Garden designer Catherine FitzGerald, of Lutyens & FitzGerald in London and Glin Castle, Limerick, has identified three trends to think about when designing or reframing your garden this summer…
Hot on the heels of the inaugural Festival of Gardens and Nature in Co Laois last month (which she co-founded with Minnie Preston) garden designer Catherine FitzGerald, of Lutyens & Fitzgerald in London and Glin Castle, Limerick, has identified three trends to think about when designing or reframing your garden this summer:
1. “Gravel gardens are genius: planting into gravel and sand rather than soil means less weeding, less maintenance and less compost! Just choose the right plants that are adapted to gravel: hummocks of santolina, rosemary, cardoons and creeping thyme, Iris pallida and fennel. Seed about with evening primrose and California poppies. Think Derek Jarman’s garden on the strand at Dungeness in Kent or look up what Peter Korn is doing near Malmo in Sweden.”
2. “Plant single flowers for pollinators to enjoy: purer, simpler, lovelier and better for bees and insects. Think roses, poppies and gorgeous pale pink Peonia Nymph”.
3. “Natural organic swimming pools, surrounded by native plants: glorious stands of yellow flag iris and purple loosestrife, marsh marigold, and oxegenators such as hornwort, sweet galingale, and water crowfoot. Swim in clear water surrounded by swallows diving to drink, dragon flies, damsel flies, and if you are very lucky, newts! This is the best thing you can do for biodiversity, apart from planting a tree.”
WHAT TO:
WEAR: Irish textile designer Alison Nea’s new collection of naturally dyed linen called Grounded, inspired by vintage French workwear – ideal for days in the garden. www.modh.ie
USE: We love Re-Found Objects new collection of vegetable tea towels, €8.50; www.re-found objects.com
BOOK: Ashford Castle’s new Cré offer – an immersive plant-to-plate experience during which guests will don wellies and enjoy a tour of the estate’s two-acre historic kitchen garden by head gardener Alex Lavarde, above. Afterwards, there’s a special three-course meal made from the produce grown on the estate. From June to October, for groups of up to six people. www.ashfordcastle.com.
SEE: Corrina Earlie’s new exhibition of flower portraits, “Heliotrope”, at Studio 10, Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, from May 10.
C.Atherley, a new bath and body care line founded by Cath Kidson, was inspired by her love of scented geraniums. Geranium No 1 hand cream, €21, at Howbert & Mays stores and www.catherley.com.
Sarah Timmis, above, went to India to research her new business, and has designed pretty garden parasols with octagonal block-printed canvas canopies in blue, orange and blue, and grey and pink, all with optional coloured piping. The sturdy cedar parasols and canvas canopies are handmade. The canopies, in 2.75m and 3m sizes, are detachable and can be drycleaned. To see the collection and to order, contact Sarah on Instagram @loveparasols.com.
WHAT TO READ:
The Flower Yard in Containers & Pots: Creating Paradise Season by Season, Arthur Parkinson,€25, Rizzoli.
Life in the Garden, Bunny Williams, €40, Rizzoli.
Grounded in the Garden, TJ Maher, €29, Pimpernel Press.
Outside In, A Year of Growing & Displaying, Sean A Pritchard, €30, Michael Beazley.