Just like the Van Morrison song, this Irish Rover is wrapped up in glory – the glory of some of Ireland’s finest gardens. A rich feast of horticultural excellence awaits, with memorable and beguiling gardens, enthusiastic and skilful owners and an ever-changing backdrop of lush green hills, fertile fields and glittering seascapes. Our north to south journey is packed full of gems yet relaxed and unhurried, taking in the very best that the Emerald Isle has to offer.



We begin in Northern Ireland at the dazzling and idiosyncratic garden of Mount Stewart, truly one of the great gardens of the world. We also visit romantic Rowallane and atmospheric Castle Ward.



We move on to Dublin where we meet Helen Dillon, the doyenne of Irish gardeners, at her new private garden, to which we have privileged access. We also meet June Blake, a passionate plantswoman who grows a unique mix of bamboos, ornamental grasses and perennials, her brother Jimi Blake at Hunting Brook, with its fusion of prairie and tropical planting and Carmel Duignan at her Italianate villa. We visit Malahide, one of the oldest and most historic castles in Ireland, with its own splendid botanic garden and Powerscourt, one of Ireland’s most famous gardens with magnificent vistas over the surrounding countryside.



Continuing south we call in at Mount Usher, a wild and informal garden with some rare and exceptional trees, on our way to the lively and cultured city of Cork. From here we tour Ilnacullin, with its magical setting on an island bathed in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, and the fabulous Blarney Castle & Gardens, home to the famous stone which bestows eloquence on all who kiss it.



Our tour manager is popular garden designer, writer & broadcaster Trevor Edwards, who has clearly kissed the Blarney Stone more than once…