“Engaging with the natural world”, “embracing a new challenge”, or “gaining historical understanding,” are just some of the responses you’ll get when you query the upcoming generation of horticulturists about their reasons to pursue a horticulture programme at a country mansion estate.
Located in County Waterford, Mount Congreve is a stately country house estate that has established a horticulture academy amidst its exquisite surroundings. We take the opportunity to interact with the inaugural group of pupils as they round off their first full-time horticulture course in a country mansion garden in Ireland.
The restructured Georgian dwelling and 29 hectares of gardens overlooking the river Suir falls under the care of the Mount Congreve Trust, after they were donated to the state by its last proprietor, Ambrose Congreve, following his demise in 2011.
Ever since welcoming the public in 2023, post a restoration undertaking valued at €7 million, Mount Congreve has been a magnet for tourists for its garden excursions, while accommodating guests in refurbished self-catered gate lodgings. Concurrently, it attracts walkers and cyclists from the frequented Waterford Greenway which is nestled alongside the estate’s boundary walls next to the River Suir.
On this day, we divert our attention to the scholars who have dedicated their past few months to the horticultural tasks of deadheading blossoms, pruning trees and maintaining borders. Future prospective attendees for the 2024 intake are present to sample the one-year curriculum and to explore the impressive displays of magnolias, rhododendrons, camellias, and azaleas.
Ray Sinnott, horticulturist and property manager at Mount Congreve, offers a humorous insight about their decision to launch this course when he points out that everyone fantasizes about becoming a gardener during their summertime visits to Mount Congreve. However, the reality is far less enticing in a downpour, much like the day of our visit. He adds, “We require a fresh crop of gardeners since the median age of gardeners here is 54.”
The QQ I Level 5 horticulture course, equivalent to a Leaving Certificate, has attracted 45 participants, who are keen to learn more about the programme. The course is convened by the Wexford and Waterford Education & Training Board at Mount Congreve Gardens.
Running this course in these picturesque country house gardens has long been a dream for Gerard Mullen, the horticulturist spearheading the course. Mullen expresses his delight that the course has received such interest from participants, particularly as its timing differs from other horticultural courses and begins in the spring.
“The course commences in April, the onset of the growing season, and later includes work placements in various settings such as gardens, nurseries, food production, and garden centres. This allows students to explore their areas of preference,” Mullen explains. He further adds that this course can serve as a gateway into tertiary level studies in horticulture at the neighbouring Kildalton Agricultural College in Co Kilkenny. This programme is run in partnership with the Southeast Technological University.
Reflecting on the blend of the inaugural 16 participants of the Mount Congreve horticulture course, Sinnott underlines the diversity with regards to gender, career shifts and age range among the students.
Agnes Bakonyi, an alumnus of the inaugural course, reflects on her experience. Originally from Hungary and having lived in Ireland for 18 years, she recalls the pleasant days of summer amidst the verdant surroundings of the course. “I felt a renewed connection to my family’s winemaking business in Hungary, despite having worked in Irish banking, ” she humorously admits.
For Bakonyi, the course has sparked a deeper interest in plant science and instilled an ambition to delve into Kildalton Agricultural College’s study programme. She has already had a taste of hands-on experience during her placement at Grantstown Nurseries. Bakonyi expresses a keen interest in understanding the science behind growing tomatoes and envisions herself contributing to planetary recuperation through laboratory discoveries.
Charmaine Walsh opted to leave her long-standing position at Shaws Department Stores within Waterford City and instead ventured into the field of horticulture as her children have now reached teenage years and are more self-dependent. She has always had an inclination towards the outdoors and although she found the theoretical aspect challenging, the camaraderie and shared learning amongst her peers made it an enriching experience.
Niall Cullen, formerly an electrical engineer based in a factory setting, made the decision to take redundancy and redirect his career towards horticulture. He expressed dissatisfaction with indoor work and found joy in the process of growing vegetables, from their inception as seeds to the harvesting stage. His work in the kitchen garden saw the growth of a variety of produce such as corn, brassicas including Brussels sprouts and cabbage among others, onions, and artichokes. His career aspirations involve craft gardening and he revels in the satisfaction that comes from planting beds and overseeing their transformative journey.
Individuals such as Des Brennan, a now-retired accountant with a desire to transition into horticulture, were keen listeners to the feedback given by the initial cohort of students. Health reasons prompted him to take an early retirement but his self-maintained garden sparks an eagerness within him to acquire more knowledge about plant care and garden design.
After spending nine years in the global hospitality sector in northern Spain, particularly the renowned Camino walking trail, Dublin-native Ciara McElwee returned to Ireland and settled in Wexford. She acknowledged that she wouldn’t have previously considered horticulture as a career path, but as she grows older she has begun to appreciate the outdoors and interacting with nature. The course emerged as the absolute opposite of desk-bound work and upon visiting the gardens and gathering information about the course, she decided to sign up driven by her instincts.
Dylan Hearne, presently preparing for his Leaving Certificate, shows interest in the course for the future. He shares that a garden setting appeals to him more than an agricultural college and notes the historical significance of the course facility. His mother, Barbara, further contributes by mentioning that QQI Level 5 horticulture courses provide an alternative path to tertiary education, unlike the traditional CAO system.
Martina Acosta, a native of Uruguay, has been engaged in ecommerce in Ireland for approximately five years, operating from her home office in Waterford city. Previously residing in the rural areas, she admits to yearning for the vibrancy of the outdoors, hence her interest in enrolling in this course.
Sinnott acknowledges that Mount Congreve Gardens embody a superb working environment. He highlights the unique feeling one experiences when surrounded by the array of collections and exotic plant species. Further, he appreciates the transfer of knowledge from the seasoned gardeners to those eager to learn, stating that this practice ensures the knowledge survives generations.
Former owner Ambrose Congreve’s spirit, according to Sinnott, is still present in the gardens. He eloquently refers to the brilliant heritage the Congreve left behind. An enthusiastic gardener comparable to the Gatsby persona, Congreve launched into transforming the surrounding woodland of the family estate in the 1960s following a trip to Exbury Gardens in Hampshire.
Congreve, a passionate plant collector, journeyed globally to acquire plants from various continents suitable for the acidic soil. Sinnott refers to Mount Congreve as Ireland’s international garden due to the incredible 10,000 different plant species that flourish here. The garden boasts over 400 magnolias, 700 camellias, and between 700-800 azaleas, not to mention an Australian Wollemi pine that was thought to be extinct, being rediscovered in the Blue Mountains, a Chilean fire bush, and the most significant collection of Japanese Acers in Ireland.
Former employees remember Congreve fondly, reminiscing how he explored the estate either on horseback or in a golf buggy, meticulously overseeing the planting process and inquisitively asking the gardeners about the plant names.
Congreve’s vision was to create a garden with constant visual interest by densely planting rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias, and azaleas from the ground to the canopy. To achieve this ambitious goal, he employed up to 100 gardeners at one point. Congreve passed away at 104 years old en route to his cherished Chelsea Flower Show.
One of the initiatives slated for 2024 involves the establishment of a gardens museum within the Bothy House, conveniently positioned next to the enclosed garden. The aim is to commemorate a six-decade-long project devoted to promoting the captivating gardens located in Ireland’s southeast to global acclaim. As another batch of horticulture students take up residence for their studies within these prestigious grounds, it’s reassuring to know that the passion and expertise for botany will be passed on to the upcoming breed of artisan gardeners.