Castle Ward, Strangford

Castle Ward is a stunning National Trust House with historic gardens.
The Sunken Garden features a Victorian design of 61 jewelled parterres, which were only restored to the garden in 2017 after a long absence. The inspiration for this restoration came from a beautiful watercolour painting from 1864, by Irish scientist Mary Ward, who lived for a time in the mansion on the estate. The parterres feature colourful, seasonal planting throughout the year. You can expect to see Primula in the winter, which are then joined by Hyacinths and Tulips in the spring. The beds are then emptied and planted up again with the summer bedding which varies every year, but can include plants such as antirrhinum, geranium and marigold. The summer display blooms right through until autumn when the beds are emptied for bulb planting, and the whole process begins again.

The Sunken Garden also features large borders of cottage garden type planting which really come alive in the summertime. Tall spires of delphinium are accompanied by roses, lupins, clematis and achillea to name but a few. Think soft and romantic planting. The garden performs well throughout the year due to it being surrounded by an original red brick wall, which creates a microclimate within. Expect to be hugged by warmth on a sunny day in this plant-rich garden.

The Rockery, Fernery and Pinetum are also Victorian features. The Rockery is set within the Pinetum and was designed to be a colourful feature there. It is currently undergoing a lot of changes as it too is going to be mindfully restored to how it would have looked at the time of Mary Ward. It will be restored by working with another of her beautiful watercolour paintings to help decipher what would have been planted there at the time. It will be a mix of pretty alpines and colourful perennials which can be seen from afar as well as up close. This will offer a contrast to the collection of exotic spruce, pines, fir and cypress trees dotted throughout the Pinetum.

Game of Thrones was filmed here!