Review: Cloisters New York

In early spring I had the opportunity to visit New York city and went up to visit The Cloisters Garden and Museum.  My New York friends were very skeptical of taking the long train ride. However, noting that they had lived in NYC for nearly a decade and needed to do something new, they acquiesced with my request :)

History 

The Cloisters, New York Mar 2015

The 66.5-acre Fort Tryon Park was kicked off by the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1917, when he hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., to create the park, which he later donated to New York City in 1935. The museum and adjacent gardens were built in 1934-39 on 4 acres of the park and were created through grants and endowments from Rockefeller. With insight to future development, Rockefeller bought and donated hundreds of acres of the river front property across from the museum, the New Jersey Palisades to the State of New Jersey. The view is awesome.

The building itself looks original to the rocky point and so old. With good reason, the building was designed by Charles Collens using parts of five cloistered abbeys. Talk about repurposing :)  . Further old building from Europe were disassembled and shipped to the site where they were reconstructed and integrated into this beautiful museum.  The photos below give a small sense of the integrated feel and medieval ambiance!

Review - Chihuly at Denver Botanic Garden

Chihuly - Blue Spiky Glass at
Denver Botanic Garden, 2014

Denver Botanic Gardens presented an outdoor exhibit artwork by celebrated American artist, Dale Chihuly.  The Glass from Chihuly's sculptures – ranging in size and form – added bold colors and dramatic beauty to the Gardens' 24-acre urban oasis.  Chihuly first exhibited glass within a garden setting at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory - which houses a permanent exhibit of Chihuly glass in it's Aroid House. 

The glass in Denver was on such a large scale. In some cases the glass over took the surroundings it was so overbearing, beautiful, creative, and yet at times not in sync with the surroundings.  Which is not to say that I didn't love the exhibit - I adore the Denver Botanic Gardens, I think I just had very different expectations.  There was a piece of art glass almost around every corner - so much to take in.  

Take a virtual tour, see what you think from the photos below. 

Carnivorous Plants - Fun "interactive" display

The Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago currently has a plant bog full of carnivorous plants. It was very fun to not only see the plants - but to really watch them at work. It only takes a few moments to see flies swarm and crawl into these beautiful flowers - never to return. 

Carnivorous plants in Chicago

Carnivorous plants derive some or most of their nutrients from trapping and consuming insects. Carnivorous plants grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs and rock outcroppings. Thus their adaptation to consume insects for nutrients.  Charles Darwin wrote the first comprehensive book on carnivorous plants in 1875 - Insectivorous Plants, the first well-known treatise on carnivorous plants, in 1875! This is about the same time that plans for the park, gardens, and first conservatory in now Garfield Park in Chicago were forming. 

The conservatory recreated a bog in a shady area in a nice elevated bed. The display does a nice job of sharing different trapping mechanisms - and placement makes it so easy to see.  There is also a nice range of various "fly catching" techniques."

I did see a sign that said do not touch, but I didn't see a sign that said "no feeding the plants!"

Lily and Daylily Flower Show

Daylily Flower Arrangement

This past weekend I attended the Day Lily and Lily show at the Chicago Botanic Garden sponsored by Sponsored by the Northshore Iris and Daylily Society and Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society respectively. 

At Chicago Botanic garden flower shows - there is placement of only one stem with one flower each submitted by member of the sponsoring society. In the lily show they had also purchased some for display. The layout gets you close to each flower to see the differences up.

I have been jaded by the overwhelming plantings of tawny daylily plants which are considered invasive in my area and many surrounding states. This is 

Ditch Lilies in Illinois

Hemerocallis fulva here is a shot of them in my garden.  Included in this are the Stella De Oro variety. They are pretty but, for me,  no longer pack a "WOW" in the garden.  They even varry the name "ditch lilies" because they can be seen by roadsides. It seems every year there are dozens of people giving them away for free - which is exactly where I pickup up most of mine. I was super pleased to see the potential and so many different varieties of both Hemerocallis and true lily (Lilium) . 

Please  enjoy the photos.  I'm not sure the colors are 100% true, but here are the shots of my favorites :)

Piedra Blanca Eco-Park - Medellin

Medellin, Colombia

I've made several trips to Colombia over my lifetime and I am always happy to explore the vast diversity of the country.  I recently had the pleasure of exploring Medellin which is located in a valley of the Andes Mountains.  This create great vistas of the mountains as well as lush environment surrounding the city (and rain!)

One day my friends suggested an adventure out of the city to Piedras Blancas and Parque Arvi, a nature preserve located some 50 miles from the city center.  To get there we took the Medellin Metro to one of the MetroCables.  You cannot imagine how clean and well maintained these facilities are. The Colombians are very conscientious of maintaining these public transportation services. 

Outrageous Orchids! (Flower Show Review)

I visited the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This was a wonderful respite from the snowy day. As a friend said - this winter White is the new Black. :D  I very much enjoyed seeing all the bright colors of the orchids.  I recall the first time I ever saw an Orchid was at the Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanic Garden of Medellin, Colombia.  I was 12 years old and the 34 acre botanical garden in the middle of the city was so impressive! More so was the massive collection of orchids in the unique architectural space called the Orchidiarium. All I can say is that it was simultaneously overwhelming, impressive and memorable.  While the exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden pales in comparison - it's much easier to get to than Colombia, and well worth the visit!

Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show - 2014

Start Thinking Spring - Shows, Events, Road-trips

This weekend the first spring flower show starts in Chicago, thus kicking of several months of events that culminate in the beginning of spring and ethnic fest etc. in Chicago. 

As I did last year, here is a listing of events from Iowa - Wisconsin - Illinois - Michigan. I was searching out potential weekend adventures and road-trips and thought I might share with you all. Maybe provide some ideas, or just save you some time on your own searching.  All links and information was accurate as of 1/24/2013  If you find other shows or errors herein please note in comments! Thank you

Transparent tips on Succulent

Succulent Container Garden

(Succulent pictures just because I think they are so pretty and I spend too much time with them this time of year :)  )

• Chicago - Lincoln Park Conservatory Spring Flower Show - January 26 - May 12

Update on Garfield Park Conservatory Rebuilding 2013

What is going on with rebuilding Garfield Park Conservatory you ask?  I provided to updates on the status of Garfield Park Conservatory Hail Storm Damage in July 2011 and the subsequent capital campaign.  So where do things stand now. 

DISPLAY HOUSE STATUS AS ON 1/21/2013 - temporary panes in place and all rooms open to the public.  The photos here were taken from a tour on 1/20/2013. (Take the tour people, it's awesome!)

All the broken glass was removed, and the panes of glass damaged in the display houses were replaced  with temporary poly-carbonate sheeting.  This temporary roof is able to keep the plants protected from cold/rain and keep the environment inside the rooms steady. A great place to observe this is at the entrance to the Show House. Stand in the entryway from the Palm house and look up at the roof in the Show House and at the roof in the Palm House - you will see the difference.  The temporary poly-carbonate pane has lines in it, glass is clear (or dirty!).  Once you notice this difference, check out the roof in the Desert House. Here not all the panes of glass were broken and you can spot all the temporary ones one you know this trick. 

The light coming in through the poly-carbonate is not as high as that through the glass.  So winter pruning (done every year because of reduced sun) seems even sharper this year.  

Fern Room, Garfield Park Conservatory
Jan 2013

Sugar From The Sun Exhibit,
Cavendish Banana; Jan 2013

Extensive construction to recreate the permanent roofs in the public display houses should start this year (2013).  This will have to take place after the danger of frost in spring and fall. Global warming yes, but not enough to leave the collection at the Conservatory open to Chicago weather!  Most likely the Fern room, Aroid House, Show House, and Desert House will all be closed during the construction. The website will hopefully have a schedule and notice of what rooms as open when. 

Garfield Park Conservatory, Propagation
Greenhouse, Jan 2013

BACK OF HOUSE STATUS AS OF 1/21/2013 - back up and running.

While most people visit the 2.5 acres of display houses at the Conservatory, there are more acres under glass in the back-of-house. These are the propagation greenhouses which support research and development of the collection as well as plants for display. 

The damaged propagation greenhouses were repaired during the summer of 2012.  Here is a photo of the cactus propagation house with many of the plants which were recently sold. 

Volunteers will shortly begin growing plants and seedlings for sale in Spring 2013, and other plants for sale in the gift shop all year round. 




The conservatory continues to solicit donations for the One-Pane-At-A-Time capital campaign.  Also consider becoming a member (more events are member only, or member early, I love the reciprocal membership at other botanic gardens and parks), or just pitching a few bucks into the box when you visit. Everything appreciated. 

Singing the Watersong...

Teresa Marie

World's Best Botanic Gardens

I'm making my Botanic Garden bucket list - this article on Huffington Post caught my eye.
Here's a list of 10 great botanic gardens around the world.

Naturally I am THRILLED that the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, IL USA is on the list. I just adore this place --- and if you ever want to go, email me and I'm happy to arrange a behind the scenes tour for you!!!

The Gardens By The Bay - a new conservatory opening in Singapore looks simply amazing. From design to programs to just scale!

So many places to see. For now, I'm going back outside to toil in my own backyard (I sound like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz!)

Teresa Marie

Denver Botanic Garden - Great day!

Today I had the pleasure of roaming around the Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street.  This is a "new" botanic garden relative to those in Chicago.  It was started in 1958 in conjunction with the City of Denver - and was based on land that was a former cemetery!  The conservatory was added in the 70's.  Today it is a very impressive botanic garden and conservatory.

The design of the garden includes many elements that we see in Jensen type landscapes

1. there was plenty of water and movement and it was all done in natural settings. 
2. There were several "long views" - see the shots below. 
3. The premise is several "rooms" or vignettes of smaller gardens on a theme that seamlessly meld together to offer a wide variety of impressions and emotions.
4. The small views and secret areas are abundant!

The diversity of plants is high.  I liked the focus in several areas on Western native gardens, alpine and meadows. There were also green/water saving gardens.  What I didn't like was that the signage was not 100%, if I loved the plant, it was often not labeled. The dessert house is small - but has a nice variety.  The succulents are labeled with numbers - and there was a reference book on the opposite wall with the cross reference. Not sure that many people care about it - but I checked several :)

Keep in mind that there are a plethora of pathways and it can get confusing if you are trying to stick to a plan. Most of the paths are paved and suitable for all levels. Some rock walkways and steps, but not too many. Luckily it is small and compact so looping around isn't an issue.  My whole walk around was less than 2.5 miles. Also although I don't show them here - there are wonderful sculptures as focal points around the garden.

Here are two shots of a few my favorite long views. On the left is the walkway along the greenhouses. You can peer into the windows on the right side of this photo and see into the propagation greenhouses. They were all very clean - I was surprised :)  The shot on the left, at the base of the orange wall is a waterway. There are containers on pedestals at constant intervals. You can see the cactus poking up. That is the container. Just really nice to come around a corner and be surprised by these vistas.

Shady Lane - Lots of places to sit :)

El Pomar Waterway

It's hard to explain all the little details that have gone into melding different gardens into one cohesive display. Take a look at the picture below of parts that I liked.

Lainie's Cutting Garden - Sep 2011

Alpine Garden - Sep 2011

Romantic Garden - Long View, Formal: Sept 2011

Orange Cut Flowers

                           

Blue Cut Flower Bed

Red Cut Flowers

                   













The cutting garden had several beds which were all arranged by color. You can see the white beds in the front.  I thought this was such a nice way to do it.  I'm more partial to blues - although they do not show up so well. I also loved the red flower beds, and the orange was so tall!   The shots of the cutting flower beds have at least four different flower varieties - looks so nice.

Then when I needed a little break - or I saw something that I want to study.  There was a bench or chairs at the ready.  Almost around every corner, some little setting that looked so peaceful and purposeful at the same time. Wouldn't it be so amazing to have this scene below as my backyard, or how about around the corner from my office, or my bus stop!

The food on the Monet Deck is great by the way. Sitting in the shade and looking out over the Monet Pool was enjoyable. I met a nice man named Alan who is a member here. He filled me in on events and concerts they have. 

Happy day today exploring the garden. It was easy to get there from downtown by bus, and I walked back past the capital, and art museum. Lots to see here. Have to take another visit.  I hope I can time it for spring. I think the Alpine garden would be wonderful then - in bloom. Also there is a lilac garden which I bet smells just awesome at that time of year!

Singing Country Western!

Teresa Marie

Huntington Garden visit - lovely desert section

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena California.  Classic example of a wealthy individuals creating a large public space – and I thank him for doing so.

In 1903 Henry Huntington purchased the San Marino Ranch, a working ranch with citrus groves, nut and fruit orchards, alfalfa crops, a small herd of cows, and poultry. Today there are 120 acres landscaped and open to visitors. More than 14,000 different varieties of plants are showcased in more than a dozen principal garden areas. My favorite by far is the desert section – which seems to go on and on and on!

For me it is a special treat since I love working with succulents at Garfield Park Conservatory – but here it is all natural and outside. A very different experienceJ.   While lingering in this part of the garden I started to actually prune and clean up many items which appeared to be suffering from too much water. Some also had a blight or fungus on them.  This was much to the dismay of my companion who said that I wasn’t trained to work here – and she was right. So I sought out one of the gardeners and curatorial staff to get a bit more information.  Small world – as we realized that one of his acquaintances had worked at GPCA.

It turns out that it has been a very challenging year from them. In December they received over 12 inches of rain – which is what they typically get all year.  They do not have a way to drain the area – not update the soil for many of these mature plants. Hence, several are suffering from overwatering.  Also the nights have been cold – and the heaters which are arranged around the African cultivars are working overtime.

Two varieties surprised me.  One was a yellow jade tree – I believe a Crassula ovata 'Hummel's Sunset'. It was a stark contrast to the greenery around it. And I do love Jade J  The second I believe was a variation of a Schlumbergera a genus of tree-dwelling cactus which is a tropical rainforest epiphytes.  I took my picture next to it – you can see how awesome this is. 

I highly recommend!  It was a very enjoyable day. And after you wander the gardens – you can visit the art museum and store.