It’s about four years ago since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. That first year after diagnosis was a misery, as I was banned from gardening. No more bending, weeding or planting for me. At the time, I had a fabulous herbaceous border, but with everything going on I had to abandon it. So, to replace the border, we set about making some raised flower beds that are easy to manage. I can reach across them to weed or plant and they have worked well.
We’ve an old mixed hedge on the west side of the house. Last year, we stripped it back to about a third of its width and built a raised bed in the space. It’s packed full of snowdrops and daffodils, and the tulips were a great success. It looked really well up to the middle of May.
My under-performing flower bed.
However, once the tulips went over, the bed just sat there doing next to nothing. It should have been full of peonies and lupins in June and early dahlias by now. They were there, but flowered weakly. Yes, the carpet roses have done well and the lilies will look great in another few weeks, but on the whole, it’s been a bit of a let-down. I think I better think it out again
So what caused the problem? The old hedge was the main culprit, as well as my diligence in caring for it. Last Christmas, I took the secateurs to the remaining third of the hedge and cut out all the dead wood, briars and other assorted rubbish. It was like I had given it a massive tonic. The thing took off and we’ve had a job keeping it in check.
In taking off, it overshadowed the flowers and they had to stretch to reach the light. It also sucked every bit of moisture out of the bed. With all the rain we’ve had over the past six weeks, I never thought of checking moisture levels in the bed. It was only when I tried planting a few annuals and bedding plants to give it a bit of colour that I realised the whole thing was bone dry.
Regular watering has helped, but damage has been done. The hedge was supposed to provide protection from the westerly winds, not take over. As Fagin in Oliver sings: “I think I better think it out again.”
Deadhead – I can’t stress how important this is. Regular deadheading can mean an extra month of flowering from your garden favourites.
Bedding to the rescue – If your flower beds are looking bedraggled it’s amazing how quickly a few bedding plants or annuals will fill the space. There is plenty of choice still available in garden centres.
Hold onto bulbs – If you are clearing out pots, make sure to replant the spent spring bulbs – even the smallest ones will bulk up and flower, if they are given a chance.
Hidden gardens rediscovered
Now that foreign travel has been more or less banned, people are looking at short breaks on home shores. When we are away, I like to stay somewhere with a nice garden and we have located a real hum dinger in Cork.
The Montenotte Hotel has been in business a long time, but it’s only three years ago since it’s 5.8ac of hidden gardens were rediscovered, as head gardener Ann Daly explains.
The rediscovered gardens at the Montenotte Hotel.
“This was once the garden of a private house – it gradually went into decline and for years was hidden by scrub and trees. Once discovered, it took a full year’s work to get the newly created gardens from drawings stage to finished product. We recycled everything we could, including redbrick and old stone, but we had to bring in tonnes and tonnes of hard core and enriched top soil.”
I wouldn’t like to think what it cost to bring those designs to fruition, but my God what an incredible job they’ve done. For those of you who know Cork city, the hotel is located at the top of high ground opposite Kent Station. The gardens stretch down to road level and how they managed to build them on such a steep site is beyond me.
One of the many walkways at the Montenotte Hotel gardens in Cork.
There are so many things to love about this garden, it’s hard to know where to begin. As you arrive into the hotel and head towards the carpark, there’s a 120m long south-facing old stone wall that is the backdrop for a gorgeous herbaceous border.
It’s filled with repeat plantings of day lilies, verbascum, white penstemon and phlox. Thuja ‘Sinaragd’ gives height, while eryisum (wallflowers) ‘Artist Paintbox’ flowers all year round. Hidden away in one corner are lots of tree ferns, banana plants, melianthus and Vietnamese dandelions, which all survive the winters in Cork.
The extensive woodland garden is a paradise for snowdrops, daffodils, primula, cowslips, dicentra and bluebells in spring. It now boasts lots of hydrangeas, ferns and grasses, as well as Japanese anemone and vinca ‘Gertrude Jekyll’.
Alstroemeria looking good in the sunken garden at the Montenotte Hotel.
After strolling through layers and layers of the garden, it was then incredible to come upon a proper wild flower meadow. But there it was – a third of an acre in full sunshine. “It changes colour every week and it’s amazing how little seed is needed to create the impact. We had a little zip lock bag of seed and I didn’t think it was near enough, but sowing at the rate of a teaspoon per square metre, it worked brilliantly,” says Ann.
If I was to pick my favourite garden room, then it would have to be the sunken Victorian garden with its four raised beds surrounding a central fountain. The planting here is just gorgeous, full of rich golden colour. Alstroemeria is a real show stopper that flowers all year long and all it needs is for spent stems to be removed every few months.
I haven’t the space to write about the various walks, what’s covering the walls, the rockeries, herb garden and the numerous seating areas that provide plenty of space for social distancing. It’s no wonder the Montenotte is considered one of the most “Instagramable” hotels in the country.
You can see it all for yourself by booking a Green Fingers Getaway at The Montenotte from now to the 30 September. Head gardener Ann Daly will give a free garden tour every Saturday at 1pm. To book, visit www.themontenottehotel.com/en/special-offers or call 021-453 0050.
Mairead Lavery was
a guest of the hotel.
It’s about four years ago since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. That first year after diagnosis was a misery, as I was banned from gardening. No more bending, weeding or planting for me. At the time, I had a fabulous herbaceous border, but with everything going on I had to abandon it. So, to replace the border, we set about making some raised flower beds that are easy to manage. I can reach across them to weed or plant and they have worked well.
We’ve an old mixed hedge on the west side of the house. Last year, we stripped it back to about a third of its width and built a raised bed in the space. It’s packed full of snowdrops and daffodils, and the tulips were a great success. It looked really well up to the middle of May.
My under-performing flower bed.
However, once the tulips went over, the bed just sat there doing next to nothing. It should have been full of peonies and lupins in June and early dahlias by now. They were there, but flowered weakly. Yes, the carpet roses have done well and the lilies will look great in another few weeks, but on the whole, it’s been a bit of a let-down. I think I better think it out again
So what caused the problem? The old hedge was the main culprit, as well as my diligence in caring for it. Last Christmas, I took the secateurs to the remaining third of the hedge and cut out all the dead wood, briars and other assorted rubbish. It was like I had given it a massive tonic. The thing took off and we’ve had a job keeping it in check.
In taking off, it overshadowed the flowers and they had to stretch to reach the light. It also sucked every bit of moisture out of the bed. With all the rain we’ve had over the past six weeks, I never thought of checking moisture levels in the bed. It was only when I tried planting a few annuals and bedding plants to give it a bit of colour that I realised the whole thing was bone dry.
Regular watering has helped, but damage has been done. The hedge was supposed to provide protection from the westerly winds, not take over. As Fagin in Oliver sings: “I think I better think it out again.”
Deadhead – I can’t stress how important this is. Regular deadheading can mean an extra month of flowering from your garden favourites.
Bedding to the rescue – If your flower beds are looking bedraggled it’s amazing how quickly a few bedding plants or annuals will fill the space. There is plenty of choice still available in garden centres.
Hold onto bulbs – If you are clearing out pots, make sure to replant the spent spring bulbs – even the smallest ones will bulk up and flower, if they are given a chance.
Hidden gardens rediscovered
Now that foreign travel has been more or less banned, people are looking at short breaks on home shores. When we are away, I like to stay somewhere with a nice garden and we have located a real hum dinger in Cork.
The Montenotte Hotel has been in business a long time, but it’s only three years ago since it’s 5.8ac of hidden gardens were rediscovered, as head gardener Ann Daly explains.
The rediscovered gardens at the Montenotte Hotel.
“This was once the garden of a private house – it gradually went into decline and for years was hidden by scrub and trees. Once discovered, it took a full year’s work to get the newly created gardens from drawings stage to finished product. We recycled everything we could, including redbrick and old stone, but we had to bring in tonnes and tonnes of hard core and enriched top soil.”
I wouldn’t like to think what it cost to bring those designs to fruition, but my God what an incredible job they’ve done. For those of you who know Cork city, the hotel is located at the top of high ground opposite Kent Station. The gardens stretch down to road level and how they managed to build them on such a steep site is beyond me.
One of the many walkways at the Montenotte Hotel gardens in Cork.
There are so many things to love about this garden, it’s hard to know where to begin. As you arrive into the hotel and head towards the carpark, there’s a 120m long south-facing old stone wall that is the backdrop for a gorgeous herbaceous border.
It’s filled with repeat plantings of day lilies, verbascum, white penstemon and phlox. Thuja ‘Sinaragd’ gives height, while eryisum (wallflowers) ‘Artist Paintbox’ flowers all year round. Hidden away in one corner are lots of tree ferns, banana plants, melianthus and Vietnamese dandelions, which all survive the winters in Cork.
The extensive woodland garden is a paradise for snowdrops, daffodils, primula, cowslips, dicentra and bluebells in spring. It now boasts lots of hydrangeas, ferns and grasses, as well as Japanese anemone and vinca ‘Gertrude Jekyll’.
Alstroemeria looking good in the sunken garden at the Montenotte Hotel.
After strolling through layers and layers of the garden, it was then incredible to come upon a proper wild flower meadow. But there it was – a third of an acre in full sunshine. “It changes colour every week and it’s amazing how little seed is needed to create the impact. We had a little zip lock bag of seed and I didn’t think it was near enough, but sowing at the rate of a teaspoon per square metre, it worked brilliantly,” says Ann.
If I was to pick my favourite garden room, then it would have to be the sunken Victorian garden with its four raised beds surrounding a central fountain. The planting here is just gorgeous, full of rich golden colour. Alstroemeria is a real show stopper that flowers all year long and all it needs is for spent stems to be removed every few months.
I haven’t the space to write about the various walks, what’s covering the walls, the rockeries, herb garden and the numerous seating areas that provide plenty of space for social distancing. It’s no wonder the Montenotte is considered one of the most “Instagramable” hotels in the country.
You can see it all for yourself by booking a Green Fingers Getaway at The Montenotte from now to the 30 September. Head gardener Ann Daly will give a free garden tour every Saturday at 1pm. To book, visit www.themontenottehotel.com/en/special-offers or call 021-453 0050.
Mairead Lavery was
a guest of the hotel.
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