Ever been on a journey that never ended? Try venturing into a garden in Ireland. Whether enjoying the splendor of such lush public gardens as the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow, Muckross House in Killarney, and Mount Steward in County Down, Northern Ireland, or even the small yet brimming private gardens that many a proper Irish gardener is more than happy to welcome visitors into, the effect is the same: It is easy to enter such botanical wonderlands, but it is hard to leave.

Sure, physically walking out of an Irish garden can be done, even though the desire to linger will certainly be strong. However, the gardens, the experience, the beauty that is Ireland never goes away in the mind.

I have traveled to the Emerald Isle many times and left, but because the pleasant memories have persisted, in the gardens of Ireland I remain.

How can this destination called Ireland become such an enduring dream? Try it yourself. Go to Ireland. Go to one of the greenest places on earth. Enjoy its gardens great and small. And experience a journey that will last a lifetime.

L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Visit his website at southeastgardening.com.