“I want to work in harmony with nature and see its true character emerge. Would you tell a child it will only be loved if it wears this pink or yellow tutu and if it spreads itself out or moves to the wrong place you will be cross – well it’s the same with gardening. “I look at land and gardens as a parent looks at a child. Subversive tactics and guerrilla warfare are nature’s weapon of choice. The frontline on the gardener’s side generally involves a lot of hard work and quantities of chemicals. “You can view this split between gardens and nature as a mighty battle. But in reality they have very little in common anymore. Indeed, the words “gardens” and “nature” have become almost synonymous. She says people are drawn to gardening because it helps them feel connected to nature. I shouldn’t be making any more pretty gardens.” “The moment I woke up, the dilemma I had been struggling with became clear as a bell. However, she wasn’t really fulfilled by the work and even though it paid the bills she began to lose interest in garden design. Mary designed every type of garden: Italian, herbaceous, makeovers for RTÉ – she did it all. Winning gold at Chelsea increased her profile both at home and internationally. Business grew by word of mouth and she never had to advertise. ![]() She scraped through, graduating in 1997 and immediately set up as a garden designer. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I really fancied this guy who was doing landscaping and so I applied and got the horticulture course in UCD.” She moved to Dublin and worked in a cardboard box factory to pay the rent. I was into sports and suddenly that adrenalin rush was gone and I made a mess of college.” “I arrived in college on crutches, having snapped my cruciate ligament. Mary’s first trial of college as a marketing and languages student in Waterford IT didn’t work out. These are the same roots she wants for her children Ferdia (12) and Ruby (10), both of whom are totally immersed in Glynn Barntown GAA club. I know generations of local families and that gives me a real sense of belonging.” One of six children, she was reared on the family farm in the townland of Forth Mountain just outside Wexford town.Īs a teenager, she couldn’t wait to get out of Wexford, but is now back living in the county. It’s hard to believe that landscaping and garden design were never top of Mary Reynolds’ career list. And as to the film, Vivienne De Courcy did a wonderful job as writer and director.” The film Dare to be Wild is something Mary can hardly get her head around, with trips to Japan and the US to promote the film and her new book The Garden Awakening already in the pipeline. Now, the story of getting her garden accepted at Chelsea has been made into a feature-length film which goes on general release this week. Mary has been on a journey to re-create those magic spaces ever since and has gained worldwide recognition for her work. They told me about the places they grew up in – wild places with a real sense of magic that sadly no longer existed.” ![]() However, people from the UK were in tears. ![]() Irish people thought it was lovely, just like places they knew at home. That was back in 2002 and her Celtic Sanctuary garden aimed to remind people just how beautiful wild places are. Mary is perhaps best known as the youngest and first Irish garden designer to win a gold medal at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. They are such characters – very strong and very family orientated.” “We had a rookery on our farm and I loved watching great families of crows gossiping and chattering all day. We got talking about all sorts of things, including her fondness for crows. She wasn’t sure if the oven was set to the correct temperature but, whether it was or not, the scones were delicious. Mary Reynolds was busy baking a batch of raspberry scones when Irish Country Living arrived at her home overlooking Wexford town.
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