23 December 2025

Garden visits in Ireland

We recently spent three inspiring days in Ireland, travelling over to attend a course at Jimi Blake’s remarkable Hunting Brook Garden. The workshop ‘Succession Planting & Full Bloom’, co-hosted by Luke from Great Dixter, was a brilliant deep dive into colour, planting, and the artistry of garden-making. Between them, they delivered a true masterclass. We came away with so many valuable notes; they were remarkably generous in sharing their knowledge.

That evening we stayed just down the road at June Blake’s, where we wandered through the most atmospheric garden in the evening light, soaking in the riot of colours.

The pace picked up the following day as we dashed south to Patthana Garden having had an incredible lunch at The Strawberry Tree, Ireland’s first fully organic restaurant. There was an amazing variety of ferments, pickles and preserved wild foods stored in jars. We got to see their walk-in wild foods pantry, oh my! TJ and his partner Simon welcomed us with unforgettable warmth. TJ—an extraordinary artist—brings his painterly eye to the landscape, creating a garden rich in colour, structure, and imagination.

On our final morning, with barely an hour to spare before our flight, we made a flying visit to Ardan Garden near Dublin. Owned and lovingly tended by Nuala and Conall, it’s a thrilling, dynamic space bursting with ideas. They gave us a generous whistle-stop tour before we headed straight to the airport and just made it onto our plane home.