Life

The Casual Gardener: Marvelling at mid-winter magic of Montalto Estate, Ballynahinch

As head gardener for the past six years at Co Down's Montalto Estate, Peter Harris oversees an ever-evolving and expansive space steeped in history and heritage

Motalto Estate head gardener Peter Harris
Motalto Estate head gardener Peter Harris Motalto Estate head gardener Peter Harris

:: Thanks for speaking to the Casual Gardener Peter – can you begin by telling us about the gardens at Montalto?

The garden consists of several different areas of interest. We have a main lawn with mature specimen trees including Irish champions and we have added to this scheme over the last two years for future interest. In spring, we have a spectacular show of colour mainly from our substantial collection of Rhododendron. These are complemented by spring bulbs and woodland herbaceous perennials. Summer in the garden is dominated by a mix of shrubs and a large collection of hydrangea. As the walled and cutting gardens are working gardens, these are opened to the public when possible and summer is when these areas look their best. To extend the interest in the garden throughout the year we have a large winter garden that includes lots of colour and texture. This is achieved with use of shrubs like flowering dogwood and willow, winter flowering shrubs and bulbs and the structural beauty of various grasses.

:: And what about yourself, where you’ve worked previously and how you got to where you are?

I initially decided to pursue a career in accountancy. After my degree at Queen's University, I studied for my accountancy exams and worked as an assistant accountant. I knew quite soon that I didn’t enjoy it and decided on a career change. I attended Greenmount College 12 years ago. After completing the course I worked as a landscape gardener before joining Montalto Estate. I worked with my sister who was, at the time, the head gardener. It was quite a career change but it was worth it for me.

:: There's quite a history to Montalto?

Lord Moira, who owned the estate, was a keen botanist who brought exotic plans from all parts of the world to his home in Moira. After some time, these were transferred to Montalto Estate. From 1770 until his death in 1793, he planted over 100,000 trees on the estate. Unfortunately, at Montalto there are only a few written records about the planting in the garden. The main historical evidence is in some of the mature specimen trees and shrubs, some of which have been uncovered during the clearance of laurel and Rhododendron ponticum.

:: What, if anything, is looking good at present?

This is the season when the winter garden begins to reveal itself. This is a new addition to the estate and will only improve over the coming years. The different grass species provide a key structural element for the garden as they can last well throughout the winter. The seed heads and colour give a wonderful contrast with the evergreen elements, colourful berries and stems.

:: We are in the midst of what’s regarded as downtime for gardeners – do you put you feet up over winter?

As any keen gardener knows, the only restricting factor in winter is the shorter days. Winter is an important time for planning new beds/areas of the garden, planting bare root and root-balled shrubs and trees and for a good general tidy up.

:: Do you practice organic gardening or use a lot of chemicals?

We are continually aiming to increase our use of organic gardening methods. We currently limit the use of chemicals to only when necessary. A lot of our weeding in the main garden is done by hand.

:: What as a gardener do you most like about winter?

Winter is when you can truly see the structure and outline of many trees and shrubs and prune where appropriate. It also gives you a good chance to see which areas are lacking in interest.

:: What as a gardener do you most dislike about winter?

The cold weather makes it less enjoyable but perhaps the main thing is the short days.