Colour magic

In his garden in the Irish village of Kiltegan artist TJ Maher paints with plants, which in mid to late spring means tulips galore

- ANNIE GATTI

KEY TULIPS

1 Tulipa 'Apricot Delight'

A Darwin hybrid that is a beautiful blend of apricot, pink, salmon and white, paler at the edge of the petals. It lightens as the flowers mature. Flowers April to May. 45cm x 10cmt.

2 Tulipa 'Claudia'

An elegant lily-flowered tulip in an unusual shade of reddish pink with pale edges. Its rich tone blends with the purple foliage of heucheras. Flowers early May. 45cm x 15cm.

3 Tulipa 'Salmon Van Eijk'

A Darwin hybrid with large, goblet-shaped flowers in a blend of pink and apricot, held high on sturdy stems. Flowers April to May. 50cm x 15cm.

The huge Corten-steel gates by the granite house belonging to Irish artist TJ Maher and his husband Simon Kirby, in the small village of Kiltegan, suggest an intriguing garden within. Sure enough, they open on to an intimate cobbled courtyard, enclosed by stone walls and a potting shed stuffed full of tender plants.

When TJ and Simon moved here 27 years ago, it was, TJ explains, the “lovely sense of privacy” that excited them. The courtyard area was full of rubble, and the upper garden had only a few scrubby shrubs. TJ knew he wanted a garden that would become a haven for insects and birds, and somewhere he could create compositions of colour, form and texture with plants. “The garden wasn’t designed in one big sweep. Whenever we got money, we’d do a little more.”