Month: September 2010
It’s that time of the year. The dreaded school run. Up at 6.00, several cups of PG Tips later do up sandwiches. Defrost the car now the morning frosts are here. Then do the run, take dog out and back home at 8.30. Do 1/2 hour in tunnel and then into the housework till Dan ready then work work work. There now I have had the moan of the year I can get back to my garden.
All is looking very bare right now. Only the mallow that Bridgette gave me is still in full bloom. Took seeds off it yesterday so hoping to get some more going.
In order to put up the large garage we have to take out a section of the boundary Leylandi and whilst I shall mourn their passing greatly. I love my hedges. I will not have to do the cutting of that section. The back of the garage will look out onto the fields at the back so visually nothing will really change.
Looked longingly at the spring bulbs now in the shops but with all the building work about to get going apace it seems a bit silly trying to establish places to put them.
Oh so enjoying this addition to the garden. Does the copper wire thing work effectively? Need to start planting some spring cabbages and other foods for slugs and I have seen their trails in the soil so need to keep them at bay.
Bridgette gave me a cucumber plant and it now has 4 little ones. Put it out in the tunnel during the day but bring it in the house for the day in case anything attacks it. Not sure what to do with it at the moment. Will these little ones survive or shrivel up like the last one that was on it?
A little later than planned, but I got the Front Corner sprayed with the weedkiller last evening.
I know it’s a small step in the transformation of this are area, but it is a start. If all goes to plan I hope to have it rotavated before it gets to wet, if that works out it will be a blank canvas, and I can lay out some of the beds and do one or two of the structural ideas I have over the winter, and all going well, get the grass sown in the spring.
One small step for …….
I haven’t put up many photos recently, as there are not so many new flowers blooming at this time of year. Today I put up some new photos (1 September 2010), some of these are of plants that should have flowered this year but did not. I wondser why. Pleas give me full names if you can.
My garden at present is very dry, and I am afraid the lack of rain may kill off some of my plants, but as the cold at the start of the year did not kill off many I hope the current dry weather will not do permanent damage.
I went looking for a nice blueberry muffin recipe. I found a couple but this one is definitely the best, compliments of Allrecipes.
Ingredients
110g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
120ml milk
225g blueberries
Topping:
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons dark brown soft sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
Preheat oven to 190 c / Gas 5.
Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cases.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
Stir in the vanilla.
Sive the flour.
Stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture, alternatively with milk.
Fold in the blueberries.
The mixture should be ‘gluey’.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cases.
In a small bowl, mix together the 2 teaspoons of flour, dark brown sugar and cinnamon.
Rub in the butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.
Sprinkle toppings over unbaked muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 mins, until the skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Makes 10 large muffins.
Simply delicious!
As autumn approaches, my Annuals Bed (555 plants) and Tropical Border are peaking.
Hi Geraldine, this is a post from last year, hope it helps! 26 September 2009 02:23:17 
Storing this years chilies
Have started to hang up this years crop of chilies, we are still working off last years crop and will be up to Christmas, Paul, this is how we store ours, normally about 5 or 6 threads of them hanging in the kitchen, we just take them as we need them! we use thread through the stalk of the chili ( not the chili its self!) normally about 20 to 30 chilies per thread……………..
Got out of the nest good and early this morning and headed for Lidl to get my fix of bulbs. Not alone in my quest but held my ground and got myself a nice selection.
Allium Mount Everest
Allium Gladiator
Iris Katherine Hodgkin
Fritillaria Uva Vulpis
Tulipa Ballade
Tulipa Blumex
Tulipa Shirley
Fritillaria Imperialis Lutea
Narcissus Ice King
Left with a big grin on my face and am gearing myself up for another outing next Thursday morning to Aldi. Thankfully they open an hour later– happy days!!!!
What beautiful weather we have enjoyed the few days past. Absolutely glorious. However there is a sense of urgency now. Farmers race to complete the grain harvest and the roads are busy with machinery. The sides of the roads are covered with fallen grain and loose straw litters the roads. Now hedges are recieving their winter cut now that the birds are finished nesting. The gardener also now begins to wind down and prepare the garden for winter and what it brings.
nature also now is starting to prepare itself also. The little swallow seems to have a greater purpose in its flights and I see larger groups gathering on the wires. Shortly without fuss, they will catch us unaware and disappear. I see large flock of birds flying in a V shape heading north. The tree’s are laden with fruit and shortly if not already the leaves start to change colour, flowers begin to throw off their coloured petals and prepare for their well deserved winter sleep. Fruit bushes give up their bountiful harvest to be saved in jars of all shape and sizes in kitchens and pantries. The garden gives up its bounty also and prepares to lie dormant and rest itself in readiness for the coming growing season. Mother nature also tries to rest by sending forth night and her dark legions to cover the land late into the morn and early into the evening. Everything is starting to wind and shut down in preparation for the winter.
That is except the gardener. For now that he/ she will be prevented from growing due to cold soil and short daylight do you think the gardener will rest. No, the gardener will pace the floor waiting, planning and complaining about the long winter. Each dark winter month will add to the gardeners frustration at being trapped indoors until one fine day the little swallow returns and the gardener is allowed back also to his domain and the cycle begins all over again.
Having been away again for the past few weeks, i arrived back in beautiful sunshine to find my garden a mass of colour. I dont know why i was so surprised, i planted the late summer and autumn plants myself, but i was delighted with the results. Everywhere i looked there was something nice, healthy and colourful. Although we miss our gardens when we are away, sometimes it nice to see it after a few weeks gap, the constantly changing picture can sometimes be missed when we are in it every day. The downside of this holiday is when i look closely i notice the weeds look big and healthy too!! So back to work
I have a large garden (to big in autumn when trees loosing their leaves). Like to expertiment with cuttings and seeds to see what will grow or not. Have my few favourite plants that really get looked after! Lots of flowerbeds, fruit trees and bushes and veg patch and greenhouse for the tomotoes and peppers. Have kiwi which I can get to blossom and only produced one fruit last year and as we all looked at in amazement it decided to drop of the vine, must have been a better way to go than be eaten…..
Plums to be processed into chutney and jam.Ground very dry,a definite autumnal feel.
Just did flowers for a Flowerfestival in Cahir Co Tipp last night should be a good week end .Made Chilli jelly from windfalls.Trying to get a handle on CONVOLVOLUS horrible weed .
I’m thinking of sowing Sweet Pea seeds this weekend — good or bad idea? Are there any others which could be sown now?
i think i will come alive now the summer is dying.
i am pleased as i am allergic to the sun and heat so i am beginning to feel better in my body.
my lidl cold greenhouse has been erected, ‘lidl erectus!’ but nothing in it so far, for dont know what needs to be frost protected this winter. still wonder if this yoke will do the trick anyway.
someone gave me a clematis and another person a gorgeous climbing pink geranium.
these are in the shed now. clematis is flimsy and quite exposed so may just move that out of the full fierce of the wind we are having of late.
i am a greedy bu… and bought a Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’ will this grass survive the winter? if it is an annual, does that mean its a gonnor before i even plant it?
i have discovered clonclaw your original advice is proving to be my favourite sorts of plants, grasses for sure and i have begun to love succulents and such.
i still struggle with the ‘how much water’ problems all the time, am i killing off more than nurturing!
hope all are down in the leaves or down to the leaves, or running away from the downed leaves, your preference entirely!!!
x
After a few gorgeous days it’s difficult to welcome the rain….although the garden will. Growth in the tunnel was fantastic this week with the sun. The tomatoes are loving it! My new love is growing giant Courgettes….everyone is loving them 🙂 Trying to figure out what’s wrong with my apple trees…second year running-no fruit (well, a couple of apples between three trees). Leaves are covered in brown patches for the second year for definite… I don’t know about before that, but I do know the crop was fantastic 3 years ago. Anything I look up points towards scab but I’m just not convinced. I know frost earlier in the year wouldn’t have helped, but the poor apples trees just don’t look as healthy as the could/should. Wondering could I relocate them….they’d be in more sun and not so near disturbed ground out back….. hmmm.
Did great in level 4 horticulture…got a distinction ! So beginning level 5 Monday week, can’t wait 🙂
Have just this week tidied front yard areas. Everything got re-vamped. Everything now has a compost base. Loving my compost 🙂 Rapid composting Does work! Roses have all re-bloomed, loving fantastic!! Going to dedicate an area out back to roses, got a few months out of them this year so will propagate from existing bushes. Lots of varieties and colours. Will be worth the work.
Had some grass frost last week 😮 Last frost was in May which means we only had 3 months frost free this year!!! Drastic.
But,, everything doing great, I love gardening 🙂
Hey, it’s frosty at 5.00 in the mornings here in Sligo. I will be scapping it off the car shortly.
Our garden is in existance around 20 years however has been neglected for the last 15 or so except for the grass areas. The patio was overgrown and there was little of interest except for a bit of lawn with extensive moss.
This year we started reclaiming the rear garden and removing weeds, brambles and cutting back on overgrown shrubs and hedges. We also started digging out some of the areas and planting out with anything we thought was nice without any thoughts as to size, shape or suitability as we have little knowledge of gardening.
We also put in a concrete path to replace a pebble path and give more accessibility to all corners.
Our garden is in existance around 20 years however has been neglected for the last 15 or so except for the grass areas. The patio was overgrown and there was little of interest except for a bit of lawn with extensive moss. We put in a concrete path to replace an old peble path and created some lovely mulch having chipped the waste cut back.
Last year we commenced the pond area during September and put in a few goldfish. This year we started reclaiming the rear garden and removing weeds, brambles and cutting back on overgrown shrubs and hedges. We also started digging out some of the areas and planting out with anything we thought was nice without any thoughts as to size, shape or suitability as we have little knowledge of gardening. A very dry and shaded area is being developed as a hopeful woodland habitat and overwintering area for butterflies, ladybirds etc.
We also put in a concrete path to replace a pebble path and give more accessibility to all corners.
Since we started this year we have seen a transformation occur with a huge increase in wildlife. We have seen our first ever grey squirrell in the garden and the 5 original fish now have six new ones of varying size. One robin family took over the garden shed successfully on two occasions this season while the wrens nest in two seperate areas and the sparrows are everywhere due to adjoining old buildings. Thrush and blackbirds are in all areas and a magpie family have also decided to stay so we have got somewhat tolerant to the daily cackle.
Our garden is in existance around 20 years with the basic layout having been designed by ourselves however it has been neglected for the last 15 or so years except for the grass areas. The patio was overgrown and there was little of interest except for a bit of lawn with extensive moss. We put in a concrete path to replace an old peble path and created some lovely mulch having chipped the waste cut back.
Last year we commenced the pond area during September and put in a few goldfish. This year we started reclaiming the rear garden and removing weeds, brambles and cutting back on overgrown shrubs and hedges. We also started digging out some of the areas and planting out with anything we thought was nice without any thoughts as to size, shape or suitability as we have little knowledge of gardening. A very dry and shaded area is being developed as a hopeful woodland habitat and overwintering area for butterflies, ladybirds etc.
We also put in a concrete path to replace a pebble path and give more accessibility to all corners.
Since we started this year we have seen a transformation occur with a huge increase in wildlife. We have seen our first ever grey squirrell in the garden and the 5 original fish now have six new ones of varying size. One robin family took over the garden shed successfully on two occasions this season while the wrens nest in two seperate areas and the sparrows are everywhere due to adjoining old buildings. Thrush and blackbirds are in all areas and a magpie family have also decided to stay so we have got somewhat tolerant to the daily cackle.
yes, I had to do my bills and my receipts and my money affairs today, never nice eh?
Have let the paying of bills slide, but thankfully i have a gentle, not too extravagent lifestyle. Plants are the luxury.
the sunflowers were decapidated.
the tallest proved to be 10 and half feet and the seed head of a shorter sunflower stem measured 10 and a half inches.
i will have zillions.
my lidl frame is holding them until the rain is done and i can sort em.
i am not thinking of the plants i have, what may be stored for safety from frost, what can cope and what to snip for extras next summer.
seeds are collected in envelopes and are aswinging by the patio door.
i loved my first summer and spring in a garden/yard. learnt alot i have to say, what i like, love and shall forget!
i have ideas now brewing and hopefully i will be in a new home and garden by next spring, fingers crossed.
xxnow from ann here, happy autumnal gardening, storing gathering and reaping!
Don’t know if its my pc or internet there is something wrong but I’m not getting the photos to upload, will try again in the morning.
going of for the day, be collecting any ripe seeds heads i see on my travels.
When I got home from the hlos last week the back grass was amazing. Up near the house it had grown quite a bit and was fine and green but down under the overhang of the trees it was really short and like straw. I cut it this morning before the rain came and between the rain the other night and today you’d hardly notice any difference between the two parts now.
