Month: December 2008
Anytime I am in the garden the cats are mostly there but when I am going around the garden with the camera the cats will always give a performance! Kitty is in the weeping willow this time. The ginger cat is nearby also but I couldn’t include him in the shot.
Performing kitty!
Witch Hazel Pallida
Viburnum covered in frost.
Planted crab apple bed
These are perennial poppies grown from seed set in July. I got the seed from Deborah at Terra Nova when we visited her beautiful garden in July this year. They are in the homemade greenhouse. They are looking a bit wilted on this very cold day. It will be interesting to see how they will progress
Poppies amongst other things in the homemade greenhouse
The weather’s been cold and miserable these past few months, but planting up my pots with cyclamen, winter pansies and ivy has cheered me up. The little tete-a-tete narcissi underneath are already beginning to peep their heads up. Let’s hope the heavy frost of the past few days doesn’t discourage them!
The cold weather and altitude proved too much for my eucalyptus, alas! But the leaves have remained on the tree and turned a golden colour. I’m going to put fairy-lights on it and put it out on the patio this Christmas. I’ll upload a photograph of it over the holiday.
I’m hoping santy will bring me plenty of little helpers so the Garden is not as much work next year! Been doing very little except protecting as much as I can over the recent cold snap. Luckily I spread bark mulch over all but one bed so I’m hoping the blanket will protect some plants. I think the beds look better now with the bark just waiting for a dry windy day to see if the stuff actually stays on the ground and not onto the deck.
It’s been so wet and cold hav’nt got to manure my veg beds but I’m hoping to do soon. i manured my carrots to late last year and ended up with some very interesting forked carrots last year. I also grew them in cell’s indoors which I won’t do this year, say the same thing happened to Alice on Gardeners World so don’t feel too bad especially as it’s my first year to grow veg.
Happy Christmas
Frm my sick bed .watching the birds flying in and out looking for food ..all around is covered in frost …but the winter sunshine illluminates and warms the leaves ….soon well pick the holly and deck the halls ,,,but first must get rid of the flu ….x
I don’t know, what happens, but you can see that previous post (20.12.2008) is displaying with error.
I hope webmaster will correct this. 🙂
the shortest day of the year…not a lotta light around ..except in the tunnel at Newgrange …where dull weather.diminished its wonder ….but the days get longer from now on !! ..and Ive found a beautiful Budda for the garden …some greenery and running water and my dream of the Zen garden is reality…Lost my beautiful neighbour to Heaven this week….will miss him ..He will make a wonderful addition to Paradise …he did to my garden..
I kid you not……lo and behold I have some daffodils flowering in the garden, they are the small ones who’s blooms grow in clusters, 3 lots of them have flowered. Imagine 23rd. December. Other than that nothing much else is moving in the garden. Our raised veggie beds have been built but alas lie empty and dormant, but looking forward to early Spring when we get some topsoil, manure and use some of our homemade compost. Just past the winter solstice now and the days will be getting longer by 2mins per day.
Happy Christmas and a great gardening New Year to all 🙂
2008 will go down in history as an exceptional year for a load of reasons – many of them really bad so I think I would like to end the year on a positive note.
The daffodil bulbs are about 2" above ground; the wild primroses are a lovely splash of yellow above the frosty earth, and I have roses in bloom. The birds are clustered on and around the three birdfeeders, and to-day the sun is shining.
So – Onwards and Upwards into 2009. I did have plans to make my garden easier to look after. Wandering around, however, have decided to widen two of the flower beds to make them more shapely ( and somewhere to put more plants ) and yank out the three silver birch which disappoint me as they are not the white trunked ones I wanted. I was assured the dull grey bark would peel off and reveal a bone-white trunk beneath….not so. Yes, it does peel off but just more dingy brown beneath. But these three have been in the ground now for about four years so it will have to be a professional affair.
hi everyone getting ready to start my spring seed sowing. hoping everyone had a lovely christmas. if members have a polytunnel u might be able to give me advice about any experience they have with it .my tunnel is cold and i am wondering if there is any way i can heat it. and how much ventilation i should be giving it. this is my first winter having one and i am at a loss as to what to do. any advice will be gladly recieved. I hope to have better photos next time. Santa was good to me i got seven garden books and a small propagator. i will have a busy year.
Oh the light in the garden as dawn breaks in frosty mornings ..and would you believe ..a rose still blossoms …nature is wonderful …little birds diving for titbits ….its beginning to look a lot like christmas !!
Woke up to a few inches of snow today, it had been -3 overnight. Fortunately, I had covered the frost tender plants with fleece. The garden looks lovely, so my first job was to top up the bird feeders and de-snow the bird bath so blackie could have his morning bath, in the luke-warm water I provide for him. I also removed the snow from the two bird drinking baths and replaced with fresh water for them.
My Hellebores are starting to develop buds, but these are hardy and were fine. Moved the snow from the path to the gate, don’t want our postman falling.
The road outside our house is still bad after a few hours, but I did the food shopping yesterday so won’t be venturing out today.
Ordered the free C J Birds bird booklet a few days ago online and it arrived today, lovely things for wildlife and lots of advice on bird feed for different species and what they eat at different times of year.
Snow
Evergreen christmas arrangement
Finally finished painting the third of my newly assembled pergolas yesterday. The last few bits were done in almost darkness. It’s horrible how early it gets dark now. Today it’s raining.
Anyway, that’s me finished in the garden until at least February!
Painting Pergolas
The frost has been pretty constant and when the gentlemen came to work on the base yesterday, all they could do was dig the sides of the area out a bit more and discuss options.
My greenhouse will be slightly underground at the back and slightly above ground level at the front – a happy compromise considering the site is on a slope. I will have flag stones, as opposed to concrete in 2/3s of the interior – it’s safer – if the concrete cracks it will ladder all the way through but that won’t happen with flags.
Also, they will build a timber frame for the south side of the greenhouse (the uncovered 1/3). It goes on top of the foundations and serves to give me a clean digging edge. The south side will have a border in the greenhouse for tomatoes, courgettes, chrysanthemums etc (did that word chrysanthemum slip out again!).
A course of bricks is not required for this type of greenhouse but the base will be concreted directly into the foundations at the points specified in the instructions.
Greenhouse Base
Mahonia Winter Sun
The foundations of my greenhouse have now been set. It really helps to bring it to life.
The bad news is that my trustworthy assemblers cannot erect the greenhouse until January. I could get the Lenehans guy to erect it for me, presumably sooner, instead but I prefer to use the company I know. They are reliable. They turn up when they say they will and, if they can’t come, they phone. In fact they are also cheaper than the Lenehans guy as he would have to come down from Dublin so that is factored in.
So, no greenhouse before Christmas but at least I will have it before planting needs to start in February : )
Foundations Done
Schlumbergera
Photo’s taken March 2008.
hi everyone happy new year. looking forward to new growing season.
