Ireland for Garden Lovers

I was born and raised in Ireland and moved to Colorado after meeting my husband in England.  At the time I was sitting at Reading Railway Station, waiting for the train and  who should sit down beside me only Himself,
Fast forward 30 years and here I am, transplanted from sea level and the misty moist climate of Ireland to The Mile High City of Denver. Typical rainfall here is about 15 inches annually and we get about 250 sunny days.  And of course it's hot now.
 I love it.  Except for right now when I'm homesick for lush and lovely Ireland .  A little retail therapy always helps and for me that can only mean a visit to eBay and Books.
Now, I am very happy and eagerly planning my next trip to Ireland thanks to this little gem that I found and want to share with all you lovers of things beautiful and lovely.  It is Georgina Campbell's Ireland for Garden Lovers
Not another coffee table book of pretty pictures, this is a compact, sturdy paperback designed to be tossed in the glove compartment or tucked into your shoulder bag. Of course it has lots of gorgeous pictures but it is a workhorse of a travel guide, packed with great information, phone numbers, contacts, sites, directions and whether a garden is wheelchair accessible or suitable for children. Also, opening times since many gardens close up between September and April.
This contains everything any garden lover needs to plan  her own "Gentle Journey through Ireland's most beautiful gardens with delightful places to stay along the way"
Is that something that you would like to do? If so, contact me.

Irish Gardens

What can I say!  I'm just returning from my yearly visit to Ireland and I have to tell you- flowers were just everywhere !  Hedges of multicolored hydrangeas, fuchsias growing wild in gardens that were abandoned years ago and geraniums  so blindingly, vibrantly red and prolific . They were  in window boxes  and  hanging baskets,  even planted up in an old horse trough  that wasn't needed  anymore.
Rose bushes, sparkling with rain bore some of the most fragrant and enormous blooms  I've ever seen They are prone to black spot and powdery mildew in the damp climate of Ireland but these diehard gardeners are not to be deterred
Petunias, the likes of which I've never seen, resembled enormous flower balls in baskets suspended over the ancient bridges and streets.
Montbretias in the ditches lined the narrow one lane roads. Considered a weed by most Irish gardeners it defies all attempts to suppress it, coming back year after year brighter and stronger. Queen Anne's lace which is commonly called Cow Parsley is another example of one persons weed being another persons prized flower.
 I loved that people without gardens still had flowers !  And while some people call it "yard work", these hardy souls were gardening in the purest sense of the word