Month: December 2009
There are a lot of people on the site who really know their plants and the proper plant names which is great. Well done you all.
However, there are others, myself included, who, has a lot to learn. Now I do know I can google the proper names, but I do find it surprising how often the common names are not there.
Would I be asking a lot of, "ye gifted folk in the know", could you post the common names (in brackets) to help us learners, catch up, Thanks, in expectation.
21st March 2009
Cut the grass in the front and back gardens today, the second cut of the year. I also weeded the border at the front of the house. I finished weeding underneath the hedge at the front of the house. Finally, I pruned the shrubs in the front and back garden. My overall plan for 2009 is to get the front garden sorted, following on from the work I did in the last few years.
22nd March 2009
I tied up the roses in the front border. I cut back the dead leaves on the phormiums and cordylines. I did more weeding on the front borders. I did a general clean-up of the garden.
I did some weeding of the border opposite the kitchen window. Noreen and myself weeded the left-hand bed opposite the back door.
Note: The normal secateurs is not strong enough for phormiums and cordylines. We probably need a stronger cutting implement, but the garden saw is not a bad substitute.
23rd March 2009
Weeded more of the front border, not finished yet, but will be, hopefully, by the weekend.
26th March 2009
Visited Springmount on the way back from Dublin and bought 3 clematis plants, 2 growbags and farmyard manure.
I bought wire netting in the new ALDI supermarket (it just opened today). Also bought netting staples in Woodies, which changed over from Atlantic Homecare today.
27th March 2009
Put up the first roll of netting for the clematis on the wall opposite the kitchen window. If the weather ok, I hope to finish the job tomorrow.
i headed of tonight to armagh to their first GIY meeting. there was a good turn out for it. i counted 70 odd.i signed up to be a part of their steering group too.i am already apart of the monaghan steering group too and i have been asked to do a talk at the next monaghan group meeting.i am not looking forward to that. anyway while i was at the meeting in armagh tonight i also agreed to go to a meeting next wednesday night in middletown Co.Armagh about Bee keeping. its for people starting to keep bees. what next it i be into.maybe running the country.
garden is v much neglected at the moment because of the rain..
hope you’re fairing better
Spring bulbs popping up all over the place – a good sign
Very little daylight, even when it should be there – a bad sign
Onions have poked there heads out – a good sign
Dog still digging up bulbs as quick as I can plant them – a good sign
Cuttings taken from rosemary, lemon balm and fuschia (about 20 of each) taking well – a good sign
Strawberries bedding in nicely for next year (approx. 40) – a good sign
Cauli heads a little yellow, maybe due to frost – a bed sign
Broccoli thriving – a good sign
Cabbage rampant – a good sign
Sprouts will be ready for the 25th – a good sign
Bird table booked out every day, cannot keep them in fruit, crumbs, nuts and fat balls (an interesting description) – not too good a sign for the birds
Two weeks to the turn of the days – definitely a good sign
Don’t see daylight from Monday to Friday – definitely bad news
Not enough daylight at weekends – more bad news
Christmas is coming which means gifts of seeds, same request each year ("something interesting to grow please")- very good news
Eating this summer’s pickled produce – wonderful
Budget day – could have been worse
On balance things are not too bad, escaped the worst of the last few weeks’ extreme weather events, things growing for next year, albeit slowly, and I think I have found a dog in soil cure!
For no reason, other than desperation I scattered some of the ashes from the fire around the areas where the dog digs, and so far it seems to have put her off. I don’t know whether it is taste or whether it is to do with the dust (in which casse it will need regular topping up) but she is not keen.
Watched Victoria and Shane’s Vegetable Garden on RTE last night. Did anyone else see it, any comments?
Sad to see a great man (I have met him on a number of occasions) reduced to a shambling wreck. But that woman why did she bother? She seemed to think that planting a few bits and bobs was all that was needed to become self-sufficient!
Some interesting contributors though and some ideas from them that can be stolen.
I get the monthly newsletter from Ferndale Lodge by email. Normally, it is filled with interesting bits of information. Guess what is in it this month? Read this……. and weep.
| Is Shane Mc Gowan the new Monty Don? |
| Most of us know Shane McGowan as the hell-raising gravelly-voiced front man of the Pogues, most famous for their festive hit "Fairytale of New York." You might have assumed that his fingers are nicotine coloured, but according to the Guardian he’s actually a green fingered gardener. He’s about to co-present a programme on Ireland’s RTE television with his wife where they try to lead the good life. Now this we need to see! |
28th March 2009
Finished putting up the second roll of netting wire opposite the kitchen window. Hope to plant the clematis tomorrow. Noreen bought some more of the wire in ALDI. Watered the clematis in preparation for planting tomorrow. Planting the clematis is one of my main gardening objectives this year, so that the back garden walls are covered next year with colour.
Dug up the reeds in the back wall border. This wasn’t too difficult especially where they weren’t too well established.
Cleared up a large section near the pump and it looks well.
29th March 2009
Summertime begins today – an extra day of brightness in the evenings. Should be able to get extra work done in the garden from now on.
Cut the grass at the front of the house today (Setting 4, previous 2 cuts were at Setting 5). Did some weeding under the hedge. Daffodils at the front wall are beginning to come on – I’d expect flowers in the next week or two.
The front garden is my second objective for 2009. I did a lot of work on it last year and I want to continue with it this year. Today, I weeded the front border and it is all finished now (for the time being).
I finished cutting back the cordylines and phormiums.
Cut grass in the back garden with a lower blade setting. Weeded and tidied beside the Crocosmia "Lucifer" – still a lot of work to be done.
Found a well-established climber with the label still on. It’s behind the bamboo in the middle of the border. It’s called Lonerica x brownii "Dropmore Scarlet" (see p.168 RHS Plants & Flowers)
Applied two watering cans of phostogen to shrubs and flowers in the front border and to the daffodils. I’m not sure if this is enough – a further application is needed in 2 weeks time.
30th March 2009
Today is the first day of the long evenings and I just finished in the garden at 8.10. Tonight, I planted the the first of the 3 new clematis plants. It’s called Clematis Cartman Joe and it has a white flower. I planted it opposite the kitchen window, following the instructions on page 74 of Toby Buckland’s book "How to make your Garden Grow"
I also "found" another climber (two, actually) at various stages of growth – I have no idea what they are. My third objective for 2009 is to discover the names of as many of the plants in my garden as I can.
I put up some more netting wire for one of the climbers I found.
I finished off doing a small bit of weeding and watering the plants in the front garden and some of Noreen’s containers as well.
31st march 2009
Another bright evening and the weather is lovely. Noreen brought Toby for a walk in Rosslare and I did some more work in the garden. I weeded and cleared the area at the back wall that Noreen had done some work on last year. I cut a big branch of a tree there – it was growing in the wrong direction. I also cleared the weeds and scutch grass from around a nice shrub under the tree.
I did a small bit of weeding on the plot on the left hand side of the back door. That’s nearly cleared in full now.
Watered the plants in the front garden.
The clematis I planted last night looks fine and all the shrubs at the side of the garden are doing well after I put Miracle Gro on them last night.
1st April 2009
Applied lawnfeed, weedkiller and mosskiller to the front garden.
2nd April 2009
Applied lawnfeed, weedkiller and mosskiller to the back garden tonight. I didn’t apply as much as recommended (only about a third of the recommended amount) because I’m a little unsure if I got the quantities right.
I started to clear a new area between the pump and the big tree. I haven’t done any work here before, so it was fairly tough going.
I cleared the middle of the pebbled area by the decking. All of the middle is now finished. Next, I need to go around the edges.
I weeded the area to the right of the back door. I had done work on this last year, so it wasn,t too hard. As far as I can remember, I had got about half way through this bed, so I might be as well to try to finish it this year.
One of the things I did wrong in 2008 was not to prioritise the work in the garden, with the result that I didn’t reach on some sections at all and didn’t get to finish some other areas where I had done some work.
While the dinner cooks I’ll report on the day’s work! Managed an hour in the garden this evening and got stuck into the South-facing border and cleared most of the remaining dead stalks and stems. I dont go along with the school of thought that says to leave them untill Spring as they look good! I say do as much as possible when the opportunity arises! Its another job done and out of the way before the rush of Spring work. When one has a fairly big garden and only one pair of hands every minute is precious!
This South facing border is much longer than the Front Border which I described in a previous Journal entry and which was first planted by my grandmother. South-facing border is almost completely my own creation ( apart from a variety of Euonymus planted by grandmother and known in the family as Granny’s Bush!). A low stone wall separates this border from the front border and originally separated it from the yard where the hay stacks were built, in the days before bales and silage.
To start with I had never intended having a border there but simply planted a few things ‘behind’ the wall! However, the adiction took hold and I planted more !! As there was no natural soil (it is built on the rocks and stones of the yard) I had to create some,! I bought a small amount of top-soil and added farmyard manure and peat and also some seaweed. This has made a compost that is on the acidic side but most plants do well in it. The downside of this mixture is that it encourages moss and I noticed a lot of that today while clearing the border- the wet year would also have contributed to this problem.
When I realized that this was going to be a proper border(!) I edged it with large stones to contain the’soil’. It is now, in effect, a very long raised bed! This means that it is very free-draining and in a dry spell (what is that you ask!) it needs daily watering. But because it is on a south-facing slope and sheltered from the cold north by the wall it is the best border that I have for tender plants.
Running out of space and dinner is cooked so more tomorrow!
Hi all I am back !!! finished my week (80 hours) nights and promptly got ill. Was admitted to hospital and am now in recovery at home. My garden has gone to pot , weeds ,dead perrenials ,, leaves , a greenhouse with no glass in the back and a load of dead plants there too !!! not able to get out yet, dahlias still in the ground ,somewhere!!! will probably have to buy more for next year.
would love to meet you all on Sunday but it is not possible. Have to get well ,13 for Christmas and very little done!!
Tony has put up Christmas decorations and outside lights , but has held off on the tree until the weekend, when hopefully I can do my tree as I want.
bored to tears but cant do anything about it.
Have a great day on Sunday and will talk to you all soon
I am thinking about getting myself a heated propogator but know very little about them. I have seen what is on the Mr Middleton web site and would be thinking in terms of the Big 3 size, I think. My friend has one of these and seems to be happy with it. Can any of ye offer any advice with regard to reliable brands, size etc?
Jacinta’s entry on the robin house got me thinking. I remember seeing a tv programme on wildlife in gardens. I am going to try this this year. You get 2lt mineral bottles, cut them in half and wedge them tightly in a hedge at a slight downwards angle. Blue tits have been known to nest in them, but they need to in place early in the winter. Will try it and let you know, what happens.
Just wondering how people get their leylandii hedges groomed so neatly…. ours never turns out like that 🙁
With BBC’s Gardeners’ World gone off the screens for the winter, the weekly garden fix is no longer available. On the radio, Dermot O’Neill isn’t on Mooney (RTE Radio 1 – Thursday only) and it is a long time since I heard "Ask about gardening" with Gerry Daly. I used to hear him on Saturday evenings around 6.30pm as I was driving back from Kilkenny but it seems like years ago.
I found that using the BBC iPlayer, we have access to Gardeners’ Question Time. Wonderfully, previous broadcasts can be listened to.
Unfortunately, BBC’s Gardeners’ World cant be viewed using the BBC iPlayer as we are outside their area. Pity. I wonder if RTE could "buy" the Gardeners’ World programmes and then we could either see them on TV or on the RTE Player.
1 x turnip
4/5 large parsnips – all cut into small cubes – parboil and mash (the day before you want them) keep a kind of lumpy texture
Add, I tub sour cream, large tablespoons (depending on taste) of horseraddish sauce, mix well, cover in breadcrumbs put in the fridge till you need it (or it can be frozen at this stage!-)
Pop it in the oven and bake till golden brown (about 40 mins at 180 ish) usually while the meat is resting.
It goes really well with Turkey and Ham and is one of those moorish comfort dishes that you could just eat and eat and……well I could anyway – anyone else got any easy cook ahead veg ideas????
Thank you all for your good wishes and nice comments. Its good to be home and improving all the time.
Have a great time on Sunday everybody. I’d love to be there but I’m off to Killarney tomorrow for the Cork Mountaineering Club C’mas party plus a few walks, though probably not on mountains.
I was just outside, still dark, but it will be a good day. The birds must sense it to, it is like a spring chorus out there, great to hear it all. Busy day, going to get the tree, decorations out of attic etc,etc. Then leaving the car in to be valeted for the journey tomorrow, while the car is been done, getting my hair cut, then off to collect my suits from dry cleaners, not sure what suit to ware, oh yeah, 4 sheets of wrapping paper to wrap the pressie, pressure, who needs it? Who ever picked the 13th thank you, thank you, thank you, others are heading to town for shopping and I am missing the trip :- ((
See you all tomorrow :-))
https://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu180/Labourer_2009/Temp_trends_09-12-12.png
The temperature trend for the next 10 days. You can get all the weather details on the home page of this site.
just a note to wish you all a great day tomorrow. Enjoy , I will be thinking about you.
tomorrow everybody. Wish I could be with your. Happy Christmas!!!
Just again to wish everyone that attend the get together tomorrow to have a great time.I can hear the noise from the place almost all ready.Those who attend,im sure will look merry in the santa hats.Jacinta and Fran you both look the picture with the hats already.As Santa would say,[Hoe-hoe hoe-We dig and grow-But not tomorrow-A party we throw.
Anyone else notice the orchid on Coronation Street on Friday. It seems Sunita, Devs ex wife knows a bit about plants although hers is not in bloom at present. She also has lucky bamboo.
Looking forward to see you all later today. I have no Santa hat but I shall be bearing gifts!
Great to be meeting everyone later on, really looking foreword to connecting real people to their sites, you know what I mean. Just looked at me 3 dormant Amarylis bulbs, and hay presto, one has just pushed a fresh green tip up. Never say die, As Rachel said, give up when bulb rots away.
hi everybody
not been on for so long, will be out taking some christmas picys this week, have put up some decs outside just got a bit more tweeking to do , so watch this space. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY XX
