Rowallane Garden


Rowallane Garden is a National Trust property located immediately south of Saintfield, County Down, Northern Ireland on the A7 road. It is particularly noted for its extensive collection of azaleas and rhododendrons. It is also home to the National Collection of penstemons.

Features

The Garden, of some 50 acres in total, features a walled garden, a natural Rock Garden Wood, wildflower meadows, a Farmland Walk and a Woodland Walk, as well as a tea-room in the old farm stables, which features a bell-tower. The estate 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. As a result, it features plants and trees from North and South America, Japan, China, Tibet and New Zealand among other places.