Historic Cork Gardens facts for kids

County Cork, in Ireland, is famous for its beautiful and historic gardens. These gardens are like living museums, showing us how people designed and cared for plants many years ago. They often feature rare and exotic plants brought from all over the world by brave explorers and botanists. Let's explore some of these amazing green spaces!

Annes Grove Gardens

Annes Grove Gardens were started by Richard Grove Annesley near Fermoy. This garden is special because it has many rhododendrons from the Himalayas. Some of these came from seeds collected by Captain Frank Kingdon-Ward in places like Myanmar and Tibet in 1924. The garden is located by the River Blackwater and has a unique water garden. A famous garden writer, William Robinson, even wrote about it in his book The English Flower Garden.

Ardnagashel House

Ardnagashel House sits by Bantry Bay. It was home to the Hutchins family, including a botanist named Ellen Hutchins. With help from the Director of Kew Gardens, Ellen created an arboretum here. An arboretum is like a special park filled with many different kinds of trees. This one included a Podocarpus salignus, which is one of the best in Ireland or Britain. Later, Colonel Kaulback added more trees and shrubs from the Himalayas. He had traveled with Frank Kingdon-Ward on plant expeditions. Earlier, Samuel Hutchins brought 100 packets of Australian plant seeds in 1858.

Ashbourne House

In 1900, Mr. R.H. Beamish created his alpine and sub-tropical gardens at Glounthaune. These gardens featured plants from China, brought by E.H. Wilson, and from New Zealand, brought by Captain Dorrien Smith. One special plant here is Haplocartha scaposa, which Mr. Beamish brought from South Africa. You can also find a rare Mexican White Pine (Pinus ayacahuite), which is the tallest of its kind in Ireland and Britain!

Bantry House Gardens

The gardens at Bantry House were first designed by Lord Bantry between 1791 and 1795. His son, Richard (Viscount Berehaven), continued the work from 1844 to 1868. He was inspired by his many trips across Europe. Today, the gardens have been carefully restored to their former beauty.

Belgrove Gardens

Belgrove Gardens were located on Great Island near Cobh in Cork Harbour. They were created by William Edward Gumbleton (1840–1911). He collected plants from botanical gardens all over the world. This garden was a mix of a testing ground and a botanical garden. It was also known for its fruit trials. William Robinson, a famous garden designer, even dedicated a book to Gumbleton in 1899. Gumbleton had one of the best plant libraries in Europe. When he passed away, he gave his books to the Irish National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. Sadly, this garden no longer exists.

Besborough Gardens

Besborough was the home of Ebenezer Pike, located in Blackrock, just outside Cork. It was known for its collection of a plant called 'Desfontainea spinosa'. Later, a group of nuns bought the house and its grounds.

Castlemartyr Gardens

In the early 1800s, the 4th Earl of Shannon designed a beautiful garden at Castlemartyr. It featured many camellia flowers and a grand pinetum, which is a collection of pine trees. The design was based on plans by Fraser.

Cork Botanic Gardens

The Royal Cork Institution was started in 1803. In 1807, they decided to create a botanical garden on a 5.5-acre site in Cork. In 1808, they hired a Scotsman named James Drummond to design the gardens. By 1822, the garden had about six acres and a glasshouse. Drummond was a well-known plant expert. However, the government stopped funding the garden in 1830. The land was then used for a cemetery, which it still is today. The only thing left from the original gardens is a large cedar tree.

Creagh Gardens

Creagh Gardens were created by the Harold-Barry family near Skibbereen, on the shores of Baltimore Bay. This garden has a mix of plants native to Ireland and exotic plants from other countries. It used to be open to visitors as part of the West Cork Garden Trail, but it is no longer open to the public due to a change in ownership.

Drombrow House Gardens

Drombrow House is two miles from Bantry in the Mealagh Valley. In the late 1800s, Arthur Berkeley Wilkinson built a series of water gardens here. He focused on growing beautiful water lilies. The gardens also had many wild flowers. Drombrow even supplied plants like bamboo and water lilies to Glasnevin, another famous garden. After Wilkinson passed away, the estate was not cared for, and the water garden fell into disrepair.

Fota Island Gardens

Fota Island is located about eight miles (13 km) from Cobh in Cork Harbour. It was home to the Smith-Barry family. Hugh Smith-Barry (1816–57) created new land from the sea and planted many fir trees to protect the area. He also established a 4-acre fruit garden and a 15-acre arboretum. His son, Lord Barrymore, continued planting exotic trees with his gardener, William Osborne. They planted trees like the Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) from the Caucasus in 1838. Today, the house, arboretum, and gardens are managed by a special Trust. The rest of the island has a wildlife park and a golf course.

Garnish Island Gardens

Garnish Island, also known as Ilnacullin or The Italian Gardens, was designed by Harold Peto for Annan Bryce in 1910. This island garden was given to the Irish people in 1953. Garnish has a special micro-climate that allows many sub-tropical plants to grow in a stunning setting. You can see structures like a clock tower, a Grecian Temple, a Martello tower, and an Italian Tea House. You can reach the island by a small boat from Glengarriff.

Hollybrook House Gardens

Hollybrook House is in Skibbereen, by the Ilen river. In 1903, a Japanese water garden was created here by two Japanese gardeners for Mrs. Morgan O'Donovan. Hollybrook House is the historic home of the O'Donovan family.

Lakelands Gardens

Lakelands was the home of William Horatio Crawford (1812–1888) in Ballinure, outside Cork. It was here that a special plant called Magnolia campbelli flowered for the very first time in a cultivated garden. Sadly, the house no longer exists today. A modern road now runs over the spot where the house once stood.

Lisselane Gardens

Lisselane is the home of the Bence-Jones family, located outside Clonakilty in West Cork. The gardens here are designed in a natural, "Robinsonian" style. They feature a collection of rare and exotic plants. You can also find a bog-garden, a rock garden, and a fuchsia garden, each with its own unique plants.

Myrtle Grove Gardens

Myrtle Grove was the home of Sir Walter Raleigh, who was the Mayor of Youghal from 1588 to 1589. It is famously believed that the potato was first introduced to Europe right here at Myrtle Grove!

The College, Youghal Gardens

These gardens were created by the Earl of Cork around 1612-1614. They are located next to Sir Walter Raleigh's house at Myrtle Grove. The gardens consist of two long terraces, each about 160 yards long, cut into the hillside. They offer beautiful views overlooking the town. The original garden walls and terracing are still visible today.