Drumanagh's Journal

Belvedere

Crown imperial and muscari at Belvedere

Last year at Belvedere I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle, Shelser. She gave me some Centaurea Alba and it has bulked up nicely now. I was planning to divide it and would like to share it with anyone who would appreciate it. It will flower soon and I think Michelle would be happy to have it growing in as many Garden.ie members gardens as possible. Just let me know if you would like some. Looking forward to meeting everybody on Sunday.

Bloom revisited

Blooming Lovely

Does anyone remember 'The Jewel Garden' at Bloom last year? It was one of the small gardens and I was just looking through my photos for inspiration for my new little garden and this is the sort of thing I am hoping for. Lots of flowers and a relaxed feel. I have a little postcard with the list of plants for the jewel garden - and it includes some of my favourites -  Aqulegia Nora Barlow (my profile pic), Aquilegia Black Barlow and lots of purple leaved plants  - Sedum 'Purple Emperor', Heuchera 'Midnight Rose' and Rodgersia aesculifolia 'Rubra'. And then there are the cottage plants like Astrantia, Poppies, Dicentra, Alchemilla, Geranium, Paeony, Astilbe and of course Roses. My Dream garden.

The World's smelliest flower

Dead horse Arum

Some people on this site are very much into Arums (- see Deborah's amazing collection) but this one has to be the most disconcerting 'flower' imaginable! Not only does the flower have the texture of horsehair, it also smells of rotting meat to attract flies for pollintation. Its name is Helicodiceros muscivorus and it is pretty spectacular. It is native to the mediterranean but maybe its not the type of thing you want to come across on a hot sunny day, as the stink would put you off your food for sure!

American Shamrock

Oxalis known as Shamrock in Americay.

Apologies that this is a couple of days late but I didn't have computer access for the first half of the week and I wanted to put up a photo of another plant in the new garden - it is an Oxalis. I'm not sure which variety it is but on looking it up it became apparent that a lot of people call this 'Shamrock' or 'Wood Shamrock', especially in America. It looks nothing like the patriotic sprigs of green we pin to our lapels on St. Patricks day - this I think is usually either Trefoil dubium, lesser trefoil, or Medicago luplina - black medic and I bought a little pot of one or the other to plant in the garden somewhere for the kids to enjoy.

Also, there was a myth that shamrock only grew on the Emerald Isle but like that of the Leprechauns, it is a bit of Blarney as these plants are actually invasive weeds in other countries, some might say as well as in our own!

Anyone have any more info on Shamrock or know anyone who grows it?

What could this be?

Mystery Bulbs

Could anyone please tell me what these bulbs that are? They are growing in my new garden and I am a bit stumped. I think they could be some sort of Allium or maybe even agapanthus but I haven't seen the bulbs above ground like this before. Any suggestions much appreciated!

Garrai Glas

The Organic College, Dromcollogher, Co Limerick

 I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned the organic gardening program on TG4 on Sundays at 7.30, repeated on Thursdays at 8pm. I watched it for the first time last night and I loved it, and not just because it featured the Organic College where the distance learning horitculture course I am doing is based. The programs were shot last year and each episode seems to focus on certain individual growers with advice from Jim McNamara who is a teacher at the college. The music is great and people seem to know what they are doing unlike some recent Tv shows I dare not mention! The camera work is great in it and it makes the country look very well.

See http://www.garraiglas.ie/ for details and tune in next thurs if you are in anyway interested in veg and fruit growing.

You can watch past episodes in 2 parts here 

http://www.tg4.tv/main.aspx?level=Garrai 

And for more about the Organic College - see http://organiccollege.com/

The program from the 2nd of Feb was filmed on Inis Mor and I just paused it to put up this journal. Really enjoying it, and brushing up on my cupla focal too! And I like the tip that you should pull your beetroot when they are the size of a sliotar, and the planting plank with the planting distances marked on it - so simple and very useful.

Drumroll please!

The new Garden

And here it is - the new garden, where I will be attempting to garden for the next year at least. Its a rented house so I think its not bad, and the landlord doesn't mind what I do with it so we are very lucky in that sense. There is lots of Sedum, a lovely variegated holly in the corner by the house, and an old box shrub just outside the window. I may chop the box back to let in more light. There are other shrubs too but I'm not sure what they are - I'll have to wait until they start growing again. Does anybody know does agapanthus have what look like big bulbs above ground at this time of year? There are a couple of clumps of what look like bulbs and I don't know what else they could be. Anyway, I'm picturing this place billowing with blooms by the summer - it will be tempting to leave all the unpacking and get straight to the garden, but I'll have to resist the temptation. There is a nice patio outside the kitchen, and a shed at the back with a large window which might be perfect for tomatoes. We're not moving in properly until the kids get their Easter holidays, but we have access to start moving things, so already it feels like home.

Will-o'-the-wisp

Florist's Willow

What a gorgeous sunny day it is here in the midlands today. I was starting to do a bit of packing when something caught my eye in the garden, glinting in the sun. It was the bud of the catkins on the 'Florist's Willow'. They almost looked as if they were made of silver. They are so pretty now, before they open fully. I'm taking cuttings so if anybody wants some I could pop some in the post.