Last Post 1480 days 14 hours ago
31 May 2009 20:49:41
Omigod what weather we are having at long last. Didnt get ANY gardening done all weekend, bar watering. Working till 6.15 every day. Wont be off until wednesday. It will probably be lashing by then.
I think I probably lost about a stone in perspiration in work today. Ha ha. Got bitten in the garden last night by something, ankle and foot all swollen, itchy and very painful. Had to change my boots during the day because they were too tight. I couldnt tie the laces up.
Just sitting down now with a bread poultice on it. I remember my mam doing this when we were kids. Hope to god it works, Or I wont even be able to put my boots on tomorrow morning. It doesnt help being on my feet all day either. Does anybody know do bread poultices work for stings? This is killing me.
Hope everybody is enjoying bloom. I went on Friday. Bought myself a lovely Dicksonia Antarctica for only €60. I think it was very good value. I have seen the same size elsewhere for nearly €100.
27 May 2009 20:42:41
Oh and by the way, I think the fish in the pond are 'getting serious'. There seems to be an awful lot of courting going on. If anyone knows anything about the reproductive system of fish, let me know. I think the big fish is a female and the two smaller ones won't let her out of their sight. They seem to be fighting for her attention all the time, and they are so agitated, or excited, ha ha, that they are rising to the surface and splashing all around. I have to say it's great to watch them. But I think they usually end up eating their eggs. I have a feeling that breeding is usually unsuccessful in a home pond. I think it might be a 'specialist' thing. Any info would be of great assistance.
27 May 2009 20:32:20
I know a lot of the time my journal consists of my working day. Maybe that's because I don't feel like I'm at work. I really enjoy my job. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing that particular job. I worked in an office for years and even though I enjoyed THAT, there is no way I would ever work indoors again. I have found my 'ideal occupation'. And I feel very lucky for that.
A lot of my day was taken up with spot checking the irrigation system. There are a lot of areas that don't work. The plants were drying out big time what with the very windy conditions. The garden centre was buzzing with customers all day even though it was very overcast. I love what I do, and I get 50/50 pleasure with dealing with the public as I do with caring for the plants.
At home, roadworkers burst 2 pipes outside our house so I only did essential watering as the pressure was extremely low. I had bought some hollyhocks the other day and I finally got round to planting them today.
My seedlings this year have been a complete disaster. I wasn't working as many hours last year and I am working full time now. It's just too much. I don't have much time for my own garden when I get home then. Then, the weather has just been so appalling when I do get a day off. Some of the names on my plant labels have washed off, so I haven't a clue what half of them are. Others are just not doing too well. I reckon I just sowed them all a little bit late. I'll have to start much earlier next year. I feel a bit of a failure with regard to them. But then, I have to remember that every other year they have been fine. So I'm putting it down to work. Ha ha.
If only I could take early retirement. That would solve a lot of my problems. How many gardeners on this site work full-time? Do they find it difficult too or am I just being a right moan.
26 May 2009 19:06:05
HA HA Steve got off lightly tonight. The gas company cut our gas off. So we had to dial out for a chinese.
26 May 2009 17:35:51
Who'd have thought it? A water shortage in Ireland? Ha ha. Got home from work today to find that the gas company had burst two main pipes outside the house while doing essential upgrades. Water pressure with hose almost non-existent. It was a sunny but very windy day here and my plants are absolutely parched. Did only essential watering. The rest will have to wait till pressure is restored to normal.
Too tired to do any gardening this evening. I need help in the garden centre and with cut backs, it doesn't look like I'll be getting any. Spent the day doing at least 5 different jobs at the one time. I think I'll just 'chill out' after dinner. I'm getting too old to be busting a gut in work. Told Steve he was making dinner.
Mushrooms are a total failure. Threw the compost onto my compost heap. I won't be doing those again. Ah well, you learn something new every day.
24 May 2009 20:38:51
Well what a scorcher it was in Dublin today. And a long time coming. Thankfully we didnt have to go anywhere. Sometimes I resent being preoccupied with other things instead of getting stuck in to the garden.
I had a couple of canna which I bought last year. But I left them in pots so I could keep an eye on them, with regard to slugs and snails. So far so good. I repotted them into bigger pots today. Also I potted up some dahlias which I bought in Atlantic Homecare during the week for 50c a pack of 4. Unwin mixed. Also packs of acidenthera 30 per pack for 50c and Asiatic lilies 3 per pack for 50c. Plenty of growth on them before I planted so they should be fine. Looking forward to a good splash of colour. Planted them into containers for now, as my back still isn't right. I may transfer them into the ground at a later stage.
Potted up a few pond plants too. Carex rostrata, Eleocharis acicularis,Scirpus, Lysimachia Punctata, Myriophyllum Proserpinacoides (parrots feather) and Nasturtium aquaticum. Fish are very active all day. It must be the extra bit of heat in the sun.
Steve got the grass cut. It always looks good when it's short. I had loads of summer bedding which I had bought weeks ago. But I never got round to potting them. I did that today. Watered and tomato fed everything. Ok so now I go back to work tomorrow for a rest, ha ha.
24 May 2009 09:39:43
Yesterday dawned bright and beautiful. So unusual for my weekend off. Myself and Steve headed down the east coast. Ended up in Mount Usher Gardens. I can't believe that I never went there before. You know, lads, we are so very fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful gardens and landscapes. It doesn't even matter about constant precipitation when you see what else is on offer here in Ireland.
But in saying that, I am very very glad that we finally got to have a dry and really sunny day. Mount Usher was breathtaking. Head Gardener, you would give your eye teeth to have gunnera and ferns as massive as the ones we saw yesterday. The azaleas and rhododendrons were spectacular. In fact, everything was. It was such a smashing day that we couldn't even get into the restaurant for a bite to eat. It was packed to the gills. Didnt matter though. I was just so glad that we had witnessed for ourselves what Rachel shared with everyone by posting those wonderful snaps she took while there. Thanks Rachel. I have posted many more photos in my albums.
22 May 2009 22:04:07
\well, that's it for another year. I enjoyed this years coverage. I think it's probably the first year that I got to watch the whole lot.
I look forward to next weeks Gardeners World. I would prefer to get down to the nittygritty and actually DO some gardening, or watch people gardening. After all, a show is just a show. They come and go.
Got my new laptop. Camera is downloading properly at last. I have a few new pics. Nothing to write home about but I'll share them anyway. SOMEONE might find them interesting.
21 May 2009 22:55:41
I didnt realize that some people had problems in keeping osteospermums going from year to year. I have just posted 2 pics of my survivors.
21 May 2009 22:30:48
Went back to work today and decided to take things at a slower pace. My back still isnt great. So got some of the light work done that I don't usually get time for.
Bought foxgloves. Isn't that dreadful. But I couldn't resist them. Have them planted already. God I'm improving.Ha ha. Normally things just lie aroung in pots for weeks on end before I can decide where to put them. Did some weeding when I got in from work. I have 5 black bags of garden rubbish for Steve to dispose of tomorrow, hopefully. I can't bear seeing them lying around. It seems to undo all the tidying up we do.
Planted up a stawberry pot with only begonia semperflorens. It'll look really nice when they all bump out. I have to say that I have been converted to begonias, both the bedding and tuberosas. I absolutely love them. And they are so trouble-free. They performed to perfection in my garden last year right up until the end of October. I used to think that they were a choice of the older generation. Now I know why. They are brilliant. But I also suppose.................I am fast becoming the older generation myself. Ha ha. But I do think that gardening keeps a person young at heart.
I'm thinking of heading down to Wicklow on Saturday. To visit some garden centres. Its something I don't usually get the time for. But I think I just HAVE to MAKE time.
Weather was great here today. Only one or two showers. And they were very brief. Then when I clocked out of work, the heavens opened. That was short-lived too, thank God. Maybe things will pick up. The needle on my barometer is rising steadily. I think we're in for a short spell of good weather for the next few days. Fingers crossed.
20 May 2009 21:20:05
Not much done in the garden, yet again. Still out sick. But back tomorrow. I'm getting cabin fever.
Fed and watered my tomatoes, courgettes, strawberries and all my pots and hanging baskets. Have completed hardening off summer bedding for containers. Tied up my sweet pea and runner beans haven't put on enough growth to be tied in just yet. Next week for that, hopefully.
Tidied out greenhouse of unwanted rubbish and plant debris. I'm a sloppy gardener and keep dropping vegetation on the ground. Of course, happy days for the slugs and snails as a result. And then I give out that I have to use slug pellets in the greenhouse.Totally my own fault.
Chelsea was good this evening. I loved Lisa Tarbuck's Albertine rose. Must look out for that. They concentrated on aroma in the garden a good bit. But that was good. I don't possess a great sense of small so I keep the really aromatic plants and flowers for pots so I can place them close to the pation door and the smell is just so luscious coming in and out. I especially love the scent of lilies, night-scented or brompton stock, and nicotiana (White).
The bit about the olive farm was interesting. I've often seen people buying small olive trees in the garden centre and I wondered did they ever have much success with them. I would have thought that to get anything from them, you'd have to keep them in a greenhouse.
19 May 2009 21:26:43
Wasn't Jekka McVicars herb stand outstanding? And what an accomplishment winning so many medals over the years. I have to say I was dead impressed with the Caymen Islands Garden. It was so inspiring.
The vast range of bulbs on display from Avon Bulbs was brilliant. Second to none. I bet you Rachel would give her eye teeth for half of those bulbs. The display was indeed breathtaking.
But what about John Wheatley's show of Dahlias! God, they were so 'I gotta have all of them'. So many people regard Dahlias as common. Why? They are magic. The vibrance of colours and range of lush foliage and petal shapes from Dahlias, are enough to coax dormant plants out of their dormancy purely to compete with the 'commoners'. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. I Don't care who knocks them. They're the tops for me. And the large array of sunflowers available these days come a close 2nd. Big and bold. And vivid.
And I adore Carol Klein and her constant enthusiasm.
But come on lads, enough about Joe Swift and Alan Titchmarsh etc. where have our very own Irish horticulturists disappeared to? Why do we all have to turn to the bbc to quench our thirst for horticultural knowledge and snippets of information? Maybe my eyesight is beginning to fail me but I don't see anything from RTE when browsing through the tv guide. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
19 May 2009 21:25:05
Wasn't Jekka McVicars herb stand outstanding? And what an accomplishment winning so many medals over the years. I have to say I was dead impressed with the Caymen Islands Garden. It was so inspiring.
The vast range of bulbs on display from Avon Bulbs was brilliant. Second to none. I bet you Rachel would give her eye teeth for half of those bulbs. The display was indeed breathtaking.
But what about John Wheatley's show of Dahlias! God, they were so 'I gotta have all of them'. So many people regard Dahlias as common. Why? They are magic. The vibrance of colours and range of lush foliage and petal shapes from Dahlias, are enough to coax dormant plants out of their dormancy purely to compete with the 'commoners'. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. I Don't care who knocks them. They're the tops for me. And the large array of sunflowers available these days come a close 2nd. Big and bold. And vivid.
And I adore Carol Klein and her constant enthusiasm.
But come on lads, enough about Joe Swift and Alan Titchmarsh etc. where are our very own Irish horticulturists disappeared to? Why do we all have to turn to the bbc to quench our thirst for horticultural knowledge and snippets of information? Maybe my eyesight is beginning to fail me but I don't see anything from RTE when browsing through the tv guide. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
18 May 2009 17:41:58
Wow, today was just rivetting. I am bored stupid. Didnt do a whole lot. I had to go down to feed my dads tomatoes and fish.
I came home and planted my new Libertia which I bought in work yesterday. I never saw them flowering before and this one is. I just had to have it. It has tiny white star-like flowers. Very delicate. Also planted some more dahlia tubers into a container. I couldn't plant them into the border as my back is a bit bad today. Easier in a pot for now.
For those of you interested in places with warm climate, I have put up some photos of our holidays in february in Barbados. So just dream, yawl! Night time temperature there was in the 30's. We'll definitely be going back again.
17 May 2009 22:28:25
well, what can I say. The summer is shaping up to be maybe WORSE than last year. In work today and it just never let up. Had to go home early. I'm getting twinges of pain in my lower back all week. And there were very few people out in the garden centre. Can't say I blame them. Went home at 3 but I think I'll be doing a sickie tomorrow.
Had a lie-down when I came home. Bought Amateur Gardening today, and guess what? FREE SUNFLOWER SEEDS. RACHEL. ha ha. Sowed those and I have to say they look so gorgeous. They're 'Pastiche'. They should grow to about 5 feet. I might as well just dig up my lawn and sow all sunflowers. Then I'll paint a Van Gogh 'Sunflowers'.
My mushrooms definitely are not doing anything. I was going to just chuck them because patience is NOT my middle name. But I'll give them maybe another week.
God, if I pull a 'sickie' tomorrow, what will I do with a bad back. There is no doubt that your health is your wealth. I have been very lucky on that score. I never even get colds and I'm working outdoors all year long.
14 May 2009 22:48:29
Bloody hell, what a day in work. I came home with curly hair. Got absolutely soaked to the skin. Productive day though. Got lots done.
More than I can say about the garden though. Potted on night-scented stock and 24 sunflowers. Sunflowers are 6footers. God help me.
Had a look at my mushrooms. Nothing happening there. I wonder was I sold a dud kit. Gotta be patient. Not one of my virtues.
13 May 2009 14:33:01
Just in from the garden. Have extra planting room now because Steve dug up my bamboo on Sunday. I have loads more space now. I planted a lovely rose a few weeks ago called'Tequila Sunrise' which has yellow petals, edged with red. I planted dahlias last week in same spot, red, yellow and white. And also today I planted geums, red and yellow, Asteriscus maritimus 'Golden Dollar', Escallonia and Pinus mugho.
I think rain is on the way, so I'll leave my potting on until later. I can take cover in the greenhouse.
10 May 2009 20:49:49
Headed over to St. Anne's Park, Clontarf this afternoon. A lot of stalls there. Some with very ordinary plants, others with rare. A lot of tree ferns for sale. But as usual, not cheap. If they were cheap, they were pathetically-small. I wouldn't be bothered. Lovely atmosphere there, what with the sun shining for a change and everybody in great spirit. But there were opera singers in the Red Stables so I didnt hang about too long there.
I bought a lovely foliage plant called Myosotidium hortensia. It has large shiny leaves somewhat like a hosta leaf but tougher-looking and lovely blue flowers on a long stem. Good plant for shade on a north-facing wall. Also good in pots. Its a little bit different, only €15. I also bought a nice Heucherella 'Stoplight' with lovely yellow leaves. I haven't seen that one before. Can't download photos but when I get the computer doctor onto it, I will make another album.
Didnt get too much done in the garden afterwards as we were entertaining when we got back.
09 May 2009 22:06:43
I thought my digital camera was broken because I was unable to download my pics onto my computer so I bought a new camera today. Unable to download from new camera as well. I think it.s actually the computer i need to replace. I am so annoyed.
On the productive front, Steve hacked away at that dreaded bamboo today. I had asked him just to split it. But when I realized that it wasn't very deeply-rooted, I asked him just to lift it altogether. It was easier to split then. So I'm holding on to half of it for my friend. The other half I have in a huge pot now beside the pond. It looks well there.
I cut the front grass. I think this is only the 2nd cut this year. The amount of dandelions in it are unbelievable. But that all disappears when you keep it nice and short. Ha ha.
09 May 2009 07:42:47
I think I'll be buying a new computer soon. I had a few problems with it on Thursday. Cursor seems to be broken.
Work all day yesterday so never got a chance to do anything. But hopefully, today, I can crack the whip and get Steve to split that bamboo. Don't envy him. Ha ha. I won't be sowing any more seeds this year. I think I have enough to contend with. I was just hanging out my washing and discovered that while Steve was off yesterday, he did a bit of weeding around the border. He pulled up my Geum, thinking that it was obviously a weed. So I replanted them before I hung out the washing. After all, some things are more important.
For those of you in and around the Dublin area, there will be a Rare Plant Sale in St. Anne's Park, Clontarf, tomorrow, Sunday. I think it starts at 10.00am. I gotta go to that.
I bought 2 more Geums in work yesterday. I love them. The one I already have is 'Cooky'. It's a bright orange. Lovely. The 2 new ones are 'Lady Stratheden' (double-flowered rich yellow) and 'Mrs. J. Bradshaw' (Flaming brick-red semi-double). Plenty of foliage for now. But no flowers yet. I love yellows and reds so the 3 are going to be gorgeous if they all flower at once.
06 May 2009 21:10:40
I have just been out in the greenhouse. Omigod, I have 24 sunflowers to plant in my garden. I think I'll have to set up a stall outside my house.
My corn is peeping through, also. No sign of tumbler tomatoes. Spinach beet is coming up too.
I'm off tomorrow so if the weather is as bad as recent days, I guess I'll spend the day sowing more seeds. ie. cornflower, Leucanthemum, Gazanias, Bergamot, sunflower 'sunspot', more chives, lambs lettuce, endives, lettuce, and another packet of sunflower seeds that I got free in a magazine about 5 yrs ago. Don't know which one it is. Gotta wait in anticipation.
My tree paeony is flowering. Lovely deep red. I'll post a pic on my photos.
05 May 2009 22:49:32
Just flicking through the Bakker catalogue. Some nice plants in it. Do many of you order from them. If so, what's the quality and service like.
I'm thinking of buying a lovely sundial. Its made of strong cast iron. Its decorative and also functional. Diameter 39cm, height 28cm for only €35.75. Also a Dwarf Palm (Chamaerops Humilis) for €21.50
05 May 2009 20:55:59
It feels like I haven't done anything in my garden in ages. Didnt get home tonight until 7.30. Had to entertain a friend then and get dinner. Too late now to do anything and anyway the breeze would probably blow me away.
Just checked seedlings in greenhouse. Sunflowers are coming up already. Sprayed my mushrooms. Not much happening there. I was going to do loads tomorrow but the boss asked me to work my day off. Guess what? I said yes! But I'll be off on Thursday instead. Ah well, maybe the weather will be on my side.
04 May 2009 22:34:49
I was off today. Got up at 7.00am and it was pelting down. Not much gardening will be done today.
I went out to Ratoath and bought hosta, scirpus, fatsia and kiwi plant. I dont know whether to grow the kiwi in the greenhouse, or outside. Anybody familiar with growing kiwis?
I inspected my mushrooms earlier today. They are appearing finally. They are just little pinheads at this early stage.
It's 10.35 and still coming down in torrents. Hope tomorrow is better.
03 May 2009 22:15:51
Why do I bust a gut in work. Because I love it. But then I'm knackered by the time I get home. My own garden suffers greatly then. Today when I got home, for once, I actually couldnt be bothered doing anything. Not like me. And I got cold. Even though I had been working in t-shirt sleeves all day. Mind you, I was doing a lot of running around.
Steve and I are discussing the possibility of changing the pump in the pond and having a small waterfall instead. I think it would give a more natural look to the pond. So this calls for careful consideration. The existing pump may not have enough power to do what we want. I think we'll have to discuss this with an expert tomorrow. I actually have a day off! Wahoo!
02 May 2009 22:06:29
Busy day in work again. Hands are in bits. Can't wear gloves while I'm working.
Checked on the tadpoles when I got home. They seem to be fine.
Planted a Rodgersia 'Herkules'. I hope it gives me the lush growth I am looking for. Bought some Nemesia and planted up a huge window box. I got that last year and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. Will post picture when flowers bloom. Steve had the grass cut when I got home. It's amazing how even if the garden is looking crap, when the grass is cut, it seems so much nicer, and tidier. Just in from the garden now. We had a drink outdoors. First of the year. Oh how I long for those sultry nights and star-gazing. And barbecues. Only tonight I just dialled for a 'chinese'. Ha ha.
01 May 2009 20:02:16
I have been looking forward to Gardener's World all day. Damn. It's not on. Why does GW always get dropped when there's some kind of sport on. Bloody snooker tonight.
01 May 2009 19:54:11
Identify please!
And to think I used to work in an office. Couldn't do that kind of work ever again. My present job is THE job for me. Out in the fresh air all year long.
Tough day today. I sometimes am way too tired to do anything out in the garden when I come in from work. But once the caffeine kicks in, off I go again. ha ha
Had to introduce the tadpoles to the pond prematurely. I was going to wait at least until their legs appeared but when I got in from work I noticed their water was going green and there were a few tadpoles floating on the top. So I got my sieve from the kitchen. And strained the water off them. My god, they took to the pond immediately. You know the way when you're introducing new fish to a pond and you have to acclimatise them to the temperature of the water, so I hope I won't find them ALL floating in the morning.
Come 'ere, I have this plant that I got from a friend a few years ago. But she couldn't tell me what it was. It's doing really well. And I haven't a clue what it's called. So, come on, all ye horticulturists, share your knowledge with me.