June Blake’s Garden

If you love gardens, flowers and wild expanses of nature, then a visit to June Blake’s Garden is a must. Set within an old granite farmyard in Tinode in West Wicklow, this 3 acre rural site has been carefully developed by June Blake since the start of the millennium, to create a natural wonderland containing a woodland garden, a rock garden, a damp garden and a reflecting pool. The garden itself surrounds June’s home, a traditional Victorian farm steward’s cottage, together with a number of granite stone farm buildings, including the award winning converted Cow House.

The perfect blend of colour, texture and form

As a former jewellery maker, June has a creative mind and a keen attention to detail which, when combined with her appreciation of colour, texture and form, have enabled her to create a masterpiece of both planting and design, using an eclectic selection of plants from all around the world. Not only is the planting colourful and cohesive, but she’s managed to recreate areas of natural beauty with prairie-like planting, flower meadows and sculptural landforms contrasted with intricately planted borders. On your travels through the grounds, you’ll discover large areas of woodland crisscrossed by cobblestone and gravel paths, leading you through shady fern filled glades and granite borders to an area of vibrant tropical planting. Here’s where you’ll find the much-acclaimed formal rectangular reflecting pool, whose linear form reflects the colours of the Wicklow sky.

An ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours

June Blake’s garden is the ideal place to view and buy some of the more unusual plants from her rare plants nursery. The latest addition to the garden is a serene courtyard which, with its minimalist style, offers a quiet and uncluttered environment in stark contrast to the abundant exuberance of the surrounding gardens. The whole garden is a place where one visit will never be enough.  It’s the type of garden which you’ll want to return to many times, as there’s always something new to pique your interest. The gardens are ever-changing with layer upon layer of interest, which morph into a complete new landscape as the seasons change; so whether you visit in spring, summer, autumn or winter, you’ll find something new to see. June loves exuberant planting, whether that’s exciting and bold herbaceous borders with their constantly changing selection of hardy and tender herbaceous and woody specimens, large areas of vibrant planting in hot colours, or cool and shady hideaways contained by traditional dry stone walls.

An award winning garden in Wicklow

Jane Blake’s Garden has won several awards including 2006 “Garden Heaven”- Gold and Best in Show for Nursery Display; 2007 “Bloom” – Silver Guilt Floral Pavilion and 2008 “Bloom” – Gold Medal Floral Pavilion.

Stay at The Cow House

Recently restored, the Cow House is located right in the grounds of Jane Blake’s garden, and is available to rent for short term stays.  Winner of the ‘Best House 2014′ award at the Architecture Ireland Awards, this former 19th century farm building has been totally renovated to provide a charming 2 bedroom holiday home, complete with striking roof lanterns and a cleverly designed interior space.