Month: September 2010

well that or the ferral cat, one which has taken up position on top of a small plastic shed.  

I am training the chihuahuas in, but it will take a lot of tuition.

for starters lying on the swingseat i spied the offending cat and flung a daff bulb at it, the nearest to hand.

 waking i was very perplexed too, my makeshift feeding station of a very thick tree trunk and paving slab looked askew, the slab had been tipped over and was leaning against the makey uppy pergola, the planters on top of that had been knocked over, one onto its side, the other down into the water trough for the birds.

my three solar lights were smashed, the glass extending to the patio door.

all seemed weird as not all in line for damage from one offender, so rampage and other in the yardenette last night.

chihuahuas are great yappers, i know as i watched a poor taxi man dance down the avenue, with ana stuck practically on his heels, but not a peep out of em during the night.

mystery shall remain unsolved i believe, the stroll in blackrock park must have deadened their brain, but most things with blood sleep at night, bar the nocturnals!

yep, and a great pot up today and i felt like a pro!!1

xann 

yep, the SOS is out for anyone who is travelling to Geraldine this coming weekend.  I am in Dun Laoghaire and would love to get there, lift needed.

I can drive to anyone in the area, just i dont think i could drive ALL the way to G!

 greatly appreciated.

ah! this morning felt like my Dad, he used to hide pennies up the hill for us to find, i did the same with seed for the ground feeders in places i felt the pigeons wouldnt find. then i saw some hop, skips and jumps, a dunnock and some coal tits.

it was great fun.

a damp start in dublin, and windy. but lovely!

any lift would be appreciated xx

ann 

I live near the village of Drumshanbo, in the beautiful county Roscommon, in the magnificent North West of EIRE. I have a house surrounded by 3 acres of land. About a quarter of this is cultivated. Pictures will follow.

Hello everybody! As I sit here looking out the window, my question is "where did Summer go?" The veg garden here is dying down, all the apples are off the tree, the leaves on the trees and shrubs are starting to change colours… a sure sign of Autumn. We in Saskatchewan have had quite a bit of rain… too much for even the slugs as they are a nasty sight, crawling up the walls and such, ugh! Even the earth worms say it’s too wet in the ground. The farmers are not going to be happy… as they will be wanting to harvest their crops of wheat, canola, barley and the like.

I have made my plans to leave Canada and head to Ireland before it gets really cold, so early December I will be ready to do my gardening in Cork.. hmmm… maybe I’ll just get to potter around the place and plan what to put in my naked garden for Spring đŸ™‚

As we know, the leaves are starting to fall. as some of you have seen, one entire boundary is lined with large trees.

Came home this evening, and the pond was covered with fallen leaves. Not good thing to be sinking into the water. So at the weekend, I will have to rig up a light screen to be used for the few weeks at this time of year.

Never considered this before today, there’s always something cropping up out of the blue.

I have a couple of very dismal looking shrubs in pots which I bought when I hadn’t a clue about gardening and a couple which were given to me …..these particular shrubs like acid soil, I have alkaline so totally unsuitable. I potted them up in erigicous compost but to no avail … they still look poor and pathetic. I’m not great with pots… So if anyone coming to Cloncaw’s on Sunday is interested in taking them to try and revive them there all yours.

One is some sort of a rhododendron and if I can remember it has a yellow flower, 2 forest flame and one other shrub which I can’t remember its name..

Looking forward to meeting all on Sunday.. hope weather improves!!

The last two days were such due to meetings and voluntary work that little or nothing was done in the garden. from the time I got up just before 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. I was going all the time. I will be 75 to morrow and I will celebrate it in the garden. I have already got a birthday present which I will treasure. It has no connection with the garden. I don’t feel that age. 

Just reading some of the journals of late, but Jacinta’s and Rachel’s of this evening really got me thinking. Where has the year gone? About this time last year similar journals were been posted.

I, even made my own chutney for the first time ever.

But a lot has happen in that year. The great get togethers, the swapping and exchanging of plants, the forging of friendships that will last and last. But to me personally, the increased interest, and knowledge that I have gained is fantastic, to say the least.

Gardeners World is deferred til tomorrow due to rugby tonight unless you have Sky and can by pass it.

Alan Titchmarsh is on next Thursday evening with a programme from Highgrove on BBC 2 at 8pm.  Also in this months GW reports of a new AT series starting Oct/Nov time.  Something to look forward to.

Did anyone see last nights programme about James Wong’s garden in Chelsea this year? It showed his search for the plants in Malaysia.  Such an array of exotic plants—–falling over Nepenthes almost—-also Tacca and Alocasia—-Rachel, you would have been in heavan

Attended the Country Market, sold three Hydrangeas, two punnets of tomatoes and one packet of runner beans. A flower bed near the green house was tidied some old foliage from a geranium cut away and put in the compost heap. Some peppers are such that they will produce no fruit worthwhile and the same done to them. It is just one week from the day I got the free shrubs which were to be dumped. They are established in the front garden, one laurel, one Hebe and one Berberis. One  Hebe is in stock. one of the plants I bought in Woodies yesterday, a dwarf Juniper is now planted in what will be a rockery. The third rose bed is now like the two others with the weeds removed. i would have done more only the darkness beat me at 8 p.m. Tomatoes and peppers as well as runner beans are doing well and the roses are coming on again. Rachel did you identify the orchid?

Hello gardening friends, I have been neglecting my journal for the past 129 days or so. How time flies and as most of you realise, the older we get the faster time appears to fly. The Rhubard plants at the rear of my greenhouse have grown to massive proportions. Each plant has many stems as thick as my wrist and the plants are much too close together. When they die down I will have to move them further apart. I have been tempted, many times, to pull to pull some of the stems but Theresa has reminded me of what I told her about not pulling any stems the first year. They may not grow as well next year whether I pull them or not! Some of the leaves are beginning to die back already. Most flowers I sowed have repaid me abundantly and even the blue Lobelia, which I have failed to grow many years has bloomed all over the garden. Also the white Lilies with the pink reveres, which I cut back to the ground after they were damaged by that cold spell last December/January, they have bloomed too. I have just finished trimming the bushes which form the hedges on both sides of my garden and it was a job and a half doing it. I have a telescopic guillotine which was a great help and reduces the use of a large step ladder. The ladder in question is nearly as old as myself and is a bit rickety or should I say wobbly. I will place some photos in my photo album.

I forgot to mention Dave’s Oriental Poppies which grew very well from seed and have tremendous seed heads. The flowers were coloured pale pink and dark orange. Thanks Dave.

There seems to be an invasion of fungi in the wood area.  Photos posted.

I hope all you lucky day trippers going to Geraldine’s tomorrow have a great day and good weather.  Wish I was going but just a bit too far.  Hope to see lots of photos.  Enjoy everybody!!!!

 

Hello everyone I have been reading your journals with much pleasure, the weather here has been changeable very autumnal wet and chilly today. Garden weeds still growing and has been a battle this year, A one hour special is on, on BBC 2, Thursday 23 September, 8pm Alan Meets up with Prince Charles for a tour of his Highgrove Garden in the Cotswolds with talks about both men’s strong views on organic gardening. I have seen a program before about Highgrove and the garden is spectacular. Happy Viewing.

We are leaving in the morning for a tour of New Englang in the fall.I will take loads of pictures of all the colours. In the meantime happy gardening.

hi gereldine and all. had a lovely day. beautiful home enveloped in borders of intermingling and interesting plants. some real show stoppers. love the terraced beds in frontof house.thank you gereldine for letting me help myself to red& pink nigella seeds. to all who gave me plants A BIGGGGG THANK YOU. it was great to meet fran, jacinta,clara,graham & kate, ladybird and co, doreen & friend, liga & co,keego & co, periwinlke & myrtle. apologies if i left anyone out. fran rem our little chat on animals !!!!!good night and dreams of fairies.

 

Just a quick line to say thank you for your wonderful hospitality, and the opportunity to tour your lovely garden and chat over afternoon tea.  I left feeling inspired…so much so that I’ve spent the morning weeding!

 

 

 

When the BHT low loader arrived with some wood we had some lengths to be returned.  Dan and I decided to help load them.  As we were putting on two lengths I was in a position where I had to lift them up and over my head.  As I brought them down on the low loader they flipped landing on my left thumb.

Ouch!!  I did an awful lot of dancing about and boy did it hurt.  All’s well though, I did not break it but could not get back into the house to run it under cold water.  Over the next hour it had swollen up and the bruising was evident.

But I am typing this without any problems although there are at least three bruises and still a lot of swelling.

I have been uploading some of the photos I took today so have a look.

whats happening at mount venus and where is it ?. also love the idea of a gang meeting up for a weekend.

 

whats happening at mount venus and where is it ?. also love the idea of a gang meeting up for a weekend.

 

got a few plants in yest evening from my new friends, thanks again. with a struggle got a walk this evening between dinner for six hungry men( our own silage) they are now in for supper of homemade scones and apple jelly, and as much tae as they can drink. oh fran, its mizzling here at the minute.

Since my unplanned Japanese corner has been developing I have been on the look out for a japaneses statue or structure of some kind. As usual when you don’t want something they are everywhere, and then when you go looking, nothing can be found.

If anyone see anything anywhere along these lines, could they please let me know,thanks.

got some perovskia to grow from cuttings this year , got the cuttings at the liffy valley carpark .

but now my photo wont go up . 

Hi All

Can anyone tell me when is the best time to take cutting for hebes I have tried to put up photos of mine, but I’m sitting here almost ready to pull my hair out, have tried about 10 time so far I do have them in some of my photo’s.

I will try again and hope the net wouldn’t go down when the upload gets 95/99% :-(((

To day should be a typical autumn day. The last few days were so pleasant despite heavy rain a few times. I believe to morrow should be much cooler so some plants lifted and potted. Rachel’s Canna is potted to day and placed in the greenhouse. Liga’s fuchsias were also potted and put at the south side of the house. Tomatoes, I would say the best ever. Over the last few days the lower leaves removed, some peppers harvested. Within the next few days I should lift some bedding annuals and replace them with spring bedding. Some apples are falling but they are late varieties not to be picked until mid October. Hypericums which I slipped   not so long ago are showing new shoots. Runner beans, never had a crop like them. I hope the frost which is forecast will not harm them.