The Wildflower Meadow at Hillsborough Castle Gardens

flowers, gardening, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, nature, Northern Ireland, Photography, wildflower meadow, wildflowers

I do admire the Queen and for her Platinum Jubilee last weekend, I wanted to mark the occasion by doing something special. I won’t see the like of it again in my lifetime. So I treated myself and my sister in law Julie to a day out at Hillsborough Castle Gardens where they were holding 4 days of celebrations to mark this unique event. Loving all things horticultural as I do, the star of the show for me amongst all the attractions was the wildflower meadow in the walled garden at Hillsborough Castle Gardens.

A walk amongst the wildflowers

Hillsborough Castle is the only royal residence in N Ireland. The perfect venue therefore for a 1950s style festival, complete with jive dancing lessons, vintage stalls, plant and flower stalls and a number of food and drink outlets catering for all tastes.

It was a beautiful day to wander round the gardens, browse the stalls and sit down on the steps of the castle for tea and cupcakes.

But amongst the hubbub of the event, the real jewel in the crown was the wildflower meadow at the top of the walled garden. For as far as the eye could see, there were huge swathes of soft yellow buttercups, giant oxeye daisies and other wildflowers swaying in the breeze. It was truly breathtaking and like many others, we wandered around the meadow for quite some time, taking in the full spectacle. It all looked so effortless and natural. However, I imagine it takes a huge amount of effort behind the scenes and full credit to the volunteers who lend a helping hand.

Some photographs of the wildflower meadow at Hillsborough Castle Gardens