Old Gardens

Renovating old gardens.

As satisfying as it is planning and planting a new garden, there’s something magical about unearthing an old garden with lots of history. I imagine it’s similar to renovating an old house, peeling back the layers. Sometimes it could be old cracks and falling plaster, but other times it can be unearthing gems such as old antique fireplaces or hidden signs of how things used to be. The garden I am working on at the moment has had its fair share of history and stories.
Originally built in the mid 1930’s, this small town garden has been left to grow wild since the previous owner of fifty years passed away. The garden is divided by a solid concrete path with railway type tracks running the length of them, again made out of mass concrete. At the side of the path are small areas of grass and sprawling roses that spike your arm as you walk up the four steps from the kitchen. The garden hasn’t been cut back for about three years so I can see at a glance that cotoneaster is starting to take over and there are a few trees that will get very big very soon, especially an ash tree covering the washing line and a sycamore that will send it’s helicopter seeds all over this garden and the neighbours every autumn unless it is removed all together. I can also see a small area where a glasshouse used to stand and a small patio area just large enough to set a table and chairs. Surrounding this are old herbs, sage, curry plant and a dead basil tree, the frost from last year has forced another casualty

It’s only the first day I have seen this small overgrown garden so I won’t be doing anything too drastic straight away. First of all I will just spend time in the garden. This standing around looking into space thinking is what used to get me into so much bother both at school and when I worked for other people, it was always assumed I was “slacking off work” when I stared out of the window or into space, when I was actually using my imagination. Who am I kidding, I was slacking off work. I still am probably, but now I don’t have anyone telling me off.
There are moments of pure inspiration though and these can come to anyone at anytime, so I don’t want to force the issue. The garden will let me know what to do, but I must make a start, well Julie is, as I am thinking about things she just gets on her boots and starts clearing the area around the clothesline. Practicality sometimes outweighs artistic temperament- if you don’t have anywhere to hang the washing, it could ruin your day.

My mind wanders back to 1997 when I answered a job advertisement from a stately home in Edenderry, County Offaly. They were looking for someone to lead a team of gardeners and landscapers to renovate their 2 acre walled garden and bring it back to its former Victorian splendour of grape houses and melon pits.
Ballindoolin Walled Garden
The walled garden was created with the house in 1822. It was built at the beginning of the modern garden era, as we know it today, before then natural landscapes were popular around large country houses.

In 1822 Scot J. C. Loudon published his "Encyclopedia of Gardening" containing instructions for all the various garden elements which became fashionable in the 19th century and all these elements can be seen at Ballindoolin; the rockery, shrubbery, glasshouse, rose garden and massed carpet bedding which lent itself to the planting of parterres in a formal manner.

The 18th century landscape gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown designed "natural" landscapes by using clumps and belts of trees to enhance the natural countryside. This can be seen in Ballindoolin looking West from the Iron Age Mound on the nature trail. The woods were planted around this time and it is possible that the folly (Dove Côte) was built as a ruin to compliment the natural wild look of the landscape. The ha-ha or sunken ditch which surrounds the land at the front of Ballindoolin House is a barrier to livestock but gives the illusion of continuous fields stretching into the distance from the front door of the house

After the First World War labour became increasingly expensive, and many beautiful gardens became neglected due to decreasing family fortunes, and large scale planting of shrubs as ground cover to reduce maintenance became popular. The Ballindoolin gardens shared the same sad fate, over the years the walled garden and pleasure gardens became almost completely overgrown and deserted.
Restoration

In 1996, Finola Reid the co-ordinator of the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme, first visited the overgrown gardens at Ballindoolin. One year and much soul searching later the decision was made to apply for assistance. It was a big step to take for the family living in the house because one of the stipulations was that the house should be open to the public. Ballindoolin's only other means of income was from farming and the anticipated earnings from agriculture didn't look very promising in Ireland in 1997.
The refurbishments didn’t stop at the garden. Ballindoolin House now has a museum, enclosed children’s animal farmyard, nature trails, a lime kiln and craft shops.

I didn’t get the position but I keep a keen interest in the gardens development and pop in occasionally to see the family and stand and stare into space. I am still staring, albeit on a greatly smaller scale.