Being completely illogical about the order of my posts on the garden at Fota, near Cork, I am starting with the area that impressed me most. I am naturally a fairly private person and worry too much about what people think about me but I will confess that I like Gothic and Victorian and if I had the money and space  the first thing I would construct in my new, 20 acre garden would be a grotto with a glazed fernery with walls covered in shells. Having admitted that, it will come as no surprise that I loved this area of the garden.

Tree ferns shaded the already gloomy area and moss and other ferns sprung from the rocks.

I know it is a bit of a Victorian monstrosity but I liked it.

What I particularly liked was the way Saxifraga stolonifera had naturalised and was covering the rocks – I can only imagine it looks amazing in summer when the saxifrage is in bloom with its airy, white flowers.

Victoria Wood

Rest in Peace
And thank you for brightening my life
You will be missed

Cork, fernery, fota arboretum, fota garden, saxifraga stolonifera, victorian grotto