Cappoquin Gardens, Waterford, Ireland

Over the half term holiday we managed our first family holiday with all 4 of us together in six years and we headed off to Ireland.  I have family there so in between introducing Simon and the boys to my aunts, uncle and cousins we also managed to fit in plenty of sightseeing.  Cappoquin Gardens in Co Waterford were one of the few gardens still open in October and it looked like we picked a perfect autumn day to visit.

Cappoquin House was built in the 18th century on the site of an old castle.  Its imposing Georgian Manor is also open to the public at certain times but we only wanted to visit the gardens ... which besides the gardener we had to ourselves.  A leaflet detailed what each part of the garden was used for or represented but we actually enjoyed just walking along its grassy paths through areas of woodland, herbaceous borders and shrubberies all exhibiting their delightful autumn colours.

For anyone like me who is rather fond of hydrangeas this garden was a veritable treasure trove of pinks, blues and whites:

There were plenty of other flowers still in bloom too:

The herbaceous borders and shrubberies may not have had the same vibrancy as in the summer but they had a gentle and warm feel to them ... and the gardener we spoke to said we were lucky to go when we did as the perennials were due to be cut back for winter any day soon.

Gorgeous autumn leaf colours we seen throughout.  The house itself was magnificent in its robe of ruby Virginia Creeper and the green lawns were strewn with fallen leaves.

 

We enjoyed Cappoquin on a warm, still day in late October.  The mild weather of the autumn was evident in this magnolia bud - I hope the Irish winter is kind and it survives through to spring.

Practicalities

Location: Cappoquin Gardens, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland
Tel: 00353 87 6704 180
Website: Cappoquin House
Gardens open all year - 10am to 4pm (closed Sundays)
House opening times: please refer to website
Entry: €5 per person, children free
Dogs not permitted.

Cappoquin Gardens are not huge but we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours there.  If you ever find yourself in  this part of Ireland I do recommend a visit.

Linking up with Annie Spratt and How Does Your Garden Grow.