The gardens at Mount Usher are known for being of the naturalist style. They were designed by William Robinson, who is reputed to be a gardening genius that revolted against the formal Victorian style. Having a natural look, the gardens are situated along a river and is more of what today we would consider to be a landscape as opposed to a garden. Perhaps this means he is still a radical gardener.

At any rate, here is a shot across the river to Mount Usher House, which is hidden in the distance.

Crossing over to the other side, you can get a better glimpse of the house. Notice all the brown eyed susans still in bloom.

There were actually a lot of flowers still in bloom. Although past their prime many flowers still had remarkable vibrancy, like this poppy.

This is a view more or less in front of the house. While not as dramatic as Powerscourt, there is certainly a relaxing tranquility to the scene. Despite the whole landscape being designed, the overlaps between different parts of the garden made each scene hint at the Japanese idea of the “borrowed landscape”.

Speaking of Japanese gardening, a number of Japanese maples were present in the gardens. This is actually a rather common species, but the colors were irresistible.

Here’s a close-up of a butterfly atop a dahlia. I’m not sure what happened to his wing, but given how much it was working the flower, I doubt it minded much.

That’s it for gardens. Next up are some shots of the East Coast.