Diarmuid Gavin’s ‘whimsical’ coronation garden in Newtownabbey gets royal seal of approval

The celebrity gardener said it was “an honour” to have been chosen for the botanic project beside Belfast Lough, which was unveiled today to the public.

He was commissioned last year by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council to create a coronation garden “teeming with life” to mark the historic occasion.

Situated in Hazelbank Park in Newtownabbey, he spent over two months transforming the former bowling green into a native wildflower meadow using seeds sourced on the island.

The centrepiece of the automated garden is a sprawling, planted pavilion that will come to life every 15 minutes by blasting out Bring Me Sunshine by Morecambe and Wise.

Diarmuid Gavin works on his Coronation Garden at Hazelbank park on the outskirts of Belfast

There will also be ‘dancing topiaries’, and a huge 2m glitterball set underneath the crown of the pavilion will revolve.

“It is a traditional pavilion with a multi-storey structure with an essence of a grandstand,” he said.

“It’s whimsical because it’s a performing garden – it’s fun.”

Gavin has a long-standing relationship with the British monarch, a renowned naturalist, and he wanted the monarch’s passion for the environment reflected in the garden.

Charles wrote to the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist last week to wish him all the best with the project, and give his royal approval for the plans for the garden.

Many of the species are native, peat-free and grown locally.

“I’ve been an ambassador in the past for the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment so have some knowledge in terms of how he operates,” Dubliner Gavin said. “I’ve been to lots of meetings and dinners over the years and various things with him.

“He knows about the garden and has looked over the plans in detail, and advised us on the wording that we’re inscribing on the plaque.”

He was thrilled to receive the hand-written letter from Charles ahead of his coronation today, and it’s hoped that the monarch will one day visit the garden in person.

“I haven’t worked with him for about five years but he wrote to me recently sending his warmest wishes from Balmoral, which was lovely.

“It does encompass everything he believes in when it comes to the environment in terms of pollinators.

“He‘s probably thrilled it’s a native Irish wildflower meadow, so it sings to the history in a way and then the architecture of the pavilion is quite traditional.

“As a visitor to the borough, it’s a great honour to have been chosen for the project.”

After this weekend, the garden will be closed for several weeks to allow the wildflower meadow to flourish.

This is Gavin’s second horticultural creation in the Northern Irish borough – he previously devised a mechanical clockwork garden at Antrim Castle gardens, and opened it last June to mark the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.