National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh, Co. Wicklow is home to many rare plants and trees, some dating from the mid nineteenth century. Many were grown from seed sent to Kew Botanic Gardens, London and the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin by the Victorian plant hunters who were the first westerners to see these plants growing in the wild in China, Chile and beyond. Seamus O'Brien the head gardener of Kilmacurragh kindly made blooms available to me to allow these paintings to be created.
I exhibited these paintings at the Royal Horticultural Society's London Show in April 2013 and was delighted to win a silver medal.