We Heart Dublin: Happy Birthday Botanic Garden Tour, Dublin

One of the undoubted unsung joys of Ireland’s Capital City of Dublin are its delightful Botanic Gardens set in its Northside suburb of Glasnevin around 3 miles from the city centre. As I have mentioned in an earlier post my very favorite place in Dublin. Despite some think this is not the place in rainy weather we spent the best time here in lashing RAIN.

The garden is set in a bit off location compared to city centre in Galsnevin. Glasnevin is a village which was been swallowed up by the city’s expansion in the 1900’s but still has a lot of charm and character due to its setting along the Tolka River. I love getting off the bus some stops early and walking to the entrance this gives time to look at the houses and soak up the atmosphere.

It is a place I’m particularly fond of as one of the first places visited in Ireland. We lived not too far away and I went to enjoy the garden often after work with my husband. The entry is free. Dublin’s Botanic Gardens feature a range of glasshouses by Richard Turner. The glasshouses are the most significant wrought and cast iron buildings in Ireland and are one of the most important nineteenth century glasshouses surviving in Europe today.

The gardens themselves now cover 19 hectares and are extremely pleasant to walk around due to the visual interest of the displays and the sloping site leading down to the Tolka River which has been enhanced with weirs, pools and a canal.

Within the living collections at the gardens are over 300 endangered species from around the world and 6 species already extinct in the wild. These are a vital resource, like a Noah's Ark for the future.

{Entrance}

Just at the entrance. Here is this year's pumpkin installation. All pumpkins, cabbages etc. grown in the sample house garden.

{Pumpkin Installation}

The layout of the garden is done in a clockwise circular way from the visitor centre at the entrance to divided into individual lawns, shrubberies and borders. The alpine collection in the rock garden is notable and behind the curvilinear range by the River Tolka head across the bridge onto Mill Field, an island in the river. Off this again over a charming foot bridge you come to a delightful Rose Garden which is easy to miss unless you know it’s there.

{The layout of the Botanic Garden}

{The glasshouse by Richard Turner}

Each year in the early autumn there is a sculpture installation contest in the garden. I love looking at these ideas they are very crafty and most with a nature theme. I took pictures of installation I liked the most.

{Eggs}

{Chrisantanium and dhalia}

{Dhalia}

You do not need to be a plant lover to enjoy this lovely place.

The visitor centre organizes walking tours of the gardens for a little fee, which might be worthwhile. It is a photographer’s paradise. Any time we went there, there were many very serious looking photographers on site displaying the latest equipment and techniques. But even if you are an amateur it is a nice place to start you photo projects.

{Chrisantanium and dhalia}

{Red berries}

{Dragon Eggs}

{Orchid}

{Echeveria}

{Cacti}

{Echeveria}

{Red flowers}

{Visitors centre display}

This time of year you can enjoy Halloween themed dishes and cakes at the Garden Cafe. All locally sourced and freshly prepared, they specialties include quiche and soups. If you happen to start in the Cafe which might happen on a rainy day round off the celebration with a walk around the Garden to offset the pavlova or any of the numerous cakes they serve for desert!