Situated on the estuary of Cork harbour ‘Coosheen’ houses a unique collection of plants which provide year round interest. It has been described by Shirley Lanigan in her book The 100 Best Gardens in Ireland as ‘nothing short of a tour de force’.

Hester Forde has an insatiable appetite for plants which makes this a must see garden for the plant enthusiast. A series of raised beds and troughs are home to rare and unusual smaller perennials, alpines and bulbs. It is truly a woodland garden in a suburban space and is home to an expansive collection of fashionable woodland plants that creates a wonderful tapestry of foliage in the springtime. A clever choice of trees for the smaller garden combined with a circular lawn give an illusion of space and provide a magnificent backdrop for the plant collection.

‘Coosheen’ is also home to an outstanding private snowdrop collection and opens annually in February for snowdrop days.

The garden has featured in RHS Garden Magazine (May 2017) in an article entitled ‘Popping the Cork’, in Gardens Illustrated (Feb 2018) as ‘Nod to the Irish’ and in Eden, a Belgian publication, under ‘Jardin du Sud.