The nearest gardens are Derreen Gardens in Tuosist less than fifteen minutes drive from Pigeon House. This woodland garden was designed and planted by the 5th Marquess of Lansdowne in the 1870s. The garden is famous for its tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica. Azaleas and rhododendrons thrive there; both the tender Maddenii and Sinogrande are to be found. Among the original plantings are Arboreum Rhododendrons, some rising as high as sixty feet.
The Ewe Sculpture Garden is a unique combination of nature, art and narrative. It is a private home open to the public and Ireland’s only interactive sculpturegarden. The whole family can enjoy mind challenging games, creative areas and story boards for a learning experience like no other in a one kilometre walk. The four separate gardens of around 5 acres form part of a 280 acre nature reserve. The gardens are set by the beautiful Tooreen waterfall, that cuts its way down the Esk Mountain valley into the glen of Glengarriff.