Colclough walled garden now restored

COLCLOUGH Walled Garden at Tintern Abbey, Co Wexford has been under restoration for the last 7 years using information from the Ordnance Survey of Ireland Maps (OSI) 6 inch series and 25 inch series and taking instruction from John Claudius Loudon’s “An Encyclopaedia of Gardening” written in 1825. A Geophysical survey (Magnetometer Survey and Earth Resistance Survey) was undertaken in July 2016 supervised by Archaeologist Catherine McLoughlin and conducted by Earthsound Archaeological Geophysics Ltd. This investigation discovered Diamond Shaped Flowerbeds which were reinstated in January 2017.

Soil analysis by Dr Patrick Forrestal, Research Scientist, Johnstown Castle and Pollen Analysis by Dr Karen Molly, Palaeoenvironmental Research Unit, National University of Ireland, Galway have given insights into how the diamonds were originally planted. The Diamond shaped flowerbeds were cut out of the Lawn without hedging.

The style of planting most suited considering all the available evidence was Geometric Gardenesque. Under the rules of this style, 3 plant species generating only 3 colours, Red, Yellow and Blue now had to be selected. These background colours are to highlight common as well as exotic trees, shrubs, and plants with architecture, sculpture and terraces forming a leading feature. Alan Ryan, Project Manager consulted with garden experts, Frances and Iain MacDonald who had worked in the National Botanic Gardens (Dublin) and Kew Gardens (London). They suggested based on their vast experience of bedding plants and their knowledge of the Walled Gardens unique microclimate:

Salvia splendes “Blaze of Fire” for Red,

French marigold (Tagetes patula) single for Yellow, Ageratum houstonianum “Blue Mink” for Blue.

Michael Paget from Glebe Nurseries, Mulrankin, Bridgetown Co. Wexford propagated 10,000 plants to create the design and delivered them to Colclough Walled Garden on the 23rd of May 2017 where the Colclough gardeners spent 3 weeks planting them. The dedication and the commitment of all the Gardeners (Michael Rossiter, Walter Walsh, Lindsay Blaszkowski, Patrick Butler, Andrew Wayland, Colm Merrigan, James Wickham, Michael Hodman) led by Head Gardener David Bawden, in that task was an extraordinary achievement in which they rightly take immense pride.

The term gardenesque was introduced by John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843) in 1832 to describe a style of planting design in accordance with his ‘Principle of Recognition’. Loudon was worried that picturesque planting could be mistaken for natural growth and argued that for a planting design to be recognizable as a work of art only exotic plants should be used. Later in his career Loudon accepted several other ways of making planting recognizable as art:

By removing surrounding plants so that a perfect form of the plant was grown, by ‘high keeping’ (intensive maintenance) in a garden, by planting in geometrical beds. Charles McIntosh described in detail, the geometric gardenesque style in his “Book of the Garden” written in 1853 how to achieve this.

Geometric Gardenesque Style

“Common as well as exotic trees, shrubs, and plants should be introduced, with architecture, sculpture.

Trees or shrubs of symmetrical form should be planted in lines, whether straight or curved, at equal distances, not only from each other, but also from those lines that determine the walks, borders.

The flowering plants should be grouped according to their kind, form, and colour, each figure in the parterre being filled with the same plant.

The primary colours are three only, Red, Blue, and Yellow; and with these repeated over and over, having the natural colours green in the grass, or brown in the gravel used for the walks or ground-work of the design.”

The reinstated design at Colclough Walled Garden is a fine example of all of the principles outlined above.

Colclough Walled Garden, open 7 days, 10am-6pm.