Growing with the gardens of Glin

Catherine Fitzgerald’s talents as a garden designer are showcased to the fullest in the delightful grounds of her family’s ancestral home, Glin Castle in Co Limerick

Glin Castle in Co Limerick: the contrast between formal and informal gardens creates a pleasing atmosphere. Imen McDonnell

Catherine Fitzgerald’s first forays into the world of garden design began with a baptism of fire. She took a job working as a planting designer for the formidable doyenne of garden design, Arabella Lennox-Boyd.

“It was very high-pressure: most people never associate working in gardens as being high-pressure, but it was,” she said.

She travelled around from project to project doing planting plans. “It was brilliant training, [Lennox-Boyd] was such a professional and ...