THE stunning gardens of an historic home in Ireland have reopened to the public after a €7million development project.
Mount Congreve Gardens, which are the gardens of the historic Mount Congreve House in Co. Waterford, are renowned as among the great gardens of the world.
Mount Congreve House and Gardens in WaterfordThey have recently undergone an intensive reinvigoration programme but have now reopened to offer visitors a dynamic and sensory experience.
The gardens are made up of 70 acres of intensively planted woodland, a four-acre walled garden and 16km of walkways.
Planted on a slight incline overlooking the River Suir, they feature thousands of different trees, plants and shrubs.
Following the costly redevelopment project, visitors can now explore three different walking routes within the gardnes, which are peppered with creative interpretation and play features that tell the story of Mount Congreve and its botanic collection.
Visitors can now explore three different walking routes within the gardens“Exploration of the gardens begins in the eighteenth-century country house where visitors can enjoy an immersive, multi-lingual, audio-visual exhibition of the garden and history of the Congreve family,” the site explains.
“From the foyer’s double doorway, visitors can catch a glimpse of the very rare ‘Chinese Room’, which features wallpaper, painted by hand in or near the Chinese port of Canton/Guangzhou, probably in the 1790s,” they add
“It is said to be the only existing wallpaper of its kind in the world.”
Highlights of the gardens include the Herman Dool Magnolia Walk, the Walled Garden and the Woodland Garden, which features over 50 varieties of Pieris.
During the spring and early summer, the gardens boast sweeps of Azaleas, Camellias, Magnolias and Rhododendrons, while in late summer a three-quarter mile walk of over 90 different varieties of Hydrangeas will be in full flower.
A €7m redevelopment project has been completed at the gardensA Mahonia Walk with over 30 cultivars cheers up the winter months with their scented yellow flowers, complemented by the red-flowering variety.
A new purpose-built visitor centre has been created in the courtyard and former stables in the eastern wing of the house.
It houses the Stables Café, which serves local produce along with vegetables fresh from the Mount Congreve Kitchen Gardens.
The visitor centre also sells a variety of award-winning Irish arts and crafts and artisanal food and drinks - including Mount Congreve Garden Woodland Gin and Mount Congreve Garden signature scented soaps.
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