Altamont Estate and Gardens covers 16 hectares, and includes a garden centre, formal and informal gardens, grasslands, and treeline and woodland habitats leading to the banks of the River Slaney. Ecologist Mark Desmond presents its interesting biodiversity which includes the Slaney river which flows along the eastern boundary of the estate and is protected under the Slaney River Valley Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Seamus O’ Brien, Head Gardener of the National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh, recounts the adventures of a trip he led in July 2022 to the mountains of Ladakh, where he and his group studied a high altitude desert flora. Ladakh has some of the greatest glaciers in all Asia and these glaciers water the deserts on the mountain slopes and valleys below, giving rise to a rich flora. Hear how climate change is threatening this rare eco-system.