Ireland Garden Tour 2012; June 11-21, 2012

Tour Highlights:
This trip, lead by Yew Dell Botanical Gardens executive director, Dr. Paul Cappiello and assistant director Karla Drover, will travel through the Emerald Isle renowned for its spectacular scenery, generous garden climate, varied culture and rich history. The tour will visit a dozen of the best gardens, castles and sights in the region. The small group of approximately 20 participants allows for spacious coach accommodations and convenient group travel. Trip package includes: Welcoming dinner and wine the first night of the trip Farewell dinner including wine with dinner 1 additional dinner on June 17th and 1 lunch on June 16th at Annes Grove 10 night hotel accommodations including breakfast at each hotel Admission to 12 gardens, some with castle tours included 35 passenger Coach Ferry transportation costs Tips for coach driver, group meals and hotel porters Itinerary including garden descriptions, hotel contact information Professional tour guide with more than 20 years of experience in garden tour management Trip package does not include: Air travel Lunches and dinners not specified as included Health insurance Trip insurance Trip cost details: $4500 single occupancy, $4000 per person, double occupancy (both include a $500 tax deductible contribution to Yew Dell Botanical Gardens) Nonrefundable deposit of 50% of package cost required to reserve a space on the trip Balance due 60 days prior to the initiation of tour

Pricing is based on an exchange rate of 1 Euro to 1.28 USD. If the exchange rate increases by more than 10% (ie. 1 Euro to 1.41 USD) by the first day of the tour, the package price will be adjusted to accommodate the exchange rate.

Itinerary
June 11 Arrive in Dublin. Travel to the Carton House Hotel (www.cartonhouse.com). For those arriving early in the day, Jackie Gigli, our tour guide for the trip will be available to meet you for a short walk-about of the city. Meet at the hotel for our welcome dinner and wine (included). June 12 Travel by coach to Helen Dillons garden with a sight-seeing tour with a local guide. Entrance to the house, coffee and biscuits are included with the tour. Lunch will be in Dublin. In the afternoon, well visit the National Botanic Garden at Glasnevin. Lunch and dinner on your own.
Helen Dillon Garden

Helen Dillon has been called the queen of Irish gardeners, having spent years designing, collecting, writing, and gardening, her small Dublin garden has become the most photographed of Irish gardens. Dillons style is informal and eclectic, offering the perfect canvas for her extensive interest in plant collecting. Those interested in design, garden lore and unusual plants will be in for a treat at this stunning stop.
National Botanic Garden of Ireland; Glasnevin

The house and lands of the poet Thomas Tickell were sold in 1790 to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society for them to establish Ireland's first Botanic Gardens. The garden has had a long history of new plant introduction and research; the first successful hybridization of insectivorous pitcher plants, introduction of Cardiocrinum giganteum (which we have flowered successfully many times at Yew Dell!) and many other species. The gardens offer more than 20,000 plant species and cultivars and a 200+year old Taxus walk. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 18451847 potato famine was identified. The gardens contain extensive plant collections, Victorian glasshouses and well known rock and bog gardens. One of the most popular sights in the garden is 'The last Rose of Summer' - a cultivar of the China rose R. chinensis. It was raised from a cutting taken from a rose at Jenkinstown House in County Kilkenny which, according to tradition, was the rose that inspired Thomas Moore to write his famous ballad.

June 13 We will drive to visit the gardens of Mount Usher in the morning and have lunch (on your own) at Mount Usher. In the afternoon we will visit the outstanding gardens of Powerscourt before returning to Dublin for dinner on your own at one of the fine local restaurants.
Mount Usher Gardens

Voted The most romantic garden to visit in the Republic of Ireland, this William Robinson designed/inspired garden has been described as a collection of felicitous natural plantings according to Robinsons principles . . . Those principles were based on gardens designed in harmony with the surrounding land and countryside. Mount Usher sits on the site of a former grist mill on the banks of the River Vartry. The plant collections are extensive and varied and the setting is exquisite. Designer William Robinson was among the most successful of garden designers, philosophers and writers. His 1892 The English Flower Garden quickly became one of the most influential garden books and helped to launch what would become the English cottage garden style.
Powerscourt

If magnificent manors, statuary, grand views and big old tree specimens are your thing, Powerscourt is for you. The 250-year-old garden has undergone numerous renewals and revisions but it has been tended, designed, planted and tweaked continuously, starting with the original redwood plantings over 200 years ago, up to the current day. The grounds not only contain formal walled and Japanese gardens (and much more), but also include natural areas that offer, among many other features, Irelands highest waterfall at some 400. Did we mention that this all sits nestled into the fabled Wicklow Mountains? June 14 We will leave Dublin for the 160 mile journey to Cork. Lunch (on your own) will be en route as well as a visit to the Japanese Garden at the National Stud (The Curragh). We will check into our second hotel, the Imperial, South Mall (http://www.flynnhotels.com/Imperial_Hotel_Cork). Dinner will be on your own in Cork.
The National Japanese Garden; Curragh

Described as one of the finest Asian gardens in all of Europe, this gem was created in the early 1900s by the late Col. William Hall-Walker. Bringing in from Japan one of the most in-demand Japanese designers and his son, he also brought in boatloads (literally!) of garden plants, bonsai, garden ornaments and structures. The garden paths are laid out as a journey of life with all the poetic choices, peaks and valleys that one would expect. But beware passing through the Gateway of Eternity . . . there is a rumor that if one takes the metaphor a bit too seriously, you may never return to the bus!

June 15 We plan to visit two outstanding venues - the Fota Arboretum and Mount Congreve before returning to Cork. Lunch and dinner on your own.
Fota Arboretum

This grand estate garden sits on a costal site that allows cultivation of a wide range of species from northern as well as southern hemispheres. It is widely regarded as one of the finest collections of rare and tender trees and shrubs grown outdoors in Ireland and Britain. In the early 1800s, the Smith-Barry family recognized the unique features of the site and began to create a refuge for tender plants that were being collected around the globe by many of the great plant explorers of the day. The name Fota derives from the Irish Fod te which translates roughly to warm soil. The arboretum collections were planted with generous spacing making Fota one of the few botanic gardens in the northern hemisphere where these plants can be seen growing outdoors and to full scale. Plant ID wizards be prepared to be stumped! Fota is certainly not Kansas!
Mount Congreve

This masterpiece began as the 1760 creation of Mr. John Congreve of Waterford a wealthy businessman and developer who purchased a piece of land overlooking the River Suir to build his country estate. Inspired by the exceptional gardens of Mr. Lionel de Rothschild at Exbury, England, Mr. Congreve embarked on collecting and laying out his gardens that today include acres of woodland gardens and an exceptional 4-acre walled garden. Todays gardens contain some 300 maple varieties, 600 conifers, 600 camellias, 2000 rhododendrons and more than 1500 herbaceous species and cultivars. The herbaceous boarders are some of the best in Ireland. June 16 We will depart Cork for Annes Grove, Castletownroche, Nr, Mallow where we will visit the gardens and have lunch (included). After the visit we will continue for Killarney and our stay at the Dunloe Castle Hotel (http://www.thedunloe.com). Well even have time to tour the gardens at the Castle.
Annes Grove Gardens

A County Cork haven for garden enthusiasts, Annes Grove Gardens traces its roots back to the mid 18th century and has remained in private hands to the present day. This William Robinson inspired garden combines native and exotic plants intertwined into a naturalistic landscape of impressive variety. The present day gardens are primarily the result of work of the late Richard Grove Annesley who presided over the gardens in the early to mid 1900s. Many of the rhododendrons were grown from seed by Mr. Annesley

from seed collected in Tibet, Nepal and Western China by famed plant explorer Frank Kingdom-Ward (who will be discussed in detail during Yew Dells upcoming Garden Geek lecture series in February).
Dunloe Castle Gardens

It has been said that a great garden is only possible with great hardscape and what better hardscape to provide garden atmosphere than a medieval castle ruin! Dunloe combines the mystical ruins with an impressive collection of plants from all corners of the globe. The entire site sits amidst rugged surrounding countryside making for an exceptional setting. Extensive collections of magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias set the stage for a staggering array of rare and tender plants. New plantings are overseen by none other than Sir Roy Lancaster.

June 17 We will spend the day driving through the Ring of Kerry, exploring the south west and then take the ferry to the beautiful garden of Ilnacullin. Dinner (included) will be at a local restaurant.
Ilnacullin

Located in the sheltered harbor of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay, Ilnacullin is a small island of 37 acres known to horticulturists and lovers of trees and shrubs all around the world as an island garden of rare beauty. The gardens of Ilnacullin owe their existence to the creative partnership, some eighty years ago, of Annan Bryce, then owner of the island and Harold Peto, architect and garden designer. Accessible only by ferry boat, the island provides a unique microclimate, allowing gardeners to successfully cultivate a dizzying diversity of plant species. The gardens offer a mixture of both Italianate and Japanese styles and features and unique architectural elements including a Martello tower from the time of the Napoleonic Wars, and both Grecian and Italian temples.

June 18 Our last day in Killarney will include morning visits to Muckross and the National Park. The afternoon will be free to shop or sight-see. Lunch and dinner will be on your own.
Muckross Garden

When the Victorian collecting bug hit, Muckross was certainly not left behind. Like many gardens of the time in this gardeners-dream climate, Muckross is filled with many species of magnolia, rhododendron and camellia, offering a spectacular display from early Spring through midsummer. The magnificent house has been completely restored, offering glimpses of how the place looked during the days it was owned by Lord

Ardilaun of Guinness fame. The grounds offer an extensive arboretum, sunken, rock and stream gardens featuring southern hemisphere plant species. June 19 We will depart for the Dublin area, a journey of about 200 miles. Well make some coffee and lunch stops on the way and arrive at the Grand Hotel, Malahide (http://www.thegrand.ie), which is north-east of Dublin and near the airport. June 20 Our last day! The morning will be occupied with a visit to the Talbot Botanic Garden and Castle. The afternoon is free for last minute shopping. Our farewell dinner will be at a local Malahide restaurant.
Talbot Botanic Garden (description adapted from www.gardenlovers.ie)

Milo Talbot, 7th Baron Malahide was the last in a long line of Talbots who had continuous connection with Malahide since they were granted the lands in 1185. Between 1948 and his death in 1973, Milo Talbot enhanced the grounds of the castle, laying out 20 acres of gardens and introducing many rare trees and shrubs, especially species from Australasia which were his particular passion. The castle, with its medieval great hall cloaked by a Gothic exterior, has a setting of sweeping lawns and fine old trees, among them cedars of Lebanon and a swooping boughed sessile oak under planted with cyclamen and snowdrops. Behind the castle a series of grassy lawns are laid out and planted with a collection of trees and shrubs. Flanking the lawns are collections of Stachyurus praecox,Abies spectabilis, scented viburnums, Chilean holly with waxy red and yellow trumpets and starry flowered olearias. Hidden away in the four acres of walled garden is the holy of holies, which houses the most precious and tender species of the collection. The most spectacular section is the luxuriant pond garden, while the Tresco Wall is a testament to Milo Talbots pioneering attempts to grow tender varieties such as Albizia julibrissin and Acacia pravissima outdoors - and greenhouses shelter yet more tender specimens. An Australasian section of the garden has recently been created in honor of Milo Talbot. June 21 The coach will transfer us to the Dublin Airport for departure to the US. We will set a time which will suit our needs and if necessary, two coach trips are an option.