Fernhill Gardens – An Oasis of Tranquility

Welcome to Fernhill Gardens, the latest addition to Fernhill House Hotel, an Oasis of tranquility in the heart of West Cork. The gardens were designed by renowned local designer Adrian Marshall of Clonakilty Garden Centre with the aid of John Deasy of DC Construction who turned what was a pitch and putt course into this fabulous scenic area.

The aim of the garden is to create a delightful and relaxing atmosphere for weddings and events, and also a tranquil haven for guests and locals alike.

This information sheet is designed to give visitors a detailed description of the various features of the garden and to explain what you will see as you walk around its meandering paths.

1. The garden was designed so that it could be viewed almost in its entirety from the flagpoles outside of the hotel thus giving visitors a taste of the delights to follow.
2. Walking down the tarmac pathway visitors are welcomed by the heavenly scents of the herbaceous flower bed on the left. Packed to bursting point with fragrant flowers, it offers a kaleidoscopic visual feast right through from spring to early autumn.
3. At the bottom of the slope the path divides, moving off into the garden to the right, and to the left it meanders under the branches of a graceful ash tree and past a beautiful shade bed and finally alongside a rockery built into the bank where alpine flowers cascade over the locally sourced rocks.
4. The path then heads over a wooden arched bridge where there is a dramatic waterfall to the left and a shallow pool surrounded by grasses and bog oak sculptures can be viewed. The path continues down to the gazebo on the right. This offers the perfect backdrop for wedding photos.
5. Further downhill is a hexagonal red cedar gazebo imported from sustainable forests in Canada. Set in a romantic bed of sweet-smelling flowers, it offers a perfect area to listen to the stream trickling past and enjoy the views of the waterfall and the geyser below.
6. The geyser is one of the features that makes this garden so unique. An enormous bed of stones, dotted with natural bog oak, belies the impact of this breathtaking feature: a 20ft jet of water shooting up into the sky!
7. The path then heads back up into the main body of the garden, through a locally crafted moon gate and into a rose walk, where fragrant roses scramble overhead, leading to a stunning rose bed, expertly planted with a dazzling array of traditional and modern roses.
8. As the path heads onwards, to the right is a sweetly-scented bed with a small grass path which allows you to enter the bed and be surrounded by the heady fragrance.
9. Next in the garden is the custom-built marquee, set on a hard surface, lined with silk and decorated with chandeliers. This is the entertainment heart of the garden: the perfect venue for weddings, birthdays and music events. There is a paved area outside for guests to spill out onto on long summer evenings.
10. Outside the marquee is one of the most striking beds in the garden- a massive heart shaped bed filled with white and pink bedding plants, which is clearly visible from the hotel car park.
11. Next is a yin-yang bed planted in contrasting colours. It is the symbol of peace and harmony, and also of male and female- the perfect addition to a garden designed with weddings in mind!
12. Further along is a bamboo walk, providing excitement and fascination for the garden’s younger visitors. Hidden among the bamboo is the entrance to the Jurassic garden which is planted with pre-historic foliage plants to create a garden that's jumped straight out of the past!
13. Just up the hill from the path is the mound bed covered with mass plantings of shrubs with a dramatic piece of bog oak in the centre.
14. The path then leads up the hill through a flowering cherry walk with a mixture of daffodils and hostas providing year round interest that is particularly spectacular in the spring.
15. The visitor can then step into the Zen garden. Surrounded by an evergreen grissellinia hedge, it offers peace and tranquility with minimal planting and large boulders.
16. At the base of the bank further along the path is a luscious grass bed offering year round interest.
17. Above the marquee is a beautiful wedding cake tree, the perfect ending to a lovingly created garden.
18. The whole garden is backed by a mass-planted bank, stabilised with giant logs and enhanced by a wave of dogwood and ceanothus running along its length.

Spring or Autumn Heavenly scents of the herbaceous flower beds packed to bursting point, with fragrant flowers, from Spring through to Autumn.

Gazebo Over a wooden arched bridge, where there is a dramatic waterfall to the left, the path continues down to Gazebo, which offers the perfect backdrop for wedding photos.

Marquee by Night The custom-built marquee, set on a hard surface, lined with silk and decorated with chandeliers. A magnificent spectacle and entertainment point by day or by night.

Rose Walk The rose walk, where fragrant roses scramble overhead, leading to a stunning rose bed, expertly planted with a dazzling array of traditional and modern roses.

Always remember the beauty of the garden,
for there is peace. - Author Unknown