HeadGardener's Journal

Joy and Sorrow

Geranium maderense in flower

Just on for a quick journal as it alsolutely horrendous weather out just keeping my fingers crossed for minimal damage.  While walking around Mt Congrieve with Ladygardener the other day we got to discussing geranium and she remarked she got a really nice one the other day and she hoped it would be hardy. Jokingly I asked here if it was G. maderense and she said yes oh how I laughed (this happens to Gabriel all the time when she buys plants) as I think theres a hint in the name wheres it from and it's not from geranium for the smart alecs LOL.

Anyway I bought one of these from Billy Alexander at Hunting Brooks open day two years ago and it has blossomed and developed since until... about two weeks ago it began to flower lovely rich exotic looking pink flowers of course I was delighted as i'd seen one in flower only in pictures. I was also sad as I knew that it being monocarpic it was about to die too. 

But such is the life cycle of some plants and at least I'll have lots of seed to share and plant. Spent a lot of today plotting, planning and doing research. Weather not looking good till Wednesday though :-(  glad I didn't plan to go anywhere today.. day for the fire as my late mother use to say

Paddy Last

Lord Celeborn surveys the Silven Forest

I think I must be way to late to discuss the wonderful trip to Mt Congeve yesterday and a lot has been said already. Firstly I was suprised how quickly I got there an so I will definitly try to visit again soon.   Of course great company always make a garden visit more special.

Of course many many thanks to Anne for organising it and  for her own garden tour and wonderful hospitality.  Anne is definitly a woman with both passion, vision and a plan, like all of us it will take a while to achieve it all. We did discuss winning the lotto but then we all admitted to not doing it!! 

Anyway while there were wonderful Rhodendrons and Azaleas and smells etc I really loved the Acers.. say a lovely Acer ribesifolium (aka Acer Shishigashira) but it proved too steeply priced at €50 maybe if I win the lotto... or I could nick Jacintas :-)

Got the Irish Garden this morning and I was like Rachels article this morning.. came on 35 message from garden.ie,  about 10 from facebook, then mail back and forth from other members about plants and garden visits, cups coffee... etc etc.. must get out and do some work... any minyte now.. ah damn its noon already!!

(for the uninitiate Lord Celeborn is the lord of Lothlorien woods in Lord of the ring)

Mount Congreve - are we mad?

Euphorbia griffithii 'Firelow'

Looking outside this morning I'm beginning to question my sanity about heading to Mt Congreve tomorrow but I guess sometime it helps to be a little bit mad as a gardener LOL Anyway confined to house duties today the cool stuff like ironing, cleaning and hoovering !  I still have tons of potting on to do which I hope to try get to later.  Anyway this is a quick journal for people going tomorrow (or people who live close to people who are coming tomorrow). I have a few small things that I could bring if people wanted so heres a list it's not exhaustive. By the way if during the year someone liked a plant or was looking for something nows a good time to shout as I'm propagating different bits and pieces now or have lots of little babies at the minute.

I have some Solanum lacinatum (annuals but sooo nice), small tetrapanax papycifera 'rex', hellebore (colour who knows?) Pachyphragma macrophyllum (originally seed from rachel white flowerd ground cover for shade) Frans Cuphea cyanus and some Stipa inchu (aka jarava ichu a peruvian grass)  I have other stuff by very small at the minute.  I have lots of cut Salix alba 'Chermsina' (a lovely orange tinted willow for wet ground as coppice/pollarded or tree).  Feel free to ask if I have other stuff.

See ye all tomorrow I hope it doesn't flood!!  Battening down the hatches now..

For Corktony

Alocacia Portadora

Tony Alocacia Portadora it's about 6ft tall and not at its best right now but you get the idea.. best indoor for winter out during the summer in sheltered spot..

There and back again...

Euphorbia char ssp wulfenii Emmers Green

of cours for lord of the rings fans you'll recognise the reference.. but a mini epic journey to Fota went well. In fact it only took over two hours to get there mind you it was a real mish mash of weather as I drove. The sun on the Comeraghs looked amazing.. and the buns I picked up in Dungarvan SC for the kids were better recieved than any plant I bought :-)

I met Deborah and Martin, Margaret (Hosta), Conrad and Bruno (salivating ith a list in Crug surprise surprise), I thonk also Joann whoto be honest I didn't really know so sorry there. Also a lady from Du Varren gardens who knew my name from facebook which is scary really!!

Anyway as I got out of my car when I arrive I saw loads of people put on wellies.. then of course I knew I had forgot something.. anyway it was muddy but grand and I did a whistletop tour of stands. Of course  I visited Terra nova first it;s hard to tear away really in the end I concentrated on nurseries that i wouldn't get to see at bloom or couldn't visit even though I saw some nice stuff at mount venus, kilmurry and shady plants.  I'm afraid I cant do the fancy boxes like corktony or rachel (must find out how thats done)

Anyway my haul is as follows : Arisema ringens and galeatum, Aralia spirosa, Convellaria varigata, arisarum proboscoideum, cornus kousa, veratrum nigrum I think seed of which deborah sowed in 2003 all these are Terra Nova and thanks Martin for the fern. Then 4 little Woodland primulas kisoana, polyneura, poissonii and macrophylla. Then Artemesia lactiflora Guizon, Heliopsis svabra 'Summer Nights', Helenium p. magnificum, Lineria purpurea Canon West, aruncus horation (all €3 from Caherhurley Nursery) and a Disporopsis pernyi. finally I bought an arundo donax from Deelish, a Euphorbia grifitthi 'Fern Cottage' for ? and Syneilensis subglabrata and Parasenecio maximowiczianus from Crug.

I was lucky I left when I did otherwise we'd be eating beans for a week :-) sorry took no pictures

Fota Opportunity

Podophyllum Spotty Dotty

The flashk is filled wit tae the hang sangwiches are made and theres a bit of swate cake too nearly all ready to go :-)  I'm off for my first trip to Fota today I have the wish list printed but today I think I might just go on impulse buys. I've had to raid the rainy day fund which is appropriate as it raining here!!

Really looking forward to the show .. not so much the drive but at least I am on my own and wont have the kids asking me questions all the time :-)  Will do my best to report back here about any purchases but of late I've been bad at that.

Hopefully I'll pick up some nice gems like the one opposite :-)

tried twice to put up pic if it doesn't work this time giving up!! gotta go

Getting back into the swing

The wild garden by William Robinson

After two weeks of mid term and lots of activity I'm enjoying the peace and quiet today and trying to catch back up with everyone and everything. Just to say thanks to people who wished me a happy birthday on f/book last week.  I as usual got a few gardening book for my gifts both following the talk from Rick Darke in January I got 'The American Woodland Garden' by Rick darke a lovely book very similar to his grasses book in look and a lovely book for all woodland lovers even though it is set in an american context.  I also got 'The Wild Garden' by William Robinson the expanded edition with new chapters by Rick and photos it's amazing to think that this was first published in 1870!! and how it has informed how most of us Garden today.. I didn't really get a chance to delve into them last week so trying to make time this week.

I am as yet fully undecided about going to Fota Plant fair next Sunday it's a mixture of the long journey, possible weather and current tiredness that is making me uncertain. I will most likely have to raid the rainy day fund to go and did not order anything from crug just in case I didn't end up going.

Potting on is going at a pace now having some nice surprises with something coming up quicker than I though and with great success but of course with that also failures/mistakes with other seedlings.  I am out today just clearing up outside and battening the hatches as it's suppose to be very windy here tonight. No doubt there will be wind damage to plants but I dont have the energy to stake all just in case hoipefully it'll be early enough for most to recover.

Looking forward to the 24th and Mount Congrieve, Gabriel is taking the day off and for one day I can be footloose anyway :-)  I will possibly have a range of baby plants/seedlings to swap or gift but I will wait and see if Anne does a journal on that trip first before discussing it.

Finally I can confirm that the Kodak easyshare is the worst camera in the history of digital camera.. so fec**** fed up with it at this stage..  

because the lady loves .. tulips

Tulip Hill

Second time to write this!!! anyway I had mentioned on here about having tulips and seeing as some people find it hilarious/mad that I don't like them I decided I'd put up the picture. I should reiterate that my dislike tulips stems from bitter dissappointment at there lack of performance for me in the past (and I have that dislike for anything that starts off well and generally gets worse with time).  

In any case last year Gabriel brought these and some Daffs home in a black bag. They were cast off from the flower display outside Heuston station (shame to be throwing away bulbs) and Gabriel planted  them in a mean old spot on the bank outside the house but they've done well.

Pained though I am to admit it they look quite cheery if slighty sticking out where they've been planted. Anyway early start this morning but as i went on facebook to reply to a comment on paddys pic I see as always I didn;t beat Jacinta there :-) The kids on Holidays, visitor/visiting all this week, the backs still dodgy been told to rest for the next week!! Busy potting on and pricking out etc... got a bit of sudden death (damping off) on my ricinus impala and NZ purple despite the pot scrubbing and copper fungicide treatment which is frustrating.

I should say that I emailed Finlay Colley about his plantsale and he told me it was not on this year so Crug will not be coming to Rare Plants Ireland on the 28th April next (although it still lists it on the site). I've been out of the loop so this may have been mentioned before but just in case. This has left me a dilemma as I'd love to go to Fota just wondering if the drive might kill me (my back that is) I haven't ordered anything from them anyway which might be too late but i always find there'll be things they have on the day that you just have to have (as well). 

Will add to the journal of photos if it lets me of whats looking good now