Month: March 2014
Gidday all,
this sky is a great reward for being up early.
regards roofy.
I sowed a good few seeds on Saturday.
Here are some of them today.
Anaranthus ‘Hot Biscuits’ on the left and Cosmos Seashells on the right. All sown on heat, others of the same seeds are outside in the Greenhouse, it will be interesting to see when they germinate.
I spotted Cosmos Seashell on the ‘Mad Adventure’ last year in Kew Gardens, it was for sale in the shop. So it will be growing here this summer and for lots of summers to come all going well.
In for another nice day with temperatures on the rise well today.In the greenhouse and tunnel the covers to help avoid frost will be removed.May be undercover,with both tunnel and greenhouse,but just to be on the safe side.
Watering cans are topped up each evening and left to heat up a little during to day so that when being used not to shock growth.Time for a quick cuppa and move on.Soon the birds will be in full song.
For those who have not yet reached the pleione saturation point, there are a few new photos in my orchid album.
It may have been the wettest, windiest winter on record but it must also have been one of the mildest. I’ve never in all my years gardening known borage to survive a winter outdoors before. Ok, it looks a bit ragged, but don’t we all after the weather that was in it? 😉
I completed what was planned today with the help of more mild weather.Though a little dull,all was well.I moved on some seedlings at lunch time today and happy with the outcome.Plans for the weekend are to finish the grass cutting and to spend more time at the vegetable bed area.
I hope to have the plan for starting seed in some of them,but as the weather is still that little on the cold side with clay,time will tell.With Parsnips four seeds will be started to each one.
As is often mentioned,1 for the mouse,1 for the crow,1 to rot,and 1 to grow, i stick to that plan.I have already started some in deep modules,and as they have tap roots the time for an exit from the tunnel comes near.Similar to Carrots another member of the Root family.Good weather keep that sun on our sides.
Fun Family Fundraising Day The Rectory Hall, Tamney Saturday 15th March 2014, 12-4.30PM All proceeds in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.
Join us for: Flower Arranging
Irish Dancing
SPRING AT THE WELLBEING GARDEN
Cake decorating
Kids activities: Lucky Dip Free Face Painting Nail Art Colouring competition
For Sale: New & Used Clothes Brick – a – Brack Silk Flower arrangements Tea/Coffee/Home baking/tuck shop
Primula Drumcliff is just starting to open fully here. I love this light coloured bloom contrasting with the dark leaf colour.
I spotted these Iris shoots the other day and I was brought back to a great garden visit of last year.
This Iris was picked up at Perwinkles open day. We could not have asked for a better day to visit this garden.
Isn’t it great that all these plants can evoke such lovely memories of days past.
This is the story of Bob. Or Cattleya Bob Betts, to give him his full name.
Bob is a white cattleya orchid, the result of extensive cross breeding to get that pure whiteness. He is widely considered the finest of white cattleyas.
But it is a sad story too and has to include the tale of Bob’s grandmother.
Bob’s grandmother was Cattleya Suzanne Hye, who was one of the most magnificent and valuable cattleyas ever. This was in the days before the meristem propagation system had been discovered so the only way to exactly reproduce an orchid was to divide it. That meant waiting years for plants to bulk up enough to be big enough to divide.
Anyway, Suzanne Hye was so outstanding that her breeders did everything possible to see nothing happened to her. When it was clear that Germany was planning to invade Great Britain, they took the unusual step of packing up the plant and shipping it to safety in the United States where it would be over 3000 miles from the war zone.
Safe passage, however, was not on the cards for poor Cattleya Suzanne Hye and the boat on which she was traveling to America was torpedoed by a German submarine. The boat sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and the plant was lost forever.
So, Fran and Peter, you chose a good one when you betted on this one opening first. A good yet tardy one!
Spent the day gardening. Found a weedy bed but put pay to that!
There will be no mulch this year and me and my garden are really going to miss it.
The grass got its first cut but, unfortunately, the ride-on is on the blink again so it had to be hand done.
There’s nothing like seeing the garden ’emerge’ after the first grass cut.
Got nothing done in the garden today as I had a man here installing Saorview. Getting rid of one bill which will be great. Steve took the day off to give him a helping hand. And I was the tea-maker, lunch-maker, cleaner-upper for the day. But during the domestic requirements, I had my Growing Tray out with seeds and compost. Spent an enjoyable time sowing. Haven’t got many varieties done, but a lot of seeds of each.
I should have bought myself another Heated Propagator, actually maybe 4 more. Then of course, I would need to buy another two or three growing racks, AND move house come the time of potting on. This being at home is getting frustrating as I have all the time in the world now, and not enough space and not enough South-facing windows. Sowed Godetia, Cosmos, Cornflower, Striped Caterpillars and lots of courgettes. I feel a lot of delicious stir-fries coming on. Nom, Nom!!!
Another great spring plant is Pulmonaria. The speckled-leaved one seems to suffer a lot with browning leaves. But no so with this one. Not sure if it is P. majestee, so maybe someone can confirm please?
Took a little wander around Woodies to see what they have in stock.
I know it’s early in the year but have to say I was a bit disappointed at their selection.
They have a great bargain at 3 perennials for €20 ot €8.99 each. So that’s a plus. But I was looking for something ‘different’. Nothing much jumped out at me. But I did spot Choisya ternata or Mexican orange blossom. I had this plant in my garden when I first got married all those years ago and I just loved it. But we left that house 20 years ago and moved to our last house but never had the space for it there. But in this house I have. So I was delighted when I spotted it. But other than that it was the same old same old plants.
I find this particular branch of Woodies very mundane in their plant selection. They have basic plants and that’s it. Nothing too exciting even in the height of Summer. It hasn’t stopped me buying though. But after seeing Johnstown I think I might have to visit them again some day. Must mention it to my sister lol
i have decided that monday is the day that i am going to start planting the new japanese area. i have a bay full of compost so rather than buying FYM i will use this to get the beds going. this will take some of the stuff from the tunnel at the moment and give some space for seedsowing when i come back from kew.
so watch this space. i intend not to have much in pots this year well except for the plants that need acidic soil which i dont have. hmmmmmm cant wait now
peter here are the book recomandations for you
Here is another of my recently-purchased Hellebores from Lidl. It’s supposed to be Double Ellen ‘Picotee’. Think it may have been wrongly labelled. I still love it though!
To day unlike yesterday is overcast but rain is still failing to come down so it looks as if St. Patrick’s day will be all right. Here we have Forsythis which tends to be in bloom like the Daffodils. Yes yellow is the colour.
I’ve had a touch of bronchitis since I came home from my small break so I’ve had to take it easy – it has been so frustrating looking out at the great weather and not being able to go out and get stuff done!
I even ended up watching SPORT!!!!
Those who know me will be aware that I am totally uninterested in sports in general but I have to admit that having turned on the TV I was glued to the match – and of course was totally delighted with the result. It was particularly good to see Brian O’Driscoll go out on such a high!
Anyway – back to gardening matters – today I was feeling a lot better so I togged out in full ski-gear and woolly hat and did a satisactory bit of weeding and mulching of the rose garden. All the rode-beds are now free of celandine (well, give it a week!) and the roses have had a nice mulching of well-rotted horse manure. Another task done!
Photo has nothing to do with today – just think it’s pretty!
It seems that I only have to look at the greenhouse sideways when I see another plant that needs potting on.
I’ve potted various begonias, furcraea, impatiens, aristea, plectanthus and orchids recently.
Today we got around to restaking a few trees, unhinged by the recent winds, including the clianthus which is partially in flower and is now visible.
The nights are warmer and there’s been no need for greenhouse heating.
The garden is breaking out in little blue flowers wherever I look. Like these hepaticas, which our Latvian and Lithuanian friends will be quick to tell us, remind them of home 🙂
The first of my proteas germinated in the greenhouse today. I am glad to see a return for all that work.
My first snowflake has opened today. Dare I admit this, but I prefer these to snowdrops! Sorry, Paddy.
is already peeping up.
I love this little cutie.
It seems so delicate and fragile but is in reality a hardy little spreader.
It is apparently hardy to -15.
Ipheoin comes from Argentina originally and is in the onion family and, although they are supposed to flower in spring, mine have been so confused since I got them last autumn that they have been flowering in dribs and drabs pretty constantly all winter.
A big thank you to Paddy and Mary for giving me this lovely little plant.
I was just wondering who was planning to go to the Annual Alpine Show of the Alpine Garden Society of Ireland?
I have been two years in a row now and would not miss it (and this, despite having only a passing interest in alpines).
The show takes place on…
Saturday, 26 April, 1.30 – 4.00 pm. Cabinteely Community School, Dublin.
Despite being a small show, there are tables of beautiful exhibits, nurseries with plants for sale, refreshments and, if you get there early, there is a members’ plant sale.
I thoroughly recommend it.
Here is a link with more information, including the nurseries who will attend. Many of them will let you order plants for collection at the show…
We went to Avoca yesterday for lunch as we were going to Mount Usher but we spent so much time in Avoca as we were with friends and never got to Mount Usher but I got to the garden center and bought , Leucojum Gravetye Giant , Snowdrop Flore Plendo , I only ever had the one type and thank to fran for that .
