Continuing on with the city garden visits, this month I indulged myself with a visit to the formal garden in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, home of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). The grounds include a superbly restored 17th century garden with design influences from the French formal gardens of the time, the most famous of which are the Gardens of Versailles. Designs from this period were rigidly formal in their layout, adhering to strict symmetry and c

This month, I indulged myself with a visit to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Dublin, a horticultural gem tucked away along the banks of the river Liffey, in Islandbridge. I have a soft spot for this garden as I served my time here as a student when I studied at the National Botanic Gardens and now bring my gardening class back each spring to teach them how to prune the roses. Designed by renowned British architect, Edwin Lutyens, the garden was established "to com