by Ketzel Levine

If you're headed to Ireland anytime soon (weather be damned!), might as well indulge yourself in some seriously luscious flora. In which case, do I know a place for you: the Dublin haunt of one of the world's most celebrated gardeners, Helen Dillon.

Ireland's best-known gardener, Helen Dillon
photo credit: Ketzel Levine, NPR

If you time your visit right, you may get a chance to sample some of the irrepressible Dillon charm and wit.

The Dillon Garden is just a bus ride from downtown Dublin, one brief block and a world away from the teeming masses on Sandford Road. The summer I was there (two, three four years ago? who can remember?), one of my favorite plant combinations was this percussive arrangement of masculine plants (yes, I jest).

a spiky bouquet of flowering plants
photo credit: Ketzel Levine, NPR

Euphorbia, allium and two forms of eryngium at peak perfection in Helen Dillon's front garden.

So how do you get in? Simple! All you gotta do is pay. The Dillon Garden is open Mon-Sat, 2-6pm during the summer, with more limited hours on Sunday. No guarantees you'll see what I did, she's too restless a gardener to just leave things alone, but I would imagine no matter how soggy the weather, you'll find yourself awash in color.

a jumble of grasses and perennials in the Dillon Garden
photo credit: Ketzel Levine, NPR

The ultimate use of a see-through Stipa gigantea dripping over a perennial jungle

And if it makes you feel any more comfortable about going, by all means tell Helen I sent you.