Gardens of the Midlands

We depart today, with our expert gardener Brona Dore, from The Alex Hotel in Dublin for a visit to a private garden at Lough Owel, Co Westmeath.

Our journey continues onwards to Tullynally Castle & Gardens where the 12 acres are divided between walled gardens, extensive woodland gardens and two ornamental lakes with much of the present layout dating from the early 1800s.

Following our visit we travel to our hotel in Tullamore in the late afternoon.

Following a leisurely breakfast we depart our hotel for a visit to Clonohill Gardens, set at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. These country farmhouse gardens feature woodland, lawns, herbaceous borders and a sheltered walled garden overlooking a lake.  Our next visit of the morning takes us to the family owned Gash Gardens with an imaginative blend of vibrant and unusual planting along with many fine specimen trees and shrubs.

Our day continues with free time in Abbeyleix for lunch (at own expense) before enjoying a visit to Heywood Gardens. Set on a hillside this 18^th century landscape consists of gardens, lakes, woodland and exciting architectural features. One of the site’s most unusual features is a sunken garden containing an elongated pool.  We return to our hotel this afternoon.

This morning we start our day with a visit to the historic Ballintubbert Gardens with highlights that include Lutyens Sunken garden, the Secret Garden and the Shakelton Garden which is a myriad of spring colours.

Following some free time for lunch in Durrow (at own expense) we will visit Dunmore Country School for a guided tour led by the owner, Tanguy de Toulgoët. This working kitchen garden follows traditional gardening methods believing in the importance of biodiversity and sustainability.

After checking out of our hotel we will depart for a morning visit to Ardagh Village Landscape Gardens, an informal garden set on two acres comprised of woodland, orchard and unusual shrubs all connected by meandering paths.

This afternoon our journey takes us to Belvedere House & Gardens, a magnificent 160 acre lakeside estate with a fully restored Georgian Villa, Victorian Walled Garden, 18^th century parkland and follies.

We return to The Alex Hotel, Dublin in the late afternoon after a wonderful few days discovering the Gardens of the Midlands.