My sister Meave has a beautiful garden, it is situated on the coast of the beautiful Bantry Bay in the South West of Ireland. The area there is sub tropical and though near the sea everything grows real well. I went visiting the other day and with her permission took many photos to illustrate my writing in this blog. Meave has worked wonders with this garden over the last ten years or so, and by now plants have matured and a nice vegetable plot, in the raised bed that her husband Jay made, is giving her plenty of produce. A walk through this garden is truly wonderful, the more so as Meave has a love of the wild birds with plenty of feeding and bathing areas, it is a delight to see all the different birds, and listen to them too.  The climate is mild due to the gulf stream coming from Mexico Bay, this means that many of the plants cultivated here are sub tropical.  One of the trees growing here, for example, is the Arbutus, also called the strawberry tree.  Palm trees are quite common, also the tree fern which is rather beautiful and special.  Meave has let a lot of native shrubs such as the fuchsia and hawthorn grow and they make her garden really natural looking, she also cultivated many otherwise wild growing roses which do extremely well in her garden.  She pointed out several plants and shrub which were given to her by various sisters and friends and which have special meaning for her, it is lovely to see these grow so well.  Altogether a beautiful garden where butterflies, bees, and other wildlife find a welcome and good home.

A view towards the sea, the garden slopes down towards the coastline.  Looking towards Sheepshead peninsula.

 

Palm trees are quite common around here.  And a dark type of Marsh Mallow flower is growing profusely.

 

A flowering shrub that I don’t know the name of, and the Rose of Sharon, a shrub which is seen a lot here too.

Sheep in the surrounding fields giving a very pastoral feel.

  

An old Irish kettle filled with geraniums and one of Meave’s cats, this one is called Trooper!

The raised bed full of delicious looking vegetables and herbs.

 

Another little corner with loving attention to detail, and the bird table surrounded with protection from cats.

   

A wild thistle almost in flower, it’s seeds will be great for the goldfinches.  This shrub I think is Berberis vulgaris.

 

Rose bushes everywhere with lots of different varieties, lovely scents.

Fuchsias and foxgloves growing wild in hedgerows, also in the garden.

  

Another beautifully scented rose, and I do not know the name of this yellow flower.