Rowallane Garden is a National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 property located just outside the small town of Saintfield

Saintfield

Saintfield is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and...

, County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. Rowallane Garden is noted for its collection of azalea

Azalea

Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...

s and rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

s. It is also home to the National Collection of penstemon

Penstemon

Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...

s.

Features

The Garden features a walled garden, a natural Rock Garden Wood, wildflower meadows and a Farmland Walk and a Woodland Walk, as well as a tea-room. The house is the headquarters of the National Trust in Northern Ireland.

History

The Garden was laid out from the mid-1860s by the Reverend John Moore. He built a walled garden, created the Pleasure Grounds and planted many trees. In 1903 the garden passed to his nephew, Hugh Armytage Moore, who established and developed connections with seedsmen and botanic gardens throughout the world and further developed the Garden.

External links

• Virtual Tour of Rowallane Gardens Northern Ireland - Virtual Visit Northern Ireland