Irish National Botanic Gardens
Encyclopedia
The National Botanic Gardens (Irish: Garraithe Náisiúnta na Luais) are located in Glasnevin
, 5 km north-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland
. The 19.5 hectares are situated between Prospect Cemetery
and the River Tolka
where it forms part of that river's floodplain
.
The gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society
(later the Royal Dublin Society) and they have grown to hold 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens. There are several architecturally notable greenhouses. Today the Glasnevin site is the headquarters of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland which has a satellite garden at Kilmcurragh in county Wicklow.
The botanic garden participates in national and international initiatives for biodiversity
conservation and sustainable development
. The Director, Dr. Matthew Jebb
, is also Chairman of PlantNetwork: The Plant Collections Network of Britain and Ireland.
owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin and, in 1790, they were sold to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society
for them to establish Ireland's first botanic gardens. A double line of yew
trees, known as "Addison's Walk" survives from this period. The original purpose of the gardens had been to advance knowledge of plants for agriculture, medicine and dyeing. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 1845–1847 potato famine was identified. Throughout the famine, research to stop the infection was undertaken at the gardens.
Walter Wade and John Underwood, the first Director and Superintendent respectively, executed the layout of the gardens, but, when Wade died in 1825, they declined for some years. From 1834, Director Ninian Nivan brought new life into the gardens, performing some redesign. This programme of change and development continued with the following Directors into the late 1960s.
The gardens were placed into government care in 1879.
and an amenity for nearby residents, it also serves as a centre for horticultural research and training, including the breeding of many prized orchids.
The soil at Glasnevin is strongly alkaline
(in horticultural terms) and this restricts the cultivation of calcifuge
plants such as rhododendrons to specially prepared areas. Nonetheless, the gardens display a range of outdoor "habitats" such as a rockery, herbaceous border
, rose garden
, bog
garden and arboretum. A vegetable garden has also been established.
The National Herbarium is also housed at the National Botanic Gardens. It contains a collection of nearly 750,000 pressed plants, collected over the garden's two-hundred-year history. The gardens contain noted and historically important collections of orchids. The newly restored Palm House houses many tropical and subtropical plants. The Cactus House is currently (2008) being emptied for refurbishment.
In 2002, a new multistorey complex was built; it includes a cafe and a large lecture theatre.
It has responsibility for the Arboretum
at Kilmacurragh, County Wicklow
, a centre noted for its conifers and calcifuges. This is located some 50 kilometres (30 mi) south of Dublin.
The Curvilinear Range was completed in 1848 by Richard Turner
, an Irish iron-founder and pioneer in the constructional use of wrought iron
; it was extended in the late 1860s. This structure, and the nearby Palm House (built 1884), have been restored (using some surplus contemporary structural ironwork from Kew Gardens) and this work attracted the Europa Nostra
award for excellence in conservation architecture.
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
, 5 km north-west of Dublin city centre, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The 19.5 hectares are situated between Prospect Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
and the River Tolka
River Tolka
The River Tolka is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal, within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland. It is one of Dublin's three main rivers, the others being the Liffey and the Dodder...
where it forms part of that river's floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
.
The gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
(later the Royal Dublin Society) and they have grown to hold 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens. There are several architecturally notable greenhouses. Today the Glasnevin site is the headquarters of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland which has a satellite garden at Kilmcurragh in county Wicklow.
The botanic garden participates in national and international initiatives for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
conservation and sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. The Director, Dr. Matthew Jebb
Matthew Jebb
Dr. Matthew H. P. Jebb is an Irish taxonomist and botanist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes....
, is also Chairman of PlantNetwork: The Plant Collections Network of Britain and Ireland.
History
The poet Thomas TickellThomas Tickell
Thomas Tickell was a minor English poet and man of letters.-Life:The son of a clergyman, he was born at Bridekirk near Cockermouth, Cumberland. He was educated at St Bees School 1695-1701, and in 1701 entered the Queen's College, Oxford, taking his M.A. degree in 1709...
owned a house and small estate in Glasnevin and, in 1790, they were sold to the Irish Parliament and given to the Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
for them to establish Ireland's first botanic gardens. A double line of yew
Taxus
Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs in the yew family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of 1-40 m, with trunk diameters of up to 4 m...
trees, known as "Addison's Walk" survives from this period. The original purpose of the gardens had been to advance knowledge of plants for agriculture, medicine and dyeing. The gardens were the first location in Ireland where the infection responsible for the 1845–1847 potato famine was identified. Throughout the famine, research to stop the infection was undertaken at the gardens.
Walter Wade and John Underwood, the first Director and Superintendent respectively, executed the layout of the gardens, but, when Wade died in 1825, they declined for some years. From 1834, Director Ninian Nivan brought new life into the gardens, performing some redesign. This programme of change and development continued with the following Directors into the late 1960s.
The gardens were placed into government care in 1879.
Facilities
As well as being a tourist destinationTourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...
and an amenity for nearby residents, it also serves as a centre for horticultural research and training, including the breeding of many prized orchids.
The soil at Glasnevin is strongly alkaline
Alkali soils
Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH , a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate...
(in horticultural terms) and this restricts the cultivation of calcifuge
Calcifuge
A calcifuge is a plant that does not tolerate alkaline soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to flee from chalk'. These plants are also described as ericaceous, as the prototypical calcifuge is the genus Erica...
plants such as rhododendrons to specially prepared areas. Nonetheless, the gardens display a range of outdoor "habitats" such as a rockery, herbaceous border
Herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
, rose garden
Rose garden
A Rose garden or Rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped by individual variety, colour or class in rose beds.-Origins of the rose...
, bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
garden and arboretum. A vegetable garden has also been established.
The National Herbarium is also housed at the National Botanic Gardens. It contains a collection of nearly 750,000 pressed plants, collected over the garden's two-hundred-year history. The gardens contain noted and historically important collections of orchids. The newly restored Palm House houses many tropical and subtropical plants. The Cactus House is currently (2008) being emptied for refurbishment.
In 2002, a new multistorey complex was built; it includes a cafe and a large lecture theatre.
It has responsibility for the Arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
at Kilmacurragh, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, a centre noted for its conifers and calcifuges. This is located some 50 kilometres (30 mi) south of Dublin.
Architecture
The gardens include some glasshouses of architectural importance, such as the Palm House and the Curvilinear Range.The Curvilinear Range was completed in 1848 by Richard Turner
Richard Turner (iron-founder)
Richard Turner was an Irish iron-founder and manufacturer of glasshouses, born in Dublin.His works included the Palm House at Kew Gardens , the glasshouse in the Winter Gardens at Regent's Park in London, the Palm House at Belfast Botanic Gardens and the Curvilinear Range at the Irish National...
, an Irish iron-founder and pioneer in the constructional use of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
; it was extended in the late 1860s. This structure, and the nearby Palm House (built 1884), have been restored (using some surplus contemporary structural ironwork from Kew Gardens) and this work attracted the Europa Nostra
Europa Nostra
Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, is the representative platform of 250 heritage NGOs active in 45 countries across Europe...
award for excellence in conservation architecture.
Directors
The Director is the chief officer of the Gardens, with a residence provided on site. Previous Directors include:- Dr Walter WadeWalter Wade (botanist)Walter Wade , was an Irish botanist.Wade was a physician practising in Dublin in 1790. Aylmer Bourke Lambert [q. v.] in a letter to James Edward Smith [q. v.] states that through Wade's exertions a grant of 300l...
, Professor of Botany to the Dublin Society (until 1825) - Samuel Litton (1825–1834)
- Ninian Nivan (1834–1838)
- Dr David MooreDavid MooreDavid Moore may refer to:* David Moore , English botanist, see Banksia victoriae* David Moore , politician in Electoral district of Sandridge, Victoria, Australia...
(1838–79) - Sir Frederick Moore (1879–1922)
- J. W. Besant (1922–44)
- Dr T. J. Walsh (1944–68)
- Aidan BradyRoscommon GAAFor more details of Roscommon GAA see Roscommon Senior Club Football Championship or Roscommon Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Roscommon County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Roscommon GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games...
(1968–1993) - Donal M. Synnott (1994–2004)
- Dr Peter Wyse JacksonPeter Wyse JacksonDr. Peter Sherlock Wyse Jackson was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, with whose botanic gardens he is associated. In 2005 he was appointed Director of the Irish National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. His father was Robert Wyse Jackson, Bishop of...
(2005–2010) - Dr Matthew JebbMatthew JebbDr. Matthew H. P. Jebb is an Irish taxonomist and botanist specialising in the ant plant genera Squamellaria, Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum, Myrmephytum and Anthorrhiza, as well as the carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes....
(2010- )
See also
- List of Irish botanical illustrators
- List of Irish plant collectors
- The Ferns of Great Britain and IrelandThe Ferns of Great Britain and IrelandThe Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland was a book published in 1855 that featured 51 plates of nature printing by Henry Bradbury.-Description:The text was a scientific description of all the varieties of Ferns found in the British Isles...