Month: October 2011

Yesterday I got more than half of the lawn done and planned to finish it early to day. However it was raining in the morning so I had to wait. By 4 p.m. I had the mower out and got at it again. There were some technical problems, the grass box coming off frequently partly due to the heavy crop, also emptying the box very often. eventually I got the mowing complete. Then it was a case of bringing out the wheelbarrow and transferring all of the grass, and what amount of grass was there, to compost heap No. 2. By tea time work was suspended and as darkness was approaching, I wondered would I get it all in. Eventually I got at it again and finished the job by 7.10 p.m. I had hoped that compost heap No 1 would be turned but time did not allow so it will have to wait for another day. It was a really mild day and I had to cool down a few times. Photos will have to wait, not enought time or daylight. Spraying with ferrous sulphate will have to wait as well.

Well today I confessed to Bruno the saga of the Shredder; briefly I jammed it the first time it was used!!!;this was a jam to beat all jams. But with the help of Hazel and Brendan who so kindly sent me instructions on how to remove the front panel , followed by a friend having to spend about 20 minutes prising out the lump of wood it is now working really well. Therefore a big outbreak of cutting down is taking place; piles of stuff waiting to be shredded , this machine and I are learning about what it likes and dislikes are but I have plenty of acceptable stuff to feed it. My garden is now looking rather grim with bits and pieces of cut down stuff littered all over the place. I had the day off today due to the rising at dawn for the match and needing to catch up with some sleep. Then the pleasure of Bruno coming for a visit and confessing my shredder misdeeds to him!!

I thought my plans for the new wall needed to be deferred as my JCB friend was in Hospital , doing well thankfully, but now it seems if I go ahead with the wall his machine can reach over and do the uproooting required.

So lots of work going on but good to be able to get out. Still bulbs to plant , maybe tomorrow  and hopefully my seeds will come on Monday. I will do an experiment with multipurpose and seed compost and see the results.

For many years I have been interested in how gardens tell about the owner’s personality , well at least some aspects of same. If I know nothing about an owner and just visit their garden I have a good idea of the person. I suppose this makes  sense because we create outside what we feel inside;) As with everything there are bound to be exceptions . My garden reflects the way I live my life so when you see it you will know a lot about me!!  Agree disagree?

I tried to put it up here but the blooming cropping was a problem so it is going in an album.

My neighbour has ivy growing and it had been slowly winding its way into my garden, covering a large area of the fence between our gardens, so about two weeks ago I cut it all away and cleared the fence and the wall. I know its going to come calling again but Ill be ready and waiting with my scissors when it poks through again. My flower beds look a little bit neglected and overgrown so will have to tackle them tomorrow ifIget time and the weather permits me. I bought some lovely heather so Im going to plant them in the beds for some colour during the winter.

This has being a funny old year. I got more done in the garden this year, than any other year, but yet did not spent any great time in the garden. I seem to have spent most of my time doing the basic and just letting the garden tick over on its own.

However I am now paying for this. A few weeds have ran rampant and some of the veg are in a sorry state. The greenhouse has to be cleaned out. All this is easily sorted, however the whole back garden may have to be dug up. This is not easily sorted. The Bio flow system was never put in right by the experts that designed it. Also the back garden is being badly flooded. It looks like a lot of digging and a hell of a lot of stone and clay.

What does this mean for me, it means I get a new blank canvas to play around with, oh and i get to play with some heavy machinery when the job starts, happy days.

Andy joked earlier that he didn’t think I was a heavy metaller.  I hide behind a pseudonym and use a picture of my dog (I hope that it’s clear I’m not actually a German Shepherd).  It doesn’t matter if I’m nine or ninety age doesn’t matter to me in a person.  More revealing is I think that my favorite song is the long version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’.  It gives my brain a shower.  What are all yere favorite songs – one only!

I just bid on a persian rug on ebay, and won it. I didn’t intend on buying a bloody rug. Ebay is a terrible temptation, I wanted to get my prunus shogetsu this month, ah well, she’l have to wait. I hereby ban myself from ebay. now I just have to explain myself to my boyfriend,  

Has anyone planted Willow as a hedge ?

You can take cuttings from antirrhinums. Now I can never ever spell that plant so had to copy and paste. Anyway I have bought numerous packets of these to get the colours I want and today I decided to try cuttings, then came in to Google and find that it is possible. Probably no news to most of you !!  I love the white and have a lovely red too. Why not  collect  seeds you ask well  I have never managed to get seeds from the white one and anyway love taking cuttings.

When the weather was dry I got at it and moved what was at the top to the back. This entailed moving a fair number of leaves fro a Phormiun which is showing improvement every day. The leaves were not decomposed much but other materials were. I can take out quite a lot of rotton compost when required. I decided not to go any further with the turning. Part of the reason was the misty conditions. Some of this material was moved to some flower beds. Another job was to remove some plants from the rockery: Berberis darwinii, Heather (Erica), and Mahonia. These were out of place in the rockery and were transferred to other locations.

the soup was gorgeous last night, heavy mists and very clammy here today, you would nearly be sweating standing up. had to go to docs today because my back has been given me alot of trouble, i cant wake five feet with been in agony, i got anti inflamatorys and pain killers. it has also been the reason behind not getting work done outside which drives me crazy, im not the type that sits still for long. hopefully these will help and i will be back to my self in a day or two. i looked around the garden just now everything looks so wind battered especially the trees. cant wait to get stuck in to it all. after two months of pain i hope to have some relief, the first lot of anti inflamitorys were usless.

i really need to get the bulbs sown, havent been able to do it. thats tomorrows job, fingers crossed. thank god the wind has gone and there is just a gentle breeze

 my apologies for such a boring journal

Yesterday and today were two good gardening days. Overcast but warm and a little windy, but anything other than that mist…………shudder.

I noticed more Ladybirds and Butterflies than any other time of the Summer. Also there seems to be loads and loads of Earthworms which is great..

I think I have a soil addiction, when I hit an area where it is good and just need to dig out stones I could spend hours there dig dig , out with stone, dig dig and so on.  And planting in good soil or weeding in same. But then it is time to head towards a claggy stony area and that is not so much fun.

Came in for a cuppa but must attack the giant water lily now.

I’ve been doing the RHS Level 2 Cert for the last 2 years and got Pass with Commendation on both papers! Couldn’t believe it! Unfortunately it doesn’t mean I actually know that much of use! This year I’m doing Computers, Fetac level 4, so hopefully I’ll be able to do brilliant things soon! Not holding my breath.

from time to time i get sentimental and get all blubbery and emotional, hand on heart i have to say that the people on this site are the nicest dearest people, i havent met most of you but feel like i know you all

the encouragement that is shown towards each other is unreal. i tried to get in on facebook but it wasnt to be i love this site more.

so a big thank you for the encouragement you show to me. and the geneoisty that is shown also.

I am saving seed of this Sweetpea at the moment, so if anyone wants some please let me know.

i can not believe how many coments i got from my last journal entry. if gerry sees that journal and i hope he does because if that doesnt show him how good this site is nothing will

Was in Birr last week at a family wedding and took the opportunity for a walk around the grounds. Fantastic place if maybe a little pricey for two of us to get in.

Still it stayed dry till we got round it so was worth it.

What funny peculiar weather today.

About midday the sun appeared and it was so good to feel a bit of warmth. I was painting the platform and stopped for lunch, well a banana and a coke. The cat , dog and  I  sat/lay in the sun for a while. The countryside looked great and I got fascinated watching the leaves flutter from the trees all taking different routes to the ground. got the painting done and started another painting job until the paint ran out. By then, 3-30 you could see the sea fog rolling in and within 30 minutes we were enveloped in a thick fog. Driving to the other side of the Island required lights!!

But no complaints as it was so good to feel sun for a while.

Have the course on in Huntingbrook Gardens tomorrow. Half the day will be spent there and the other half the class are going to Mount Usher. Never been so can’t wait.

As for today I’ll be helping my mother in her birthday celebration with all of her friends and family. 

RE Euonymus alata perhaps this is the answer to the no cork specimen. There is one

Euonymus alatus var. apterus  which has no cork and apparently turns more pink than red in the Autumn. Don’t think you would meet this lad very often but I found it interesting that it exists.

right.

i have to say looking for a house to live in is a bloody nightmare.

although i have ‘sale agreed’ on the property mentioned before it seems that Probate could be a nightmare and i am unlikely to be in before January.

i can take a ‘caretakers’ agreement but i wouldnt be allowed do a thing to the property until the probate was all complete and settled.

so dont really know what to do.

put out the signals again to all the estate agents in the area but crumbs!

funny how so many people come out of the woodwork when the will is non existant and everyone claims entitlement.

no children but clatterer of wanna haves.

twin has settled brill in st. crispins, she loves it there.

i go down and give her a hand with the boxes, if i see more carboard i think i will build a home on her driveway and camp there!

so i am sitting it out wondering what to do right now…

apart from that, doing a bit of cutting taking and watching the plants.

struggled with dividing a bamboo the other day, even got the chain saw out but it defeated me as i couldnt get it out of the tub. i chained sawed through the middle so thats the way it remains for the moment.

got some nice specimens from that mother plant anyway.

experiement with taking cuttings of everything, the hardier ones are doing brill the tender ones a disaster.

seeds are in, experimenting there too.

thats it update done so am i!!!

hope everyone enjoying raking up the autumn leaves.  all the best.

ann 

Yes pleasant day here in east Cork good day for muuurder!!

So out with the Roundup; I wish I did not have to use it but it is a necessity in my garden. First victims were numerous seedlings of Valerian, I love the plant but the seedlings are all over the gravel . I kept some plants which are actually flowering happily, about 4 months early. Then the nettles well some of them too many for one outing. Then the best , what a lovely sight to see the glistening drops of Roundup on the leaves of Alchemilla mollis!!

I made my way to Sanguisorba Pink rat’s tails,sorry. Brushes but chickened. The picture of Rachel’s face at the very idea made the notion impossible. So instead I  had a chat with it and then re-planted it in a lovely place to give it every chance to become as desirable as Rachel’s.

That finished the murder so on to the giving of life. Took more cuttings of Antirrhinums

and tried some tuberous Begonias. Sowed yet more seeds  , so many now.

Great to have a dry weekend – substantially dry anyway.

My 5 year old is developing an unwelcome habit of early waking on Saturday mornings so the two of us were downstairs by 7.00 – and the rugby wasn’t starting til later so…..

So on went Man of La Mancha on the dvd – I had not seen it before but purchased on a friend’s recommendation. Very enjoyable and the tunes have been humming around my brain since.

Only issues were with 5 year old wondering what happened to Donkey (Don-key-ote) with dual scenes at end..

After dropping her nibs to gymnastics, I had the day to plant bulbs and used it well – having fallen foul of Rachel’s trap, this now takes longer as need to record what bulbs are planted and where – I even have a code for each section of the border (how sad)

Sunday was a lovely fresh day in the People’s Republic and 5 of us went out to gather sloes. I think we may have over-picked as ended up with about 11 kg which equates to 11 separate 3 litre bottles each with 1.4l of gin.

6 kg were pricked and sugared ( 3 with alcohol for keeping and 3 without alcohol for passing on to friends to add their alcohol).

There is great theraputic value in the shaking of the bottle of sloes and watching the colour change.

Have request in with my friendly publican for more of the 3litre bottles so hopefully will complete tonight.

Maybe not gardening but of the earth so hopefully counts…….

my god the weather has changed. it has got so cold in the last few days. didnt get any gardening done with my back, had to go to docs today, my back is in spasms so he gave me some valium that i have to take when i am going to bed, so fingers crossed that they will work, its agony. i have loads of stuff to go in the tunnel so i can protect them, panicing here, dont want to loose anything this year if at all possible.

ill put in what i can and get hubby to help with the rest. i got a great bargain last month on the coldframes in lidl, i will set them up in the tunnel and use fleese as well.