Here are another two stunning gardens worth a visit to

WE have featured great gardens in Waterford and the sunny south-east to visit a lot over the last few weeks.

Our neighbouring county certainly has plenty to offer when it comes to garden inspiration, and Kilmeaden and Tramore are the chosen locations for my visits this week.

Fairbrook House, Garden and Museum is located near Kilmeaden and is the work of Clary Mastenbroek and Wout Muller. They have created a wonderful garden on the site of an old mill; a magical space to explore and relax with lush green foliage abounding.

The garden is entered between two main buildings, Fairbrook House and the contemporary art museum building which was formally the stables.

There is a main axis leading you down the centre of the garden, with lots of interesting garden rooms located off of this main axis.

The artistic couple worked with the existing ground levels that remained after the mill had been knocked down to create an oasis of green.

The sound of water gives atmosphere, with the babbling of the Dawn River running down the eastern perimeter of the garden and water features within also giving atmosphere.

One of the most impressive water features is the natural swimming pool with its reed beds adjacent employed in cleaning the water.

There are reminders of the old mill throughout the gardens, in the form of old stone perimeter walls to ruins of different parts of the building that have been left standing.

The garden has been created successfully within the foundations of the old mill building, and this was no mean feat.

When Wout and Clary bought the site in 1992, the mill had been demolished and they had a vision of creating a garden, home and studio/gallery space within. An ambitious plan that has been achieved with love and tenacity over the last 30 years.

The formal garden around the house comprises about three acres in total.

There are many gazebos and covered archways which have matured nicely to give plenty of shelter and enclosure in the garden.

Topiary features throughout the gardens, with lonicera and box hedging used to good effect, creating waves, balls, archways, screening, a maze (using beech) and so much more within the garden space.

This garden is a haven for wildlife with lots of bird song to be heard on my visit.

Each of the rooms off of the main axis have their own theme: lavender fields, wetlands, a fruit and wisteria walk around the croquet field, a hidden garden, standing stones, lily pond garden, a beech maze, fire garden, mixed borders, a North African corner, bonsai garden and kitchen garden. It certainly is a lot to take in!

The creativity and imagination, not to mention all of the hard work involved in getting this garden to where it is today, is inspiring.

The garden is open to the public by appointment from May until September, and the art gallery is accessible by appointment all year round.

Check out www.fairbrook-housegarden.com for more details.

Just down the road from Kilmeaden is the seaside town of Tramore, which is home to the Japanese Gardens, beautifully located overlooking the sea.

The Lafcadio Hearn Gardens reflect the life and extensive wanderings of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn. He was Japan’s most famous Irishman (Koizumi Yakumo) and has a wonderful and unique story to tell.

The gardens contain elements of the gardening traditions of the countries and cultures traversed by Hearn during his varied life in their style and planting.

The journey begins in a Victorian Garden to commemorate Hearn’s happy childhood summers in Tramore. 

There is also an American Garden, a Greek Garden and a traditional Japanese Tea Garden - in total there are 11 unique garden areas that reference much of this folklore and fairytale.

These include a pond, zen garden and authentic Japanese structures (Azumaya and Ceremonial Tea House).

The main elements of design, in particular, the use of rocks and water and the plant selection, are influenced by the tradition of a Japanese Strolling Garden.

For children, there is an exciting Discovery Trail and Magical Woodland Fairy Trail.

Greek/Irish writer Patrick Lafcadio Hearn was born in 1850 and died in 1904, and he gardens take you through the life journey of a remarkable man who first came to fame in America as Lafcadio Hearn. Later, in Japan, he became a well respected teacher and writer under his adopted Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo.

Hearn was the son of an Irish father and a Greek mother. He was brought up in Ireland but until recently has been barely remembered here. In 1869, aged 19, he left Ireland for America in unhappy family circumstances.

Hearn was to spend almost 20 years in the U.S, before finally settling in Japan, where he married into a Samurai family, he fathered four children and died at the age of 54.

These gardens offer his life story to you; not through the medium of print, but through the landscapes and rock formations that reflect the cultures and mythologies of the places he lived.

Here, through a series of garden scenes, his life story is brought into vivid focus. The gardens pay tribute to his birthplace, and the many Japanese features are inspired by the stories and legends of Japan that so fascinated Hearn.

There are many fine gardens to visit in the county of Waterford, and for more information about the Waterford garden trail check out https://visitwaterford.com/category/explore/gardens-of-waterford/ for more details.

Happy garden visiting this autumn.