HeadGardener's Journal

Dont you just love Ferns?

Fernery

Well I love ferns and I know there are many other admirers out there. Now I know you might think that one fern looks pretty like the next and there's not much variety but I dare anyone to look at my new photo albumn on ferns and not tell me theres a vast difference between many ferns.

Now of course it's hard to tell the difference between one fern and another sometimes unless you label well or are an expert but once you have them together you can often see the subtle differences between them.

Last year I created a fernery to display many of my ferns to good effect now I find i could nearly do with a second one as I've run out of space in it but not my enthusiasm for collecting them :)

If you haven't any ferns in your garden then try at least one there dead easy low maintenance and in the right spot will reward you for most of the year .. expecially for those damp dark spots people always seem to have...

Just to say I know there were site issues but to load the photos in the album was an adventure for the whole afternoon... school holidays tomorrow.. having a stiff drink tonight to brace myself :D

Bupleurum longifolium looking good now

Bupleurum longifolium

I was going to do a long journal about my shady bed and big leafed plants but wore out visiting journal so a quick one. I noticed this today in the garden (before it rained) and though it looked good it was stunning in Oliver Shurmanns garden last year at bloom. Although I had bought it from Mount Venus a couple of years before that..

then when I went to my plant database to check spelling I noticed I'd missed it completely and didn't have it listed.. although this has happened before I'm ashamed to admit LOL

See everyone who's going  to Hazels tomorrow I'm not prepared at all will have to get the finger out not sure what to bring or what others have but will bring a few bits and bobs maybe.

Peony 'Flame' finally opens

Peony 'Flame'

I got this Peony about four years ago from Robert in Altamont it has always flowered but it has been slow to bulk up (this may have to do with me I dont know) this year it has two flowers and is standing out in the border along with my pink Papaver orientalis 'Raspberry Queen' one of several papavers looking good now. I noticed Carol Kleine talking about it on GW last week funnily enough.

Remembering Sunnier Days on year on..

last years open day

Sorry I have been missing off the site for a while between being unwell (again) and trying to get things done I haven't had the time to get on. Trying now to get as many big jobs done before the kids are off at the end of next week. It's hard to believe that mis summers day has gone it didn't feel like the longest day of the year last night I can tell you, :D

Anyway the rain is making masses of stuff burst out especially the shady garden where all the big leafed plants are doing brillantly my gunnera is very large, as are my rheum, darmera, several ligularias etc...

Myexotic bed has just been planted up last year the week before my open day I planted everything out in glorious sunshine and that day was such a hot day too it worked out perfectly of course and the next day it lashed.. anyway it's good to think back to how well it went although I think this year i would not have been up to the work needed.

When/if I get time I hope to put up a couple of albumn I have spent a day classifying and photographing my ferns. Also lots of things now flowering and looking good although I dont have the time or inclination to be putting up a journal every day, there is something new that catches your eye every day now.

Anyway I hope to try to get to Hazels and Elizabeths open days.

Inspired by Fran

Papaver orientalis 'Beauty of Livermore'

Inspired by Frans poppy pic decided to put up my own love the way this branches five flowers at different heights :-)

With all this rain best to sit down with a cup of.

My echeveria runneth over

Well today so far has been a dissappointment and not just the weather I got rudely awake at 7am to my wife punchtured car. She took my car while i fixed hers in the rain to find I couldnt locate the alloy wheel lock then when I did I pulled off the puncture and replaced the spare to find it too was punchured. My back is in shreds anway but this finished it off. I'm a bit frustrated with everything to do but trying to mind myself.

Just took a few pics and thought this one was worth a look someone gave this cup as a kris kindle present in Johnstown but only got round to planting it up recently. Looks good now...

New Plant Photos

Diphyllia Cymosa

I have spent the last two hour struggling to put up 20 or so photos.. between the new photos system on here and my connection (and the door blowing open with my mobile dongle stuck out of it) it's been a torrid morning I tell you.

Anyway the rain has eased here thank God and what do you do on a wet morning only cleaning and photo loading.. I was going to put up the delayed Bay Garden pics but to be honest I dont have the heart or the time :-(

Anyway on a positive note there are lots of picture of things looking good and the heat/wet over the past two weeks came shooting out a prime example being this Diphyllia cymosa not a sign of it four weeks ago so planted an arisema behind it to cover up the patch.. now its 3ft tall.. and in flower amazing..

Anyway I might try put up more pictures later as Sams Hurling match has been rescheduled for Sunday (thank God).  By the way I should put a word out for anyone who has or knows someone who has old roof tiles (not slates) ideally the straight ones and not broken as I need to bury them as a bamboo barrier (I should have done this ages ago but... well you know) I need at least 60 if not more in truth.

Bloom and other things...

Jane McCorkells My Garden Potting Shed

I really enjoyed the trip with all the family to Bloom last Thursday.. in truth I could have spent another while there but in the end opted to head early to avoid the traffic and it was starting to turn a bit dirty at that stage.  Having won tickets thanks to Glenisk e met Jurgita, Violetta and then Liga at the gate before I split from the kids heading to the floral marquee where in truth I bought very little (well little for me ?:-)) I met Fran, Bruno and Joan in there before bullying Fran into a purchase (that hopefully he wont regret). 

Met with family to see how they got on when I heard Ben had shook hands with President Higgins and the lads had got there photo taken with the Chinese Ambassador and his wife who seemed amazed at the thought of triplets!! .. I then headed out to the show gardens where I met Hazel.. I tried doing them in order but failed a little got lots of good ideas although it was a bit wet.. Loved Jane McCorkells My Garden and that potting shed I soooo want :-)  liked lots of others to a greater or lesser extent my favorite small garden was An Ghairdin Cuil. I have to be contoversial and say I thought the Japenese tea Garden was lovely but a bit of a mish mash of ideas of a Japanese garden for me..

Anyway had a good time the kids enjoyed themselves but not as much to do this year for them i felt.. Scientific Sue was brilliant though :-)  My purchases were  Asplenium bulbiferum (aka 'Suze'), Arachnoides standesii, Woodwardia unigemata, Irish chrysographes 'Kilmurry black', Diplarrhena moraea and Dicentra formosa.'Bechenal' but my favorite was a Euphorbia cornigera 'Goldeners Turm'. Gabe got a few things too namely Dictamus albus purpurea, Polemonium Northern Lights and a few other bits and pieces.

Aonium experiment... results released :-)

Aonium Zwartkop

Last year feeling brave and wanting a multi stemmed Aonium I took the plunge and chopped mine in half. We as you can see it worked out well.. in thew picture from L-R is the off cut of the original plant, then the multistem on where I'd cut it off and finally it's sister which I had left alone no taller but leggier if you like that sort of thing :-)

 Had a really lovely but busy day in the Garden with Gabriel yesterday.. backs a bit dodgy today... busy watching Chelsea.. hope Joe Swift gets a Gold love his garden not too gone on my favorite designers gardens though (Cleve West and Andy Sturgeon) but theres no accounting for taste. I love Kazuyuki Ishiharas.. Sotayama Life bet that'd look good in Frans garden :-)

Putting up the few measly photos of bay today and a few more of my own... UPDATE: sorry no photos new system is so good can't upload any pics !! frustrating...

Bluebell Willow Wood

Bluebells in look bare now hope it'll be Blue next year

I'd been talking to my father in Law about Bluebells when he said he had a friend with a 'whole wood of them' so after a bit of discussion to and fro off we went to Kittys Farm and dug up a load of bluebells on Sunday. Not wanting to be too greedy I stopped when a couple of trays filled up and when I got home found I had about 450 bulbs.

Now Gabriel was off yesterday and said she'd help me put them in under the willow at the bottom of the garden, but sods law she was sick and in bed finally got them done yesterday with a very sore back and some strategic movement of pollarded willow.

Anyway I managed to spread them across more than half the area and have hellebores and other to fill in the space. Maybe next year I might call on Kittys kindness again to fill gaps :-)  Anyway I'm hoping to try achieve a bit like Monty Dons wild woodland garden.

Anyway I'm a bit sore and a bit tired but happy to have it done before tonight as I hope to go out later and fleece a few things, just in case as it's due to be very cold (although it was cold here last night too)

On the way back from Kittys called via Coolaught Nurseries which believe was my first time this year. Of course Gabriel and I egged each other on she bought a load of small things and I bought a Acer negundo Kellys Gold to replace a dead sorbus and A Pinus Wallicianus (Bhutan Pine) which is a big conifer.. must be mad still wondering if it was a good idea!! anyonoe with one and a opinion on it please let me know :-)

Chatham Island Forget Me Not

Myosotis hortensis

On a more positive note something that wasn't affected by the frost (even though it was outside the greenhouse in a pot) such a lovely plant and I saved seed last year meaning to plant some but never got round to it must dig the seed out and try as I saw loads of seedling for sale in the middle of last year I assume it can't be that difficult to propogate (say he knowing that may be the kiss of death LOL)

Did a big clear out of my sunroom yesterday so all my stuff is now in the greenhouse and dealth with my whitefly problem. I think now at least people can use the room a bit more now without tripping over seedlings. I cleared the deck (literally) in some vain possibility I'll get to clean it LOL Our swingseat seat cracked and broke which is annoying especially as it broke in the most difficult place to fix, it's down with the other exotic border seat for repair.

Thats another lotto wish seats that last longer than a year but only cost €50 LOL false economy or wha...

Watering Disaster

the plants look like this..

Last week on Friday I planted some new plants I'd gotten from the rare plant fair nicest among them a Arisema ringens from Deborah, it was quite late at night by the time I got to plant them and went up to my water butts filled two watering cans with them and watered the newly planted plants having some left over I then threw the remaining water over some primulas, my blue poppies and Darmeras. Some of the plants I watered are unaffected (as yet anyway touch wood).

I was mad busy Sat and Sunday but today I went out to see all these plants bowing down seriously (see pic here and in May photo albumn please) to be honest I'm not quite sure what happened here but would like peoples opinions as to what happened. To say I'm gutted is an understatement but I certainly want to avoid any more damage.

There are several theories firstly that one of the watering cans was contaminated I only used tomato feed in it and the kids have been cross examined but 'swear' they didn't put anything in (not always true mind you). The second possibility is as it was late at night and that night it was cold there was undetected frost and becuase water was lying possibly on the leaves that is frost damage.  The third and more concerning possibility is that one or both of my butts is contaminated with something? there may be another possibility I haven't seen.  

I wondered what people though and what there experience might tell me?  Deborah if your out there is that arisema r.i.p.  ??   anyway sorry wont have time to visit peoples journal much tonite.. off to cry into my beer. Other than that a lovely day spent with Gabriel in the garden shes up to her neck in her PhD but needed a break today so it was great to have the company.

Thanks everyone for the best wishes for Faith on Saturday sadly with 60 top dancers in her catagory she didn't win anything but had a ball.

All go here....

Organised Greenhouse but for how long!!

Just in for a bit of lunch so said I'd throw up a quick journal, it's very overcast and cool here again today. Hard to know when were going to get heat to bring annuals on or even plant them out!  I have however tidied up the greenhouse and moved a lot of the stuff from the sunroom outside to it. Although I have kept the bubble wrap on just in case. Most of my bananas and gingers are in the tomato bed in a sort of half way house before hardening off.  My coldframes are full and I really need to get planting but I had to get the grass cut and try tackling some of the bad weeds especially on the hills (I failed but tried valiantly). I'm trying not to spray and had hoped to hoe weeds down in march but then my back.. anyway another 7 years weeding ensues I imagine.

I'm rushing around trying to get as much done as I can as no gardening likely this weekend, were all off to support Faith tomorrow whos in her first All Ireland Dancing Championships in the Bun Grad grade  and hopefully home to watch the FA Cup too. Then a hurling blitz and field day in Bunclody Sunday and typically monday is due to be wet.. anyway i'm sure in the end all will get done.. eventually...

Nice combination

Acer jap. Aureum aka shirawanum and Primula secundifolia

Two journals in a row must be a record unfortunitly I don't have the time or if I'm honest the inclination to do journal every day. However while out photographing my blue poppy yesterday I saw this combination of primula secundifolia and an Acer japonica 'aureum' also know as Acer shirawanum (see Fran acers eh... LOL) It's the yellow leaved version rather than greener one. I bought it after seeing an amazing picture in a book I had for year..

This is a picture thats nice to have as the wind in a couple of weeks will render both beyond there best.. the hope is in many years the Acer will hold it's own

Weather back to normal today mowed half the lawn yesterday raging now I hadn't cleaned out the greenhouse.. but then i wouldn't have moved all my plants out.. decisions decisions...

Himalayan Blue Poppy

Meconopsis ? 'Lingholm'

Having seeing Linda's heartbraking broken poppy with that wind I though this might offer encourgement. I have no idea what variety of blue poppy (poss M. Lingholm) this us I bought it at a show 5 years ago and it has been going well since seeding and growing. Some poppies are annual, some monocarpic (the die when they seed) but I have found thos one to be neither.  What I had heard is that they like predominently to things wet soil all year (like candleabra primulas) with no drying out and they like cold. In fact these poppies do really well in scotland but really poorly in southern england where the winters are just not cold enough.

The other thing I do is keep them in an old kids sandpit and fill it with a few watercans of water when very dry. Last year I lifted and divided a few of them which is suppose to prolong there life. Mind you I have heard that inexplicably they can just live for two to three years and die although this might have to do with enviromental factor.

In any case anytime a journal is put up about blue poppies there is the usual discussion about them neing annual and monocarpic etc etc.  So to aid in this discussion then i would say a lot depends on how you grow them. I bought eight different primulas and two diff blue poppies all died in my limey, windy and dry Naas garden no matter how much molly coddling I did (when I had a small garden and had time to molly coddle).

The reason I believe this variety id Lingholm (rather than Slieve Donard for example) is it produced loads of seed and it leave are darker and hairier than other varieties. This is useful as while I'm not an expert I imagine that my sucess with this poppy maybe well have a lot to do with it's variety and it position.  Luckily this clump sits in a shelter almost full shade and like it there. I have spread babies into other beds but it will be a couple more years before I can judge success :-)

In the meantime it's nice to sit with a coffee and admire them and ignore how that big slug has destroyed my syneilensis in one night....  ah well maybe next year!