Month: September 2013
The previous photo was the Sycamore taken fro the front of the house. Now this photo was taken from the other side between the Sycamore and the road.. There is a rose bed here, an Atlantic Cedar and a Monkey Puzzle. There are also two silver birchs and a Liquidambar, not shown. Yesterday, I took out the mower and mowed the lawn. There is a need for some rain after the mowing. I have found quite a lot of moss in the lawn so there is a need to feed it. Some ferrous sulphate should be used. To day, I watched the matches on TV. The senior game was great, real football. I thought near the end of the game that it would be a draw but the Dubs seemed to have more endurance and deserved to win. This the third time in 12 months one can say Jimmy’s winning matches.
Pumkin
I had lots of nice surprises today….some of which continue to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, long after everyone has gone and the garden is quiet again.
Thank you so much everyone…you’re unbelieveable and your thoughtfulness leaves me lost for words.
I’ve met some very special people on here, that’s for sure.
I would just like to say some big thank yous to my garden.ie friends for the following plants, which are looking good right now…
1) Agastache ‘Red Fortune’, grown from seed Myrtle kindly gave me in January. It is flowering now and looking like a good one. Thank you, Myrtle. I have some really choice plants from seed you have given me.
2) Ipheoin uniflorum, gifted to me by Paddy and Mary. Isn’t it a sweety but I’m not sure it’s supposed to flower now đŸ˜›
3) Zauschneria california ‘Dublin, came from Bruno two years ago and is looking beautifully orange right now. I hope the divisions I gave to people recently take. They should, as it seems quite a vigorous grower.
Having just talked about my experience of the French private Open Gardens Scheme, I think this might be a good time to mention my experience of the UK one.
During our recent gardening trip to UK, we managed to catch just one private garden. It came with excellent credentials though as the owner was a landscaper called Roger Platt, who had five Chelsea gold medals to his name, including Best Chelsea Show Garden in 2002.
I think I speak for all of us when I say we were disappointed.
The main problem with the garden, from my point of view, was the lack of colour. There wasn’t much in flower at all, and it early August.
There were some nice wooden arches and the whole garden was feed-free and properly edged (an RHS minimum requirement for participation). The view out of the garden and along a mown path through a field, was fabulous (photo one).
I will put up the few photos I took of the garden this afternoon.
I suppose the only lesson from my comments on this, and the French Open Garden scheme, is that you cannot judge much from viewing just one garden!
have been trying up load the other photos and after three attempts i will give it a while and try again
but am able to get out and do most things. Today is a day off if one disredards the watering but went down to slot in a small stone. Then thought Id remove a tiny bit of clay from behind stones-Now jacinta it was only a question of three or four shovels! But it made a great difference and I now have a new bit ‘the edge’. Not the U2 variety. It just emphasises the drop below the edge and the fact the stones are a tiny bit more exposed adds a lot to the edge quality. And serendipity it also ties in with the TT. path and a low wall that I was recently improving. Its great when things come together unexpectedly like that.
thank you all for the great advice etc in the last journal. when i read my journal again i felt like such a moaner but since i did that i relaxed about all that has to be done and just do what i am able to do i went out yesturday and took loads of photos at one stage i was lying on the grass taking photos if anyone looked in they would have thought i was looney and have me commited but when you are lying on the grass you get a totally different view of plants , it was so much fun i took so many photos and enjoyed every minute in the garden you are all so right about just enjoying it and thats what i intend to do. i ignored the weeds and just saw the beauty of it al.
the veg garden will be put to rest next year wont be doing any veg at all and i will be getting bark for the front so that when i weed it for winter and sow the bulbs it will be barked that will sort that out. the tunnel is completely empty i am not putting anything in until i have to, that cuts down on the watering that way if it rains it will take care of itself. i fed the dahlias and the patio plants in the front yesturday and planted the ones i got for half price in woodies last week that was the total of what i did and it was fun.
i have loads of the annual asters again this year and they are gorgeous rays of sunshine, i have a huge album to put up later.
last sunday we celebrated my litle nephews first bithday it was such a fast year
This has grown to a height of 140 cm and too big to bring indoors to photograph.
Bringing in one of the shoots didn’t work for a close up with a long exposure as it drooped quickly. It’s the last of the wildflowers in the garden this season not identified.
It started off as a stick which then opened up into leaves.
No flowers…….at first when the leaves were young I thought it was a Buddleia but now I know its not
its a boring plant so I think it will be going!!!
any ideas please on what it is?
It’s been such a busy few weeks that all my good intentions of putting up photos from the mad adventure went right out the window. Anyhow, it seems that the trip was well covered by the rest of the gang.
With my mums short illness and then her unexpected death last month, we haven’t had the garden open since the beginning of July, all events we had planned were cancelled. Normally we don’t really open in September, but there have been quite a few disappointed people and seeing as the season still looks ok, we have decided to have one last hoorah before we start chopping and changing the garden later in the autumn.
So the garden will be opened for the final time for 2013 on Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th September 2-6pm. Refreshments are included and children over 8 are welcome. I will also be having a little plant sale.
Had to go to Dublin today and only got home at about 7pm but it was lovely and sunny so I quickly changed into the gardening gear and went out to get the city out of my system …
Between then and nightfall I got a wheelbarrow full of potential compost from dead-heading and tidying the herbaceous border and the small pond bed! It’s a bit of a dilemma at this time of year – do I wait until every last flower on a plant has died before it gets the chop? Or do I do the tidy-up when the overall appearance is getting too bedraggled?
One of the tidy-ups was on the Lysimachia Punctata – all the colour has gone from the flowers and it was blocking the view of the other plants in the Small Pond bed. The dilemma was that if I cut it right down I would have an unsightly gap so instead I just cut it down to half height, leaving a pleasant green mound as a foil to the Sidalcea behind it. No photo as it was too dark!
But the best bit was that a quick walk around the woodland garden earlier and I found that one o my Oak Trees has its very first ACORNS!!!!
Mind you, the leaves don’t look great ….. and the companion tree has an outbreak of “Oak Apples” but i understand they don;t harm the tree!
So since it is now after midnight (took a long time to catch up on all your journals!) so Summer is officially over!
Welcome Autumn ……
I was at malahide castle gardens yesterday, the first time since the restoration work finished.The gardens looked really good, and great to see the walled garden now open.
