Month: April 2012

oh the neighbours are wonderful, very friendly!

i locked myself out today and the young lad next door biffed in my hall door, the foot went up, now here is a great use of a grab rail as he was positively hanging out of it and i thought he would do the splits too as he held on and kicked.

dont worry all is safe, his legs, my door and my bolt.

he is a lovely lad so now i know all of his sisters and one brother and that is only good.

another little lady nearby i went to visit, all of 88yrs old, living alone with no help, she is a dotie and is a keen gardener, or was, but she has some wonderful ways with the planting she has retained and tends.

i will try get some sealant for the barrel if it still leaks but donno what you mean about bolts etc milliemouse!

i have now chosen the sitting room wellpaper, a cream and white one with bursts of abstract dandelion clocks. this will go on one feature wall and the rest will be plain.

my twin did find some up the attic the other day, the day the ladder went from under her and next thing i see her swinging from the roof beams, or hanging on tight anyway until sure ground was placed under two strong legs again.

a cautionary tale for parkinsons patients, take it easy!

a friend of my sis wasnt impressed with my potato grow bags that i so lovingly filled and read the instructions, manure from the  same sisters riding establishment.

i was greeted with ‘well prepare for more than a few hungry days’ he announced good humouredly as i saw ‘dont invite too many to dinner!’

the woman here before loved growing lilies and seems to have perfected to a fine art. they are coming up and look very spectacular, but i think these might join her in the lily heaven yonder.  my mum was very ill in hospital after big operation and my innocent twin and i brought a bunch of lilies into her.  she giggled and asked will they bring in the coffin next?  according to her, you put them on the coffin, nothing else.

so every time i see the lilies i go beetroot red from the embarassment.  oh, the mother lived and lived and lived on!  bad luck came in one window and out the other on that day, i am glad to say.

spiky shoots are springing up in the front. i have a suspect they may be archichokes or whatever you spell em…time will tell.

i am loving the home and garden and the rest is catching up but not quite as fast as i would like but all is fine.

all the best, keep digging! 

The administrator for fixing that ad so it does not interfere with looking at members pictures!

Thank You! 

About my garden: In my own house just over 3 years now and have spent a lot of money developing my garden to the way that i want. when my garden blooms this year i cant wait as i have a wall full of rose’s… Range of colors are Red, Pink, Purple and Yellow also have a few skaterd flowers Hyacinth’s & Viola’s. Just started my own little green house aswell that contaisns Potato’s, Carots, cuecumber’s, Cabage, colly-flower, beatroot & Tomato’s

I got out in the garden today and got stuck in  i made a small bed in the big garden and planted some plants into it it’s not much but a start i only have another 390 feet to go LOL!!!  i will be like a mole  dig! dig! dig!   i put in Hostas and others i dont know what they are, kindly given to me by Jemo at the get together,skimmia  hollyhocks, primulas,broom, and achillia among others i dont know the names of,  kindly given to me by garden.iers  i also put in some Echinacea, finished that at around 2p.m i will put up photos tomorrow..

Then  i got stuck in to the front for a tidy up  i dug up all the aqualeiga as they were taking over the bed, and i also dug up a succulant that was also takind over i’m going to have to find a place for them where they can spread all they like i think the bottom of the garden down by the fence would be ideal or up on the high bank might be better. i put in a climbibg rose at the arch hopefully that will be nice i also put down loads of bulbs i will tell you tomorrow what they are, i also planted lots of single head Dahlias  and Nerine bulb’s, i’m hoping to get some Lilac and Lavatera and Budleigh in the garden centre next week to plant ,i have cherry trees and rhodos  to go down next week as they have been in pots for years, as well as some ornamental trees and all my seeds have to be sown this week…

got some work done in mum in laws yesturday, so out of steam today, i think a day for a hot choclate and a garden magazine today, well thats what its going to be cause i cant get going at all. 

tomorrow is an other day and i have so much to sort out, if i am up to it later i will sieve some compost for tomorrow we will see  

 

I smile to
myself  as I survey my very new Blue and
Hot beds.   I have no idea how they will
work out in the first year.  I am just
planting what I think are suitable coloured plants without much attention to
how they will get on with their neighbours. 
Some may be swamped by some vigorous lad.  Others will be hidden by taller companions.
So next Autumn it will be moving moving and more moving. Though maybe I should
leave them until next Spring and give them time to get bigger and
stronger.  I am still moving plants in
the most established bed, I suppose that it is the essence of gardening and it
is exciting.  The blue bed will be
reasonably ok as there are only blue, light yellow and white plants there. The
hot bed is going to be something else!! It will definitely not be hot enough
the first year and I  fear a lot of pink
has found its way there. Rachel sadly Pink Brushes seems to be doing well in
its new spot…..bah and humbug. Then there is the constant battle with Brambles
reappearing. It is hard to believe what this area was like a mere 6 months ago.
Hawthorn trees and thick brambles. The latter are doing their best to make a
come back and sprouting up all over the bed, cheek of them. no cure for this
except constant removal. Behind this bed is Rat central and the Calor gas tank
with a huge vivid warning notice stuck on it!! I have put a trellis in front of
this and planted tall grasses below in the hope they may cover it. You will
appreciate I am not too happy working in that area but think it will need a
taller climber. So armed with Maisie as protection I may have to approach that
area soon. ugh. Bruno has kindly given me a division of a very tall grass which
hopefully will hide the side of Rat central. Maybe next year if there are other
divisions available my good friend will give me another bit and that will
really hide the tank.  Oh dear this has
turned into a muse !! 

firstly,

the barrel is finally tested out as – B for Busted!!

it leaks, so i will either get a hammer and see if i can bang gently the slats that will not go back into place, they are only a little out so even this may be causing the leak. worth a try.

C definitely for Cherry.

i am ruminating on cherries, i know nothing about them other than they are gorgeous.

with my centre isalnd in the large garden i want a tall but small, (er), yes, Cherry behind the main feature there. so that it acts like a wee umbrella to all underneath it.

I would love a cherry that gave a long life display of blossoms and if anyone here could recommend one i would so appreciate it.

it isnt too late to plant is it?

touching darkness last night i planted in the rhubarb which was a gift, felt it needed to touch soil before very long (it isnt a veggie i can eat but someone will no doubt! i used to love it, but crohns doesnt).

something is UP in the veggie plot, i see small seedling heads but what they are is anyone’s guess.

DO NOT have a person watch you planting and engage in conversation at the same time.

the feet go everywhere so do the seeds, well, they dont get ‘scattered’ but you do so you forget where you CAREFULLY planted.

Do i have three rows of peas?

Do i have two of onions, well i defo have them strawberries cos i can SEE em!

sunflower seedlings got potted up and staked last night as well.

wandering around my new neighbourhood i have spotted some lovely little displays.

it is all open plan and i wonder if a wee plastic bag and a scissors before Dawn is ethical or even brave!?  Everywhere i go i see the sharpness of blades and the gnashing of metal, upon small tenders that have to be MINE, all MINE..but i am not brave…will I be brave enough to ASK rather than go chop?

I just cannot tell. 

i just might be brave, but i donno if i can..i want to be…but CAN I? that is the question.

Instead of the usual grass verge a guy or gal has planted up a bed of ground cover and grasses and shapes of other growth is also coming through.

i love it.

Can I and Will I ENGAGE with the occupant and ASK, what is that?  and while you’re at it, What is THAT?

it would beat belting out a silver birch with my now deceased van.

I still yearn for the darn mini water lily but thus far the water flows and flows and shouldnt and wont stay enough before entering the sewage system which is not becoming to a dainty water lily.

I am now a part timer, for sure.

Its called Job sharing… I do ‘Health’ in the morning or for two hours at most, then i do "playtime’ for the rest, but actually someone is sleeping on the job for i am doing more of one than on the other.

i am very frustrated about it, but lets hope the co-workers in Health will get a shape up or the chop, i just yearn for that too! 

Meanwhile B is for Plan B, but so far, no Plan B.  And G is for Gall Stones, which I still have on my person! 

 

I garden on about an acre just outside Nenagh, near to Dromineer. My favourite plants are herbaceous- delphiniums, lupins,phlox and oriental poppies in the summer- with daffodils, tulips and hellebores being my spring favourites- also dicentra,pulmonaria, hostas to name a few.

I like to have a lot of colour in the garden throughout the year – anything to lift the grey sky – most importantly I like to work in the garden every day

Its important to me that my garden is bird friendly- so I plant to attract insects etc and do not use sprays- I also keep some poultry- call ducks to eat the slugs, bantams and also Dewlap Toulouse geese for the fun of it.

The sudden drop in temp forced me indoors today- spent most of the day on the computer updating photographs and working on my facebook page- whilst watching the hailstones! Joined Garden.ie- and so my first post- tried to upload photos here but failed miserably- any ideas, anyone?

I have had trouble uploading photos to the site over the last two nights. A message saying ”Not enough space on Disc” comes up.

I know other members have had problems also, so am doing a journal so those who have had a problem can comment also.

Not sure if it’s a server or .ie issue, but am confident you will check it out and keep us informed.

Many thanks as ever. 

do you know if the Ask Gerry site is not working tonight?

 

its telling me i have entered an invalid subscription number

nope, no huffing and puffing but blowing and galing around this place.

what happened, you have guessed…my nice new walk in plastic shed had been taken by a pig of a wind and blown down and over.

 what i saw when i went up to it in hail storms was a mixture of pots, compost and not a lot else as any new life was smothered in the volcano of peat onto the valley below.

we had disaster! if i was a commercial grower i now see a veritable famine.

as a beginner in plastics and pots i see, pots and disaster.

i will never even know one seedling from another, so no spinach, no tomatoes, no nothing!

well whats to be done whats to be done..the shed, frigging shed, plastic is battened down with bricks and we start all over again..i guess…but i only guess on this…tomorrow i get jabbed with botox in me neck for me sins.

as i spoke to twin in the storms…i must have done sommut awful wrong in a past life, to take out me seedlings etc in this one! 

A friend called to see me to day and she had a gardening query – she bought a lot of bulbs in the Autumn daffodils and tulips and for a variety of reasons she never got around to planting them she is wondering what she should do with them now any advice?

"Situated in Kiltegan Village, Patthana is one of the best small secret gardens in the country.  Standing outside the old granite house one gets no indication at all of the magical courtyard garden that lies behind the wooden gates.  TJ arrived in the mid-nineties, taking over the house and tattered garden on what he explained was nothing more than a whim.  Without any previous experience, he took to gardening, and went through the place like a whirlwind.  The result is a delight.  Patthana is a garden I wish I had created.Shirley Lanigan The 100 Best Gardens in Ireland

Patthana is a small village garden set on many levels consisting of a lower courtyard area with a wildlife pond and upper garden consisting of mixed borders with many unusual plants.  Patthana was the county and provincial winner for Leinster in The Irish Garden Viking awards in 2008 and is featured in Shirley Lanigan’s The 100 Best Gardens in Ireland.

The garden is open to visitors and groups in August by appointment only.  The garden is not suitable for children.  No dogs allowed.  Tea/Coffee and cakes available upon request.  Limited plants for sale.

Directions: From the N81 in Baltinglass take the R747 for Hacketstown.  The two storey granite house is in the village opposite the green and is marked by the aubergine-coloured wooden gates.  Alternatively the garden can be approached from many other routes.

Thankfully before this cold snap hit us…it was full steam ahead on Monday…so the grass got another cutting…Hubby sowed his new veggie raised bed with parsnips and turnips, also sowed courgette seeds in pots for later planting out in this new bed! I got some more onionsets planted to replace the ones that went missing, sprinkled paprika around them..a tip from the internet..so they should be less attractive to predators. Also sowed Little Gem, Radish and beetroot under cloche and planted out early peas too….so happy to have got this much done.

The weather change has scuppered plans to play golf with our Son who is visiting from Australia as the course was closed due to ‘snow’ 🙁 but never mind we can’t legislate for the weather and some plan ‘B’ s have been put in operation.

Its batten down the hatches for today but we all should be up and running again soon.

Happy Easter everyone!

i got some seeds of a tree paeony and hardy pineapple lily and i was just wondering if these need heat or what i have to do to get them to grow, got hem form the container that was going around  at the christmas get together. i have stuff that i got from many of you yet to sow and that will be done asap hopefully someone can tell me what to do. the rhus typhinia that i got off fran will get a new pot and compost and will be nurtured for a good while yet. next year for my open day i will have stuff worth giving to you all as i am sowing loads of stuff now that will be nice and bulky for next year

today i uploaded a journal with a picture no problem and now i have tried several times and getting ‘ERROR’ again, I use internet explorer usually so i decide to try on Firefox instead and the same thing, i wish we could get some sort of answer to why this is happening and to get it fixed it is very frustrating. So if anyone is experiences problems again maybe we should get on the I.T team again.

Some events are happening over the next few weeks I thought some folk might be interested in.

Sunday/Monday 8/9 April

Plant fair at Farmleigh House 10.00 – – 5.15pm in the paddocks at the house paddock fields.

Mount Venus Nursey 14/15 April, Woodland Gardening. Plants for all kinds of shade. Help and advice on plants and planting.

Dublin Alpine Soc. Sat. 28 April. 1.00–5.00pm Cabinteeley Community School. of N11. Sales, Show plants, Specialist Nurseries in attendance with plants for sale. Admin €3. 

I will be at Farmleigh, but will be at 10.00 on Sunday as I have to be back home early. 

 

 

Just having a bit of a rant about my lawnmower – I HATE petrol mowers! – and mine is supposed to be "foolproof" !!!! It has "Key Start" and "Self Drive" so it should be a doddle – except that the Key Start only works sometimes and now the Self Drive is giving problems too! I’m disgusted. It cost €500 less than two years ago. What a poor investment!

Ok – Rant over!

Having cut the lawns in the front I gave up and retreated into the greenhouse. Spent a happy hour potting up some of the bare-rooted plants-in-waiting and then ventured out and planted some of them in the more sheltered areas of the garden! It was an interesting experience watering these plants with the wind trying to blow the water back into the hose-pipe!

Hi Everyone – I found that if I uploaded my Journal without the picture it seemed to load ok. Seems like we are victims of our own success!!!! We are posting so much stuff that we appear to have filled up all the disk space for Garden.ie :-0

 

 

I use Chrome and trying to see if this works, but I got the same error message. Trying it without posting a picture now!

Hope everyone will feel better for Easter! 

Due to a period of inactivity, Garden.ie has automatically logged you out to protect your privacy. You may continue to browse the site, or log in again to resume a Member session.

I just got this!!!!!!?? 

Hi Guys

As you’re probably aware, we’re having some issues with the website at the moment. If you’ve sent me a mail already and I haven’t replied, be assured that I’ve got it and are working with the technical team to sort out the problem asap.

Thanks for your patience

Craig@Garden.ie 

I’ve just been told that the gremlins in the system have been rectified.  If anyone notices any more problems please let me know!

Popped out to the garden centre at lunchtime and bought a lovely pink Leprospermum "Charmer" which I’ve planted to cover the unsighgtly woody base of my buddleja. I had a lovely red Leptospermum which died during the frosts of 2009, so looking forward to seeing this one in flower!

I also planted a lovely "Geisha Red" Azalea will add some lovely colour to the front of my bed!