5 Gardens in County Clare That You Shouldn't Miss

Contemporary garden of designer Matt O’ Connell with hidden sections or mini gardens, some of which are traditional. The garden surrounds an award winning house which was built in 1995 when the garden started. The variety of over 250 plants for sale in the nursery are propagated from plants in the garden so mature versions can be seen. All plants have been propagated outdoors and are totally hardy. Changes are being made to the garden all the time and due to the demand for shade loving plants a new shade section is in development to devote to these plants. Free admission. Donations to Doolin Rescue Service welcome.

NEW... unique and tranquil one bedroom lodge available for holiday rental. The studio and garden is situated between Doolin and Lisdoonvarna on the edge of the Burren and within site of the Cliffs of Moher. This apartment is situated in the home of a local artist amidst beautiful gardens. Guests are free to enjoy the gardens and visit the onsite Art Gallery .Original paintings and Fine Art prints available to purchase.Directions ,from Lisdoonvarna town centre take the N67 towards Doolin, at first T junction turn right on to R477, at Y junction immediately after turn right staying on R477, continue to first crossroads turn left onto R5064 where there is an Art Studio sign, its the 3rd. property on the right , full journey from centre Lisdoonvarna 2 kilometre approx.Postal code V95TR20

A 1.5 acre, award winning plantsman's garden situated in the beautiful Caher Valley in the heart of the Burren. The garden was begun in 1999 and has been specifically designed to 'blend' into, and incorporate it's surrounding landscape. Many 'native' plants are used, along with an extensive collection of garden plants. There are several noteable collections including Brunnera, Galanthus, Narcissus, Ferns, Hostas, Primula, Arisaema, Hydrangea and crocosmia. The garden includes a section of the Caher river, ponds and water features. There are interesting design elements, and a wealth of creative stonework including a 'Moon Window' built from local stone. It has been featured in many magazines, newspapers and is included in the book "The top 100 Gardens of Ireland" The garden is open from Mid-March to Mid-October, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please ring for details. All visits are by guided tour. Photography is allowed. Unfortunately the garden is NOT suitable for children under 16 years.

The Vandeleur Walled Garden is one of county Clare’s most beautiful botanical tributes to Ireland’s rich, natural history. Set amongst 170 hectares of native woodland – this hidden gem is nestled in the heart of Kilrush Wood, just 2 kilometers from the centre of Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland. Whether you’re a keen gardener, a visitor to our shores, a lover of natural beauty or simply looking for an outing with a difference – we’d love to share our secret with you…

We Invite you to visit Irelands Largest Organic Seed Farm & Irish Heritage Orchards Located on 20 beautiful acres in Scariff, East Clare, Ireland Garden Centre & Seasonal Cafe, Children's Trail, Self Guided Tours, Organic Heritage Apple Trees, Irish Grown Organic Heritage,Vegetable Seeds, BIG Workshop Weekends. At Irish Seed Savers we collect, research and protect heirloom vegetable seeds and fruit trees, together with their stories and we carefully bulk up the numbers of the particularly rare varieties and make them available to all. We share our skills and knowledge on seed saving and other sustainable living skills to thousands of children and adults through workshops, courses, camps and outreach programmes. This knowledge and seed base means that Ireland continues to have some control over its future food security in times of continued industrialisation of food and diminishing resources worldwide. Unless we all have the right and the opportunity to grow our own seed, save our own seed and share our seed we don’t have food security. Empowering people to do that and save the heritage and heirloom varieties which grow best in Ireland, is what Irish Seed Savers does best. Irish Seed Savers Association is a charity, set up in 1991 by Anita Hayes in her family home to save Ireland’s heritage and heirloom vegetable seeds, potatoes, grains and fruit trees from extinction. Two decades later, hundreds of volunteers, staff, and friends and have helped us grow into our 20 acre Visitor Centre in Scariff, County Clare. From a trickle of collected seeds and trees we have now saved over 800 varieties of organic, open pollinated heritage seeds in our purpose built National Living Seed Bank. Our extensive orchards hold the native Apple Tree Collection as well as the country’s only Self-Rooting Orchard . We also have over 50 varieties of potatoes, which, given Ireland’s history of the Potato Famine, is a very important part of our history and culture and which occurred due to the devastation caused by potato blight; a virus which continues to devastate potato crops today. Then, almost everyone in Ireland grew only one variety, the Lumper potato, and that variety was destroyed by the blight which led to the Great famine. The Bute variety (grown in County Kerry) survived and saved countless souls. We now know that diversification of varieties prevents famines, but yet the world still suffers from famines and we still don’tlearn.