FAME Alex Welcome to Milestones. We will tell you about the statues and trees here, and my plans to continue developing these gardens. Anthony The statues on either side of these steps are The Sitting Mercury and the Sleeping Faun.Like the ‘Ball Throwers’ in the Walled Gardens they are copies of well-known statues found at Herculaneum. They were bought in Naples. Sarah The two men fighting on the lawn are strapped together fighting with daggers over a ladyThe original by the Swedish sculptor Molin stands in front of the palace in Stockholm. PRESIDENTS Sarah We have two trees here planted by Presidents of Ireland to mark Powerscourt milestones.President Mary Robinson planted one in 1996 to celebrate the opening of the rebuilt house. Alex President Higgins and his wife Sabina planted another in 2014 to mark National Geographic voting Powerscourt the third most beautiful garden in the world. We were then invited to the presidential gardens to meet the Head Gardener there. LEGACY Anthony So how do you feel about the future of these gardens Alex? Alex It’s important for a head gardener to have a long-term plan so I have to imagine what I would like the gardens to look like in 100 or 150 years’ time and organize my planting around this vision. What I plant will be at its peak long after I am gone. While I greatly respect the amazing creations of the previous Powerscourt Lords, they were innovators and if they were around today they would be continuing to develop new ideas. I will continue to evolve the gardens so that future generations can enjoy my legacy too.