GardensKilmacurragh House might stand in disrepair, but its arboretum is gradually being restored to glory, writes Jane Powers.
WHO WOULD HAVE thought that the bog-standard, common or garden berberis - the one with the tiny, angular, prickly green leaves, and the screaming orange flowers - would have such an interesting pedigree? Well, it does.
The plant, so familiar in suburban patches at this time of the year, was discovered in 1835 in southern Chile by Charles Darwin, when he was a naturalist on the Beagle. Berberis darwinii (it was named after its finder by Sir William Hooker at Kew Gardens) is a native of the temperate rainforest, where it forms part of the understorey planting. It was another 14 years before the evergreen shrub was introduced to cultivation by the Cornish plant hunter, William Lobb, who worked for the famous British Veitch nurseries.
Lobb (his name is known to many gardeners because it is commemorated in the dusky-wine-coloured, French, moss rose, 'William Lobb'), was a prolific collector. He introduced many important species from both north and south America, including the massive wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), the Chilean myrtle (Luma apiculata) and the Chilean lantern tree (Crinodendron hookerianum), to mention just three that are perfectly at home in Irish gardens.
I didn't know this information before about Lobb, and have recently pilfered it from Seamus O'Brien, head gardener at Kilmacurragh Arboretum. The historic Co Wicklow garden is home to the trio of plants just mentioned, and the berberis also - as well as several hundreds of other interesting species. The 23-hectare property, which has been managed by the National Botanic Gardens since 1996, was once the home of the Acton family - who built a fine house there in 1697 (more on that in a moment) - and lived there until early in the 20th century.
Thomas Acton and his older sister, Janet, were exceptionally keen plantspeople, and from the middle of the 19th century, they filled the gardens with the latest arrivals from China and the Americas. The Actons were friendly with David Moore and his son, Frederick, of the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. The relationship was excitingly fruitful for Kilmacurragh, where the acid soil and mild climate furnished ideal conditions for plants that were fussy about the less favourable soil and chillier conditions at Glasnevin.
Many of the trees and shrubs planted at Kilmacurragh were the first to enter Ireland, and in some cases, among the first in cultivation. Today, there still remain about half a dozen specimens that grew from seeds collected by William Lobb, including monkey puzzle, Chilean myrtle, wellingtonia and Patagonian cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides). This last was named after Captain Robert FitzRoy, commander of the Beagle.
Also dating from that time is a Chilean fire bush (Embothrium coccineum), a tree that gets its own special mention in the book The English Flower Garden by important writer and plantsman William Robinson. Its eerily glowing, tentacle-like scarlet flowers must have been a truly amazing sight when they first bloomed in this Irish garden, thousands of miles from their South American homeland.
In recent times, the garden at Kilmacurragh has entered a new era of intense horticultural activity - the like of which has not been seen since the time of the Actons. A five-year plan developed by Seamus O'Brien will see the garden re-established using ecological and phytogeographical planting principles. In other words, different areas of the garden will resemble, as far as is practicable on Irish soil, different regions of the world, with the plants forming the same kinds of communities as in their native lands. The regions represented will take their cue from the existing planting, and only species that suit the Wicklow garden's conditions will be used. So, the main focus will be on temperate South American, Chinese and Himalayan planting schemes, as well as on native Irish plants.
It's the kind of project where things have to look a lot worse before they get better (like cleaning up the messiest room in your house). And, for those of us who have been coming to Kilmacurragh for 20 or more years, since it was a genteelly faded demesne, its current appearance is a bit unsettling. Parts of the garden are all chewed up, while others are preternaturally neat: there are meticulous circles cut into the grass around newly planted trees and shrubs, for instance. These are a temporary measure, says Seamus O'Brien, as he surveys these plants within their spick-and-span wheels of mulch. "I'm afraid that people will think I'm cleaning the place up too much," he says. "But I want to assure you that those circles are just until the new trees get established."
When the trees and other woody specimens are established, climbers and lianas will be planted, and finally, perennials. This is the best kind of garden restoration, where the old, cherished plants are rejuvenated and celebrated, and where the new will eventually fit in seamlessly and coherently. The finished look will be naturalistic and Robinsonian, in that grand tradition of big-house Irish gardening.
Alas, there is one glaring omission in this historic estate's restoration (and it's not within the remit of the horticultural team). The house. The big Irish house. Now a roofless shell, Kilmacurragh House sits reproachfully in the middle of the garden, which was designed around it, with avenues leading to it, and vistas from it. The Queen Anne residence, one of just a handful in Ireland, was designed by Sir William Robinson, the surveyor general (not the garden writer mentioned earlier), who also designed the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. There are no plans to restore it - which depresses me as much as the renovation of its surroundings uplifts me.
Kilmacurragh Arboretum, Kilbride, Co Wicklow (3km off the N11 between Wicklow and Arklow; when driving south from Dublin, turn right at the Beehive Pub, or the Tap Inn). Open daily 9am to 6pm (until mid-November), and 9am to 4.30pm in winter. www.botanicgardens.ie
Head gardener, Seamus O'Brien, will give a guided walk, the "Chilean Way", tomorrow at 2.30pm in Kilmacurragh. Free admission. Booking advisable on 0404-48844