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Ardkinglas Ladies Garden |
| 2nd - 17th May | Garden opening hours |
This is a special opening of the Ladies Garden, normally only open by arrangement.
History: In 1914 because of the outbreak of the First World War a number of Belgian refugees arrived in Britain. Several thousand of them found their way to Newcastle where John HB Noble (1865-1938) lived and worked. He put some of them up on his estate at Sandhoe and some came with him to Ardkinglas in the summer and at Christmas. At the end of the war John came to live full time at Ardkinglas with his family and a refugee family who had connections with a nursery in Belgium.
On their return home, in appreciation of the help they had received, they sent a large shipment of Ghent and Rustica flore pleno azaleas to Ardkinglas. John's wife Amie planted these in the Ladies Garden.
The garden is a glorious sight when the azaleas are in full bloom. There are a number of rare plants, some of which are still to be named. John Hammond has written an article on the garden and is continuing research into naming them. |
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