silver gilt garden

Click to see it bigger…

I was really rather taken with this garden at bloom, it was by Focus Ireland and they were awarded a silver gilt for it, which apparently is just a smidgen off a gold. I was lucky enough to be there before the general opening on the Thursday morning and one of the gardeners (architects?!) was there to tell me a bit about it – he showed me photos of the site just 3 weeks before this and it was a plain little plot of turf. He said that it was based on the idea of the gardens of your childhood, and the little pathways, mysterious  structure and whimsical planting certainly remind me of when you used to go exploring and feel like you could turn the next corner and encounter any kind of magic. Or maybe i just read too much ‘through the looking glass’…