Month: December 2011

I bought an Orchid at powerscourt a few months back. (Rachel was with me, so enough said LOL)

I noticed this morning little white wooly spots on underside of leaves and stem. When you squeese these there is a little back bug inside.

I have removed them all, but do I spay the plant or just keep an eye for more, maybe the wood compost is infected? 

Thanks inadvance as ever ;-)) 

No gardening has been done here since my last journal entry, due to weather, work and other commitments. This has been a wet and cold day so I wasnt tempted to even go for the daily stroll around the garden!

But late yesterday afternoon, around 4.30pm, I did take a short walk to the seafront. Dusk is one of my favourite times of day to go for a walk. Often after a breezy day the wind will have dropped and there is that deep stillness and quietness that you can almost feel and hear. It is lovely to listen to the last song of birds as they give thanks for the day before retiring to their roost for the night.

The sun had just gone down, it sets a bit later here in the north-west than with some of you in the south, and the last rays were glancing off the landscape turning it into a beautiful tapestry of rich colour.

I was struck by the many shades of brown, and they increased in number as one stopped to take a closer look. There were the beiges of grass stems still strong enough to stand erect with their, now empty, seed-heads held aloft. The rusty brown of bracken and the bronze of beech leaves holding tightly to their branches. But as the low light glowed on wet, after a recent shower, and cast its glow sideways across the view it was the many different shades of tree-bark that stole the limelight. From the orange-brown of willow to the silver-brown of birch, the grey-brown of alder to the green-brown of ash and the dark-brown bark of fir there was such an array of shades of brown that I am convinced that there are just as many browns in winter as there are greens in spring, we just have to look!!

CorkTony you have me totally confused!! What I do love is to see corners like that , makes me feel so much better about my less than pretty areas!

For a number of days, I got practically nothing done in the garden. Reasons – weather and other things to do. To day was a great day for that work, fairly good temperature, no rain and more time for the job. As I mentioned earlier I bought tulips and alliums in Woodies at half price. The tulips went down earlier on to day, then the grass which had not been collected was taken to the compost heap, then the loppers came out and quite a bit of pruning done. The work was mainly on Cotoneasters which had grown too high. I was hoping that I would finish the job but the darkness arrived and the work was curtailed. I believe some cold weather is on the way but please God it is only a temporary little arrangement. The Alliums will have to wait for another day.

Lovely morning here but raining , well showers I hope, now.

Did two jobs I really dislike ; while I enjoy weeding I hate collecting the pile in the wheelbarrow and taking it to the dump. I tend to have piles of weeds at various spots around the garden and then take a deep breath and remove the lot.

The other job I postpone is removing grass/weeds from around young trees and shrubs. I know how much better the latter will grow if not in competition but I don’t get the same pleasure as weeding flower beds, bit weird really now that I think of it. What is the difference never thought about that before.

Anyway what jobs do you postpone as long as possible?

Got the bubble wrap on the greenhouse today… I bought 2 rolls in B&Q and it came with little snap on clips ,was really easy to attach …really Pleased with how it turned out..

I came cross the notes I took from a lecture given by Michael Muench of Mount Venus Nurseries back in August.

The talk was brilliant and, as Michael does the plant propagation for Mount Venus, he had loads of tips to give. He focused on unusual perennials and mentioned loads that I had never heard of.

Anyway, in case you are interested, here is a list of some wierd and wonderful ones, which you might like to look up if you don’t already know them…

Adoxa moschatellina
Alchemilla ellenbeckii
Anemonella

Anemonopsis

Aristolochia

Arunculus

Asteranthemum car…
Blumenbachia

Cacalia delphinifolia
Cardamine trifolia
Caryopteris divaricatus
Chaerophyllum aromaticum
Cimicifuga   ‘Luftslange’
Coliopsis

Datisca cannabina
Epimedium membranaceum
Erodium hybridum
Helleborus foetidus
Michauxia

Miscanthus
‘Kleine Fontaine’
Omphaloides
‘Starry Eyes’
Pachyphragma macrophyllum
Paris stenophylla
Peucedanum verticillare
Podophyllum

Polygonatum kingianum
Sanguisorba albiflora
Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Stand Up Comedian’
Sarauma henrii

I also took note of the following but as there were no handouts, I probably misspelled them. If you know what these ones are, please let me know…

Sinalysis

Castelia (semi parasitic)

Prematnes plumieri

Iowa sacaea

hi everyone, tis biting today for sure!  a bit of news, i have relocated down to greystones, and staying with sis until a forever home comes up.

i have left my yard behind…and its potted plants and some shrubs etc.

 

wonder if anyone lives around dun laoghaire who may have a trailer who would do me the honour of transplanting my beloved yardenette to here in wicklow.

really would appreciate it, although i know this is a long shot. xx 

To be honest I have got very little done in the garden. The weather is fine when I am at work, and for some reason when I am at home, mad to do some work, it is raining. It is getting impossible to get some jobs done, but sure not to worry, tomorrow is another day.

On the other hand I still have some leeks, carrotts and cabbages in the garden. yesterday I made potato and leek soup, the leeks from my own garden, unforunately I have none of my own spuds left. Still the soup was lovely, just the job for the weather.

I am not going to make any plans this year for the garden, even though the catalogues arriving in the post are a tempting me. This year I am going to just go with the flow and enjoy it.

My name is Ned I have always loved gardening. I like reading and watching TV shows about it I suppose I just Learn as I go along.

  I have half an acre in Co Cork I always wanted to own a wood so on millennium year I Planted an area with native trees. I planted Oak Beech Mountain Ash Hornbeam Mapel Birch Acers Whitebeam Cherry Blossom Nobel Fir Lodgepole Pine Holly which draw a lot of Birds

 At the edge of the wood I am creating a Herbaceous border where there is full Sun for most of the day.

On the opposite I have an area of Shrubs Grasses Bamboo Roses Climbers.

In between these two areas i have a veg Garden also some early Potatoes

I feed the birds all year so I have lots of them in my wood.

i got up to not a too bad day apart from showers. the rabbittes need to come in so i need to make space in the shed and i cant do that until i sort out space in the tunnel. i cleared the beds in the tunnel and took out the first couple of inches of soil, all i need now is some mypex which i will pick up tomorrow morning i also got one side of the tunnel washed down and disinfected, i had help from hubby so i didnt overdo it. i have to take some of the racks out of the shed and put them in the tunnel to make room for the rabbits for the winter.

i will get the rest of the tunnel sorted tomorrow and clean the other side and then i can clean the outside an other day. we had it all done at 2 o clock.

dinner and fire to sort now and then retire for the evening

i am toying with putting up bubble wrap in the tunnel as extra protection, i am just looking for advice as to how much of the tunnel i need to cover and how far up towards the roof i need to go? or should do the whole lot? the tunnel is being cleaned so that i can put in the bubble wrap

Seeing Bruno refer to Aeroponics reminded me that I wanted to try growing seeds / cuttings in rockwool.  Has anybody tried this and if so what happened!!

Anyway I  have just ordered a tray of it and will try it in a controlled experiment with compost and see what happens.

After a lovely mild November, what a change. Nevertheless this month so far there were some days that appealed to me but was not available when the weather was ok. Yesterday, I had plenty of time and tried several things but as it was so cold I retreated to the house. To day was much milder but I was tied up with meals on wheels in the morning. Then in the early afternoon, I got some pruning done and enjoyed it but I had an appointment with the dentist at 3.30 p.m. and when I got home it was too dark. They tell us that Thursday will be mild so I hope to get a fair bit done. You all remember this time last year with the snow so what might have been done then I am at it now and hope to get this job complete.

lately i have started to write down the journals i commented on because the meomory is gone so bad, especially if i comment on loads in one night, is it just me or am i losing the plot?

Hi , 

 

I want to give you a Christmas Update. 

I’ve been so upset with the garden of late, that visiting Garden.ie was impossible. I just make myself jealous looking at all those fabulously maintained flower beds and clipped hedges. Very depressing!!! However yesterday we got a mini digger and dumper. I love driving dumpers, but don’t have the co-ordination for mini diggers, anyway we got lots done. If you look in my front gate you’d propbably say to yourself that a lazy messy person lives in there!! And to be honest it does look chaotic. we have horrendous drainage so unfortunately we have to sort that out before I can plant up the lower garden.

After the work done yesterday I have a renewed enthusiasim for the garden and I can’t wait to start it.

I also got a new job which is terribly exciting, yipee!!

 

jacintas idea of swapping books is a brilliant idea and i will be going through mine, i also would love if anyone has old dvds of gardeners world or simular that they dont want. i have a 3 disc box set of how to garden disc one how to grow fruit. disc 2how to grow veg and disc 3 how to create attractive beds and borders. i have no interest in these i thought they were something else and never returned them, i will swop for other dvds or books

At about 8.45 a.m. I was amazed to find that it was so mild. The thermometer in the car read 11 degrees, so different from yesterday when it was quite cold and think of last year. On this day 8 th  last year, I was unable to get the car out due to the snow. While there is rain there should be growth. I was glad that I got the lawn mown just over a week ago and how green the grass is at present. It is great to look at plants and see that they are looking so good. I was at a meeting last night, one which was cancelled last year  due to the snow. Wellie (Angie) was there and it was her birthday. She and the family had had a great day.
With the weather the way it was, the garden was a non runner today. Aoife was off so we went to Liffey Valley for her Xmas shopping. She did not get her shopping skills from me that’s for sure ;-))
 
On the way out I called to B&Q, I needed compost and bark mulch. I was really surprised at how empty the place was of plants. I thought it was down to Christmas tree sales, but on talking to a staff member it turns out that they were so badly hit with losses last Winter that they are been very careful this year.
 
She did tell me there was a bargain stand, so I had to look. I was tempted on a couple of plants, but then I stopped and and thought, ‘do they fit in with the plan’ and ‘do you really need them Fran’?
 
Back they went onto the shelves, Aoife even commented on my action. I have no regrets at all and pleased that a little sense is taking over at long last.
 
Doubt I will be as strong in Johnstown, but then I have a couple of things in mind and that is a different story altogether. 
Yesterday, it seemed too cold to do anything in the garden but to day while the night temperature was below zero and at 9 a.m. there was still plenty of frost, as time went on it became milder and hours were spent in the garden 1. using the hoe to remove weeds, apparently there is growth all of the time, 2. digging at the back in reasonably prepared ground to put down the roses that are rooted, they should go down next week, Monday if the weather is right, 3. pruning Cotoneasters in the front. Almost all of the work on the Cotoneasters is complete. As we all can remember, no work like this could be done this time last year. At 4.45 p.m. the work had to be abandoned due to darkness taking over. I was piping hot after the work and I really enjoyed it. Sorry Jacinta, no photos this time.

Yesterday was a busy day for me, but I spent part of the day observing a man at work. It was not that I was not working myself and I was not lying on a shovel passing the time of day. I was in my car outside a persons house waiting for them to come out, a person i must say has no concept of time or urgency. While waiting I noticed his neighbour come out to the front of his house with a leaf blower. Well this fella blew leaves up the road, down the road and even across the road. When he had finished, the front of his house was immaculate, however his neighbours to the left and right had inherited a lovely pile of leaves. satisified with his efficiency and speed of work, this fella with a backward glance, to make sure no leaf was missed, returned to his house, probaly to look at the second half of the match.

I hear you say, why are you telling us this. Well today I was back at my mates house and what would you think I saw? The leaves had during the night with the wind blew back over the leaf blowers path. AS a matter of fact, I,d say he had inherited more leaves than he had started with. As I got out of my car, the leaf blower fella came out with his wonderful machine and proceeded to dispatch leaves from in front of his property.

I think the moral of the story is, If you are going to do a job, do it right first time around. Also I think a machine is not always the quikest and most efficient way of doing the job. During the boom times, lads abandoned their shovels and hired mini diggers. It did-nt matter how small the hole had to be, even if they were planting a few trees, you could not do the job without the mini digger. Today them fella,s have put on a belly from lack of physical work, can-t afford the mini digger, can-t find the shovel, and even if they could, can-t fecking work the shovel for lack of energy.

I know Christmas is upon us and many gardeners are hoping Santa will leave them new fangle dangle tools that will take the hardship out of work in the garden, but sometimes shiny new tools that make noise and have smoke leaving their exhaust, do not do the job as well as a man or woman with a hand tool, created in the stone age, and maybe there is better job satisfaction from actually having to do manual labour.

I was wondering what everyone is reading at the moment? I have put a big list of gardening books on my Christmas list but none of them are new this year. I would love some good recommendations.

By the way, if anyone is looking to swap books at Johnstown, I still have these available so please send me a private message. The encyclopaedias are good for anyone who doesn’t have an RHS one. I was using the 1997 published one until about three years ago….

The Easy Garden Month-by-month: Amazon.co.uk: Michael Jefferson-Brown: Books 

Published 1995

Wild Flowers by Colour: Amazon.co.uk: Marjorie Blamey: Books 

Published 1997

"Reader’s Digest" New Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants and Flowers Readers Digest: Amazon.co.uk: Justine et al Scott-McNab: Books 

Published 1997

"Reader’s Digest" Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants and Flowers: Amazon.co.uk: Reader’s Digest Association: Books 

Published 1982

Scrubber tells us that a certain particle will be revealed on Christmas Day. Would I be correct to suggest that it is the Higgs particle which seems to be the missing link in physics. Now the name Higgs seems to be an abreviation for the name of a well known Irishman. Scrubber tells us that although nobody knows what he is about to reveal that inadvertantly he revealed it not so long ago after he had bought it I think in Waterford and on RTÉ this evening a physics lecturer in Waterford IT spoke about it. 

what a day today every possible element was thrown at us today, i didnt get any gardening done and i am not too bothered, had planned to sow the bulbs i got at the market, but just couldnt muster up the enthusium to do it so i just done a bit of housework and laundry, hopefully tomorrow i will feel like doing it.

i also did a magazine catch up and drank hot choc, boring really

hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.