This post looks at the walled garden with verses from Job then then a folly looking up at the sky. There will then be further information about Johnstosn Wexford, Ireland.
Accepting tragedy Job says: ‘ Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there: the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.’ Job 1:2
Job expresses his deep trust in God: ‘ Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will maintain my own ways before Him. ‘
Job 13: 15
Then here is Job’s declaration of faith: ‘ For I know my Redeemer lives, and that at the latter day He will stand on the Earth. Job 19 :25
What is ‘ at the latter day’? It is a prophetic phrase that means the final period of human history leading up to God’s ultimate judgement, the return of Jesus Christ, and the set up of His kingdom.
Now for what we see in the photographs. Johnstown at present is managed by the Department of Agriculture and used for research into soils with laboratories created in the castle. The landscape designer was Daniel Robertson who worked with the four acres of walled garden established 1844-1851, three artificial lakes with a Gothic Revival Castle and follies.
The walled garden has prairie planting in the middle of the 4 acres not along the walls. Speaking to a volunteer garden she told me that while it was relatively cool now July had its days of intense heat here in Ireland. She continued to say the garden was moving to Autumn more quickly and less green.
I then found out that extreme heat triggers a survival reaponse that forces the plant to rush its life cycle and proritize reproduction over normal growth. This leads to poorer quality of seed.
Let us look at the beauty of some of these plants.
Ligularia dentata is the name of this plant. Here the plant is showing two stages. I can’t see any buds only full flowers and seeds forming.
The eye then moves from one bright pink grouping in the ornamental grasses to the next.
Echinacea in full bloom. Then look at these…
… a small treasure of two ‘ tiger lilies’, what I would like to think are flame lilies, but they do not have the bright red orange of my high school badge. Evidence of heat is seen in the yellows of the grass and the drooping petals of an echinacea going to seed.
A fine curve of white with a yellow self seeder.
Petals and centres, faced by heat, a close up of natures struggle, this past July.
A garden of layers going into autumn early.
A look at the castle through a folly arch. We chose not to look inside.
Farewell to Johnstown.
Take care,
Sandy 🙂