Month: May 2010

Hurray!!! I have finished planting up my Annuals Border.

It took a few more plants and the final plant count is 555 plants. I have kept note of numbers this year so as I’ll know how many annuals to grow next year. I could stick in a few more poor man’s orchid on the far side but I’ll hang onto them for the minute to see if they’re needed more pressingly elsewhere.

The border is mostly in shades of pink and red with some white. It has two swathes of grasses – a wave of squirrel grass down the middle and two clumps of giant red millet. It has a row of browny sunflowers at the very back and then two other clumps of dark ones, near the back.

A close up of this photo is available in my May 2010 album but the plants are still small so look quite unimpressive yet. In the words of Alan Titchmarsh "Grow, You Buggers, Grow".

Here is what has made up those 555 plants…

No.Plants		Genus	Species	Variety
13		Helianthus	annuus	Earth Walker
10		Helianthus	annuus	Claret
72		Helychrysum	monstrosum	Summer Solstice
21		Coleus	blumei	Black Dragon
28		Petunia	grandiflora	Mirage White
6		Petunia	x hybrida	Strawberry Sundae
3		Ricinus	communis	Carmencita
41		Schizanthus	pinnatus
32		Zinnia	elegans	Envy Double
47		Hordeum	jubatum
18		Zinnia	elegans	Scarlet Flame
26		Callistephus	chinensis	Siam
48		Callistephus	chinensis	red
88		Cosmos	bipinnatus
48		Cosmos	bipinnatus	Rose
24		Cosmos	bipinnatus	Picotée
7		Orlaya	grandiflora
14		Pennisetum	glaucum	Purple Majesty
9		Schizanthus	pinnatus
555

Felt rotten with a sore throat when I got home. Went up for a nap. Came down with a throbbing earache. So no gardening done this evening. Hopefully I can get an appointment to see the doc tomorrow.

I’m going to put up an album of Great Dixter, Christopher Lloyd’s house and gardens.

Today I managed to get out to town with my good neighbour . leaving John pottering about in the garden. getting more beds ready for planting. took this photo of the Hostas by the pond .lovely rain tonight just right for planting tomorrow.

Fern hunting with Martin Rickard last year, we visited one of only five sites that this fern has been seen growing wild in the last ten years. Expressing a desire propagate to my companion, he inspected the tiny fern minutely and picked off the tiniest piece of a tiny frond for me, and low and behold look at my prothalus’s now each the size of a pin head. When I have them growing properly I will give one to any of you who visit. If anyone wants to see a picture of the fern let me know or of the killarney fern that we also found.

Horse chesnut Fran. We have it growing for many years and it is only four feet tall

Hi Everyone, I have not been on here for nearly 2 weeks as I have been in Clare with my parents ,I had to take my Dad to Limerick hospital for a little procedure last week he is grand again. I decided to stay down there and do a bit in their garden they are getting on a bit so appreciate the help (she is 81 he is 92 ) bless them they are wonderful. I am adding some pics of my Dads veg garden in mixed album,

We have tickets for Bloom for Thursday really looking forward to it, I think the weather is promised good.I was reading the journals and looking at the pics of the of the guys that went to Chelsea Looks like everyone had a brilliant time.  

I have this little tree for about 14 years and it has never increased in size.

Spent the weekend in Limerick and on the drive home I was enthralled by the lush growth everywhere. Don’t think I have ever seen the countryside looking so well. I wonder did the harsh winter spurt everything into super growth. We sure live in a beautiful country.

I have just finished watching the last few episodes of the Chelsea show which I had recorded. I’m sure Jacinta, Fran and all of you that visited must have had a ball, looks like heaven on earth. The stars of the show for me were the Aquilegias, so simple but so pretty with so many varieties and colours. Definitely going to try and grow some from seed for next year. Has anyone done this and can you give me some tips and advise.  The easies to germinate, when is the best time to sow etc.

Looking forward to Bloom and I hope to go either Thursday or Friday.

After a long drought rain has fallen softly and the plants have opened their leaves and petals and soaked up the welcome moisture.  We are lucky that it is a soft rain that will allow the earth to soak it down and replenish tha garden.   Looking around today I picked out 5 plants that are looking their best right now.   I planted Akebia quinata about 4 years ago.   The chocolate vine smells of chocolate when in flower but  needs to be cut back well after flowering…..a loveable thug!!  The wisteria looks well and perfumes the garden.   The tree paeony flowers are fleeting but beautiful and the clematis president will flower again in the autumn.   I was about to take out the Ceanothus last year as it didn’t flower so well but this year it is a river of blue…so glad I refrained!

Can anyone identify this bird please? it came into the garden 2 weeks ago and sat on one of the raised beds for about 10 mins opening and closing its beak. It allowed Graham to go to within 10 feet of it before it flew away. It is bigger than a Finch / wagtail about the size of a blackbird. I will put a few pics in an album it may be easier to see.

OK, I know the reaction I will get from some of you for this decision, but I was awake a lot of the night thinking it out, sad, I know, but, c’est la vie.

I have come to the decision that, I am not a veg growing person. I got carried away with the talk and sowing etc earlier in the year, and joined in. I will admit that I am trilled to see some of the things growing that I sowed. I am also sure I will be delighted when to come s to eating them also.

But the problem I have is I have no interest in them now, and looking after them is doing nothing for me. Thank you one and all for the help and advice that has come this way so freely, even as recent as last evening.

So what now? The front corner is still wildish. But I have a fair idea what I want it to look like in a few years, and for what I have in mind it will take that long.

You may have gathered from photos of my garden, I do things and like things a little different. That is what I am planning. It is a strange shape, I will post a photo of a drawing soon. This project will be done on a very small budget, so if anyone has plants going a begging later in the year, Fran’s the Man, and all favours will be returned in time.

I will do a little veg in pots etc. but that will be it. Will keep on enjoying all the reports of everyone’s endeavours.

Good luck one and all.

 

 

Despite been a lovely day after a dull start off,weather changed a little this evening.Rain returns but this time it is needed.No worries about outdoor watering early in the morning.At least the gardeners are winning some of the way again wet weather.Plans changed a little this evening.Outdoor work in the vegetable garden was abandoned.The tunnel was given a fast check to see all were well.Time was spent in the garden shed looking through some past notes from earlier in the year.My four legged friend was not to fussy about the weather either and decided to take a rest.

this is Martin Rickard studying the frond in order to pick me off the tiniest piece to propogate. What you see in the  other pic is the prothallus which are each about the size of a pin head at present. there is both male and female there and the male has to send his stuff across a film of water under them to fertilise the female and so produce a fern. More primative then seeds where all is done and ready. Please ask anything Rachel.

It is my first rose with flowering now.It was very close going to compost box…but it surprised me this year,now it all is full with flower buds.

this evening – when I came in from work Becca was watering for me!!! Oh boy what a waste!! It’s raining cats and dogs here this evening. Wouldn’t even put your dog out!!!Oh goody – should have loads of new weeds by the weekend!!!

Oh by the way – we have peas in pods!!! So proud here, we are like new parents. You will just have to take my word for it as I  am not getting soaked to show you!!

  Todays work for me was,turn on my glasshouse in greenhouse for my orchids.So i toke green net and cover glasshouse’s roof with it.Now i have nice shady place,protected from winds for my houseplants.Hope they will fell there good,if not will move them back.And think,that my little seedlings too will fell better there protected from sun,same like cuttings.

   When finish it,i made room for my princess and move them in.Left in house only mini orchids and phalaenopsis.Repoted my Aeoniums,and they now too in greenhouse,except llittle one,what i got from Rachel,it will move there later.

  What more…poting,repoting,planting,weeding,feeding…i think you know all this gardening things.Oh,yes i ordered for tonight rain,,was to lazy water big flower beds:))

Took this today. Goodnight all

a great weekend for the garden show it was very busy went on sunday lots to see priced a tunnel finger crossed and lots of saving and i could have a tunnel next year, i want a decent size 40 ft by 21 or 25ft, got  a price of approx €900 for 40by 21ft would this be a good price it woul include double doors one side anti hot spot tape. i am also putting up some photos i took. 

A few years ago I grew a packet of seeds I bought from Mr Fothergill.

The packet was labelled ‘Sedum pulchellum’. I hd no sedums at the time so was quite excited to get some from seed.

The resultant 5-6 plants did not look like sedums.They didn’t like the sun so I eventually planted them out under the Acacia tree.

For all the world my Sedum pulchellums look like ferns. Can anyone advise me on what fern they might be?