Month: June 2009

Mmmm – just wandered in the garden today in the last of the sun.

Four herbaceous clematis planted a month ago seem to be doing fine. Clematis aromatica was gobbled by the sluglets but I have managed to rescue it. I see that a certain black, Dublin brew is recommended for the swift despatch of the slithery tribe. I will be eating a few oranges tomorrow to save the shells to hold the black stuff. I can only dream of them leaping like lemmings to boozy heaven. 

I just love clematis durandii and have one planted next to a peony so that it will scramble about. The first flower of clematis recta burst open today. I will head up tomorrow with a brolly if necessary to check on its progress. It’s a wonderful plant.

I planted clematis diversifolia Hendersonii, clematis Rooguchi and clematis Petit Faucon which I hope will all scramble about through herbaceous stuff. I don’t see any buds yet so there may not be any flower this year. I’m not sure what these plants look like in the flesh – I have only seen pictures – so I am excited about them and hope I have made the right choice of plant and position. We’ll see.

I have clearly had a disaster with cornflower seeds sown over a month ago. Last year they were wonderful. This year, not one germinated.  Maybe I will try a late sowing. They flowered on and on last year right into autumn and beyond. You just can’t beat that blue.

A climbing rose bought last year still sits in its pot and cries out to be planted. I saw it in the corner of the little courtyard in the Botanic Gardens – Climbing Cecile Brunner. I don’t deserve it but it has managed to bloom in its plastic pot. I must plant it tomorrow.

As for Bloom 2009, I found it a tatty and disappointing version of 2008’s triumph. It just didn’t manage to live up to the standard it set last year. Maybe its reflection of recession was too successful. Still, I’d rather have Bloom 2009 than none at all. 

 

On Thursday I decided to attack the north bank which is a wilderness. Rockeries on Sherkn are a bit of a nightmare. Maybe it is the same everywhere but here there are so many loose stones in a rockery that it is practically impossible to get enough soil in which to plant anything. But the weeds have no difficulty squashing their roots down between rocks and stones.

I wanted to re do this whole area last year but never got around to it. This Spring ran away from me too so now it is a matter of working around it. I managed to extract boulders from the smallest areas. I used these to build little walls between the areas where I will plant something when I finish. I am incapable of throwing anything out so very aged heuchera got  divided up and replanted. it will not be a catastrophy if it doesn’t take!

The finger is still not better so pulling weeds is a bind.

Got blanket weed on the pond for the very first time. Had one very dead fish floating on the surface and went to investigate the reason. It was then  noticed the blanket weed just below the surface – not a total coverage but getting its web going. I pulled it all out (or I hope I did). I put in a new straw bail and we will see how it goes.  Wonder is this because of the heat? I don’t think so as we had a breeze here most days.

Will post some photos of the north bank when it is finished (if ever…) 

Well, we all knew deep inside that it wouldn’t last. Another few days and we have the longest day. Then we have to brace ourselves for another winter.

But lads, enough of the doom and gloom. With all the torrential rain we have had so far this morning, at least we don’t have to water. Everything in the garden is going to get such a boost from all the heaven-sent moisture. I adore looking at alchemilla mollis with big fat raindrops on their leaves. Gorgeous!

I am just contemplating going in to work for a few hours. Didnt manage to get a few jobs completed yesterday and my conscience is at me. Couldn’t sleep last night because of it. How sad is that? But I’ll wait until the rain eases off before I go in. My colleagues, no doubt, will think I’m a ‘nutjob’ but they don’t seem to get the same sense of job satisfaction as I do.

Ok it seems to be stopping. I’ll have another cuppa, and head in. Hopefully I’ll be able to get something done here in my garden later on in the day.

What a change, cold and wet and windy this morning, hubby was going to cut hedge but cant put our noses out this morning. Just looking out at my poor lupins getting a bashing, such a shame as they were lovely, must save some seed.

 Must be positive, the rain will save me watering!

Everything was going so well this week with the beautiful weather!  Today the wind has kicked up and I’m afraid my poor rose bush will be lashed within an inch of its life!

hi everyone had the first experience of picking cooking and eating the fruits of my labour, my first cabbage and it was gorgous. feelin very tired and sore today i am going out to the tunnel now and hopefully do something for my day although not feeling very enthusiastic yikes here we go will come back and tell you if i did anything later.A lady at one of the stands in bloom was wondering when i was due my baby, that really was a horrible experience i just walked away in disgust. well happy gardening everyone. 

hurray, I have put up some photos I took during our week of summer.not as difficult as I thought it would be. got advice off my 10 year old ….hazel. Now that I have become a little bit more computer friendly I will upload  lots more soon.

 

the wind yesterday and today was so strong, i thought it would pull my poor plants from the ground.  i lovingly planted the hostas i bought at bloom, with a few bits my mum gave me, and i have been inspecting them since to see if they are surviving the wind.  last night, it poured rain so at least i didnt have to water today.  veg are surviving the wind and cats, and tomorrow will plant the rhodo my hubby got me.  really looking forward to a day when i can actually sit and enjoy the garden!  hope the weather has been kinder to those of you in other parts.  have uploaded a few pics that i hope give an idea of my garden.  it might not be much, but you should have seen it 5 years ago!

weeding thinning potting planning . alot done of each, the carrots (norfork giant and st. valery) beetroot(long black) parsnips(gladiator) potatoes(picasso) onions(centurion) shallots (aristocrat) garlic(elephant) all looking like they have some potential for the show benches in late summer.the first show i will be at this year is in four weeks time, in Ardgillen castle where i hope to show sweetpeas and maybe some pansy blooms. Its balbriggan horticultal societys rose show. the show is held downstairs in the castle and admission is free , I hope it is fine that day as i would like have a picnic there while the judging is happening.

La fliuch a bhi ann. Bhi scamall mhor dhubh san speir. bhi se ag cur baisti agus ni riamh me abalta dul amach. Saturdays rain put this couple of sentence back into my head when I was looking out on the weather. What a day saturday was and I just do not speak about the weather.

My garden is my pride and joy, the dogs is herselfs pride and joy. Well war has being declared. One of the dogs has taken to watering a couple of shrubs for me. The grateful shrubs has turned black and is loosing a lot of its leaves. Another has taken to digging holes for me so I can plant things. It does not bother him that there is already something growing in the hole he is digging. They have also dug a bunker in the lawn. I have brought it nicely to her attention but to no avail. They still attack and damage my garden and they know that they are protected for if I complain to loudly, well my dinner would be in the dog. The dogs just can-t loose.

Rachel was on about deceased dogs being good for lilacs, so I could be tempted to start growing them. Herself indoors would leave too big of a mound in the garden if I was to put her under a lilac. Anyway who cook me dinner ?

Feeling very virtuous and rather smug this evening.

I managed to plant twenty-two plants in my ‘nursery bed’. The truth is that I have a tendency to buy plants that I have been searching for when I spot them in a garden centre. Then I plonk them in the yard until I can find a suitable spot. The following year those plants that do survive are usually sick, covered in a cap of weed and relegated to the back row behind the new purchases.

This year I resolved to plant everything and have at least made a start. The plants aren’t where I want them to be but at least they will get a chance to survive and might beef up a bit before going into their final position. 

There’s a lot of digging to be done before the final positions are ready. Maybe I should organise a "bring-a-spade’ party.

As for ‘parties’ – I would love to be able to attend the event in Mullingar but have to take visitors to the airport that day. I am not sure when their flight is so it might be possible to head to Mullingar in the afternoon. We’ll see. 

 

hi everyone did weeding today, decided to but weedblock down in a few of the beds as i am unable to keep up with weeding i put bark down on top of the weedblock now the flowerbed looks really well hopefully i will get some more done tomorrow if the rain stays away. have"nt done anything in the tunnel lately apart from watering the veg that is in there. well i am wrecked after all the work. goodnight to you all and happy gardening

I may have made a horrid mistake.  I was just out in the garden this evening to walk around and love my oasis.  I noticed little brown spots on my lupin leaves which are new.  I’m sure it’s not a disease – it looks too much like it was sprayed.  Well, I look above and see the tip of each clematis is dead.  Black as night. 

I think by mistake last weekend I intended to use bug spray on little critters on the new tips of the clematis, but instead I must have used weed killer.  The wind would easily take a few drops down to my lupin giving it the few brown spots. 

Oh, it’s a sad, sad day.

hi everyone got more membrane down today. as i weed the beds i am putting down the weedblock. feel more like a woman of 90 than 39.will leave the circles without the weedblock so i can still put in new stuff just mulch it with bark. i bought 2 yuccas in dunnes last week and a bamboo. never had yuccas before. one is varigated and the other is just plain they were only 12euro, looking forward to planting them. wouldnt mind getting two more for the patio. hopefully get some more work done tomorrow. bye for now and happy gardening

Just back after been away for two and a half weeks and what a shock, every weed under the sun grew to its full potential. I thought I was in the wrong house, its going to take forever to clear them out. I also have lovely sun dried tomato plants and lots of sun dried hanging baskets. The only good thing that happened is the fish in the pond are not shy anymore, they are swiming around to thier hearts delight. I cant believe the growth in everything. With tender loving care I might be able to save some of the plants that dried out. If not I will have to go shoping at the weekend and stock up on some plants. I haven’t looked at any other journal yet to see whats been going on, but looking forward to it. If I trew a bring a hoe party would many come? I would need about 20 to turn up.

I’ve had a problem with holly suckers. The advice from Gerry Daly was to cut them off at soil level and then smother with paving or other strong stuff. Today I managed to get around to shaving them off neatly at soil level – with the help of my brother, Joe. I will follow advice and pave the area around them.

 There’s a bark path running along the hedge in my garden. The other side of the path is a badly planted border ( a couple of stunning plants and a great deal of weed). Just at the end of the path is a golden mock orange. What a wonderful scent yesterday and today. Here’s an unassuming plant that goes unnoticed for most of the year and yet can ambush you all of a sudden with its overpowering perfume. Must get another variety. Yum.

Today was about enjoying the herbaceous stuff in my two little rectangular beds. I must admit that I was trying to emulate Helen Dillon’s red and blue borders. Not as easy as it looks. The blue isn’t too bad. It was better last year with the cornflowers but this year’s disaster has put paid to that display. The catmint, delphiniums, campanula and galega are fine. There’s an aconite in there too and salvia on the other side. Geranium Rosemoor and Johnson’s Blue are flowering away. It’s looking good. As for the red border, not quite as successful I must say.

There are a few mounds of cheap and cheerful Sweet William bought as a Woodie’s six-pack last year, more pink than vibrant red. There are two David Austin roses – L.D. Braithwaite whose heads snapped off at the neck last year just after they had opened. They are just in bud. If their heads fall off again this year they will definitely be on the transfer list. There are three mounds of astrantia Hadspen’s Blood (in flower) and four lovely knautia ( not in flower). Dahlias and lobelia cardinalis are struggling against the slugs. Crocosmia is up and will, no doubt, do its thing later.The crambe at the end of the bed is wonderful. It has flowered for the first time and I must take a photo of it. Hmmmm – apart from that, my red bed is very green. It clearly flowers later than the blue so the two sides seem a bit imbalanced. 

Anyway, it was a good game to play and I can try something different next year.

Off to Granada and the Alhambra later this week so no doubt I will be returning with ideas of canals and fountains and rills and marble bowls full of water. 

 

 

 

have just spent half an hour typing out a journel entry only to lose it when trying to save it!!! second time this has happend, anybody else have this problem, rightly p####d off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi everyone got more work done today. we decided last night that we would use stone instead of bark so my neighbour brought me over a trailer load so i spent the afternoon putting stone on the bed i had put the membrane, i did some of the bed in bark and the rest in stone it actually looks good one compliments the other, i couldnt face taking up what i had barked so its staying there. i weeded another bed and got it ready for membrane thats my work for tommorow and putting the stone down. well thats my day over. well goodnight and happy gardeing

For the past 2 nights I have been chased back into the house by the midges.  Not enough gardening done.  Last night I turned the hose on myself for some relief from the little f??%$rs but its no good. 

I have a neighbour who does covert surveillance.  I expected him to jump up out of the long grass with the camcorder in the knots laughing at me.  I got very self conscious  and so gave up and came in.  My sister who is visiting asked me what are all of those red spots on your face? sudocreme is out now.

Well today i began spraying and got about 3/4 of the place sprayed. I decided to do it the hard way with a 5ltr handheld sprayer. Not easy in the heat but i wont complain. Hopefully the weather will be the same tomorrow and i’ll get all the grass finished off. Wont be able to go too close to the potatoes though although i might try and cover them to be on the safe side.

 

haven’t visited in ages , don’t know what exactly i’ve been doing but i seem to have acquired alot of plants in the meantime(partly blooms fault!!)that now need to be planted , will have to expand one or two beds!feeling lazy about connecting with the spade but i’ll have to soon or they are going to start looking very sad .tomorrow promise !!

by the way i meant to ask does anybody else have trouble with the banners of dermot cutting a hedge or johnstown garden center whille trying to view photos?

whether i try to view my photos or anyone elses theres dermot or whatever blocking out some of the photos.

i have e mailed justin (IT) about this problem and also told someone on the irish garden stand at blooms but it is still happening . any ideas?

hi everyone got alot more work done today spent the morning taking bark out of a flower bed, then spent the rest of it shoveling stone from a trailer and putting stone on it. it looks great and i keep telling myself it will never have be weeded again all the hard work will have payed when i will be spending less time weeding and more time with the kids and doing some much needed work in the tunnel and relaxing. HEAVEN. i cannot find the email sent to me about mullingar. does anyone know if i am to late, hope not really want to go. well thats all for now. taking the day off tomorrow and go shopping with my friend and my daughter. cant wait.happy gardening

It was bound to happen.  I can feel my obsession with astrantias waning.  After seeing them in just about every garden at bloom and on every nursery stand, I’m thinking they are a bit over used.  Imagine my dismay.  I loved them, I loved them, I loved them and I never could find one locally.  I pined for one, gazed at them in magazines and books.  I even grew some from seed last year.

But methinks the love affair has ended.

I went to a friend’s house this past week.  She is putting in a new mixed border and she had a lovely astrantia — of the Hadspen’s Blood type I’m guessing.  When I asked her where she got it (seeing as I had to travel all the way from Galway to Dublin to Bloom to actually get one) and she told me Woodies.

I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry.  They’ll be everywhere now.

It’s like hearing your favourite song that one time too many…

hi everyone had a great day shopping yesturday, bought some garden toys if you know what i mean, a lovely snail and metalic ball and two frogs with mushroom heads. went to homebase was in paradise in the garden centre could have spent hours in it if i could. it was nice to have a day away from the garden hope to do something tomorrow if its not raining. lidl have some garden ferns that i want to get and bamboos. well thats it for now happy gardening