Month: March 2014
Well, since I’m not really into Parades I spent the afternoon in the garden. Definitely on the mend now and getting my energy back again thank goodness.
I had tackled the raised beds in the Rose Garden yesterday but the light faded before I could get to the final raised bed where I had my fuschias last year.
As you can see from the “before” photo it was completely covered with celandine. I have discovered that Bittersweet doesn’t thrive if celandine is taking hold – now all I have to do is to figure what will do the same with the celandine!
It wasn’t a difficult task – the soil in the raised beds has lots of compost added so the weeds pull out quite easily. Even so, I filled 6 of the buckets in the photo with celandine before I was done.
The fuschias in this bed were supposed to be hardy – so far two of them are showing signs of life so with a little patience I hope to see more of them emerge.
I wasn’t happy with them in this location so I need to make a new plan.
Talking of plans – during a brief spell of sunshine this morning I took a stroll around the whole garden armed with my trusty notebook – I am very fond of notebooks that are small enough to fit easily in the handbag – or even the pocket – and today I diiscovered anpther advantage! As I made my way round the garden I noted the tasks needed for each area – it stretched to 4 pages of the little notebook, but because of the small pages each lot of task is much less daunting.
I know – I’m only fooling myself – but it makes the whole thing more manageable for my peculiar mind!
Hope you all had a wonderful St Patrick’s Day!
This group of daffs are always a little late opening but they will be well worth the wait ….
The Spring I spent in Cambodia a few years ago I got my family to send me photos of Daffodils to help with the homesickness – and they definitely did the trick! Since then the appearance of daffodils always makes me appreciate our changing seasons.
Last year i was given these bulbs in a clump from a weeded area.How i know its Crocus (hope so),was from my neighbour.Im looking for its full name.Some tiny growths have begun.I weeded that clump then,and have since been minding it.Can i split the clump into 4 different sections and pot on for more or is that a waste of time.I want to extend them,so i can have that colour in different areas.Many thanks.
Not too bad out there today. It could have been a bit warmer, but hey, it’s still March. I made a serious dent in my plants in waitng. Climbing rose ‘Teasing Georgia’ is making good progress after having been planted out from a big pot at the Loggia and got tied in.
I have made a ruthless decision of digging up my honeysuckle and Jasmine ‘Clotted Cream’ at the oil tank. I’m thinking that all the growth that grows over the loggia takes away a lot of light into the dining room during the summer months, and it is beginning to get a bit over-powering. Tough decision, but I think it’s tme for a change. I’ll take a few cuttings of the Jasmine before I get Steve to dig it up.
Today I planted out Pittosporum tobira, Francoa sonchifolia, Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’, U4BA ‘Whistleberry Garnet’, Sweet Cicely, Euryops tysonii, Monarda, Variegated Lonicera, and Acanthus mollis.
When I was finished with this lot, I suddenly realised that there were lots more to be planted after taking plants out of the North-Facing border to accommodate properly what’s already there. It just never stops, does it!!! Wouldn’t have it any other way!
While we were out an about yesterday, we decided to pay a visit to Mount Congreve. I had never been and Ted had been years ago and could not remember a lot about it. So we set off and thoroughly enjoyed it. Such a lot to see even though it is early in the year and it holds great promise of things to come later in the season. I think we covered most of the areas and made it back in time for tea.
We had a good nose around the plant sales area but bought nothing. In fact we returned home with buying a plant all day which is most unusual for us. Nothing for it we will have to go again lol.
Great to see so many people there. One small consideration for those in charge might be a few road/information signs please.
All in all a great day out. I have put up an album, hope you like it.
With the mild (or at least not so cold) weather in recent days, slugs seem to be out and about at night. I’ve just noticed lots of herbaceous perennials which I had over wintered in pots have had their new growth nibbled back down to the surface of the compost.You can use pellets to control slugs, the alternative is to go out late on a damp night with a torch, and collect the pests into a bucket. Then dispose of them in a humane or inhumane way…………..
With all the storms we have had recently, apparently there was a huge upsurge in sales of chainsaws from home improvement stores as homeowners tried to clear their property of downed trees. In inexperienced hands, a chainsaw can be a lethal power tool as there is always the danger of kickback. This occurs when the chain catches in a log, rather than cutting, potentially throwing the blade of the tool up into the face of the operator. An alternative safer means of cutting branches or logs is a bow saw.
A bowsaw (sometimes called a “Bushman”, I don’t know whether this was an alternative generic name for the saw or if it was the name of a saw manufacturer, which doesn’t seem to exist anymore) is a type of frame saw used to cut branches and logs in the garden. The blade has large teeth and it is well capable of cutting logs upto 6 inches diameter if you are reasonably fit. In conjunction with a loppers, you can easily cut up small to medium sized fallen trees. However you do need to keep your hands clear of the blade while cutting, and as with any saw, it is a good idea to point your thumb downwards! A slip of the blade with a saw like this can easily result in a serious hand injury. A saw horse made from scrap 4 x 2 s helps to stop limbs from moving around when they are being cut up.
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Steve was remarking today that we had very little colour in the garden. Like, does he not realise it’s only March!!! So I told him to take a trip down Primrose Walk. “Primrose Walk”?, he retorted incredulously. Actually, Primrose Walk is only about 4 steps altogether. I have airs of grandeur here. LOL. Can’t blame a girl for dreaming!Paving in this area has to be sorted out still, and lots more primmies to be planted.
So to keep him quiet for a while I decided to take some geraniums out of the greenhouse to add that little boost of colour. First photo of ‘Primrose Walk’ is a work in progress. If we get a frost and my geraniums suffer, he’s definitely in trouble. LOL.
This rhubarb made amazing growth while we were away, so there was nothing for it but to make a pie this afternoon!!
Went for a long walk this morning on Old Head beach – the tide was out such a long way that we were able to go to little coves off it that are not always accessible. It was a beautiful sunny day after early morning drizzle and then we didn’t get a shower of rain until 4.30 this afternoon!! Lots of families down with their children making sandcastles!!! A perfect St Patrick’s Day!!
Ok, since Mairin kindly allowed myself and Liga to dig this gorgeous camellia from her garden, it has come on in leaps and bounds. I sincerely thought that it would deteriorate rapidly being stuck in a half-barrel after having the freedom of Mairin’s garden. Not so.
Looking at a photo of the whole shrub, it looks quite mediocre. So many more blooms to open, but the flowers close-up are just to die for. Gave it a good top-dressing of eraceous compost today. Since acquiring it, I have discovered it is C. Margaret Davis. Thanks again, Mairin.
It is nice to enjoy some of what we grow outdoors indoors as well
when i got up this morning noticed it had rained and decided i will hold off doing anything with the new area for a while, so i went out and prunned everything that needed pruning. this job needed doing anyway so it is great to have it done now. then went and set up the compost for the ferns so i now have the soil sterilised and ready to go for later. itching to sow more stuff but i am trying to dicipline myself which is near impossible when it comes to gardening well for me anyway
after seeing the weather forecast for the week they are talking of rain and gales again. yuck.( well i will see what it is like on the weather forecast this evening.im starting to think i should leave it another couple of weeks, i thinking of my lovely plants and hubby has to make the containers for the bamboos, i have loads of plants just need to decide exactly where to put them. im going to leave it until i come back from kew gardens then the weather will be better hopefully plus i can have the compost in and the beds dug over ready to go and the plans made for where everything goes, it needs to feel right from the start.
i spotted prunus kojo no mai in horkans yesturday, will be getting two of those.. loads of planning to do , now thats one of the fun bits
Went to Co. Waterford yesterday with Tedk where we attended Devonshire Day at Lismore Castle. An annual event, the day started with Devonshire cream tea being served by Denis Nevin who is the head butler at the castle. Set in the wonderful surroundings of the Pugin room at the castle, we also got a short history of the castle and it’s varied owners. Then it was off for a guided tour of the gardens with the recently appointed head gardener who is full of enthusiastic plans for the grounds. There were some majestic magnolias in bloom in various shades of pink along with some rhododendrons, cornus mas, spring bulbs etc.
It is a lovely garden in a wonderful setting and one I plan to visit again.
I have put an album up if you care to take a peep 🙂
These Sandstone rocks for a new Juniper Bed have just arrived. Can’t even lift ONE of them! Scrubber! Help!
Not the name of a new plant! I showed photos previously of the first process in making a new set of steps. A few days ago the steps were cemented, this time I did not mix the cement but got help. But I was standing by as each step was filled clutching a tray of pieces of yellow and blue cups that I had hammered into small bits to make a sort of mosaic on each step. It worked out quite well but having to work fast , accuracy was not at its best! I still have to decide what colour to paint the wood and also I hope the whitish patches in the cement will leach out in time.
Also a photo of Pulmonaria Benediction looking very well at the moment , as are the little Rip Van Winkle daffodils.
Happy St Patricks Day to you all.
Morning everyone! Yes, I love Primulas, and in recent years they’ve flown straight back into fashion thanks to Pat Fitzgerald who introduced the world to the Joe Kennedy Irish primroses.
There are currently lots of large flowered bedding types available in great numbers from the likes of big diy stores, but I find those ones a little kitsch. I prefer something a little more quaint, or one’s that say “I’m more than just a bedding plant”.
Well, yesterday I got to see the lovely new Primula ‘Blarney Castle Pink’, ‘Blarney Castle Red’, and ‘Blarney Castle Blush’ in person, and they all looked “quaintly” amazing in the sunshine.
Though they each have red stems and petioles, with it’s white-striped deep red flowers, with very red stems, red petioles and red flush to the leaves, ‘Blarney Castle Red’ has got to be one of my favourites.
I never would have thought that I, being a fair-weather-gardening exotics man, would be falling for these things, but at this time of year these little beauts always ivigorate my gardening (and plant buying) mojo. In fact, despite many exotics nurseries being present, I think I bought more Primulas at Fota Plant Fair last year than anything else.
Anywho, if Prims are your thing, these three guys (or gals) are available for sale at the Blarney Castle Garden Cafe.
Suffice to say, there’s now a bit of Blarney growing here in Blackrock.
Happy Patrick’s Day!
New Bio System finally installed & working after months of waiting.
Hard landscaping due to begin in about a week.
then time for some real gardening can’t wait.
will keep ye posted
Have been home for a good week and catching up on things.
Have to put up the annual photo of my tete-a-tete daffodils which went in around 6 years ago. They line the edge of the wall on both sides of fuschia hedge.
Photo showing new blooms on hellebore that bloomed last Oct/Nov. I did the right thing by cutting off all those blooms!!!
I really love watching these bulbs emerging out of the soil, the way the leaves turn and open is amazing.
Really pleased with the way these bulbs are bulbing up.
On an annoying note, I included in my order from Augis Bulbs last year, a really nice Erythronium. Somehow, when I was planting all the bulbs from the order I missed these ones. I found them in a plant tray months later, totally dried out.
With a very very low chance, I planted them but nothing showing as yet and would be more than surprised to see anything at all.
Have a great St. Patrick’s Day everyone.
Yesterday was very cloudy and overcast plus drizzle thrown in for good measure. So there wasn’t much I could do in the garden.
So it was time to start potting on some of my seedlings. It’s great now having two greenhouses, plastic ones only but still……they kept me dry and I can work in one and put my plants in the other.
So I spent a leisurely couple of hours repotting plants and potting on some lovely seedlings. Ones that were only planted up a couple of weeks ago really thrived in the lovely sunshine we had. It was a great feeling to see so many growing and hopefully if I mind them well they will turn into beautiful plants.
I wanted to go out and weed the left hand border as this is the next area for attention but the drizzle kept me away and it was now getting late. No harm really as I needed the rest. Really enjoyed my few hours in the greenhouse today. But my first passion is being in the actual garden and hopefully today that will happen.
Hope you all have a great St.Patricks Day whatever you do.
While in Lanzarote about 4 years ago, I removed a small shoot from a plant in the little garden of our bungalow, in the hope that I could get it to grow at home.
Either Conrad or Bruno identified it as a yucca, but try as I might, I just can’t find the journal specifying which one. But here it is this morning. Not a very attractive plant and doesn’t flower. It was taken more for the challenge than anything else.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, EVERYONE!
Has anybody noticed a lot of very large bumble bees in their garden at the moment? We have quite a few of them it seems, and some very large ones. Hard to show the scale but the one on the picture was huge, you can compare it to the keyhole on the left side of the picture. I took the picture on Friday and was actually too scared to open the door in case it came in…
We have three camellias with lots of blooms at the moment, and they are around there, but also hover around the patio door which is facing full south, so a warm area when the sun was shining during the last week. I’m curious if people have the same, as I don’t remember these enormous ones so early in previous years. I wonder if the mild winter means that they just lived through the winter and grew bigger. I know bumble bees are not supposed to be nasty, but the size of them makes them very scary to me…
Spent the whole day at the front garden again and happy to say i got the hedge out to my delight after a battle but not so good for my tools. I broke two forks and a shovel. My neighbour got a great laugh asking me was it the wall i was trying to lift out. Oh well i will get new handles and all will be good. I have since painted the wall and dug out the border proper where the hedge was. Apparently the fork and shovel were suppose to be near to unbreakable according to April who bought them for me a year and a half ago but i didn’t take me long 😀 😀
Some time ago I discussed the desirability of trying to save a very sickly camellia. Most suggested that trying to nurse in back to health, like a sick child, was a good idea, but Rachel implied that at times euthanasia may be required.
So I tried to save this camellia, bought years ago, after much thought, but it was reduced to a sickly stalk with one half dead leaf. Last Thursday Lidl had a great plant sale and I got a very healthy Camellia japonica very cheap. So I bought it, and cruelly dumped the old camellia and replaced it with the new one. I think I did the right thing.
Life is tough, even for camellias.
I made a decision earlier in the year that no more pots were to be bought.
Well I have not broken my promise, but when my father in law offered me some large weathered plasic pots and some lovely Terracotta pots what was I meant to do ;-))
I have already put some of them to good use.
The in-laws are OK at times LOL
