I’ve written about the Delta Centre before, having visited the twenty interconnecting but quite different sensory gardens for the Christmas light display. Promising to return in the springtime to see the many, different varieties of daffodils growing there, it only needed a meeting of friends with the suggestion of tea and cake in the friendly on-site café to find me there once more.
The daffodils were a bright and cheery splash of yellow throughout…
and it was uplifting to watch the bees begin to emerge and feed upon the various yellow blooms…
possibly as a result of the shelter they’d found in one of several gorgeous bug hotels.
We tried not to get wet as the wind whipped the water around us from the magnificent dandelion clock inspired water feature…
and watched the Koi Carp swimming around the lake and under the bridge towards the sunken boat.
We couldn’t help ourselves and had to stroke several giant sculptures featured in almost all of the gardens.
and we gazed in admiration at Mary Reynold’s Celtic lady.
It was the alpine plants growing in the middle of the waist-high limestone wall that stole the show for me during this springtime visit. If they had been planted in beds on the ground we would have missed their exquisite blooms.
If you have an opportunity to visit the Delta Centre sensory gardens on Saturday, 29th March, Deborah Begley from Terra Nova Gardens, Dromin, Co Limerick will be giving a light-hearted talk. For more information on the talk or for opening hours for the gardens in general, telephone +353(0)599143527 or email info@deltacentre.org – Admission: adults €5, concessions €4, children free accompanied by an adult.
10 Comments
What a beautiful place, we forget how many wonderful places we have to visit in Ireland, this one is definitely going on my list! Particularly love the dandelion water feature… and your photos are superb!
Thanks Naomi and yes, there’s lots out there we don’t even know about! If you do visit and the water feature isn’t on, just ask the staff and they’ll flick the switch. They’re really helpful and friendly there and your kids will love it there!
I’ve heard so many things about the Delta gardens, I must go there soon. It’s a great cause too.
When I saw the dandelion clock on Facebook I didn’t realise it was a fountain. Love it 🙂
It’s well worth the small entrance fee Amanda. There’s an indoor musical fountain room too which is handy to run into when it rains and zone out for a few minutes peace.
Stunning pictures and a great write-up of the experience Dee. I will have to pay a visit when I am back in Ireland later this year.
Thanks Marie, I’m looking forward to returning when the roses are in bloom in one of the gardens as they should look spectacular and the perfume from them must be devine!
it must be 3 years since I last visited the Delta centre and these photos are reminding me that I really should. I love the lady – there’s one like that in Cornwall too.
I wonder how much it’s changed since then Lorna. The first time we were there there were slippery wooden paths near the pond but now it’s all beautifully paved and yes, Angela is lovely, really helpful and friendly.
We’ve had a few visits in the last few weeks. We had to go a few times to see the frogs spawning and then we had to go back and check on the frogspawn. We’ll be keeping a close eye on it to watch developments in the first few weeks. The staff are great as they always give the children little packets of fish food to feed the fish and point out little hidden paths and the best places to spot frogs. We even made a Delta Sensory Garden out of lego following one visit. It had to feature both bug hotels, the one shaped like a robot and the one with the shoe and boot in it.
I didn’t think to look for tadpoles but loved the way the pool gets really shallow and trickles over the gravel. Must remember next year as for years we used to have frog spawn down the road that we’d walk to and watch and then the council came and fixed up the road and covered it in tarmac!