Spring Daffodils arrive early

All of a sudden there are daffodils springing into bloom everywhere. February is somewhat early for the daffodil, a member of the Narcissus family.  They have a much closer association with March and April when daffodils blow their trumpets to great effect, their cheerful yellow colour in abundance along the highway and byways.

Where better to enjoy walks spotting the Spring flowers than our great parks.  Ireland can be extremely proud of its parks which match the best of the best in any part of the world.  In Dublin there are several outstanding ones that ‘spring’ to mind such as the St. Anne’s, the Botanic Gardens and of course the majestic Phoenix Park.  However, the smaller ones too evoke a strong sense of calm and delight and high on my list is Herbert Park located in between Donnybrook and Ballsbridge.  Dating back to 1903 when the land was given to the Urban District Council by the Earl of Pembroke it includes a myriad of facilities.  It has a really interesting Native Tree Trail but I think we are a little too early for this as the trees are not in leaf  to assist with deciphering the species.  The attached DCC post  gives an impressive list of native trees to look for in Herbert Park, such as Willow, Hazel or Oak so keep that in mind for later on.

In the meantime enjoy meandering around the park where the keepers have ensured dazzling displays of yellow daffodils, which follow ever so closely on the heels of the startling blue, purple and yellow crocus; the crocus being more associated with late winter rather than spring.  

The architects of the adjacent Herbert Park Hotel were very clever in placing their glass walled dining room so that it neatly sits into the park itself.  Diners are treated to the luxury of  natural colour flooding into the room from the park, making it a real delight to dine there.  To make it even more special you could stay overnight and enjoy a city break that brings a little piece of countryside into play.  I can vouch for the excellent rooms where attention to detail by housekeeping is to the highest of standards (a recent visit confirmed this for me). 

So now that there is a little improvement in the temperature and some extra daylight both early and late do get out there and breathe in some fresh air and take pleasure in enjoying the newly minted colours of Spring.