Philip Wood and David Wilson explore the garden of Philip and Bridget Jacob, close to Killiney Bay in South County Dublin. 

This is a garden which has been evolving for "more than a 100 years" with both new and old being constantly added alongside ancient plantings.   This creates an "old world charm, with space for children to play and quiet corners where their elders may drowse on summer days". Philip walks alongside the couple as the husband states that when they first moved here, parts of the garden were "awful" but they were determined to find plants which took to the soil due to it overlooking the kitchen window. 

The orchard holds a certain charm with it being likened to an illustration in a children’s book and this charm is extended to other areas with the strategic planting of roses, so as to create a waft of fragrance for passerbys.

Late Philip Woods developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of botany and horticulture and bred new varieties of plants and flowers for the nurseries in Northern Ireland. Before he settled down in NI he served in the Royal Corps of Signals and saw active service in many countries around the world during WWII. After the war, Philip took up the post of manager of the Slieve Donard Nursery in Newcastle, County Down. He was also one of the founding members of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team and was appointed as its first leader. Later when retired, he devoted his time to designing gardens and providing advice, sharing his knowledge through gardening classes, lectures, newspaper articles, radio programmes.

A UTV Production.

• NI Direct - PRONI