Month: April 2013

These plants were happy to feel a bit of sun

SaxifragaWallflower
Pansies and Euphorbia

Took a pic of wisteria this morning and its looking like this is going to be flowering well despite my misgivings this year. beautiful flower and scent.

wisteria amethyst falls

Having just posted a journal showing Celandine in a good light I have to admit that my efforts to contain this pretty thug continue unabated!

I had a very productive day yesterdsy – first cut the grass (now takes a total of half an hour) and then shredded the buddliea trimmings and some other branches of stuff. Next step was to mix the grass cuttings and the shreddings and make another layer on the compost heap that was turned the other day. 

After that I took a break and after lunch I tackled the Oak Bed – that area in front of the house where the Cornus Controversa is – which was pretty covered with Celandine. I suppose I could be grateful that the Celandine is so successful that few other weeds dare show their faces!

The big surprise was just how much is planted in that bed – these plants and bulbs were completely overshadowed by the Celandine – so another barrow full of them was removed đŸ™‚

I have now discovered where I planted those woodland bulbs I got last autumn LOL! The Chinodoxa and Scillas are looking like they want to spread, as do the snowdrops! I got some Anemone Nervosa in johnstown this year and it is really looking good!

Mind you, there is still an awful lot of bare ground in this bed so thats my cue to plant out some of those seedlings that are outgrowing their pots in the coldframe!

Oak bed

After all the bad press I’ve given Celandine over the past while I just have to post this photo of a corner of my garden where Celandine is the star of the show! This corner also contains the first bit of the native Bugle ( the little blue flowers at the bottom) 

I’m experimenting with this corner this year – just removing the “thugs” such as thistles, nettlers etc. ANd letting the other wild flowers have their way! It it doesn’t work out there’s always Roundup LOL

Celandine Corner

Hurray! Hubby fixed the greenhouse step. The doors can now be opened without a firm pushing down on the step accompanied by a lifting up of the door, and all to the sound of a high-pitched grating noise!

I spent some time cutting Santolina hard back as I noticed it was sprouting from low down. But I have cuttings as back-up, just in case.

I did some more mulching.

I was delighted to see Meconopsis paniculata has germinated, Amelanchier canadensis in flower and Glaucidium palmatum is going to flower (I thought it had died).

Amelanchier canadensis

aka the common Cowslip,

have to say, don’t think there as anything common about them at all.

I have been growing Nicotiana sylvestris for many years now. I find it is very easy to germinate and grow on and is useful for sticking into gaps in the late summer border.

Last year I tried Nicotiana Tinkerbell and Nicotiana langdorfii. I really liked the Tinkerbell but since it is an F1 decided not to invest in more seeds this year but to try to use up some of the seeds I have. (I could open a shop!) I wasn’t really impressed by N. langsdorfii as it was much smaller than I expected and didn’t have the impact I wanted.

So, this year I’m back to just the N. sylvestris. I potted on about 10 plants this evening into 4″ pots and still have many more seedlings to pot on. I will move them on again into larger pots before I plant them out as substantial plants. I think based on the name that they can take a bit of shade as well, which will be useful.

Nicotiana sylvestris 2011N. langsdorfii
N. Tinkerbell

This is one of my favourite acers. It’s going to find its ‘forever home’ tomorrow.

Acer ribesfoliumAcer Ribesfolium

Somone gave me this Euphorbia last year, may have been Clara. I planted it in Angela’s corner late last year.

I love it.

But I also spotted two new shoots of the same little plant, great stuff I hear you say, yep I have to agree,

but……………

these new plants were 12/14 inches away from the main plant,

this may be trouble, but worth it, me thinks.

EuphorbiaNew shoot, 12'' away.

Here’s the other sort of Lysichiton, this one being camtschatcensis.
It’s a bit smaller in all parts that the yellow one in my last journal. With this species there can be no argument, it smells lovely, very sweet and is a real beauty.

It’s growing at a National Trust property called Downhill on the north coast, it’s a small garden that has loads of potential but sadly that’s unrealised, hopefully they’ll improve it at some point in the future.

Lysichiton camtschatcensis

This is growing in my Alpine Circle and has become ‘way’ out of hand. It’s spreading all across the circle. Day off tomorrow so I hope to thin this one out and pot up lots for anyone who wants it.

Photo cannot possibly do it justice. It’s a gorgeous shade of pale blue which is impossible to capture on camera, and a definite ‘doer’.

Phlox subulata 'McDaniels Cushion'

Last Thursday my puter went to the Doctor suffering from the terminal result of having a full cup of tea spilled over the keyboard.  I will not have it back until the end of this week. Meanwhile and with much gratitude I am using a Mac on long loan from Bruno. But there are two ways of getting mail, one on which I am able to reply the other on which I receive but can’t reply. Well I am sure one can but I don’t know how.

Anyway I noticed there were no mails coming via Garden.ie so just thought it must be a slow time until tonight I go to the other mail box and find loads of mails referring to postings in .ie. Some of these alluded to two of my postings. So most sorry for not acknowledging any comments you made , did not know they were there!!
Don’t know how to import pics either on the Mac, have done it but can’t remember……senior moments…thus no photos posted for a while or until I get the other puter back.

So pleased to have the Mac , a little dote it is!!

 

 

 

 

 

This hellebore i bought at the start if March has been flowering now for about 6 weeks and even still more to open, absolutley brilliant plant . I had to prop it up as it was weighed down with flowers. 

I have added an album of this years tulips so far in my garden if anyone wants a look.

Today,was that day,when i could take photos of all my Sanguinarias in flower.First ones is almost done,other in full bloom,third just opened.

Sanguinaria canadensis,or Blood root.Sanguinaria canadensis,flora pleno
Sanguinaria canadensis, ''Star''

This was a great day for getting some gardening done, dry and sunny. I started off by re-potting some plants that had been sitting about since last year and needed a boost. 

Then put a good mulch around some roses, before cutting the grass in the Lower Garden. Not that there was much grass on it but it did make it look neater. Then back to mulch some more roses. 

Sowed some more Cosmos “Purity” as the first sowing has very few seedlings coming up.

It is lovely to see the garden filling out and looking colourful again, I took the camera out for a picture of my Spirea and then took some more! When I put them up on the computer now I realize that the three plants are white!

Spirea snowmoundMagnolia stellata
Bergenia

I made a decision yesterday to finally finish the area for shake and rake and finally get it down. So i got home from work and started on the half of the area that i had to finish. I dug and dug and dug and put all that aside and just sivved through the whole lot adding small stones and compost as i went along. I took about 3 hours or so to complete as it was nearly dark when i was finishing up but spread the seed and raked in and gave a good water. I was fairly tired after all the sivving but very happy to have it down. I put down two different boxes of seeds so here’s hoping i get a good display. It is a mixture of colour this year.


Seeds that were used

So this little dwarf rhododendron goes really well in my Acid Triangle. It’s been in my garden about 2 or 3 yrs and is only about 12 inches. Perfect for small spaces, or a pot. Love its purple leaves too.

Rhododendron 'Ginny Gee'Rhododendron 'Ginny Gee'
Rhododendron 'Ginny Gee'

i have got this area cleared, i could have done with one of scrubbers cherubs or even a crowbar as i had a very stubbourn phygelis to get rid of. it had gone out of control and i was sick of it there. my nieghbour gave me the pic axe to use on it an did a job on it. i got the majority of the stones out whats left can be dug in, i want to extend it out a bit more as i have alot of stuff for there. 

i am so glad i got that done just dig it over and add some FYM and compost and i can plant in it then. i have weeding to do then i can plant all the stuff in the waiting area which has loads of divisons and stuff that was sown last year but only ready to go out now. plan to get a lot of weeding done next week as we are promised good weather for the weekend and in to next week YIPEEE maybe the summer is finally coming. here”s hoping !!!!!!!!!!!!!.

 the third picture of a yellow flower i can not think of the name the brain is on strike this evening i just can t remember it just spotted it yesturday evening 

from thisto this

Some of you may be tired of yellow at this stage, I confess I am a little myself, but I defy anyone not to like these yellow tulips.

Love the splash of red...orange is good too.
Hosta coming along nicely

One of my two Echium pininana has become a casualty of the lawn mower.

Do you see the decapitated stem to the left of the photo, under the shade of the tree? :'(

It was taller than me but stuck out at an awkward angle.

It was never in an ideal spot but I didn’t plant it, it just seeded there.

We have a patch of wild arum in the corner of the border, last year it came into thick leaf and then died off without flowering. It’s spread in amongst a geranium and the geranium’s died – the other 2 geraniums nearby are both fine and growing well so I wonder has anyone come across arums killing off neighbouring plants? I’m tempted to dig up the roots when it’s died off and replant it in the woodland border. 

This lad comes across the garden several times every morning, giving poor Oascar a heart attack every time. He’d love to get out there and chase him off but if the hare ran across the road Oscar would go after him without a second look. So far he hasn’t nibbled any of the border plants, but one bite of my perennials and the dog’s coming out! 

Framed!Hiding behind a tree
A very frustrated dog

I spotted Rachel’s photo of her Crambe which has prompted me to tell you my story about this plant.  Are you sitting comfortably

On my first Opening Day last year one of my first visitors was Helen,  a gardener who lives just over a mile from me.  She wanted some of my cowslips.  Earlier this year I got in touch with her – she invited me over to her garden (a lovely woodland gdn which she has been tending for 30 years) and during the tour pointed out the Crambe just poking through the ground.  Well I was beside myself as I had only seen this once in bloom when I went to an Open Gdn in Castlebar last June.  Helen said I was welcome to a piece but it was a tough thing to get out of the ground.  She suggested I go home, get Peter to come over with a spade, which we did – If there was a  medal for ‘racing home to get a spade and returning speedily with same’  I would have won the Gold!!!!  Home we went,  triumphant,  with the tough snarled woody piece of Crambe.  I potted up 4 good pieces which have now rooted!!!  The snarled piece I also potted wondering at the time if anything would come of it – well to my amazement it is sprouting new shoots in all directions.   I thank my lucky stars that I got the gift of ‘the love of gardening’ with all the enjoyment and surprises it brings’!!!

Crambe maritima cuttings!!

Love this little primula which opened yesterday

Primula 'Ken Dearman'

I have a medium sized garden. I have roses and I grow container fruit – Blackberries Blueberries (6 Varieties)   strawberiies(two varieties), loganberry, jostaberry,boysenberry tayberry Raspberries including Black Jewel, japanese wineberry cox pippen apple tree, cherry tree, Two humbug pear tree,and a Tummelberry bush.