Restoring the Kitchen Garden Progress

History of the Walled Garden

Created in the late 18th century, the walled garden was an integral part of this working Irish estate. It was improved significantly in 1869 when the 4th Earl of Enniskillen married Charlotte Baird, a wealthy heiress from Dumfriesshire. She invested much into the development of the garden, providing many of its main features including the entrance bridge, pergola, Rose Garden and greenhouses. The garden remained in production up until the 1940s, having up to 12 full time gardeners at its peak.

Work so far

The upper part of the garden, known as the Rose Garden, has already been restored, and the remaining 2 acres, known as the Kitchen Garden is currently undergoing a project to return it to the 1930s arrangement.

So far, the original pathways have been restored and herbaceous borders planted containing a wide variety of plants, including achillea, asters, bergamot, marigold, cosmos and many summer flowering bulbs. These can also provide cut flowers for use in the house.

Two large fruit and vegetable plots have been brought into cultivation and are used to grow common vegetables and Victorian favourites such as sea kale. Each year new and unusual vegetables are grown - most recently tree spinach, callaloo and mooli radish. The plots are edged with calendula and other flowers to attract beneficial insects. 110 meters of espalliers have been installed to support native Irish apples.

Vital funding

During August 2017, it was announced that vital funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund was released that enables the project proposal to be developed. This is fantastic news for Florence Court, especially for our dedicated team of volunteers who for the past few years have been working hard to bring the Kitchen Garden back into cultivation. We will now be able to add impetus to the project that will create more opportunities for our volunteers and local communities, as well as for our visitors. The addition of the amazing feature will ultimately see the glass houses back in situ to complete the restoration of this historic kitchen garden to its 1930s layout. The glasshouses will not only make the garden look more attractive to visitors, but will also provide some practical spare for the volunteers to extend their horticultural work.

Future plans

This project will offer opportunities for individuals and families to get involved in everything from hands-on exploration of the garden’s archaeology and repointing of the walls, to pruning of heritage apple trees and harvesting of local and exotic vegetables which were de rigueur in the sustainable Irish estates of that time. It is proposed that the centrepiece of this project will be the erection of two replica glasshouses, which have been absent from the walled garden since the 1970s. As well as bringing the vision of a working walled kitchen garden to life, the glasshouses will offer a much needed space for hosting lectures, training and skill-sharing and provides the opportunity to offer internships to local horticulture students facilitating the teaching of propagation techniques and glasshouse growing skills.

Help us out

Visitors are always welcome to the garden and guided tours can be arranged. Lead Gardener for the project David Corscadden is helped by a fantastic team of volunteers. Volunteers are always needed and welcomed! If you are interested in gardening from picking out seedlings to digging and weeding, email us at: florencecourt@nationaltrust.org.uk