History of the Gardens

Written by Cormac Foley - OPW

The Smith-Barry family began an arboretum at Fota, probably in the 1840's, and quickly recognised the advantages of the climate in this part of Cork for the growing and cultivation of rare and tender plants. Fota Island is well sheltered, has a mean annual rainfall of 1052mm (41 inches) and has an ideal temperature range with frosts being rare and of short duration.

The development of the arboretum coincided with the great plant hunting expeditions that went out around the world bringing back wonderful specimens from places such as the Orient, South America and the Pacific coast of north west America. Noteworthy among were the expeditions of David Douglas to California and Oregon in the 1830s, William Lobb who introduced the magnificent Chilean Flame trees (Embothrium) to Europe in 1846 and Robert Fortune of the Horticultural Society who collected widely in China and Japan in the 1850s and 1860s. Many of these rare plants found their way to Fota within a few years of their discovery. So today we have some of the finest examples of conifers from northwest America and wonderful plants from South America, Japan and China thriving in the growing conditions that are unique to this part of Cork. Fota arboretum contains some of the finest specimens of tender plants from South America grown outdoors in Britain and Ireland. Of particular note are Winter's Bark (Drimys winteri) and Gevuina avellana from Chile. The core of Fota is the original framework of the arboretum created by the Smith Barrys in the 1840s. One of the beauties of the plant collection is that the Smith Barrys had the foresight to position the plants, giving them sufficient space to develop fully.

It is possible in Fota, unlike in many other gardens and arboreta, to appreciate each individual plant and tree and, often, to view it in its entirety. You can walk up to stunning specimens of Sequoia (the giant redwoods), rarities like the Californian Nutmeg (Torreya), beautiful examples of the Chilean flame tree (Embothrium) and trees like the Handkerchief tree or Ghost tree (Davidia) from China. These are some of the finest examples to be found on this side of the world.

The Smith Barrys developed and recorded the plant collections throughout the 19th century and Mrs. Bell continued this great work in the 20th century. The arboretum was well looked after by University College Cork from the 1970s and today it is in the care of the OPW, which is continuing the work of cataloguing, conservation and development. No garden is static and we have made a lot of recent additions. Many of these plant collections are arranged in association with the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, with other botanic institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and with plant collectors and arboreta generally.

We will continue the work of care in the future. Restoration programmes are well advanced in the walled gardens following the completion and planting of the magnificent Orangery. These works involve the restoration of the sunken Italian garden with its associated yew hedges and pathways, rose garden and formal Cordyline palm feature within the main walled garden. Further development is ongoing in the adjacent two-acre walled garden with its rare climbers, wall shrubs, rose collection and fine borders of Irish-bred daffodils, dahlias and monocot plant collection (for example bulbs and grasses). The addition of rare material is also continuing in various sections of the arboretum. One of the most important of these projects is the conifer conservation programme, which is arranged in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Fota has been chosen as a suitable 'safe haven' for plants that are endangered in the wild, particularly in South America. Fota is appropriate for this role because, in addition to its suitability from a climatic point of view, the gardens and arboretum are in state care and have a management programme in place to ensure long-term conservation and development of plant collections. The necessity for such 'safe havens' arises because to threats to plants, especially trees, from overdevelopment of forests, agriculture, roadways and water supply projects. This scheme has already stated and we are going to expand it significantly because these plants are performing so well at Fota. It is very similar to the Smith Barry experience back in the 19th century - Fota is such a wonderful place to grow plants.

In all of this, the gardens and arboretum can play a major role in educating and informing both the general public and interested scientific people. Fota also provides a marvellous recreation area in which people can stroll around and just enjoy the sheer beauty and richness of this historic garden.