HeadGardener's Journal

Garden Update

Inside the Greenhouse

Pretty poor weather over the last while and it's been difficult to garden in as if it's not raining then the soil is too wet to work. Grass is coming on well except for patches which had to be resowed. Torrential downpours still causing problems with soil movement on our slopes, which is depressing but very little can be done about it.

My wife and I completed the shady garden (see picture section) and were really happy with it, needs bark mulsh now and my wife's still recovering from the physical activity! Bed No.1 now up for planting will post photos of the blank canvus  to be able to do a before and after, over the next couple of days.

Kids on holiday at end of next week and trying to get as much done before that as I won't have as much time when there home for the summer. They love "helping" but sometimes it just does'nt work as I spend more time trying to stop the arguements and destruction as I do encouraging a love of gardening to my kids, especially as they get destracted easily by killing snails, slugs or worms (or any other poor creature they come across).

Off to the South East Garden show got free tickets through the Irish Garden, bringing the tearaways not sure it's a good idea but I'll let you know how it goes. 

update

The Shade Garden

Lashing down with rain hence the journal as I can't do any gardening. Looking out hoping that my slopes won't slip any more. Hoping to rotivate some new beds at the weekend and begin planting something other than trees. Most of the trees are looking well 2-3 have still to leaf and as they were mostly bare root a few might not make it. Went to a small nursery to source them as buying 100 trees from a garden centre was financial madness and I got much bigger tree for a lot less. I got Betula (jaqmontii) Prunus Serrula (tibetan Cherry), Catenea Sativa (Spanish Chestnut), Acer Platanoides (Green and red Norway Maples), Alnus (Alder, Quercis (Amer. Pin Oak and Red Oak), Salix 'Cherminsa' (Willow coppice at 3ft), (Copper Beech) and Sorbus Josephs Rock (Mountain Ash).

I got several specimen trees Rodbinia pseudo. Freesia, Acer Grisium (Paperbark maple), Arbutus Undeo (Strawberry tree), Cerdiphyllum jap. (Jap. Katsura Tree). I already surrounded by mostly Ashes (which is fairly close to death), Holly and a lovely large Oak tree at the back (sadly in my neigbours field) They were suppliede by Root 2 Shoot in Ballycarney who supplied the plants for the Tayto Mystical garden in Bloom.

Bought a load of plants in bloom and and the rare and unusal plant fair (mostly for damp shade which I do not have very much of). Best were Oliver Shurmanns garden ,the Tayto Mystical woodland retreat and the kelloggs awaken the magic garden for kids. Worst had to be the ford garden as it looked terrible and made worst by the guy washing the car in the driveway, also the large tesco garden with the faux greek pavilion looked stupid to me. Paul Smiths for Pfizer was nice but did'nt seem practical.

Garden Strife

The Garden in Summer 2007

My first entry and it's full of woe have had ongoing problem's here being on a steep site with water and land slippage. Just got the lawn done and two 1/2 hour downpours have tore channels in the slopes in the garden (recently planted with wildflower unfortunitely) and wrecked havoc on some parts of the lawn that had not seeded yet. I have an 80m french drain at the back of the site but still having problem as there's little or nothing to stop it running down hill. If you do get an elevated or sloped site beware as you will have problems. Anyone with similar problems let me know (if you have a cheap solution even better).

Also I have a bugs bunny problem that's starting to get ridiculous first they ate my new grass then started digging up my spuds. My wife was very sympatethic to the little bunnies until they ate all the flowers off her new alpine rockery, which sadly was 1/2 washed away by the downpours (3 days work gone in 1/2 hr) she now is contemplating buying a gun? Any suggestions welcome (we cant fence off everything)

On a positive note we both went to bloom (on seperate days) bought lots of shade loving plants just one problem is I have very little shade! but a plantaholics aplantaholic, was a little dissappointed with the range of plants on some displays and that they had'nt attracted more english nurseries. I found the rare and unusual plants fair better for plant hunting and a bargain at €6 rather than €25 for bloom but you gotta go if your serious about gardening.

I pray to god that no more thundery downpours appear and the garden has a chance to recover (and I do too). I was going to plant a new bed tomorrow but now have to clean up the mess instead which is pretty depressing really.