Month: June 2009

Privet hedges are hard work. Also when you tight clip them like me you loose the gorgeous smell of the flowers. I put in a hedge album.

The sad remains found when I cleaned out the BlueTit nest. 1 dead baby and an egg not hatched…………I watched the parents feeding all the time.

Just this fternoon the flowers on my Yucca opened. Oh my god they are fantastic. Between the Yucca and my Roses I am just in awe!!! Who needs 1/2 an acre??? The photos speak for the selves!!!!

That’s if they ever go up for me – this is the third attempt at this journal entry!!!

 

 

Today the plan was to go to the Springmount Garden Festival. However, when I announced to hubbie that there were six talks I wanted to sit in on, he suddenly wasn’t so keen anymore. The result was that he stayed home.

But what a wonderful surprise I had when I came home because the stone circle is all-but-finished.

I had such a wonderful day at the Springmount Garden Festival today. I highly recommend anyone in the Wexford area to go tomorrow.

I got down there early as the first talk I wanted to attend was at 10am. The whole garden centre was transformed with two large marquees, masses of large shrubs for decoration and loads of stalls. The polytunnels had been set up as talk areas with chairs and podium. In fact, it was very well organised and, despite the large numbers of people, there were lots of staff on the ground  to ask you if you needed help or to politely suggest that you sit in the nice shaded seating area to eat your food.

I attended six talks in total by a variety of speakers. Dermot O’Neil did various talks but I particularly enjoyed Carmel Duignan, from the Shankill garden, and of course our own France McDonald of the Bay Garden and Paul Doyle.

Best of all was the free Design Desks, where you could bring your design, planting or landscaping issues for consideration by an expert. I went along to ask advice about re-planting my ex Rose Garden and think I now have the solution. What a wonderful service to get for free!

I was happy to bump into Joybells finally, over at the talk on Coastal Planting, and we exchanged a quick few words before rushing off to the next talks. Only when I came back did I see that Cooper was also there but didn’t see her at all.

Of course there was booty. My list consists of Nepeta ‘six hills giant’, Anthemis cupaniana, Ligularia przewalskii, Nemesia ‘confetti’ (fabulous scent), 2 Convolvulis sabatius and a Polygala myrtifolia (Carmel Duignan’s recommendation – I’ll overwinter it in the greenhouse).

So, I’ll go to bed tired but happy tonight, fortified for my kids’ birthday party int he garden tomorrow, although it looks like rain : (

Watering,was the main topic today along with the tidy up of the coldframe and the picking of weeds in the veg area.A new sand base was put in the coldframe first and then some white tubs were added.Some clay etc filled them up and that finished the job there.All ready for some more planting.Done another quick watering where needed and that ended the day.Covered some nice ground today in the garden.

Oh my God, what a glorious morning. What a shame I have to spend all day at work. I have just finished watering everything and they are all looking good. Steve is not quite finished doing the cementing of the blocks around the pond. I couldnt blame him for not doing a whole lot yesterday, it far too hot to exert any energy. As soon as it’s finished, I can tidy up the garden and get the grass cut. Then I will take some good pics. Not until then. I must go out now and take a pic of my latest purchase. I love it.

Have been away, but was glad to grab the chance to visit a lavender farm in the Cotswolds which I have wanted to see for a while. I was probably two weeks too soon to see it in it’s full glory, but I enjoyed it all the same. The scent on the breeze was beautiful. Have put some shots in photos. Did take some pics of different varieties, though it was very hard to see the differences between them (that’s why labels are in some of them!)

For the 1st time ever that the met office has issued a heatwave alert in UK. temps are set to reach 33* this wk.

 

if it comes this way enjoy but be careful

 

For Jacinta.

Also known as the Chusan Palm.  Has been in the garden for about 6 years and for the first time this year it has flowered.  I gather this is not all that unusual but it sure surprised me.

 

Well yesterday was spent cutting the griselinia hedge in the front garden. What a job in that heat. I waited till the evening when it was a little cooler to mow the lawn. Got it cut just in time before the rain came. As I was passing the old Belfast sink which I rescued from a ditch some years ago and planted up with alpines, I noticed a little gem I purchased two years ago had come into flower. I have somehow mislaid the label so cannot tell the name. It is South Africa and produces a combination of red and white flowers so you never know what to expect. Anybody know what it is? 

Call in the troops

 

 

both looking at Suili’s photo online.

I’m finding it hard to motivate myself these days and seem more overwhelmed than ever with all the jobs to be done. I was never good at breaking down jobs into small pieces and getting things done, being much more likely to wander aimlessly from one job to the other.

Today however I made a last burst and planted up most of my final annuals and some remaining plants I had in my coldframe. Of course the greenhouse is still packed with seedlings, cutting and such like and I will be trying to fill up my near empty coldframes with even more as I try to get a head start on producting plants for next year. I’m trying to propogate shrubs but this takes longer and only a buddleai I stole from my sister in laws garden (softwood cutting) and a small hydrangea are ready to go.

I ‘helped’ the kids pot up their plants they grew from seed as they have been a little unmotivated to do so. I also divide up a crowded Musa Rubra and now have 7 hopefully healthy plants from it. I also moved my wisteria to a larger pot by the sunroom and took 4 Carex Buchanii and 3 Varigated Bamboos (Hibanobambusa tranquillans ‘Shirosima’) that seeded in this both are prolific, but the varigated bamboo is a right thug and needs careful management.

I find I dont get as much done when the kids are off school as I become the general entertainer and all round dogsbody round here, my children have little respect for the Head Gardener!!

Doug, who is a member of the Aclare Garden Club, opened his garden today for the Street Children of Nepal. We enjoyed a wonderful relaxed atmosphere in beautiful cottage garden surroundings and met lots of very sociable gardening enthusiasts. Have a look at the album.

The upper garden was our big garden task in 2008.  My husband, James, worked at removing the grass while I worked at uncovering the rock face that would become the rock garden.

This photo shows what it looked like before we started work.

The upper garden was cleared of grass and the future rock garden began to take shape as we worked on through the beautiful days of May and early June last year. 

The rock garden began to show itself more each day.  I couldn’t resist getting a few alpines planted.

More to do . . . .

The Hypericum hidcote hedge along one side of my garden has come into flower.

It gives a great sense of gaiety to the place with its bright colour as a backdrop to everything.

Enjoyed being able to potter yesterday, weeding and tidying the veg beds. I planted some courgette seeds directly, which are coming up. I am going to see how they compare to the ones we grew on the windowsill and then planted.

 Lots more roses out. I must do something about my two climbing roses. I planted them over two arches, but unfortunately they just were not up to the job when the winter winds came. Arches came out (in bits) and roses have been supportless for a long time now. I think I am going to try building wooden ones, but I might need some technical support…