St. Stephen's Green

If ever you are in Dublin, Ieland, be sure to take a long walk through St. Stephen's Green.

It's a lovely 22-acre park (the second largest in Dublin) with lots of color and large green expanses. It's just across the street from the Shelbourne Dublin Hotel, a beautiful place to stay. It also borders the popular Grafton Street Shopping Centre.

Here are a couple of shots I took when there this spring.

Dublin flowers

When I was in Europe this past spring, I was impressed with the use of flowers in landscaping and as art.

In the Shelbourne Dublin at St. Stephen's Green Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, the lobby was filled with a fantastic arrangement. Since the hotel is across the street from the famous St. Stephen's Green Park, which is magnificent, it seemed fitting.

Here's what greeted us as we walked into the lobby.

Tomorrow, I'll post photos from the garden.

The Shamrock

Happy St. Pat's Day! Did you know that the shamrock - an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and the registered trademark of the Government of Ireland - is the old, three-leaved white clover? Yes, indeed - and that means I have little patches of my ancestral home in my back yard! Legend says the shamrock was a sacred plant to the Druids of Ireland because it has three leaves - and three is a mystical number in the Celtic religion. If you want the true Irish shamrock, the botanical name is Trifolium repens, a bulb that can bloom (white flowers) around St. Patrick's Day. Keep your shamrock plant healthy by cutting it back a couple of times a year and storing it in a cool, dark place to allow it to reset. Shamrocks are dormant in Ireland during the winter.