Peter Dowdall: 'Open garden' visits are an inspirational summer tradition in Cork 

The Friends Of Marymount Open Gardens Summer 2022 series of visits draws to a close in Cloyne on July 24

The garden at Seanabea Cottage in Cloyne which will host an open garden day in aid of Marymount Hospice on Sunday, July 24.

So what is the one thing that you would like to do when taking a break from your garden? 

Well, the answer’s obvious  — visit someone else’s garden. 

I have huge respect for anyone who is brave enough to open their garden to the public, to bare their soul to the outside world and to show off their handiwork and hidden treasures.

Fantastic then that six such generous garden owners are allowing us to glimpse their gardening exploits this summer in aid of Marymount Hospice.

The garden at Seanabea Cottage  in Cloyne will open on July 24 in aid of Marymount Hospice

The Friends Of Marymount Open Gardens Summer 2022 fundraising programme kicked off on June 19, when Nora Roche opened her garden in Mallow. 

The series of open gardens runs from then, on various dates until the final event of 2022 on July 24 when John Terry and Hilary Nason open their wonderful garden at Seanabea Cottage in Cloyne.

Visiting open gardens like these is a great way to get inspiration for your own garden and whilst you may never strive to have a garden to be opened to the public, you can still bring home takeaways from each. 

It may be as simple as a plant combination or you may see something else such as differing textures in the gardens or design elements, features such as statues, ponds or the simple siting of a pot or large urn.

Spare more than a thought too for the garden owners for they are putting themselves out there, hours, days and weeks of preparation will have gone into each garden to make sure that they are looking at their very best for the "open" date. 

That 'it just happened' look didn’t 'just happen'. Much thought and perhaps blood, sweat and tears, will have gone into creating that casual perfection.

Sleepless nights are commonplace before open day. I remember well one lady, who shall remain nameless, in the days before opening, was frantic that the roses and lawn should be at their best for the upcoming Saturday when her wonderful garden was open. 

I knew her garden and was well aware that it was already breath-taking and didn’t require such panic. 

However, panic reached a new level, when she discovered brown footprints going through the lawn about three days beforehand. Somebody had been spraying weedkiller and had clearly got some on their shoes and walked across the lawn soon afterwards.

You can imagine the consternation and said, offending footprints were lifted out of the lawn and replaced with turves cut with forensic precision, all completed within hours of opening.

Not every garden owner will be as precise and as concerned about perfection and nor should they be, for everyone’s garden is individual and reflects everything about the person who tends it. So, expect to see a mixture of casual, informal, pristine and nonchalant gardens on your open garden travels over the next two months.

You will see gardens where it is all about the plants and somewhere it is more about the overall design and layout. 

You will get, in each garden, a brief glimpse into the soul of the person that created it. 

You can tell so much about people from their gardens, the type of plants that they like, whether the lawn is putting-green perfect or if it is an area rather more untended and left for the bees and other pollinating insects to feed on and call home.

The garden of Maurice and Gertie O'Donoghue in Carrignavar, Co Cork, during a previous 'open garden'. Picture: Dan Linehan

This will no doubt reflect the person whose garden it is, just as the mixture of garden styles will mirror the gardeners' personalities. Whatever the style and type of garden, one thing will be universal and that is the generosity of spirit of all that agree to open their plots for such a worthwhile charity.

The garden at Seanabea Cottage

In the same way that open gardens present a great opportunity to draw inspiration from the garden it also allows you to get to know the head gardener. I know most, but not all of the people involved and they will all be only too happy to share with the visitor their inspiration and knowledge. Be that concerning how the garden was created or where they sourced particular plants.

You see we’re a pretty calm and friendly bunch, us gardeners, we get it from the soil! Once you enter the enchanted wonderland of someone else’s garden your biggest challenge will be keeping an eye on the time. For, like everything you do in the garden, once you begin, the clocks seem to enter a parallel universe and whilst you only went for a quick visit, by the time you leave, the small hand on the clock will have moved full circle several times.

For more information see www.marymount.ie/open-gardens-summer-2022

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