Creating a garden is frequently regarded as a journey laden with significant life teachings including persistence, patience, a keen understanding of how fleeting time can be, and the magnificent resilience and transient beauty of nature. Many individuals consider this experience nurturing for the soul, contributing to mental health and guiding individuals towards personal spiritual awareness. Two recently published gardening books penned by Irish authors seek to cultivate these sentiments.
The first is “Grounded in the Garden,” written by TJ Maher, a well-known Irish artist from Tipperary and the creative mind behind the beautiful Patthana Garden in Kiltegan, west Wicklow. This book was brought to the public by Pimpernel Press just a few weeks ago.
The second book, self-published and titled “Growing Beauty,” was penned by Des Doyle, a renowned garden designer and former jeweller, residing in Lavistown House, Co Kilkenny. It is expected to hit the shelves later this month. Both books are exquisitely presented, deeply personal, reflectively meditative, and celebratory recounts exploring the enchanting journey of garden making and the rich lessons drawn from the experience.
Patthana Garden, which was first mentioned in this paper back in 2017, is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful small gardens in Ireland, which now, interestingly, isn’t as small as it once was. The garden was expanded by Maher along with his partner Simon Kirby in 2020 who acquired an adjacent field to their original plot. The garden now stretches over one acre.
Within this newly acquired space, the author has cultivated his new Torc garden alongside Patthana’s native flowering meadow- an inviting, atmospheric country garden, celebrated for its innovative utilisation of space, and its creative and boundless use of colour. Maher, being an artist, masterfully blends dynamic hues like vibrant pinks, intense oranges, and deep reds and magentas together, a skill he shares with the fellow Wicklow gardener duo, June and Jimi Blake, whose influence can be perceived in his preference of plants.
The prominent themes of Maher’s manuscript revolve around his knack for sensibly utilising colour and his adept comprehension of keeping a multifunctional, medium-sized setting functional, from emphasising hardy, long-lasting species with multi-season appeal to devising pot arrangements for utmost impact. The abundance of chaste single dahlias, salvias, linarias, enduring geraniums, geums and cosmos is overwhelming in the summer. Des Doyle’s absorbing book delves deeply into how gardening can significantly mould our one’s personal development.
The spotlight turns to tulips dressed in radiant hues of rust, apricot, pink, scarlet and gold, blended by Maher into dramatically stunning combinations, before summer arrives. As autumn takes over, the spectacle persists with crocosmia, helenium, monarda, sanguisorba and sedum, enhanced by the ethereal elegance of ornamental grasses like Calamagrostis brachytricha.
Maher’s deep affection for nature radiates throughout his book, showcased through the exquisite photography of Richard Murphy, Jason Ingram, Clive Nicholls, Jonathan Hession and Maher himself. Esteemed garden author, Jane Powers, contributed a preface to this book, having guided Maher during the writing and revision stages.
In his concluding chapter, ‘Embracing Nature’, Maher articulates his profound love and respect for the natural world, a sentiment derived from his Buddhist philosophies, which has also shaped his path of self-realization and his acceptance of minor flaws. He highlights one of our crucial personal obstacles — to bravely accept our ‘mud’. This metaphor suggests that just like a bulb or seed submerged in the ground where no sunlight can penetrate, beauty can originate from the darkest of conditions.
Des Doyle’s engrossing book, Growing Beauty, thoroughly explores the impact of gardening on individual self-improvement. His personal growth is intriguingly paralleled with the transformation of the Lavistown House gardens, an estate shared with his wife Claire Goodwillie, their two teenagers and his in-laws, Roger and Olivia Goodwillie who relocated from Dublin in the seventies.
The book, composed of interconnected yet distinct seasonal essays, provides an atmospheric and reflective outlook on the trials that life presents. It deeply elaborates on the immunity and artistry of our gardens, illuminating them as remedial and nourishing environments that assist us in dealing with adversities.
What intrigues Doyle and is heavily discussed in his book is the garden as a persistent, changing living organism, mimicking the consistency and dynamism of human lives. His enlightening teachings, shared in his book, strongly resonate with seasoned gardeners. A major teaching from his experiences is the significance of acknowledging and preserving that indispensable sense of place and relinquishing our tyrannical need for control, which leads to a more fruitful and profound connection with nature.
His twelve-year journey in redesigning the one-acre ornamental gardens of Lavistown House has taught him to accommodate unforeseen beauty and instances of remarkable possession. He finds joy in the unique combination resulting from unexpected associations.
Both Doyle’s and Maher’s books suggest a significant shift in the perspectives of Irish gardeners on gardening, indicating a radical change in attitudes towards the artistry and skill of garden creation in recent years.
Doyle’s book candidly conveys his experiences of dealing with unpredictability, often with light-heartedness and charm. His life took an unexpected turn when injuries forced him to abandon his initial profession as a jeweller, which subsequently led to a deep-seated depression. Then, in 2014, Storm Darwin had a major impact on his early efforts to create a woodland garden at Lavistown, felling 10 mature beech trees and completely altering the environment he was dealing with. Embracing this drastic change, Doyle innovatively converted this misfortune into a chance to design a modern gravel garden, thriving now with sun-loving shrubs and perennials.
In the past quartet of years, Doyle, in partnership with film-maker Alan Slattery, has compiled the development of his garden into a film. This final version will be premiered at a private viewing at Rothe House in Kilkenny city, corresponding with his book’s release. The video will also be put up for public viewing on his website later.
Doyle and Maher’s recent publications show the significant evolution in Irish gardeners’ perceptions of garden-making and their connection with the natural surroundings in the last few decades. As gardeners, we have become less traditional, less dogmatic, and as a result, more captivated by what Doyle poetically terms as a ‘wildness of spirit’. It’s an approach to gardening that’s more of a dialog with nature, rather than a monolog, leading to improved gardens and, in turn, better individuals.
The new books by TJ Maher and Des Doyle can be procured from their websites, patthanagardenireland.com and gardenfable.com.
Garden this week:
Keep on sowing seeds of hardy and half-hardy annuals, biennials and perennials. Shelter them from the harsh weather conditions and cold winds. It’s customary that only hardy annual seedlings can withstand single-digit temperatures, while half-hardy annual seedlings and most perennials need to be sown and raised indoors with a mild warmth at this time of the year. Remember, temperatures in glasshouses, polytunnels and cold frames can wildly swing in late spring. Ensure that they are gently aired on bright, sunny days and then shut before twilight.
Preserve the budding blossoms on your fruit trees from destructive late frosts that could devastate the emerging blooms, leading to a lack of fruit production. If a frost is anticipated, make sure to shroud any blooming branches with a layer of garden fleece or a discarded sheet, where feasible. Remember to remove the cover during daylight hours to give pollinators access to the flowers.
Mark these dates in your diary:
On Sunday, 14th April 2024, from 11 am to 4 pm, visit the Fota House and Gardens, situated in Fota, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork. The annual Fota House Plant, Craft & Garden Fair is not to be missed, with an array of plants on offer from the country’s leading nurseries. Also discover a variety of garden utensils and accessories. For more info, visit fotahouse.com.
Moreover, plan your weekend on the 20th and 21st of April for the first-ever Festival of Gardens and Nature hosted at the Ballintubbert House & Gardens, located in Stradbally, Co Laois. Booking details can be found at festivalofgardensandnature.com.