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Paul Smyth

@paultsmyth

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Head Gardener at RHSI Bellefield, Ireland.
Explorer- Plants in China 2026
Gardener and Plantsman🌱
Author and Podcaster
Likely found outside ⛰️

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Massive end of season plant sell off this weekend at @rhsibellefield. For our final open weekend we're selling off lots of excess stock at giveaway prices! Come early for the best bargains.

Open Sat and Sun 10th and 11th from 11am to 4pm

Tours 12 and 2 daily

Tea, Coffee, Books and Gifts all for sale too!

#irishgarden
#rhsibellefield
#opengarden
#irelandshiddenheartlands
#garden taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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19 hours ago

It’s been a glorious year in our gardens. We’ve had colour and sunshine in abundance, though some gardens have felt the strain of it too.

These weeks before the autumn colour takes hold are a lovely time to visit a garden. I went down to Bellefield in County Offaly, where the early evening light was catching the flowers, the greenhouses and the water. Paul Smyth, the head gardener, was out cutting the meadows now that their seed has fallen.

Bellefield was sparkling. It’s become such a wonderful place to visit, and every visit helps support the work of the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland.

So, if you’d like one last garden outing to draw the curtains on summer, come to Bellefield’s October open weekend. I think you’ll love it.

RHSI Bellefield House and Gardens, Shinrone, Co. Offaly, R42 NW82.

The open weekend is Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, 11am–4pm.

#rhsi
#bellefield taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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7 days ago

Great plants, great people, great bargains!
Come along and explore the latest developments! …

#rhsi #irishgarden #ireland #plantsale #gardeninspiration taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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8 days ago

Bellefield by moonlight. Some 2am shots from the garden the other night.

We'll be open in 2 weeks time for the last open weekend of the season. Combined with a huge plant sell off! Oct 10th and 11th.

More info coming on @rhsibellefield soon!

#moonlight #garden #rhsibellefield #irishgarden #irelandshiddenheartlands taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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10 days ago

Euonymus fortunei “Wolong Ghost”
Layering by @paultsmyth .
#rhsibellefield #irishgarden #rhsi #irelandshiddenheartlands #garden taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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a month ago

Our coming open weekend next Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th @rhsibellefield 🍃
Lots of new things to see;
*Restored Glasshouse
*New tropical border
*New sand border
And more !
Hope to see you @rhsibellefield 🍃
#rhsi #irelandshiddenheartlands #irishgarden #visitoffaly #garden taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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a month ago

Leaf cuttings by @paultsmyth 🍃
#irishgarden #garden #rhsibellefield #irelandshiddenheartlands #visitoffaly taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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a month ago

Salvia cuttings by @paultsmyth 🌱…
…
#irishgarden #irelandshiddenheartlands #visitoffaly #garden by @paultsmyth

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2 months ago

Gardening Time; Fruit tree summer pruning by Head gardener of RHSI Bellefield @paultsmyth
#rhsibellefield #visitoffaly #irishgarden #irelandshiddenheartlands #rhsi taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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2 months ago

Dahlias are in paradise in our new tropical border #rhsibellefield #irelandshiddenheartlands #Irish garden #garden #visitoffaly taken in RHSI Bellefield by @paultsmyth

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2 months ago

Monasteries have featured heavily in our itinerary through China. It seems the early plant hunters frequented them too; as places of solace and I imagine landmarks in the vast rural areas they travelled through.

Our last stop was Labrang Monastery it is the largest and most important monastery in Amdo region and is located by a tributary of the Yellow River.

The plant hunter Joseph Rock left accounts of his visit to the monastery in the 1920s when it was occupied by several thousand lamas.

We saw far more tourists than Lamas, but got a fascinating insight into Buddhism and the the workings and teachings of the Monastery.

Prayer wheels, Prayer flags, temples and other symbols of Buddhism have scattered the landscape as we've travelled so its fitting to end our adventure at one of the largest in the region.

A fascinating sight here were the Yak butter sculptures in one of the temples (pictures 12 to 14 and 18 & 19 above). These are hand carved annually by the monks and are masterpieces in their own right!

#planthunter #adventure #travel #gardener #explorer taken in Labrang, Gansu, China by @paultsmyth

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3 months ago

Plants of the trip

Every night on our travels of China we vote for a favourite plant, a tradition started by Seamus and continued on this trip.
The results were occasionally predictable, sometimes controversial and often well justified. It always sparked a lively debate and was an interesting way to debrief each day.
I've included most of the plants of the day here, plus a few more that I feel deserve a look in!

Anyone want to vote for a favourite?

1. Betula albosinensis
2. Meconopsis punicea
3. Meconopsis horridula
4. Primula tangutica
5. Salix fargesii
6. Acer griseum
7. Stellara chamaejasme
8. Semiaquilegia ecalcarata
9. Hemipilia chusua
10. Tilia kiusiana
11. Allium cyathophorum var. farreri
12. Cypripedium tibeticum
13. Syringea reticulata
14. Syringea reticulata
15. Actinidia pilousa
16. Aster aff. diplostephioides
17. Primula nutans
18. Pedicularis torta
19. Potentilla glabra
20. Mecenopsis quintuplinervia

Any comments or suggestions on IDs would be welcome!

#planthunter #explorer #adventure #gardener #travel taken in Gansu by @paultsmyth

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3 months ago