In the garden: Revel in the glory of West Cork estate

A trip to West Cork is always exciting, especially if a garden visit is involved.

There are plenty to choose from, a total of 21 gardens in the greater West Cork area (as of 2024). Famous ones include the more formal Bantry House and Gardens, or Garnish Island with its Italian garden.

One garden that I wanted to visit for a while is Inishbeg Estate, just outside Baltimore. Situated at the River Ilen estuary, and as such surrounded by the incoming and outgoing tides, the drive onto the island itself sets the mood for the garden to come.

A cromlech (megalithic construction) can be spotted in a field to the left, so the habituation of the island goes back to ancient times. The narrow road leads down to the estate, which lies on the east end of Inishbeg.

The estate comprises of 97 acres - 42 of those are managed as woodland, 42 as a working farm, and 13 acres make up the buildings and the gardens.

Bought in 1997 by Paul and Georgiana Keane, the gardens were completely overgrown, and no rare trees or shrubs stood the test of time. Between then and now, many features have been added or restored. To name a few, the walled garden, a sunken garden, multiple woodland trails, ponds, an orchard, and a bamboo glade.

Neglected woodlands have been reforested by removing rhododendron, laurel, brambles and bracken, giving young trees a chance to grow and build a healthy forest.

After walking past the self-catering cottages, one enters the walled garden. The walls itself are unusually low, but being sheltered by mature trees all around, there’s good wind protection. A beautiful mix of vegetables and flowers unfolds itself here. Beds with lettuce, broad beans and brassicas are mixed with fennel and verbena bonariensis at the sides and on the woodchipped paths.

Calendula is allowed to grow as a border plant on the vegetable beds, much loved by bees and pollinators. Agapanthus and sunflowers can also be found, but everything is in its place. It makes for a lovely picture.

A mature olive tree shows off at the east-facing garden wall, and a fig tree grows enchantingly over a small pond.

There are beds planted up boldly with herbaceous perennials like dianthus carthusianorum together with inula helenium. The soft fruit can be found in cages as there wouldn’t be much of a crop without protection.

An auricula display close to the glasshouse completes the picture, but the walled garden is only one part. A huge number of woodland paths want to be explored. They’re very inviting, overgrown with moss, and under the canopy of mature trees.

Eventually, by following them, one finds the so-called Hannibal’s H20. It’s a pond with a bridge onto a little island, like a mini Inishbeg.

Weddings are held on the estate and it’s clear to see why here, with a romantic pavilion on that little island, surrounded by nature.

When one manages to take the eyes from this special and calm place, the path leads along the river Ilen towards the boathouse. Here a sign informs about the smuggling and pirate history of Baltimore Bay. Not so much these days, one would hope!

Following another woodland path the orchard opens before the eyes. The old apple trees that were overgrown in 1997 have been kept and saved; multiple other fruiting trees such as pear, quince and plum have been added. It is buzzing with bees, as hives are placed here.

Which way to go back to Inishbeg House is difficult to choose. There are plenty of options through the woodlands, some of the paths are aptly named Pirate Trail or Fairy Trail, but there’s also an extended walk along the estuary which unfortunately I didn’t have time for. I will make sure to walk it when I come back.

Around Inishbeg House, one finds the sunken garden with lovely vistas across the river and the bamboo glade, with more trails to get lost in.

A mix of the formal and the wild has been achieved on Inishbeg, and peacefulness and tranquillity are all around.

Managed as a holiday retreat, there’s plenty of options such as self-catering cottages to stay and enjoy the gardens, meadow- and woodland walks. There are some dates throughout the year where the whole place is closed for a wedding, these can be found on the website.

The heated indoor swimming pool is to be found in the middle of the walled garden, so one can go for a swim and then enjoy the beautiful plants, a quite unusual but rather striking feature.

Plant of the Week

Growing plentifully in herbaceous beds in the walled garden, dianthus carthusianorum makes a great addition to any mixed border.

A perennial with grassy foliage and dark pink flowers, it grows up to 50cm in height.

This type of dianthus has its origins in grassy, mountainous habitats, so make sure to give it a sunny and not too moist spot in your garden.

It works particularly well in a prairie style planting, where ornamental grasses are combined with herbaceous perennials.

Related to Sweet Williams, it will flower profusely throughout the summer and give you that uplift and colour you expect from a summer plant.

Regular deadheading ensures flowering well into autumn, but leave a few seed heads for some structure in your border in winter.