Gardens to visit in January

Pull on your boots and visit a garden that's open in winter – there are lots, writes JANE POWERS

THIS WEEK, IT being the start of a new year, and since we’re still full of resolutions and open to change, I’d like to recommend something a little unexpected. Why not visit a garden? January light is low and magical, and the scene is pared back to its basics, with leafless trees making gaunt silhouettes over the quiescent landscape. Occasional evergreens offer signs of life, and a few brave winter flowers provoke little bursts of euphoria. Visiting gardens at this time of the year gives us a welcome break from the stuffy indoors; it also puts us in contact with plants that we might use to brighten our own patches during these dark days.

Here are nine gardens to visit in winter. If the weather is dodgy, phone beforehand to make sure that the gardens are open, and that the roads around them are safe.

Ardgillan Demesne, Balbriggan, Co Dublin; 01-8492212. Admission: free

Eighty-two-hectare demesne of rolling parkland, woodland and gardens. Look out for winter-flowering shrubs such as mahonia, viburnum and jasmine, and plants with interesting bark such as the coloured-stemmed willows and the polished Tibetan cherry, Prunus serrula. This is the season for gardeners to get a good look at the branch-work on the espaliered fruit trees in the walled garden.

Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow; coillteoutdoors.ie. Admission: free

The house where Charles Stewart Parnell was born is closed in winter, but the 214 hectares of wooded landscape are traversed by kilometres of paths. Samuel Hayes, who wrote Ireland’s first book on forestry, lived here in the 18th century. Some of “his” trees remain. (Avondale is on high ground and snow is slow to thaw. If there is snow on the mountains, chances are that the road to Avondale is dangerous, or impassable.)

Belvedere House, Gardens and Park, Mullingar, Co Westmeath; 044-9349060; belvedere-house.ie. Adults: €8.75, seniors/students: €6.25, children: €4.75; group and family rates available

Ireland’s most spectacular sham folly, the Jealous Wall, was built here in the 18th century, along with the more restrained Gothic Arch in the woodland. The demesne also has six kilometres of wooded walks, and a walled garden with plenty of winter interest. A Fairy Garden was added a couple of years ago, especially for the little people in the family.

Birr Castle Demesne, Birr, Co Offaly; 057-9120336; birrcastle.com. Adults: €9, seniors/students: €7.50, children: €5, group and family rates available

The 50-hectare property, home to the Parsons family since the early 17th century, has one of the most splendid parklands in Ireland. It is filled with unusual and rare trees, many grown from seed collected on plant-hunting expeditions. The formal gardens contain the world’s tallest box hedges, and a pleasantly creepy-looking hornbeam cloister.

Fota Arboretum and Gardens, Fota Island, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork; 021 4815543; fotahouse.com. Admission: free (car parking fee) During the 19th century the Smith-Barry family planted species from all over the world in this warm and sheltered corner of Cork, and many of them are beautifully mature now. Work is under way to restore the series of 12 historic glasshouses. Hard-hat tours are planned for the near future, and will be announced on the website.

Glenveagh Castle Gardens, Churchill, Letterkenny, Co Donegal; 074-9137090; glenveaghnationalpark.ie. Admission: free (shuttle bus to gardens: €3)

Glenveagh is one of this country’s best gardens, in one of the world’s most dramatic locations – surrounded by Donegal’s muscular mountains, and warmed by the deep waters of Lough Veagh. There is much to see, even in winter: rare plants, the first snowdrops pushing through the soil, and the majestic Scots pines planted in the 1880s by Cornelia Adair. Horticulture, design and nature are successfully intermingled here.

John F. Kennedy Arboretum, New Ross, Co Wexford; 051-388171; heritageireland.ie. Adults: €3, seniors: €2, children/students: €1, group and family rates available

Here you’ll find 252 hectares of woody plants: over 4,500 species and varieties. The lake is good for wildfowl-watching in winter.

Kilmacurragh Botanic Gardens, Kilbride, Co Wicklow; 01-8570909 (queries via National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin); botanicgardens.ie. Admission: free

The rural annex of Glasnevin’s Botanic Gardens was awarded “botanic garden” status itself earlier this year. It is filled with interesting specimens collected by the Acton family, mainly during the 19th century. The tallest Eucalyptus pulverulenta in Britain and Ireland is in bloom now, with creamy pom-poms of flower. The rare Lardizabala biternata, a climbing plant with chocolate-brown flowers, can be found scrambling up a wall behind the ruined Queen Anne house.

Woodstock Gardens and Arboretum, Inistioge, Co Kilkenny; 056-7794939 (queries via Kilkenny County Council); woodstock.ie. Admission: free (car parking fee)

The gardens have undergone a massive restoration by Kilkenny County Council in recent years, with much rebuilding, replanting and rescuing of old and venerable trees. The 19th century monkey puzzle and noble fir walks are unforgettable sights. The latter, which is less-travelled, and less-photographed, is nearly half a kilometre long, and was originally planted in 1878. jpowers@irishtimes.com