View more photos
Mairin's Garden
Apart from that, the back garden has filled out. Mind you, why wouldn’t it with all that rain! The front garden has all the hot colours and the back has the calming colours. A dahlia came up in the middle of the main border which will have to go out to the front, along with a couple of gladioli. I have to give the lawn a good feed as it is starting to turn slightly yellow. I have the spring bulbs bought and some of them planted up.
The front garden needs a serious tidy-up. The evergreen tree in the front is going – I am in two minds as to take it out now or leave it until next spring. It gives a bit of shelter to the acer behind it so the jury is still out. I need to get trailer loads of manure for the front. I had a look at the website www.tumbletown.ie and there is horse manure free to a good home available in Swords/Ballyboughal which isn’t a hundred miles away. There is one small problem – well, two actually. I neither have a trailer nor a hitch on the car! Would it smell out the car if I put it into containers and loaded the containers into the boot? Do I dare to try it?
A fellow “Irish Gardener” recommended www.seedaholic.com for seeds. I logged on and was amazed. I ordered 9 packets of seeds for the price of €13.87 before postage. Postage was €0.95 so for the shockingly affordable price of €14.82, I have all the seeds I need to revamp the front garden. Certainly can’t beat that. And to add to that, it is an Irish company, based in Westport, Co. Mayo. Thanks for the tip, “Irish Gardener”.
Journal
19 May 2013 23:16:08
Lysimachia Firecracker
With the Chelsea Flower Show on this week, I did the 'Chelsea Chop' on my Lysimachia 'Firecracker'. This is the purple leaved Lysimachia and it is a far more of a garden bully than Lysimachia punctata. It grows under my Magnolia so parts of it are hard to reach. Never fear, my 6 year old daughter was to hand. I popped her in over the garden wall, where she could get under the branches of the Magnolia, and with her small feet, tip-toe between the Lysimachia, chopping as she went. She enjoyed every minute of it.
I have to say, I did have misgivings about doing the Chelsea chop this week as growth is easily 3 weeks behind a 'normal' year. But I decided to get on with it on the basis that even if growth is behind, the plant will recover and knowing Irish weather, if I didn't get it done today, it would probably rain for the next substantial number of weeks, resulting in it being too late to do it later.
I have all the Chelsea coverage on television set to record on my Sky box. Can't wait.......
21 April 2013 22:49:05
Photo of Helen Dillon from internet
Helen Dillon gave a talk for Naul Garden & Flower Club last Tuesday. As usual, she was interesting, amusing and a depth of knowledge.
I was in her garden in early 2005 and haven't been since. At that stage, children under 6 weren't allowed. This Wednesday, my youngest will be 6 so I can visit her garden again, children in tow! Oh happy days..........
21 April 2013 21:48:28
Daffodils in the container flowering
On the east coast, have we ever seen such a slow start to a year? At long last, we have been able to shed the winter coats and get out to garden. Yes, we have to put on the rain coats but at least the spring bulbs are starting to flower. It is trully amazing the difference between different parts of the country. I have one sister on the western side of the country and the leaves on the sycamore and ash trees over there are well out. Not over here on the east coast and the south-east isn't that much ahead of us.
I haven't even put one seed into a pot yet. I would prefer to have late flowers than having either nothing germinating due to the cold or pots of wind/cold damaged leaves.
07 January 2013 21:44:42
Cabbage and marigolds in Donegal
My daughter (5) is quite the little shopper - definately not a trait inherited from me. For Christmas, she picked out the presents for Grandad, Nanny, Dad, Uncle and aunt in law when she and I went shopping. I was impressed as they were all very suitable presents for them.
Christmas morning and under the tree there was a present for me from her. A beautiful page a day calender with a garden quote on each page. It really is such an appropriate present. When I enquired, she picked it out when she went Christmas shopping with Dad.
The quote for today is: 'Half the interest of the garden is the constant exercise of the imagination' by Mrs C.W. Earle. Oh, how true.
31 December 2012 10:39:53
It is time to say goodbye to 2012. Another year of the recession is over. It is an awful pity that we don't know exactly how many more years the recession will last but at least we survived this one.
May 2013 be the year of fresh growth, both economically and physically. With any luck, we will not get the same amount of rain as we got in 2012 or worse and that we will be able to get out and do a bit in the garden.
Happy New Year everyone. May 2013 bring to all health, happiness and be worry free.