Month: March 2014

I was in the Westport Country Market yesterday and spotted this lovely Aspidistra elatior variegata houseplant.  I got it for 3.50 and am delighted with it.  The leaves feel like silk!!  Quite unusual to see Aspidistras for sale so I was curious to speak to the lady who had bought the plant in – hopefully, I’ll catch her next week.

After the joy of having R.barbatum flowering for the first time a few days ago, I can show the flowers of another lovely species, R.fulvum. This has been flowering for the last few years and I love it. The second photo is of the latest Camellia to flower. The third shot is a full shot of the species R.leucaspis, the flowers of which I featured the other day.

Three stalwarts of spring in my garden today. First, the sweetly scented Osmanthus ‘silver jubilee’ and secondly my Forsythia, which variery I don’t know as it is from a cutting from my parents garden and thirdly there is my Ribes. Again, I don’t have a name for it as it also from my parents garden. As it gets larger, I’m getting to like it more and more.

I posted a journal about these bulbs eight days ago, it is my first time having them in the garden here. The first photo was taken 11 days ago.

I am stunned with the speed that they have grown at in this time.

They are now over 14” tall and the flowers should be open in a couple of days.

Love this particular saxifraga especially at this time of year when the red underside of the fleshy leaves are so apparent. And then there are the gorgeous sprays of spidery white flowers throughout the summer.

A small, but rich, very attractive plant.

To day unlike yesterday was cool and wet, so indoor work took over. I used 1 kg of rhubarb and 1 kg of Sureset jam sugar and got a little over 4 lb of Rhubarb Jam. It took very little time. I made it while Super Garden was on. Strange, looking at the programme, the number of people involved in setting up the garden while I did the job on the jam on my own:)

I saw this semi weeping shrub in Mount Venus about 10 months ago.

I have been waiting since then to see it flower. I have not been disappointed.

There was not much time for gardening today and when I saw the rain, and later the hail, bucketing down I was glad I’d done a bit yesterday.

Here is Impatiens niamniamensis in flower. It’s a house plant but I intend putting this baby in the garden in a pot in the summer as it gets quite big so will add to the pot display.

Isn’t the name funny? It seems like a joke name. The ‘niamniam’ bit of it reminds me of the French ‘miam miam’, which means ‘yum yum’. So, is the plant impatient for its yumyums, I wonder? Or are we impatient to it it? I don’t think I’ll be trying it!

On Wednesday evening  just after five,i rushed the first trimming of this years grass.As all compost heaps are empty and ready for food,an early snack has been called upon for them.

The lawn areas were quite soft in places with visits of rain seeing to that.The complete garden area is of heavy clay soil and holding nitrogen,with the downside being draining problems.

Im happy to have that job finally started with the grass cutting.Next move will be areas in the flower beds that need a visit as well.As always when finished the grass i take a walk around the garden,to see what next on the list for attacking.

Sometime all will look perfect.Maybe in a hundred years.

I was trilled to see the first signs of growth on this lovely woodland plant just a little while ago.

I really like the pure white and simple look of the flower.

I hope I never stop been delighted when I see signs of life from plants, but more so plants that are new to the garden here.

Thank you Deborah, it will be well cared for 😉

Google Doodle reminds us that today is the Spring or Vernal Equinox.

The equinox occurs today at 16.57 precisely.

Hurrah! From then on we will have more hours of daylight than of darkness.

Despite this grey, wet windy morning, we all know days like what these photos show are on the way.

I’m still sorting my old photos and these are from July 2011.

Only task for today is the yearly (serious) tidy up of the shed, with a little potting on thrown in for good measure.

Aren’t they just so reliable. 

I bought a couple of Sedums last year for the garden. One was ‘Bon Bon’ and it was just gorgeous. Another one I bought, name escapes me now, I divided it up into four plants and now I’ve lots more plants. They are just so robust. I see lots of shoots appearing here and there. They are a great plant for later in the year but I have to say I love the foliage on them nearly more than the flowers themselves. 

When wanting to mulch or even decorate the flower beds I’ve used chipped bark. 

I just love the smell of it when its put down first. 

However, I’ve decided I’m not going to use it ever again. It takes ages to break down but worst of all it makes the beds look so dirty after a matter of time.

Mine went done back in the Autumn and the beds looked fantastic all nicely spruced up. But now, in March, it’s a different story altogether. Everwhere looks dirty and untidy. The bark is neither a nice sight or helping. It’s blown away in some parts and drifted in others. 

So I’ve decided that’s it. I’m going to use other methods to mulch and make the beds look more presentable. 

What do you all use? I love fresh compost put in the beds. But that doesn’t last too long but no matter what the bark is gone. I raked up as much as I could yesterday and bagged it all.  I’d rather have noting on them than this mess. 

Wasnt yesterday just beautiful. Wind howling outside now and the rain is starting. 

Have a great day whatever you do. 

Discovered a ‘forgotten’ plant yesterday that Linda had kindly given to me at the get-together in January. Gosh, Rosaleen was lying limp and lifeless in its little pot.

Luckily with the three ponds there is always a drop water to hand in times of emergency. After a bit of resuscitation it has bounced back. Now, I better get this little beauty planted before gives up the ghost altogether.

Thanks again, Linda.

Hi all,

        the tomato crop will not say die,never had them still coming on this time of the year they,re not real big but very tastey,to buy them in the shop they,re $8,s a kilo so my little fella,s are worth their weight in gold.

                                                                       regards roofy.

Gidday all,

               that,s another shopping trip to the city done & dusted.

Visited the garden centre to purchase 1 packet of Spinach seed-English Medania & ended up with the following.

Ranuncula-mixed colours

Triteleia-light blue

Jonquil-white

Cottage garden seed-stock,cosmos,gallardia,poppies & cornflower.

It,ll all be planted tomorrow.I,m just loving introducing new plants,bulbs,corms into the patch & that has alot to do with all you good people.

                                                                                   regards roofy.

To day, I had a lot of free time unlike some other days and as well as that, the weather was good. Some Irises that had not been planted, went down to day. The soil was in great condition. some more grubbing was carried out, cutting through blackthorns and briars, revealing some low growing herbacious plants. The area described as the Secret Garden got some more digging and there is now room for more plants. Now more ground is available in the front. some bulbs that I planted in the autumn are in bloom. Within the next few days, they should be looking good. Alas the weather is changing and we will be getting cold and wet weather but I feel it will come good again. I picked about 1 kg of rhubarb and plan to make jam from it.

I only bought this Kerria japonica as a very small shrub last year. It must now be at least twice its height.

Every year I admire this shrub in my Dad’s garden. And it’s when I see the open flowers that I realise I should have taken cuttings. So I bought my own one last year and certainly do not regret it. It’s starting to look good now.

Pulmonaria ‘Blake’s Silver’ has started flowering. I didn’t expect to see different colour flowers on the one plant, and really like it. Because I divided 1 plant into several smaller ones, they are all quite small at the moment, but I hope that they will bulk up for next year.

Pulmonaria ‘Blue ensign’ is now full of little blooms, and is looking lovely.

 
Camellia ‘Donation’ covered in blossoms today. 

Its flowering time differs every spring depending on the weather.  This year, with the milder temperatures and recent spell of good weather, it’s looking its best right now.  The early blossoms haven’t yet started to turn and there are more flowers in bud to succeed them.

Today I spent the day in Blessington, Russborough House, volunteering at the RHSI garden. It’s something I have wanted to do for a while but never managed until now, so I was very happy to finally get to it.

Several years ago, I visited Russborough House for the first time and was very excited to see on the plan of the area that there was a “walled garden”. When we actually got there, it was a disappointment to see that the walled garden was nothing but a large field surrounded by a wall. Shortly after that, I saw that the RHSI was going to restore the garden and was looking for volunteers to help. I was delighted to see that the garden was going to be restored, and hoped to volunteer but never managed to do it until today. It was a really enjoyable day (the weather helped a bit!) and I hope I can go back soon…

The photo are from my garden, taken this afternoon when I got back. The camellias are in their full glory now and it’s pink, pink and only pink in that corner!

Just starting to show it’s flush of flowers. I love the shape of these flowers.