Month: November 2010

not an unexpected flower, but a trowel I had mislaid months ago!! Why are so many garden tools green????

Morning, at the Country Market, sold nothing, not that I am worried over it. In the afternoon as it was a fine day, I got at the lawn where the leaves from trees were abundant. It seemed to me that I never had so many leaves. So from about 2 to 5 with a short coffee break of about 30 minutes, I got surely 95% of the leaves removed and put in the compost heap. If it is fine to morrow, I will bring out the lawn mower and have the place free from leaves and excess grass. On Nationwide this evening I watched a programme on gardening, most enjoyable. Michael Ryan and Mary Kennedy always give us a good programme. This was the best programme on gardening I have seen for years, shame RTE! Michael showed a large sycamore tree, some tree. I have a sycamore in the middle of my lawn and considering that the lawn is big, the tree looks good during the summer. Liga, were you watching the programme? Michael showed us  a group from Latvia who were in operation.

This is what I have deleted from internet & Xmas. I have never been to a Christmas of garden.ie.

My mistake -oops!! I though the Christmas get-together was for garden.ie friends to meet up have a chat over a nice cupa/meal, swap hints and tips & anyone wishing to swap plants or seeds ect: Silly me lol! :-))

I can’t suggest any of the already suggested places, it was back in the 70’s since my visit to Powercourt. Oh! I hear you say she is over the hill 🙂 not quite yet but I can see over the top lol! ;-)) where ever is chosen I’ll be there, unless something happens I can’t travel. Public transport isn’t a problem (where there is a will there a way)

Happy gardening all.

Maybe I put this up in the wrong place so I appologise to everyone.  Maureen

Rising this morning the sun was shining. some hours after it was still shining so I looked forward to a good day in the garden. By 12, I was free to get out, still the sun shone. Just as yesterday, when I raked the leaves from a lawn about a quarter acre my plan was rake the leaves at the back and then finish the front with the mower and put it away until the spring, but alas less than an hour gone, leaves at the back raked and put in heaps, it began to rain so all I could do was retire. Some time in the afternoon, the rain stopped but no sunshine. I planted tulips lifted early in the year and snowdrops which I had bought in Woodies for less than half price. They were planted in the piece of ground I had reclaimed. They should be good in the spring. I have decided to call this piece of ground Terra Nova. Any objections from our friends in Dromin?

does callicarpa need any certain conditions to grow or will any type do

A frost morning in Waterford after a very rainy day yesterday. The light this morning along the river was very strange with the fog coming down the hill and lying on the river. It is getting so cold again this evening that I had to light the heater in the glasshouse to hopefully keep my tender bulbs safe. I have added a few photos to my November album. Mary

Very frosty here this morning but looked gorgeous from inside the house. Gone a little cloudy now and warmed up a bit. Was able to get a lot of tidying up done yesterday in the lovely sunshine. Hope to continue cleaning up today in the beds and greenhouse. It should have been done weeks ago but it was very hard to get motivated after our holiday. Even though we are back 3 weeks the time just flys by so fast. We were at a wedding in Wekford last week and that took care of the whole weekend. Years ago wedding’s lasted for one day and now they go on for three days, not that I’m complaining it was a great weekend. If it stays dry I might try and get a final cut on the grass, mind you I said that for the last two cuts.

How different it was to day compared with Saturday. After a heavy frost, the sun was out and so was I. Pruning was the order of the day. The lawn was not dry enough for the mower. First job was the pruning of gooseberries and that is now finished. A little pruning of black currants was easy as most of this was done earlier on. I approached the griselinia in the afternoon. Normally I would not touch this at this time of year but there was a difference. The frost early in the year had done a serious job and even though I had pruned it early in the year, there was no sign of life except at ground level. The secateurs and even the loppers were out for this type of work so the bow saw or Bushman, was the only instrument to use. Some of the branches when cut were as much as three inches in diameter. One can imagine this when you think of the time it was planted, April 1979. By 5 p.m. I was back in the house as it was getting dark. Sunday evening, as darkness was near I approached the point where I feed the birds. I had not fed any up to now this season. As I came close to the point, a robin flew towards me. It was a sign to begin the feeding once more. As I left that area the robin was feeding. In the morning about 8, I saw a robin, a blue-tit and another small bird  in that area, also a pigeon. Flying overhead was the Thieving Magpie as Rossini would put it. So I now feel that the winter has come but still not bad enough to keep me from the garden.

A while back a member put up a address for a site that gives Latin pronunciation of plants trees etc… I cannot remember who it was, ……so can you please put it up here again .. I have lost it…. and I find it brilliant, as we have to learn so many names ..Thanks in advance 🙂 

Kate 

The wind is absolutely HOWLING around the house now.

 

It’s a long time since I’ve heard it so loud.

 

A couple of shrubs were broken just before it got dark. The wind is far worse now.

Really wet and windy to such an extent that our card group called off the game tonight — unprecedented!

very very windy here plus plenty of rain

We had a dreadful night last night. I feared for trees that are well established and I thought I need fear no more for them. I saw my Amalanchier ‘Ballerina’ fairly bend in the wind.

But this morning all was well. The pots were all over the garden but the only damage seems to have been a chicken wire fence that came away from its post and the plastic membrane on the ‘grass bank’ which came loose. Thank goodness.

Today I took a good look at my newly planted front hedge, Elaeagnus ebbingei, and the stakes on it. It is doing really well but i want it to stay that way so I staked nearly all of the remaining plants. Pat’s Privet hedge seems to be holding well (touch wood).

I also dug a hole for my Strawberry tree but then the wind kind of whipped up again and I took pity on the poor tree and decided to leave it in the greenhouse another day. I also removed grass circles from two places where I will put trees.

I have photos but they are at home and we have no internet so I am writing this in the library.

have a modest little plot, new to gardening but hope to supply fresh organic  no air miles food for family , hubby got 3 chucks , they seem  happy enough, eggs every day, have a small front garden hope to plant with old cottage favs,  also small area for fruit trees and wild flowers,

After the storms of last night it was a relief to get out and find no serious damage done this morning, but everywhere looking a mess with leaves, heads of hydrangea and twigs everywhere.

But I did manage a while in the afternoon to plant my new "Malvern Hills" rambling rose from David Austin.  Also planted a Saxifraga "Apple Pie" into the rockery. Myrtle gave it to me on my last trip south and it has a beautiful leaf.

Something very satisfying about getting even a very little done in the garden!

At last a few pics of New England. It has taken ages to upload this many .

have been having a quick look at all your journals, will talk soon. Night night

Last night the make-shift shelter I had built for the cats food was blown to pieces so I had to do a pretty quick repair before heading for work this morning. I am currently working in Tipperary Town, a mere 80 km (50 miles) from home so I have lots of opportunity to observe the weather – and this morning I was completely blown away by the beautiful sunrise over the mountains on my way down the M8 (my geography is terrible so I have no idea which mountains I was looking at!)

Isn’t it amazing how clear and clean ths sky looks afer a big storm! Haven’t been able to check for storm damage down the garden yet as it was dark when I got home but at least the Wind turbine is still standing and still has it’s full compliment of blades!

The wind also pushed the greenhouse door open a few inches so I’m grateful that there wasn’t any frost as that would really have finished off the potatoes… I’m still being optimistic….

 

have a modest little plot, new to gardening but hope to supply fresh organic  no air miles food for family , hubby got 3 chucks , they seem  happy enough, eggs every day, have a small front garden hope to plant with old cottage favs,  also small area for fruit trees and wild flowers,

2morro friday should be a nice dry day  to b out in garden

Can’t get a final cut at the lawn. Nothing but rain, rain, frost, rain. The lawns are saturated. Doesn’t look as if I am going to get the last cut of the season.

Two nice books arrived in this morning’s post, ideal books for winter reading with lots of bright blue skies and wonderful exotic gardens, just the books to have of a cold, miserable winter’s evening. 

"The Gardens of Madeira" by Gerald Luckhurst

"Italy’s Private Gardens, An Inside View" by Helena Attlee

At the moment, I’m reading "The Curious Gardener" by Anna Pavord ("The Tulip") and finding it a very enjoyable, witty, insightful and with lots of useful information and comments. Even, surprisingly, some very honest comment of well-known gardens. At last, someone who calls it as it is rather than heaping false praise on mediocre gardens or those, as it is in this case, which are living on past glories but not keeping the garden up to standard at present.

Paddy 

 Here’s an interesting nursery. Check out the booklist.

  https://www.shadydealsnursery.com/

Paddy 

My husband is still apologising for putting my bizzy lizzy outside for some "air" and forgot to take it in. Killed by the frost. Gave it a little trim and god gave me a little hope, 5 green leafs beneath all the dead leaves. Hope it will grow again, looks positive though

Thanks Noel. Seems a great site.

I was half listening to Mooney on the radio yesterday and I think a woman said the temp is to go down to -8 over the next few nights. I brought the rest of the geranium’s that I had in pots into the greenhouse and put them in the small plastic greenhouse that I bought in Aldi’s last year for extra protection hope it works. Still to wet to get the final cut on the grass.