The Gardens Trust presents a series of 4 online talks on some of the well- and lesser known historic gardens of Ireland Wednesdays from 1 Feb £5 each or £16 for all. Register through Eventbrite HERE., or visit https://thegardenstrust.org for more details. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk (If you do not receive this link please contact us). A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. The first in the series, on February 1, is on Mount Usher.
William Robinson (1838 – 1935) who advocated a naturalistic style of gardening described Mount Usher as ‘a charming example of the gardens that might be made in river valleys’. Edward Walpole had purchased a mill house and land by the Vartry river at Ashford, Co. Wicklow. We examine how from the 1880s his sons, described as ‘Robinson’s disciples’ introduced his ideas as they and later generations planted an 8-ha site and created what remains an outstanding example of a Robinsonian garden in Ireland.
For Dr Mary Forrest, horticulture has been her occupation and gardening her hobby for many years. After studies in amenity horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin and commercial horticulture in University College Dublin, Mary was appointed A Taisce Heritage Gardens Fellow – preparing an inventory of trees and shrubs in private and public gardens in Ireland, published as Trees and Shrubs cultivated in Ireland (Carrageen Books, 1985) One of the gardens catalogued was Mount Usher, Co. Wicklow. Following three years as Horticultural Supervisor at Glenveagh National Park, Co. Donegal. Mary was appointed lecturer in UCD where she specialised in ornamental horticulture and garden history from 1986 until retirement in 2020. She has spoken on Irish garden history at the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Trust’s annual conferences and published papers on women’s horticultural colleges, school gardens, allotments and Arbor Day in 20th century Ireland. She holds an MSc in environmental sciences; a PhD in cut foliage studies and an MA in Carmelite Studies.
