News Releases

DES MOINES (March 2007) – The spring issue of Country Gardens, a Special Interest Media published quarterly by Meredith Corporation, features Irish gardens to inspire you, plus ideas for great spring color and cottage style.

Featured articles in the spring 2007 issue include:

PERENNIAL PLEASURES (Pg. 56) – Inside the walled garden at Ireland’s Belvedere House Gardens, Victorian style perennials sparkle year round. Blending perennials with shrubs, bulbs and annuals, a backdrop of rich color and texture is created. Find tips you can use in your own garden, such as mixing plantings of different heights, combining different textures to add contrast, and repeating plantings along the border. Since perennials require division every two or three years, try to reduce border maintenance by incorporating shrubs, which require only occasional trimming. Foliage is important in a garden, because it last much longer than flowers, so it is important to mix foliage to create interest. Find some tips for planting partners, such as:

• Bold and Bashful: Pair large leaf perennials with small flower plants for texture.
• Similar Shades: Create a foolproof combo by mixing perennials with blooms in the same color family.
• Tall and Small: Mingle plants of varying heights to make a garden bed that’s full and lush.
• White for Contrast: Use white to fill in and lighten.

SECRET GARDENS (Pg. 22) – Let Country Gardens take you on a tour of Ireland’s hidden gems and read about the design ideas brought back home. Ireland’s country gardens resist strict rules – they weave history, climate and heritage into a rich landscape tapestry. Walled Victorian gardens combine fruit and flowers, neatly clipped hedges, and use stone to create a sense of place and time. Get inspired by these Irish gardens with their mix of the slightly wild contrasted with formality that creates a very distinct look.

REVIVING A LAGACY (Pg. 64) – Preservationists rescue a historic estate from ruin and give visitors a glimpse into Ireland’s most turbulent times. Strokestown Park reverberate echoes of centuries gone by with its renovated gardens, restored manor home, and its new potato-famine museum. They worked from old estate maps, newspaper articles, and letters to recreate the gardens. Visitors can see how the working class survived this plight and tour these beautiful gardens brought back to life.

The spring issue of Country Gardens is available on newsstands until May 15, 2007 for $4.95.

Contact:
Lindsey von Busch
Lindsey.vonbusch@meredith.com
(732) 288-0629