Month: February 2012
2012 February Report:
All the raw materials to begin construction of Timber framed Greenhiouse and shed have been sourced and most even bought and on-site, so busy few weeks ahead sawing and hammering, some on the ground site prep to be done also.
Most of my seeds have been purchased for season ahead and next time on my mind is my garden growing plan for season ahead.
2012 January Report:
Spent a very productive day in the garden on Saturday, repaired my storm flattened Post & rail and reinforced that which didn’t fall;
Dug over last seasons Onion, Sprouts, and Pea/Mange Tout Beds and covered with seaweed gather from the seashore down the road at Pigeon Point.
Did some general weeding around Strawberry and Raspberry Beds and mixed in some seaweed around the Canes and Corns, first time to use the local resouce of seaweed so expecting some positive results in 2012;
I have a second Strawberry and Raspberry bed coming on stream this year so 60 pots will hopefully break the 100 mark in 2012, we really love jam in our house and so do the visitors.
Storms ripped the cover off my Tunnel again this December so I think I am going to make a big investment in 2012 – a Greenhouse, researching Options and Costs at the moment, would appreciate any advice, the site is very exposed to the strong westerlies and that is my big obstacle.
My New Zealand Box Compost system should be presenting its first payload this spring so expecting monster veg in 2012.
Believe it or not some of my Rhubarb is already 2-3 inches tall and I actuall found some unripened strawberries too, the climate is very confused compared to this time 12months ago when you counldn’t even get a spade in the ground.
My Beech Hedge around the site is maturing nicely but still not heigh enough to give the required amonut of wind protection the site needs.
It is very much a work in progress and I know I’m very guilty of trying to do too much rather than concentrating on reliables but sure that’s half the fun and enjoyment that I and my two girls (4 & 6yrs) get out of it and of course Mammy just loves making jam, isn’t that right Boo!
Does anybody out there know how to get rid of pond weed i think its called duck weed also. this year iv been infested wit it ,it forms a green carpet on the surface and it breaks up into thousands of little pieces when you disturb it.
Can anybody remember if any of the stores, Aldi, Lidl , Woodies etc did a deal on Hydrangeas last year? I now have an area behind the new wall and think they would look well there. But I need about 5 good size ones not babies. I would wait if I felt a bargain might come along. I would love the wine coloured one but think that is very expensive.
I am putting up some photos from 2001 and 2002, just to show the garden getting established. More recent pictures show what this bare ground has matured into.
At the moment snowdrops are out, iris have come and gone and the daffodils and tulips are shaping up beautifully. It is possible that one or other or both will appear before St Valentine’s day. It would be lovely.
My camera has been with the repair man since November and there is still no indication as to when it will be ready again. I have just had my first Christmes in years without it and I will miss that pictures that ought to have been taken.
hi
im quite new to gardining, and was wondering if i can replant indoor plants anytime thanks alot
https://www.garden.ie/talk/Topic1655-3-1.aspx
A number of years ago we planted up an escallonia hedge on top of a bank along one of our bounderies – the escallonia has struggled mainly due to the bad Winters in 2009 and 2010 – but that is for another day – the bank was planted up with Cotoneaster – I am not sure of the exact species but it is has very small leaves and grows very slowley however it forms a very dense ground cover. We put Mypex on the bank first and then planted in the Contoneaster can you advise me on the following
What feed should I give the cotoneaster to give it a spurt and can I feed it this time of the year
Should we remove the Mypex – My plan was originally to leave the weed supressant on but Rachel mentioned removing it from her bank and I am wondering if I need to do the same to encourage the coneaster to come on quicker??
All help much appreaciated
https://www.garden.ie/talk/Topic1657-3-1.aspx
A friend of mine has a couple of apple trees, eaters and cooking. The trees haven’t been pruned yet, and desperately need it, and they have come into bud, because of the mild weather. Does this mean it is too late to prune them?
Our garden is a small one attached to our 3 bed semi-detached. A few years ago we took out all the bigger shrubs as there were growning too large and replanted with flowers and smaller lower maintenance plants. I am constantly trying to improve the look of the garden reviewing new plants, where they might best be located , etc. It is fun and I enjoy it immensely.
Scrubber and Anna. Yes indeed they came by on a flying visit as they were in the neighbourhood, well almost! Scrubber had read about my Snowdrops vanishing and brought me a huge box of them, singles and doubles, magic. With those Hosta so kindly gave me I should have a great show next year. There are so many I will be planting most of tomorrow and loving it. Once again I marvel at the generosity of my ie friends. Thank you so much. There was only time for Scrubber to have a quick look around my rather lack lustre garden but so good to have them come to visit.
My house is in the middle of a 2 acre field, pure clay with a thin skim of top soil. My brother advised selling it and buying a real field. A stream cuts the field in half, it is low lying, therefore wet for 6 or so months and dries out like iron in summer. However 4 years on I continue to create a garden. I no longer despise weeds…they contain valuable nutrients so into the compost they go, also grass, rushes, hedge clippings, seaweed, horse manure,leaves, just about everything. Last years veg.beds were rows of compost across the sloping lawn. This year after a mild winter, I harvested about 2lbs. carrots and dug the bed over ready for something. Indoors I started lettuce and arugula in egg cartons. Climate here on Vancouver Island is similar to Ireland.
In response to some curiosity, Du Fu was an eighth century Chinese poet and one of the most influential poets of all time in the Chinese language. He lived for a time in chengdu in Sichuan Province in central China. He was a keen gardener and his garden is preserved in Chengdu. It is a major attraction both for locals and tourists in that city. I visited there in 2001 and took some pictures.
Why oh why do we have that dreadful ‘word’ identification on the contact menu?
I don’t think anybody has had problems with the way it was?
I now understand a previous post relating to this and I for one will not be going through 14 attempts to decipher the code ;so to all iers while that remains I hope I am friends with you all but shall not be adding to my list via ‘contact’.
I am sooo sick of the wet, muddy conditions! Our garden is on a slight slope so we have to watch our step or wear mountain boots with spikes! I nearly fell on my back the other day.I must remember to take my phone with me, as Hubby wouldnt find me till he got up at 4.pm. for work!
I have a pot of bacon on boiling now, and when I go down to cut a head of cabbage in the tunnel,I am going to dig trenches and put in a few spuds. I have my gardening combats on already. Then I might line out a few rows in preparation for seeds. Headgardener has got me going..LOL!
If I don’t come back online tonight, please send out the Rescue Squad…LOL!
Hope Deborah will recover soon!
There were some plants I never wanted in my garden but now have changed my mind.
Has this happened to you?
I used to really dislike Hydrangeas but now see their value in a big way.
Hellebores too, never disliked them but did not appreciate them fully until recently.
Alchemilla mollis, still dislike it because of the self seeding but am thinking of putting it in my new blue bed as it may not be able to seed in the grass.
Heuchera, tolerated them but now like them a lot and they do so well in low temperatures.
Ferns never had room before but now love them.
Orange flowers used to avoid them , now totally converted if in right place.
Delphiniums, was always very scared of these but am trying them this year.
My garden is over half an acre. A lot of it is lawn but I am developing beds in various places. The site is fairly exposed. The soil is heavy but free draining, stony and slightly acid.
I have a cold greenhouse where I grow tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers among other bits and pieces.
Hoping to go collect a load of horse manure from my daughter’s stable in about an hour! A gardening neighbour has a van and 2 big huge bags! Some is last years,so ready to go, and some is this years and will be piled up way down the end of garden.
Bought a bare rooted apple tree in Lidl’s this morning, "Golden Delicious" , will I soak it in bucket of water till the weekend?
Can I cut back the main growing stem before or just after planting to encourage it to spread more than grow tall ? Or should I let it grow for this year ?
It has been a long time since I wrote in my journal but Deborah’s talk to the Cork Garden club tonight has inspired me to do so. In spite of a broken leg and being on crutches she had us all enthralled with a brilliant lecture and fabulous pictures of her garden. Well done and hope you are out and about without those crutches soon
Tomorrow I am getting out to my own garden!
I was looking at Gertrude Jekyll’s book ‘The wood and garden’ and read this; I hope you like it .
"
And a garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful
watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all, it teaches
entire trust. "Paul planteth and Apollos watereth, but God giveth the
increase." The good gardener knows with absolute certainty that if he
does his part, if he gives the labour, the love, and every aid that his
knowledge of his craft, experience of the conditions of his place, and
exercise of his personal wit can work together to suggest, that so
surely as he does this diligently and faithfully, so surely will God
give the increase. Then with the honestly-earned success comes the
consciousness of encouragement to renewed effort, and, as it were, an
echo of the gracious words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
10th – temperatures for this time of the year as an average remains good. Really cuts down the heating cost for the tunnel and greenhouse.
Rainfall remains quite high. After the move last August the greenhouse was reinstated. Aluminium frame appears to have been knocked in places during the move. Water leaks in places inside – looks as if rain is seeping between the frame and roofing panels. Too wet to repair at present although an urgent job to be done as soon as is possible. Leaks are causing dampish conditions inside which is not good for the Scented Geraniums.
They have segments of plastic type fencing for borders. I got something similiar last year and found that instead of linking them together they worked very well individually as plant supports. The ones I got previously were shorter but flexible so you could bend them into a semi-circle around the plant. Just a suggestion:)
I have noticed I have very few flower buds on a lot of my clumps of Daffodils this year.
Do they stop flowering after a time?
One clump in the Fern bed has only one bud compared to 20ish last year. Could this be down to no sun on this clump?
Any ideas?
From Scrubber and Gracedieu thank you for showing them. The Scrub looks even more magical while it is so interesting to appreciate the variation in marking of Paddy/Mary’s.
