A walled garden to die for

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On our previous visits to Ireland and the British Isles, we’ve seen several examples of walled gardens but the walled garden at Kylemore Abbey surpasses anything I had seen before. It comprises roughly 6 acres and is divided into two by a mountain stream. It once boasted 21 heated glasshouses and employed 40 gardeners. After Mitchell Henry sold the property, the garden fell into disrepair until the Benedictine nuns resurrected (pardon the pun) some of it as a working garden supplying fruit and vegetables for the congregation of nuns and the girls’ school. The walls are of Scottish red brick and Irish granite. The brick absorbs the heat during the day and the espaliered apple and pear trees welcome the extra warmth from the walls. Espaliered trees are those pruned and trained to grow flat against a support. The walls also protect the garden from wind, frost and marauding sheep. In the photo, you can see one of the glasshouses in the distance and hopefully the fruit trees espaliered along the walls.