A RATHER proper, apple-green, griselinia hedge screens the garden at Shekina in Glenmalure from the road. It pulls you up short because for to miles you have driven through sheep-speckled hills lined with gorse and high, high bogs where the new bracken crooks are only beginning to rise from last year's broken-down, pinky-brown fronds. For the last part of the journey you descend into the glen, passing scraggly little woods of birch, beech and oak. And then, right there, in the middle of this untamed, disorderly landscape is a well-mannered, shiny hedge.
On the other side of the neat boundary, a softly-mounded lawn surges downhill enticingly. It's a lawn that's asking for trouble, crying out: "Roll on me! Run on me! Do mad somersaults all over me!" It's a lawn that many garden owners would keep jealously guarded and out of temptation's way. But this lawn's owner, Catherine McCann, welcomes the rollers and runners and somersaulters and even the bringers of bottles of wine. "I love to see children rolling down the hill and people picnicking."
The irresistible lawn (popular also with the local rabbits who grub it up enthusiastically, and exasperatingly) is bordered on one side by an amazing and amusing, solid wall of 14 tall Leyland cypresses, gold alternating with green and each neatly clipped into a con vex shape. The whole business looks like the quilted surface of a very comfortable, outdoor. padded room.
Catherine's acre also has a winding, narrow stream, bogbean-filled pools, a wisteria-clad arbour and countless inviting benches and seats. What singles it out from other places with all of these pleasant features is the collection of Irish sculpture that is spread around the garden.
She bought the first piece - a big, chunky. granite doughnut by Cliodna Cussen, symbolising the concept of Christ's "I am the Way" about to years ago and followed it up with others, including a knobbly bronze of lovers; hands by Imogen Stuart, a fantastic, weighty. granite spiral by Fred Conlon and many more. Together the 11 pieces tell the story of the Creation, or then again they might not: Catherine leaves it up to the visitors to fond their own opinions on what they see and experience.
The garden takes its name, Shekina, from a Hebrew word signifying the visual manifestation of God. And certainly. whether or not you subscribe to the idea of Him Upstairs, this little patch of careful serenity has a special atmosphere, where contemplative moments are punctuated only by the songs of birds, the shush of the wind and the baa of nearby sheep.
THE simple formula at Shekina Sculpture Gardens is one that obviously appeals to the judges of the Shamrock National Gardens competition. For four years it won the first prize in its region, Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny (last year it was pipped at the post by Iris and John Riley's Thomastown garden).
The closing date for entries for this year's competition is Monday June 23rd. It'll cost you £10 to enter but it is money well-spent, helping to defray some of the expenses in this massive contest, which can number 700 entries. The competition is generously sponsored by Bord na Mona but judges from the National Garden Association of Ireland give their time voluntarily, roving up hill and down dale for weeks during the summer.
Their eagle eyes will be assessing gardens on five fronts: design, plant content, standard of cultivation, special features and general effect. And it doesn't matter if your garden is a vast demesne or a weeny patch: there are categories to suit everybody, even separate window box, hanging basket and container classes.
There are prizes to the value of £6,000, including cheques for £500 and £300 for the best large and best small garden for all seasons. These gardens are very, very good and the prizes are won only by the most committed eight-hours-a-day gardeners like Pat Heavey, whose garden was featured in this column last month. But in some of the 16 regional classes, the competition is not so stiff. New blood is needed to jizz up the event. So, if you are hiding your brilliant garden under a bushel, out with it now and no dithering. You have just one week to get your entry form in.