And perhaps not so little. It might come as a surprise to some, but St Stephen's Green spreads over 22 acres, with a boundary footpath of another five acres. One of the people entrusted with the care and maintenance of this huge green oasis is Gerry Donoghue, horticultural foreman, and a man with the sort of job many a city worker might envy. His employer is the Office of Public Works, the body with responsibility for Dublin's historic parks and gardens. Along with St Stephen's Green, the OPW looks after neighbouring Iveagh Gardens and the War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge. It also takes care of the gardens at Leinster House, the Custom House and Dublin Castle. With so many green spaces to organise, meetings can go on for hours, but at some stage during the working day, Gerry strives to take a break from the office and get out in the fresh air. And that experience of taking the air, and letting city dwellers get a bit closer to nature, was why the gardens on the Green came about, as Gerry explains.

"In 1662, the city fathers wanted to create a park solely for the use of the people of Dublin. It was an even larger space then, but over the next century the emerging ascendancy appropriated 60foot frontages off the park for their townhouses.

They also put up railings, creating a private park only open to keyholders living around the Green.

One of the houses belonged to the Guinness family [now home to the Department of Foreign Affairs]. As a child, the young Arthur Guinness would have been brought on walks by his nanny into the park and it obviously made a strong impression on him. When he grew up, and acquired a benevolent streak along with his riches, Lord Ardilaun, as he became known, got a law pushed through the House of Commons to change the Green back to a public space."

The Victorian park that was created is very much what we see today with the original London plane trees still doing their job of absorbing the city pollution and refreshing the air. Water is still gravity fed from the canal at Portobello Bridge in Rathmines to keep the waterfall in plentiful supply.

This summer though, it has felt like water has been gravity-fed from the sky as well, proving a hindrance to the smooth running of the gardens.

"The weather, and the rain specifically, has been a huge factor in our workload this year. Usually by August, the grass would have become quite dry and not require so much cutting, but the consistent rain this year has kept the grass growing more quickly so there's a lot more mowing involved." A typical day for the gardeners in the green would be an eight o'clock start, mainly cleaning up until break time. After that, it's down to general horticultural work, from weeding to planting. As well as the gardens, there are three huge glasshouses requiring attention. It's here where up to 1,600 bedding plants are grown each year for summer borders.

The Green opens at 7.30 each morning, the first visitors usually being workers strolling through any of the 21 gates around the perimeter. Lunchtime is when the place is really buzzing, says Gerry, particularly during the Summerfest, where there's free music and family entertainment laid on until the beginning of September.

"The park was originally created for people to enjoy the peace of being in a garden . . . and that's something that's even more important for people now. Some people are making a long commute to the city, arriving home late and not getting the benefit of their own gardens. This is their chance to get away from the hustle and bustle . . . and the gardens are surprisingly quiet due to the sheltering belt of the trees." Aside from the human visitors, the park attracts wildlife too.

"You might be strolling along and hear a rustle in the shrubbery, and then realise it's only a blackbird looking for food or nesting materials. We have a couple of foxes that are regular visitors. And apart from the ducks and wildfowl, the lake is full of fish. One time we had to move on a guy who came along with his rod, all set up for a quiet day's fishing. But that's one of things about the Green . . . all city life is there."

GERRY'S TOP TIPS

>> For anyone without a garden, with just a window box or balcony to play around with, consider planting herbs and tomatoes in pots or hanging baskets . . . it's just as successful and much more satisfying than simply planting flowers

>> If the garden is tiny and completely in the shade, get advice on shade tolerant plants at the garden centre . . .you'll be surprised at how much you can grow. Sunshine isn't always necessary, and again pots allow you to move plants around as they flower and fade over the seasons

>> Even in the smallest space, add some architectural plants to give scale and height. Good stalwarts include phormium, cordyline, bay and bamboo