The brand new ‘easy access’ visitor carpark which offers space for 74 cars has now been officially opened at the beautiful Mount Congreve Gardens in County Waterford and a brand new ‘Veg Box’ subscription is now available.
Since its official re-opening in March 2023, works have also been ongoing in restoring the gardens at Mount Congreve and some of the buildings within the gardens including the Georgian Glasshouse, Pagoda and Summer House amongst other projects.
Now, as summer 2024 takes hold, the first fruits of this labour are coming to bear as the Walled Garden is back producing many of the vegetables and fruits for use in the Stables Café plus for those who would like a monthly box of fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables a brand new 4-week subscription will be available from the end of June to the end of October. You can enjoy a hand-picked selection of fresh vegetables from the estate gardens. Each seasonal vegetable box contains 7-9 items that are grown and picked using natural and chemical-free principles; with each box containing a selection of the following: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash, Courgettes, Carrots, Beetroot, Spinach, Rocket, Cabbage, Broccoli, Lettuce, Curly kale, Cavolo nero (dark kale), Scallions, Asian greens, Kohl rabi, Radish, Brussels sprouts, Leeks, Onion, Garlic, Potato, and Purple Topped Turnip and Herbs. The box provides enough vegetables for a family of three-four people for a week. To support sustainability, vegetables will be packaged in a crate that Mount Congreve kindly asks you to return each week. Every subscription also includes a pot of Mount Congreve Jam or Honey.
The four acres of the walled garden are filled with scent, colour and water features and the team of gardeners has been sharing their knowledge with the students from the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture to help breathe new life back into and fully restore the planting and add new plantings. The Georgian glasshouse originally built in 1844 is also undergoing a restoration from Queenstown Restoration Ltd which is expected to be completed by June.
Commenting on the ongoing works and restoration progress in the walled garden Ray Sinnott, Estate Manager at Mount Congreve says, “The Walled Gardens at Mount Congreve are an integral and iconic part of the overall garden design and visitor experience. Just within these 4 acres, which have been in continual use for over 270 years, we have herbaceous borders, sweeping lawns, wildflowers and cut flowers for the house, walls covered in wisterias, a maze, and even a banana tree.
In the beautiful Georgian glasshouse, we have tomatoes, chillis, cucumbers and grape vines. In the kitchen garden, a range of vegetables and fruits including apple, pear, damson and plum trees, most root vegetables you could think of and one of the visitor’s favourites – the Peony walkway backed by delphiniums and overlooked by climbing roses. Works on irrigation, new and restorative planting along with groundworks and restoration of the original glasshouse have all been underway for the last year, and we are thrilled to now see the first fruits of this labour coming into being.”
The Gardeners at Mount Congreve are delighted with the opportunity to share their knowledge with the student gardeners from the Mount Congreve School of Horticulture and this transfer of knowledge will help maintain these and other gardens into the future. The latest additions to the Mount Congreve Garden team include Ned who joined the team in 2023 as Senior Gardener having held similar roles at some of the UK’s finest National Trust gardens and Siobhan and Hannah who joined this year and are all bringing a wealth of knowledge and ambition for the future plans and to help bring these entire gardens back to their former glory
Mount Congreve’s 70 acres of woodland gardens roll downhill from an elegant 18th-century mansion to the River Suir and are home to one of the largest private collections of plants in the world and are particularly renowned for their rhododendron, magnolia and camellia collections. The gardens include intensively planted woodlands, a walled garden and 16km of walking trails meandering through the sublime woodland with scenic and peaceful places to sit and relax along the way offering a wonderful escape to nature. In addition, the elegant 18th-century mansion to enjoy a glimpse into times gone by along with the beautiful new Stables Café and Visitor Centre with delicious menus curated by The Pantry by CLIFF and filled with garden produce.
Commenting on the ongoing works and completed Sara Dolan Commercial Director at Mount Congreve Gardens says, “We are delighted to be now able to offer visitors a very easily accessible car parking solution and we know this will make a difference to those who may just be dropping by for lunch or a shopping trip, along with families too.
The restorative works ongoing in the gardens are of huge importance and it is wonderful to see the first fruits of that labour coming to the fore along with the almost completion of the extensive restoration project that has been the Georgian Glasshouse. The gardens and the glasshouse are of great international importance and reinvestment in the restoration and the underdeveloped assets on the Estate bolsters our opportunity to generate additional employment and revenue, along with increasing visitor numbers to ensure the long-term viability of this enormously important visitor attraction.”
The gardens at Mount Congreve are located just 10 minutes from Waterford City and are now open 7 days per week. For further details and to sign up for a new Mount Congreve Gardens Veg Box subscription see www.mountcongreve.com or https://mountcongreveshop.ie/collections/veg-boxes
