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Glanleam House & Subtropical Garden

Garden

Exotic woodland gardens with bamboo forests and ferns

Address:

Glanleam
Valentia Island
Co Kerry

About Valentia Island

Contact Glanleam House & Subtropical Garden

Tel: +353 66 947 6176

Please mention ireland-guide.com when enquiring.

Glanleam House & Subtropical Garden

Opening Months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Opening Days:
Opening Hours: 10am - 7pm
Admission Charge:

Appointment Only
Admission Charge

Georgina Campbell

Experiencing this garden is like straying into a benign jungle where the most exotic of plants rule in wild profusion. And if ever there was a place to give a sense of other worldliness it is Glanleam. The 40 acre site on an east facing bay on Valentia Island was created in the 19th century by the 19th Knight of Kerry, with plants sent back by plantcollectors from all over the world,particularly Australasia.

Much of the collection and itsdescendants survive, spreading andgrowing to enormous proportions inthe warming breath of the GulfStream, proving the point that thingsgrow faster in Ireland than atanywhere else at this latitude. Paths

wiggle through luxuriant growth pastcordylines, bamboo forests,Beschorneria yuccoides, groves oftree ferns, embothrium and myrtles(including the variant Luma apiculata‘Glanleam Gold’ with cream bordered leaves which originated in the garden.)

Ferns, much collected by Victorians,are a particular feature and includespecies like the chain fern and theKillarney fern.

The garden is long and narrow in shape with paths winding back and forth between different features and prospects. There is an upper walk through thickets of camellias, a sea walk edged with bluebells and primulas, and a gunnera walk near the house. Streams and water features throughout the garden add to the interest. Restoration work is ongoing by current owners Meta and Jessica Kressig and, while storm damage which uprooted scores of trees posed challenges, it has also opened up new areas and opportunities.