Month: March 2010

Hello fellow gardeners,

Had a lovely day yesteray planting six cherry trees in my garden. The morning started off very frosty with a heavy mist  on the mountain, but a faint blue  sky gave a promise of a beautiful day.

 Went in search of some plum trees  . Have always had the romantic notion of walking in a moonlit orchard , with the heavy scent of blossom in the air and the soft grass underfoot . I already have a few apple trees and a plum tree, but a proper orchard needs many trees. Unable to find plum trees I settled for six morello cherries, they were begining to put out tiny delicate little leaves. With visions of moonlit walks and bowls of sweet cherries I made my purchase and headed home. I spent the next four hours happily  planting the trees. gave them a really good start by digging really big holes and putting in plenty of well rotted manure, covering that with a mixture of soil and compost,staking them well. Around  each tree I planted a few yellow and blue iris and some deliate little tritelia bulbs, also some aquilega. Enjoyed tea and shortbread whilst sitting on the back doorstep, so strange a few hours ago I woke to a frozen world and now   finding the sun too warm, I had to move to the shady front doorstep !

 As the sun set I covered the new trees with  compost bags and secured them with clothes pegs to protect them from the frost. Although bareroot they had been indoors at the shop, no point in taking any chances.  Hope to plant a few more plums and apples and maybe a pear tree. There was a beautiful moon last night,  the whole garden was flooded in light the little trees looked strange with their covers but soon with all the other trees they will put out their delicate leaves and my garden will come back to life . .

 

It,s not that I have being anywhere, but my laptop was. Last week it picked up a very nasty virus and was at the doc,s being cured. I have got busier at work which has limited my gardening time. However this evening when i got my cured laptop back I decided to catch up on peoples journals. Either I need a secretary to do the reading for me or everybody just post a short entry of what they have being up to. Theres hundreds of journals to catch up with. not a hope in reading even 1% of them. I remember some-one commenting at the start of winter that this site would be quiet……well I would need alot of quiet time to catch up with all journals.

i made a start this week and sowed a few seeds. I am reluctant to sow a large amount as I am of the belief there will be a late start to the season. With this cold weather, there is no growth or life in the soil and i am afraid of being caught with a large amount of young seedlings and the ground to cold for planting. I have a few jobs to finish in the garden anyway and this extra time hopefully will give me time to get them finished 

I was online yesterday browing ebay and came across this ebay shop

https://stores.shop.ebay.ie/Seedaholic__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Of course I bought some seeds, I found the price pretty good compared to the local garden centre, It was only 75 cent for postage for the first packet and all additional packets had free postage. Ordered them yesterday around lunch time. Will let you all know how I get on and how quick they arrive.

well i guess i have decided that i’m going to have the best garden ever this year…i know i say that every year…gay search was asked one time what her favourite season was…she replied…the next one…like her way of thinking…wanted to change the layout of the veggie patch and create 6 long beds that i could raise and of course extend them…check out the pictures…i had just laid out old carpet all winter to kill off weeds…its looking better, but i will make one of them a no dig bed and just add nutrients to it…have oodles of seeds coming up…and ive got onions, garlic and spuds sat in the tunnel…off to do some more planning…take care

lidl will be doing tent shaped greenhouses tomorrow…had them before and got on great with them…under the plastic ventilation they have netting, so you can still let the air at them without the pests…they are about 22. eu and flat packed…but very easy to put together…now you knkow where i will be at the crack of dawn armed with money…outside lidl!

I spent hours in the garden today and my back is killing me. I dug up anything that died in the frost and replaced them. Out with the old and in with the new. Got all the weeding done as well. Only thing left now is the grass cutting but its not too bad so it can wait for a while yet. I must say the garden looks so much better after a good tidy up. sowed more seeds as well. Carrotts, onions and cauliflower. Just  trying my hand at them – if they grow so be it. Nothing ventured nothing gained!!!!!!

hi everyone hope you are all well and happy. I went mad last week and forked out 70 euro on a propagator in woodies. we have a woodies across the road from college , when i brought it in to class my teacher was laughing but said it was a worth while investment. it will pay for itself 100 times over with the amount i will be able to propagate and sow. I already had a small one( just one tray would fit now i can fit two into this electrical one so i have 3 trays of petunias. This will be my first time doing petunias so be interesting to see what happens. alot of my seeds are up in the seed room. verbena still have not come up, i also sowed more lobelia, peppers have not showed their heads yet, may have to try again.lidl have the propagators this week.might get one the more i have the better.

6 weeks to go in the course and i am quite sad because i love it so much i have made such great friends for life and learnt so much. i will have exams after easter so i will be mad busy studying for them. projects are almost finished now. i am in the process of planing and making raised veg beds. i am really excited about it.

one of our rabbits( chancer) has exzema, had her at the vet today, poor thing didnt even flinch when the vet gave her 2 injections.

well thats it for now

happy gardening

After couple lovely sunny days eventually came rain. Nothing could be done outside but as always at this time of the year – plenty of seeds need to be sown. As the last bach of cabbage was successfully murdered, more needed to be sown. So "Golden Acre" and "Pourovo polopozdni" went in. I’ve never grown Brussels sprout before, so this year I’m trying my hand at "Evesham special" came with "GROW YOUR OWN" subscription and "Cascade f1". Continuing with brassicas cauliflower "Snowball" was sown.

I’ve acquire more unusual tomatoes(thanks to Dave) that were more that ready to go it. I would say it’s more that 20 varieties will be going into the tunnel this year.

In the tunnel two types of lettuce, rocket, spring onion and radishes were sown. That will make a lovely spring salad! No packets and 3 minutes from the soil to the table.

P.s. Jacinta, did you get your free seeds and magazine binder with Grow your own subscription?

I picked up a Phyllostachys ‘Nigra’ in Mr. Middleton’s. Am planning to pot it up in one of the large black buckets I got a while ago, once I get the lable and handle off them. Can or should I plant a trailing white Lobelia in the same pot. Though the whit would look well with the black of the pot, and the bamboo in time?

www.futureforests.net

 

strawberry plants for .75c each, seems a good deal.

has anyone ordered from them before and if so how did ye get on

thanks 🙂 

Maria headed off to Madrid for a few days at 3.30, they met the Aircoach in the Village at 4.00 am, she left the car down there, I just walked down to collect it.

Around the corner from me, a guy cut down two lovely Cordyline at each side of his driveway. These were about 25′ high, he left two trunks at about 5′ and planted ivy at the base of each one.

Just noticed as I walked by now, each trunk has 5/6 new shoot coming out near the the top of the trunk. Thought any any one who may have thought they lost them with the frosts, not to give up hope. Maybe leave them alone or cut them down a little, certainly worth giving them a decent chance. Good luck.

I have approx 5 acres of garden & it is a work in progress which has come to a halt over the past year & a half during the course of my husband’s illness & death. We had planned a series of interlocking plots – each different but blending into one another with lots of seating spots to enjoy views and wildlife and make the most of the Clare countryside. Putting these plans into operation this Spring was to be my salvation without John but now I’m recovering from surgery & won’t be mobile for at least 6 weeks so all I can do is look out the window& practice patience.

I suppose nature continues anyway because I can see snowdrops, crocus & early daffodils as well as a few hellebores making splashes of colour here and there.  

i have decided to take sean m.’s advice and plant something in dad’s memory…so i am looking for plants with the name james in them…i have a hebe called james stirling already and may get a david austin rose, either bobbi james or james galway…want to keep it to an ornamental bed as opposed to productive, so i wont bother with apple tree james grieve….please have a think and tell me what you can come up with…i don’t half bite off more than i can chew…now i need to find a place for all this !! thanks in advance…mags

So i inherited a greenhouse last year from a cousin of my husband who wanted to get rid of it. I want to get it up and running this year and i have to say while i’m excited i’m also a little nervous. I know its not going to produce award winning veg and flowers this year but i will try my best!

I’m behind on getting seeds sown as well which is making me anxious but hopefully we will have it secured enough this weekend to get it going. Any one that reads this and wants to give me any advice i would really appreciate it!

I’ll take photos over the weekend and upload them as soon as i can! Watch this space 🙂

Our garden is a typical old Dublin suburban garden, long and narrow. It measures 45m X 7M and has been the subject of many makeovers over the 30 odd years we have lived there. Over those years it has shrunk from all grass (lawn would  be too grand a description) to a mix of parking,  my den/shed, deck to catch the evening sun (if we ever get to sit there again), lawn, borders containg mix of shrubs and perennials and a large extension on the house complete with deck. I now just grow fruit in containers and have a few spuds sown, whereas I previously had gooseberries and raspberries and herbs where we now have the patio

What with the still frosty nights I’ve had to keep all my new buys (penstemon, hypericum and allium, along with pea Twinkle,  french bean and sweet pea) on the bench in my shed. To add to the chaos there is a Lidl heated propagator waiting to be ripped from it’s packaging and drafted into immediate use. Cant wait for the weather to warm up a touch.

 

TC

 

Hi everyone what a great day to be in the garden… Finished work a bit early and managed to grab a few hours of gardening…. Its so good to see life again even though the soil is still very cold… I think I read somewhere that Kilkenny had the lowest temperatures this winter…. the evidence of it is certainly to be seen in my garden…. I seem to have lost a good few plants and my broad leaf bamboo are looking like they wont make it… Anyone else got bamboo I wonder I was thinking of cutting them down to see will they re-grow from the root… Anyone got any ideas or thoughts on what I should do with them….

While in work today, I was reminded that I was not due in tomorrow. I had swapped the day with my assistant months ago, and had forgotten all about it. Yahoo, Maria away, kids in school, GARDEN here I come, what was planned for next week can be done tomorrow.

Those Sunflowers will be re-potted first, still cannot believe how fast they grow. Then to the Hire shop. collect a rotavator, and get going on the veg bed. Will not get it raised this year, that will hold for now.

Then need to sit down with all that has been bought in the last few weeks, go through the seeds and make a plan on what is to go where. There will be good colour this year. (hopefully)

While going into work on the Dart this morning, I spotted a piece of Driftwood along the coast………. will have a closer look on Saturday morning. The lord giveth, Fran shall that it away………… hehe. 

 

Hi, just put up a picture of my home made minitunnel, hope to get them covered this weekend. Plan is one with the tunnel plastic, one with the frost protection fleece.  Hope weather improves, so we can get a start on the outdoor planting.

Well i went a bit mad today went mad at the laurel hedge ,snip snip now im thinking what will the frost do to it.Aw well if it dies it dies lost alot of them anyway im a dab hand at killing trees dont no y maybe im to impatient dont no.anyway ive tried a few fruit trees from aldi after all the plugging there getting on here lol 2 pear 2 apple and 1 cherry i used good moss and fish n bone meal so fingers crossed they might come. if not i think i`ll give up {prob not}

is there such a flower buld that likes acid soil, wanna under plant the camelia. cant seem to find anything on google. thanks

I’m a typical first time gardener beginning to prepare a plot for growing vegetables. Previously I have tinkered with a few window boxes and shrubs but nothing too adventurous. Looking forward to embarking on my attempt to grow something and keep it alive for a change!

I’ve just been uploading snaps to my profile and it’s interesting to see the evolution of the garden over roughly ten years. The old adage of "stop and smell the roses" is so true. We are always rushing about (well I seem to be) but it’s nice to reflect on what went before too. I dont think my garden is any better or worse than it was in ’99 its just different and just as enjoyable.

In middle of project to remove large flowering cherry and another large shrub, both of which are now much too big for our back garden.

Time consuming job, as first large branches have to be cut down, then sub branches have to be cut off.  Then all cut up to block size for stove for burning as fuel.  Rewarding job when you can see the outline of how much extra space there will be in garden.  Hydrangea to be removed also as it has grown around cherry.

Will sow grass seed when job completed, garden will be so much more open and bigger.