The National Botanic Gardens founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society, is well regarded for its fine plant collections of over 15,000 species from a wide range of habitats from all around the world.
As well as being a tourist destination and an amenity for nearby residents, it also serves as a centre for horticultural research and training, including the breeding of many prized orchids.
The soil at Glasnevin is strongly alkaline (in horticultural terms) and this restricts the cultivation of calcifuge plants such as rhododendrons to specially prepared areas. Nonetheless, the gardens display a range of outdoor "habitats" such as a rockery, herbaceous border, rose garden, bog garden and arboretum.
The gardens include glasshouses of architectural importance, such as the Palm House and the Curvilinear Range. The Curvilinear Range was completed in 1848 by Richard Turner, an Irish iron-founder and pioneer in the constructional use of wrought iron; it was extended in the late 1860s. This structure, and the nearby Palm House (built 1884), have been restored (using some surplus contemporary structural ironwork from Kew Gardens) and this work attracted the Europa Nostra award for excellence in conservation architecture.
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Friday, April 22, 2011
The Botanic Gardens - Dublin, Ireland
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