Yes, yes, I know it’s supposed to be potatoes, but we can grow other things here in Ireland! And magnolia is one of the things that grow particularly well in the Pleasure Grounds at Ballywalter Park.
And here are quite a few of the ones that grow by the Farm gates in various states of flowering. Some are in tight bud, some look like they are dead, but on closer inspection there is still life in these. My all time favourite is the one that is maybe 50 foot tall which is the image at the start of this blog. It has a lovely red Rhododendron flowering just behind it. There are quite a few in BD’s Empire, known as the long border and they are simply magnificent as they have the heat of the wall to bring them on. You really have to make the most of the magnolias as their flowering season is not long for the individual plant. Our spring magnolias often suffer with wind and rain damage, but this year they are amazing.
