Mount Congreve is usually a tranquil place, but not today as hundreds of young treasure hunters and their families have gathered here for an action-packed event. I cannot resist a 99 cone with a flake, and after a short inner debate find myself at the end of a long line.
Even the Garda special forces are looking for something delicious.
The cone is gone in a flash, and I don’t feel like looking for any other treasures. I make my way up to The Temple to visit the resting place of Ambrose Congreve, the man who has created this amazing garden on the banks of River Suir.
I get caught in prickly shoots of unknown plant stretched across the path. The leaves look so neat. I wish I knew the name.
I also come across a blooming rhododendron. A late bloomer indeed.
A set of steps takes me to another level.
Blue Hydrangeas are gloving under the dark canopy.
Finally I see the sun again. Love the play of light on the Rhododendron trunks.
This is a cousin of our ordinary Linden ( Lime) tree. Tilia henryana was named so after the Irish sinologist Augustine Henry who discovered the tree in 1888. Henry was born in Dundee into a family from Co Tyrone.
I am leaving the shady woodland garden to enjoy the bright colors of the walled garden.
I have a love-hate relationship with Dahlias 🙂 My mother used to grow a variety of Dahlias and we had a good few shelves filled with tubers in our cool room. I am absolutely fascinated with the flowers, but the smell of the stems makes me sick. Also, one of my chores was to take care of displays of cut flowers in our house, and I remember being so frustrated that dahlias made the vase water stink just in a couple of hours while the flower itself could last like forever. Still, Dahlia is one of my garden favorites.
Thank you for walking in the garden with me. This visit had a funny ending I will write about next time.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
Such beautiful gardens, Inese! And the Garda shots are awesome! 😄 Look forward to the next part! xxxxxxxx
A gorgeous place 🙂 xx
Thank you so much Gill! xx
Great, wonderful photos!
But the Garda horse(??)-men are odd to me! Why they are “wearing” a horse-costume? There is a good reason?
Ciao
Sid
Thank you! 🙂 I guess it is because of the children event. I have never seen these “special forces” before.
Stunning!
Thank you!
Thinking of the wonderful Ambrose Congreve. A lot of credit should go to his wife who is also interred there. Money is a very important fact of life and these gardens took a lot of it to get to its present beautiful state. Love the place and it has amazing good memories for me.
Thank you for your comment! It is not my first post about Mount Congreve gardens and Mr Ambrose Congreve, and certainly won’t be the last 🙂 Some day I will write about his companion of 60 years and the beautiful flowers named after her.
Me, I liked the Garda.
Thank you 🙂 I too like them.
A lovely walk
Thank you so much Derrick!
Lovely photos, and it’s nice to see some sun 🙂
Thank you! We had a lovely July.
The dappled, moss laden stairs, the luminous blue hydrangeas and the rhododendron trunks are so inviting. The sparkling photography has made the walk seem so real, palpable.
Thank you so much! Mr Congreve loved to repeat the ancient saying: if you want to be happy forever, plant a garden.
Such a beautiful place.
Thank you! Yes, the place is fantastic, especially the woodland garden.
Very pleasant walking with you. The police riding horse is funny 🙂
Thank you! Yes, they are funny, I have never seen them before 🙂
Your photos are beautiful, Inese. It looks like a wonderful day.
Thank you so much Diana!
All great photos, Inese. But the Garda shots made me chuckle.
Haha me too 🙂
Walk with you? You politely ask those who would lay a red carpet before you. These shots are amazing xxxx
You are too kind. The garden is charming, I wish I could visit more often.
It looks like a good time was had by all, Inese. And then you gave us this calming, beautiful stroll. Hugs on the wing.
Thank you so much Teagan. It is a wonderful place to leave the world behind.
I love dahlias too and so do the neighborhood deer – one of their favorites! Had to quite growing them. Love the flower images – beautiful there!
Thank you! Mid summer is the flower time. I caught a glimpse of a mammal though – all about that in my next blog 😉
Really beautiful gardens to visit, Inese 🙂
Thank you so much Irene!
We love your pics.
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Thank you.
Beautiful gardens – I don’t think I’d like to wear that horsey suit though! Especially on a hot day.
I have never seen them before, must be a new equipment 😉 Children loved them.
the blue of the Blue Hydrangeas against the backdrop of green is wonderfully captured…and Garda special forces are awesome. 🙂
Thank you! There are many paths hidden under the thick canopy. 16 km of paths, you can imagine many of them are seldom walked.