ALTAMONT in Co Carlow, despite its grandeur and size, is still essentially one woman's back garden, and so there are quirky touches here and there odd little statues, peculiar groupings of plants and other endearing personal touches.
Corona North's family came to Altamont, on the Slaney river, 73 years ago. Her father, Feilding Lecky Watson, was a keen plantsman and a sponsor of seed collecting expeditions. A rhododendron fanatic, he named his daughter after one. "I was lucky that the favourite at the time was `Corona' and not `Bagshot Ruby'," says Mrs North.
Altamont House dates from around 1600 but the earliest parts of the garden, the beautiful beech trees lining the front avenue and the cloister like Nun's Walk, were planted in the mid 1700s. Most of what singles out Altamont today though the imposing parade of yews down the huge lawn, the two and a half acre majestic lake, the woodland walks - was developed around 1850.
Although there are no records, it is believed that the rebellious William Robinson, champion of the new "wild" gardening, was employed then to revamp the estate. The work was carried out as a local famine relief scheme and included, most notably, the excavation of the lake by 100 men with horses and carts.
Nowadays the visitor to Altamont is impressed by the sense of incredible history about the place; the sheer scale of the human endeavour that created it is awesome. Those labours have continued through this century and right up to the present day.
About 14 years ago, the lake had become so congested with mud, reeds, roots and fallen trees that no water was visible. It took eight bulldozers a full year to remove four feet of mud from the two and a half acre expanse of water. Now the lake is clear, clean and spectacularly bordered by swamp cypress, weeping silver birch, dawn redwood, the Irish Kilmacurragh cypress, dogwood and Japanese maples. Work continues with the help of FAS employees who are currently building a stone bridge at one end of the lake.
Altamont is a huge property and the full, strenuous circuit takes close to two hours. Most people opt to stay near the house where there is plenty to see. A two acre walled garden has an interesting nursery and a brand new herb garden and ornamental vegetable potager with scores of different varieties, the seeds of which were donated by Thompson and Morgan, specialists in unusual vegetables.
The back of the house is flanked by an immense lawn bisected by a double procession of formidable yews marching down to the lake. Beds around the lawn are fragrant with 150 different old fashioned and florabunda roses. Exotic fowl - guinea hens, silkies and other fancy birds - go freely about their business.
It is well worth venturing around the lake to the wilder regions on the other side. A collection of rare southern beeches is enlivened by tree sized embothriums nearby, their fiery red flowers blooming belatedly after the cold spring. A bog garden leads into a magical primeval oak glen where a fresh stream tosses itself around massive, ice age boulders. Further on, a walk skirts the Slnney river and the 100 Steps (count them!) climb back through the woods. Finally a gentle stroll through the Sunset Field and across the lake at one of the bridges brings you within minutes of the very welcome tea shop.
