Opening of the Dutch Garden

Management, staff and volunteers joined in to celebrate the end of the 6-year-long project which has transformed the garden to what it is today.

After 6 years of patience, hard work, planning, over 250 wheelbarrows of leaf mould, 4 trailer loads of manure, double digging, rotavating, planting, pruning and weeding the newly restored Dutch Garden is now complete.

As part of their ongoing objective to ‘Bring Properties to Life’, The National Trust were keen to bring the garden back to its original state and so the new design was based on an old photograph and a description found in the book ‘An Old Ulster House’. The book described the garden as ‘ivy walled with gay box edged flowEr beds sloping to the south east, planted with sweetbriar, honeysuckle, jessamine and old fashioned roses…’

With this in mind, the team began with the clearing of the herbaceous borders. The flower beds were then double dug and cleared of weeds such as bindweed and ground elder before 4 trailer loads of manure were added. Cleverly designed, the garden has cool colours in the top border and hot colours in the lower border with the aim of lengthening the vista as you enter the garden, whilst creating a feeling of intimacy as you move through the garden.

The development of the central parterre began with the removal of the weeping ash tree; not an easy task when it was impossible to fit machinery into the garden through the small door so everything was removed by hand. The lawn was divided into four beds, each one dug, rotavated and ready for planting. Each bed was filled with beautifully scented shrub roses, under planted with 2000 tulips for fantastic spring colour and edged with box hedging.

The finished result is a wonderfully colourful, beautifully scented space which is a credit to the Head Gardener, John Boyle and his team of volunteers who have brought the design to life. It has created a delightfully vibrant area, abundant with colour and scent, giving visitors the chance to relax and enjoy the tranquil surroundings. Perfect also for wedding photographs, the roses are in full bloom by June, but continue to flower all summer. The tulip display is a must see; if you missed it this year, be sure to come back in March.

Springhill is open to public from Thursday through to Sunday from 12-5pm and will be open 7 days a week through July and August. If you are interested in getting involved in outdoor projects such as The Dutch Garden or becoming a volunteer please contact Springhill on 028 8674 8210.