Dick's Journal

To day I spent two hours at the Country Market, sold tomatoes, Aloe Vera and Rhubarb. what I make financially at same is not the great benefit I get from it but meeting people. Later on hardening carried out. Grow bags (2) which I bought yesterday had tomato plants planted and some bamboo canes to give them support later on. Of the six plants which either were planted or will be planted are Alicante (3) F1 hybrid (2) and one left blank for a beefsteak. All bar beefsteak had been grown as early as January. The beefsteak was sown in April and will be planted when it is a bit stronger. Some more seeds sown including Libertia. The parent plant was hit by the frost. I did not expect this to happen. I hope the seed I got from the plant is viable. We had a heavy shower in the afternoon and it was welcome where the seed bed were concerned. I had planned to do some more mulching of the roses but the weather was not conducive to this work. One type of seed I looked for in Woodies yesterday was Passiflora. I am afraid the passion flower I had for years has had it although I haven't removed the plant. While in Woodies, I noticed some secateurs, would you believe felco which I considered a bit costly earlier on. I bought a pair and did not regret doing so after I tested same. The marked price wa €29.87 and as it was Thursday, I got 10% off being a senior citizen so one can deduct almost €3. A griselinia hedge which I planted in 1979 looks the worse. I will probably prune it back  with the new secateurs and see if it will sprout as happened with the senecio.

It is interesting that certain plants which in the winter or early spring seem to be gone and then about this time have come to life again. Examples are Forget me not, Aquilegia, Lady's Mantle. Two of these of course are perennials and lose their foliage and all of a sudden seem to spring up out of nowhere. Forget me not which I planted once only, and I am in this place since 1977, is of course a biennial and its seeds never fail. It is also interesting that the weeds which we do not put down, we have a job to put them down especially when they bloom. An example is the dandeloin. I doubt I have seen so many as this year. One member spoke of the colour yellow among the cultivated flowering plants in the spring but surely it would apply to the weeds. I wonder why. On the other hand, certain plants which we sow using the seed often fails. I completed the weeding of the rose beds to day. All kinds of weeds are to be found and especially around the rose bushes and it can be a problem to remove them. More of my bedding plants went out to day. In addition to the antirrhinums and petunias, a few trays of Nicitotiana. Asters and Coleus were sown to day.

A pieceof ground which had been dug and cleaned of weeds is now ready to pland seeds of various items, perhaps vegetables and flowers. Rhubarb is continuing to grow and about 3 kg was picked to day. A little more rain to add to the sun and I will have a very big yield. Garden compost made last year was brought to the roses for mulching. weeding is complete for the present in two rose beds. The third one will be dealt with to morrow. More hardening done with bedding plants, antirrhinum,  petunia, and French marigolds. Nicotiana will be put out for a few hours to morrow.

I was very pleased to have mown the lawn in one go yesterday (Monday). I feel I am almost 100% back to normal. Almost all of the bedding plants are hardened now. I mean of course the ones which went down early. The seeds which were supplied through the Daily Mail, pansies now sown and asters about to be sown. I have germinated quite a number of tree lupins and they are in small pots. Runner beans were potted on to day. Cloncaw suggested a way to use the rhubarb which is very good with me. I did not indulge in that work but made some rhubarb jam to night. While the French Marigolds are in bloom at present I would be loth to leave them out not to mind plant them out for some time. The weather forecast tells us that the wind will be from the north befor the end of the week. I had sown parsnips and beetroot some time ago. I am pleased that the parsnips are a success. I was afraid that they would not germinate but they are ok. I went to town and bought some beetroot seed. I got at half of the bed, loosened the soil and put down the seeds. I found that the beetroot in the other half had germinated so I left it alone. 

After the rain, came the sun and to day was a busy and enjoyable. Once more the bedding plants were taken out to harden. I have some more bedding plants to pot up. The lawn got its second mowing, this time the whole lawn was done in one go and it really looks good at the moment. The Dutch hoe was active in the rose beds and half of the area under roses is hown. Some weeds around the roses had got some Roundup last week and also some scutch in part of one bed. Some pansies were sown. There is still a lot of pruning to be done. Senecio which had been pruned is showing young shoots. Parsnips which I was afraid to have failed are overground but beetroot seemed to have failed. I will have to get more seed and plant it in the next few days. Runner beans are coming on well in the greenhouse as is the vine. I did a bit of pollination to day. I am looking forward to some good grapes later in the year. The bedding plants are in now and from the weather forecast, I need to keep an eye on them as later in the week the temperature will fall.

Being Sunday, I did the minimum, just took out trays of bedding plants antirrhinum and French marigold to harden. They are in again not in the greenhouse but in a leanto at the back of the house facing south. I will have more room for other bedding plants, Petunias and Nicotiana. I have pansies which I got free in the Daily Mail yesterday thanks to Gerry. I see there are California poppies in the same to morrow. as the tomato plants were potted on, they are looking much better to day. The rain was welcome but the ground is still quite hard.

All of the tomatoes which were pot bound have been potted on to day. I noticed that as the compost  was losing water, the leaves were inclined to wither here and there. In fact two plants which looked very bad yesterday are now standing up. Some bedding plants (antirrhinums and French marigolds) were put out for a few hours, to harden. They are back in the greenhouse again 5 p.m. One tray of French marigolds were pot bound and were transferred to trays where they will have more space. All of the geraniums which had been in a leanto at the south side of the house are out for good. They should get the rain which is forecast and I would not exp[ect any hard frost from now on. They are looking the worst for the fact that the soil in the pots is bone dry. I was not in a position for some time to water them. There are about sixty pots with an average of two plants per pot. Some had grown very high and were pruned. I hope to use the pruned parts to propagate more. I bought the Irish Daily Mail to day. It is not the paper I normally buy but Gerry had an article in it plus free pansies. One might call it the Daly Mail!

 

Tomato plants required potting on as they had become pot bound. This is a slow process but necessary. I find that the plants dry up very quickly if this problem occurs. I was at the country market in the morning 10-12 and sold some tomato plants. Some ivy was removed around a magnolia plant. I find the plant M. Soulangiana is behind time I would have the flowers open much earlier in other years. I am looking forward to some rain which should be along to morrow (Saturday) night.

An other fine day.  Planted some more dahlias, dug some ground which had become visible after a lot of pruning and seeds like sunflower and godetia went down. The begonias which had been hibernating for some time are showing life and individual tubers were put into pots. I expect that they should be ready to plant out in a month's time. Watering took up some time, in the greenhouse and in pots in front of the house. another bit of digging of a bed which was dug early in the year.

A portion of the garden which became exposed after pruning some senecio at the back. I decided to put my dahlias in it. Like Jacinta and the magnolia, I was running out of space although I have a big garden. Most of the dahlias are down now. The magnolia soulangiana is making progress, two flowers almost open. There are quite a lot of flower buds in the plant amd I look forward to seeing it fully open. A portion of ground which was tilled in the early months February or March got another digging to day so it will be ready in the next few days for some vegetables. Parsnips and beetroot which were sown about a month ago have apparently not come up. Germination has been poor with dry cold nights although it has been fairly warm during the day. Runner beans are showing plenty of life in the greenhouse, also the vine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To day was mainly one of pruning again. I noticed that in the case of senecio, which seemed dead, after I pruned I noticed young shoots appearing. I still have a lot of it to cut back. One great result is that there is now plenty of ground to plant items from seeds of flowers to shrubs and roses. The one rose that I propagated from a cutting and survived did well and it has been planted in one of the now empty spaces. A large amount of ivy which seemed very hardy was pruned back. As I cleared the ground, my friends the robins appeared and made for some living creatures on the ground which had been disturbed. My magnolia stellata has now less competition but still the number of flowers is nothing like what I have seen a week ago from other members. The grass in the lawn has come on very well after mowing Thursday Friday. It had got plenty of fertilizer. Now it looks well even where I did not spray for moss. I noticed the vine coming on. The flowers are beginning to open and soon I will be using a soft brush to pollinate. No potting up done over the last few days so I will be at this promptly. Tomatoes are doing well. When I went to Dublin on Sunday I brought some of these along.

I was in Dublin Sunday and returned to day Monday. A little digging was done in my garden and some spraying with Roundup against perennial weeds. I did a bit of gardening in the Hurling Club. I had neglected the flower beds for some time. Here also some spraying with Roundup was done and it should be easier within the next few days to get a bit of digging especially as there is scutch in at least one bed and it can be difficult to use the physical rather than the chemical way of eradicating this type of grass. I have some in my own garden and so the same treatment was used. Some grasses and weeds have come up around the roses and I found this means the best way of cleaning around the roses. The root of the vine is outside the greenhouse and I felt that the weeds rnear the root could be kept clean before I give it some more compost.

No Martin, This is ideal weather for the painting. I put varnish on the garden seat a few weeks ago. I have yet to paint the front gate. It hasn't been painted for some tome but I removed loose paint exposing rust , bought Lowe Rust Primer last week but time did not allow. That is the way with gardening.

I enjoyed the weather and garden more than I did for a long time. A clear sky and heat from the sun, who could stay inside? I picked rhubarb from the stool shown, close to 2 kg and plenty left in same. Other stools of rhubarb while good are untouched. Planted the rest of the "early" potatoes. More pruning in the front garden, a Hebe, hit by the frost was pruned back but the positive side was that a shrub rose which was hidden became visible. I was using a pair of secateurs which cost €4 A number of pots containing dahlia tubers were examined. Here they had been outside although facing south but were found to be dead, however about ten pots with same in greenhouse are sound and showing greenery, so nothing to moan about. I can remember cases in the past when dahlia tubers were left outside and there was life in them but what a winter we had. The dead tubers plus rhubarb leaves and grass from the lawn are all in the compost heap so they will help something else to grow. It was a time for spring cleaning with  and although it is officially spring, it was like mid summer at times. Tulips and hyacinths are looking good while some daffodils are beginning to wither so a bit of dead heading was done. 

 

Could somebody tell me the name of this shrub. It is about to flower. It has thorns. The flowers are yellow and very soon there will be a beautiful scent from it. 

After getting two thirds of the lawn, (1/4 acre ) done I finished it to day. The smell of the newly mown grass is lovely. No work was done in the morning as I was at the Country Market. Business is nothing like other years, perhaps the recession or maybe the good weather came late. Continued to prune the senecio which was badly burnt. Kerria is coming on. I normally would have it earlier in the month. No work was done in the greenhouse. Would you believe some potatoes have to go down yet. Time seems to be a problem. Rhubarb is very good I will probably pull some to morrow.

Starting cold and overcast but then out comes the sun and what an afternoon. I got the mower out  about 2 p.m. and considering the two weeks doing very little mowed about one third of the lawn, then put it away and got at it again about 4 p.m. got about the same amount done and feel no worse as a result. I should finish it to morrow DG. Still no sign of life in Passiflora or Cordyline but I suppose patience is needed. Parsnips and beetroot are still not visible, probably due to the dry sunny days and cold nights and no rain. I am blessed having a heater in the greenhouse. Plants there are doing well. I have taken out some geraniums which I had stored inside. They have been watered and there is some improvement to be seen. i must go out and water the plants now. Good to see the tulips and Aubretia in bloom.

As I normally do on Sundays, I take a rest. I spent all the afternoon at the back of the house enjoying the goodness of the sun. Exception - hosed the greenhouse and opened the vents. Later on it requires opening the door fully and turning on the "heater" of course blowing cold air. I would have liked to drive to Altamount but feel my system would not be right. I noticed that one of my Magnolias, the soulangiana type is opening. Blackcurrants, googeberries and apples are opening their buds. Steno mentioned the potatoes not down yet. Mine are in the same state. I bought them in February, shoots are 7" tall. 

At about 9.30 a.m. it was time to open the vents of the greenhouse and it was warm at that time. plenty of spraying of plants within. The lawn would be mown now only for you know what. I will have to get somebody to do the job I normally would do myself. Flowers like Geranium (not Pelergonium)  and Geum have appeared, also. Aquilegia is coming on. I have had problems growing it from seed in the past and bought some plants from Bakker some months ago. A few more Runner beans are sown. Some of the Petunias seem to be missing. I did not put down any slug bait with them. Must replace them and I have plenty to do so. A little but of pruning, Acer Crimson King, two branches were touching each other, and a branch of a Yucca which came mostly off the parent plant ( withered leaves removed) I will wait a bit longer before I remove the branch. I will have a lot of work to do to same Yucca when the appropriate time comes. The Yuccas are easy to root. In recent times I pruned them using a saw and the part cut off rooted for me. I noticed one of my tomato plants wilting and when I lifted the plant I found as I had suspected a larva under the root and part of the root gone i suspect it is the larva of the vine Weevil.

Sprayed three rose beds. A few roses dont look good and got further pruning. Saw a ladybird near the roses, the first this year. Perhaps more will come and help to keep down the greenfly. Early in the day I took up my stand at the Country Market with tomatoes and Alo Vera. My sales , very low compared with other years at this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

&n