When I first encountered pictures of Patthana Garden on the internet, I was immediately enchanted by the vibrancy and joy this garden radiates. Soon I started following the garden on social media and a bit after bought the book, Grounded in the Garden, about this magical place. And also the book is a feast for the eyes and so I became even more curious about this place and the person who created it. So when we decided to go on a trip to Ireland, this was undoubtedly the first garden on the list of places to experience.

When we visited Patthana in June I was a bit nervous about it. After seeing all those beautiful images and June being a bit of a transitional period between Spring and Summer, will it not disappoint ? But no, it didn’t at all.

You enter the garden through the new tea room and antique store, not giving away directly what lays beyond. You get a warm welcome from TJ Maher, the creator of the garden, and his husband Simon. To keep the anticipation up we first had tea and delicious baking goods to spice up our energy before the exploration of the gardens.

On the patio you already get greeted with a stunning colour display in pots, and it immediately tells you TJ, who is an artist, knows how to use and play with color. But here he switched canvas to soil and paint to plants. Another colour boost follows in the old garden entrance building of the garden, now a display of Pelargoniums.

A few steps down you explore a sunken, shady garden, where old granite walls and exotic planting brings you in a calming mood. Here colours are a bit more subtle. A hint of pink a sparkle of white in between the lush green foliage. Tucked away in the corner is the potting shed which, I have to admit, triggered some serious pot shed envy 🙂

A few old granite boldersteps take you up to the middle garden. A round lawn is surrounded by, and intersected with some beautiful perennial borders. Here you’ll find some more rare plant varieties in between the generous patches of colour. TJ told us there was not so much colour in this time of the year, but it still did exceed most other gardens I have visited this time of year. In this part of the garden you also get a first glimpse of the surrounding landscape, hills on your right side and the old church peeps behind the old twisting trees that must have been a hedge before.

Again a few steps up and the garden completely opens up. This is the most recent part of the garden, a former field, which they were able to purchase in 2020. Here the magical play with colours and textures is turned up a notch, but always in a natural way, never forced. Central in this part of the garden is a half circle mound that embraces a small seating area. You meander through generous flower borders, that are carefully put together. It’s a pity I could only visit now, because it would be lovely to see these borders and colours change through the seasons.

On the other side of the mound is a developing flower meadow, where yellow rattle is already doing a good job at surpressing the grasses. A flower meadow takes time so more and more wildflowers will find their place here. The gothic bench at the end of the meadow is a nice reference to the church a bit further in the distance.

Patthana garden is truly a garden that pleases all senses, but much more than that it reflects the character and vision of its creator, TJ Maher. He didn’t create this garden only for himself, but always with the animals and insects in mind. A spiritual and creative person, that also cares about others. He definitely inspires me to become a better person and gardener. I still had many things to ask him, but hope we’ll meet again in the future.

If you want to learns more about the garden and get some great gardening tips on the way, I can strongly recommend TJ’s book ‘Grounded in the Garden’. It gives you some nice insight in how to use colour and shapes, how to garden with respect for nature. But more than that it also invites you to reflect on life, spirituality and our place in nature.

A visit to the tea room/ antique shop after (or before) your visit is also highly recommended. This is Simon’s project and he knows how to bake 🙂

Patthana Garden : Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow, W91 X789, IrelandK

Open every Friday & Sunday 12-5pm : April to SeptemberilKiltegan, Co. Wicklow, W91

@ : https://www.patthanagardenireland.com