Month: February 2014

This little plant is just coming into its own now. Has some lovely deep pink/red flowers on it. The scent fom them is amazing too.  

Also have a few daffs trying their best to open. Photos aren’t great but third photo is the daff which opened just at Christmas and still going strong. 

In between the rain and wind came the sun yesterday, well just a peep. 

So ran out to check the planter at the dining room window. This little Anemone is doing great and lots more buds waiting to open too.  I’ve lots of different bulbs planted in here. So looking forward to some colour soon. I see lots of tips appearing. 

I was dragged kicking and screaming to IKEA late last year LOL

I had to eat my words as we approched the cash desk, there were all kinds of bits and bobs of things for sale. I spotted a few interesting containers that were added to the trolley.

Two of these were planted up yesterday, all I had to do was drill a few holes near the base and I had two fine strong pots.

The designer saw a waste paper bin,

I saw a flower pot and at €1 I think I won out.

Taken from my kitchen window.Can you see the fishing Trawler on the way back to kilmore Quay 

Well, I think Aldi and Lidl can take a lot of credit for getting us all fired up to get out to our gardens at last. Days are becoming longer, temps SHOULD improve too. And the planting urge is getting stronger and stronger.

Unfortunately I had no opportunity for gardening yesterday because of the rain, and had a physio session in the afernoon. But I’m beginning to see some signs of the little bit of effort I’ve put into the garden in recent weeks. Still have a long way to go though.

Happy February, everyone.

Today the sun decided to visit Laois for a while this afternoon so I took full advantage – having picked up a few goodies in Lidl it was time for a bit of planting – so the Sarcococca that I got in Johnstown was finally planted along with the latest Helebore and a couple more things – even planted some seeds – Lavender from Lidl. Never grew lavender from seed before so I’ll be interested to see what comes up. they are on the heated propagator in the greenhouse so should be ok even if the weather gets cold.

I also tidiied up the helebores – I have quite a few now from my own seedlings and I’m very happy to see that some of the seedlings are definitely Helebores Niger and I’m delighted to see that there are some Helebores Orientalis as well!

The last task – which I didn’t finish till dark – was to deal with the pretty Lychnis flos-cuculi otherwise known as Ragged Robin. now people who read my journals will know that I generally welcome invasive and spreading plants – but I have to put my hands up and admit that Ragged Robin was too much for me!

While it has a very pretty pink flower and flowers for quite a long time in the summer, its seedlings were definitely OTT. They formed a dense carpet for about a metre around the parent plant. It was so dense that the other little woodland plants in that area hadn’t a chance!  The only solution was down on the knees and pull them all up! Apart from anything else the seedlings themselves are far from pretty.

In removing the seedlings I liberated a number of those pretty snowdrops but sadly I seem to have lost the delicate white Wood Anemones that were there last year. I’ll be interested to see in daylight just how good I was at getting the little perishers out!!!!

Anois teacht an earraigh

beidh an lá ag dul chun síneadh,

Is tar éis na féil Bríde

ardóidh mé mo sheol.

St Brigids day, the first of February, always brings this little snatch of poetry to my mind. Although the controversy as to when we count the beginning of Spring breaks out every year, I think the hope expressed in this poem is where we optimistic gardeners feel that Spring is definitely on the way!

Translation:

Now coming of the Spring

the day will be lengthening,

and after St. Bridget’s Day

I shall raise my sail.

To celebrate I’m putting up my January album!

I even went to a class on Thursday to learn how to make a St Brigid’s Cross! It was great fun. They are usually made from reeds but can also be made in willow so I think I might be experimenting with that in the future!

Another bad spell off weather as wind and rain and indeed sleet have paid a visit.Damage to the tunnel needs a check upon [30 cm cut] thanks to the neighbours trees.Could be worse.

The beets and turnips [2 seeds each pot] have been started as planned.The dog [Charlie] has left skid marks in places around the garden,with being happy despite the rain.

The bird feeders have been kept topped up.The weather is cruel on them in their way..No plans for Sunday except a short visit tomorrow morning in the greenhouse.

Part of the true leaves have appeared in tomatoes, sown in early January, they were potted up to day. I suppose some didn’t sow the seeds yet!

In keeping with other members who have posted photos of their gardens following Claires idea, I decided to post some general photos of mine. 

I have been waiting for this Hyacinth to open and today I heard a bang in the hall down it went bent over with the weight …..but back it went into the pot hopefully it will stay flowering for another while …well I got a nice few photos of it …even if I say so myself …..the smell from it is just amazing .

Earlier this morning i decided to spend a little time in the greenhouse.I noticed the polypots were facing me each time i entered there to sow seed,so i decided to give them their time swimming.Only took about an hour,so not to bad.After drying them on a long tray holder in the tunnel i moved moved them back to the greenhouse.

Hope was to draw up plans for the week evenings ahead,but i hear visitors have just arrived.The plans will have to wait a little longer.

About an hour ago i looked through the seed trays in the tunnel and the temp,has dropped quite a bit from earlier today.All are covered up well until first light in the morning.We will see if the weather is on our sides this week.Lets hope it is.

ClaireE and Clara, I have two that I bought in Aldi long before Christmas. Both had been very slow to take off. But as you can see, one has only leaves so far. The other one will obviously flower before the leaves appear. So it must depend on the variety?

Some members here are meeting up at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin this coming Saturday. I know this clashes with an already scheduled visit to Altamont. But it’s an outing that doesn’t require too far to travel for most of us (sorry Moya). And let’s face it, who wants to be travelling very far in weather like this.

January was 70% above normal for rainfall, and about a months’ worth is lkely to fall this week. More stormy weather forecast for Friday, and into Saturday. 

Meeting at 11.00am, strolling around the gardens and glasshouses, and on for a spot of lunch to the local pub. A nice way to spend a few hours. And if the weather proves to be bad, we can always take shelter in the glasshouses. All welcome!

I’m taking full advantage of any dry weather we are having at the moment and today there were quite a few hours before the storm sprang up again.  I spent some time on the Oak Woodland and got about half of it tidied up, adding severl barrow-load of leaves to the leaf-mould pile. After a quick lunch ( was afraid to delay in case the weather changed) I tackled another bit of my latest project – trying to get rid of some more grass and this is involving trying to create a terraced effect where the lawn is at present. Today’s task involved putting some pretty good-sized rocks along the edge of the topmost level (no photos till it actually looks like something). 

I have had a pile of large stones and small rocks put aside for just this task. I began by loading a couple of rocks into the wheelbarrow and set off down to their new home and they were quickly positioned and then back for more! At this point I thought I heard a little voice whispering to me “take it easy – two small loads are better than one large one” – of course the explanation was that Cherub had come visiting again! I think he likes my garden because I’m always trying to sort out stones in it too! So paying attention to the esteemed expert in the rock-oving business I took much smaller loads from then on. Next time I needed him was when I needed to move a rock that was too heavy for me to lift. As usual he had the answer – “Come on, silly woman, get the trolley” – so a couple of bigger rocks found their way to their new homes in no time!

And he even managed to persuade the rain to stay away until I got the bit I was working on finished! He is such a help! I hope Scrubber didn’t miss him or I’ll be in trouble …..

And when the sun was out I spotted this little Euphorbia just starting its lovely Spring rowth of red! Amazing to think that by Summer the whole plant will be a lovely shade of wine!

This is one of the Hellebores i bought in lidl last week and had 2 buds on it when bought so was delighted to see this opened today. It’s still on my kitchen table as it is just too miserable to go out in the garden. Very bad weather here again today with wind and rain. Quite like the doubles, will try plant it out at the weekend if it clears up.

Just a quick note to say”  keep safe and enjoy the trip to the bots….

I was doing a clear-up on the Oak Woodland today. One of my favourite plants inthat area is the Helleborus Argutifolius Corsicus that Moya was admiring in the Botanic Gardnes yesterday. Weeding under it I was delighted to find this little seedling. It is the first seedling I’ve got from this lovely plant.

So Moya – your name is on the seedling!

Have been planning on getting a Polytunnel. Want to grow plants for cut flowers and would like the polytunnel to prolong the flowering period. We are on a very exposed site so am a bit worried that it would not be suitable.

My Hubby just came to me with the idea of getting a conservatory (we had been planning on building one in the future anyway) and having an area in it for raised beds.

Anybody done this? Can it work?

Only want to grow plants that I am able to grow in garden anyway just for the season to last longer.

Good day in the gardan , swept up paths , dug one side of the tunnel , potted on my streptocarpus and other bits and pieces that were knocking  around. Pruned blackcurrant bushes and mulched them and the rhubarb. But best of all daughter landed a new full time  job ….happy days dispite snow on the mountain

I sowed a few trays of annuals and potted up some more pleiones today.

It was bitterly cold. I couldn’t be outdoors for very long.

I also worked with the SA seeds, rubbing off the outer shells of the leucospermum that had been soaking in paroxide and moving them to smoke primer liquid.

I was surprised by blooms on this funny green and black iris in the greenhouse, Hermodactylus tuberosa. It is really a novelty plant for me. I think it would be lost if I planted it out so it’ll stay in pots.

I posted a journal Euonymus ‘Emerald and Gold’ that I got in the Arbouretum on Saturday and it’s amazing winter colour.

When I planted it in a bigger pot I noticed another lablel on the pot saying it was Euonymus ‘Golden Harlequin’.

Joan commented that she had E. emerald and gold for years and had never seen winter colour like I had shown.

I spent a good while last evening googling both plants, lots of information on both but not a mention of this wonderful winter colour. I would think this would be a major point of interest for any plant that has a winter display like this.

This kind of thing really annoys me.

I am going to contact the Arbouretum to see if they can help explain this in any way.

Snowing here now so I have to stop transplanting stuff.

Yesterday, I made use of the fact that we had no rain here. No gardening as such was done but I decided to get at the gutters which had filled due to the fall of leaves late in 2013. The stuff that I collected will be useful for the garden. In some cases the downpipes were blocked but eventually they were cleared. Now if we get more rain it will flow as never before. To day, it was quite cold and while I was on the meals on wheels it didn’t seem to be as bad as forecast. Temperatures up to now seem to be above normal with so many flowering spring plants in bloom.  I took a photo of some crocuses which are right beside the snowdrops in a bed at the back of the house facing south.I noticed daffodils in bloom this morning but didn’t have the camera. We had all kinds of weather to day, very sunny after the frost then some rain, then a little snow and now the sun shines again. 

This shrub is of the category “pretty much ignored all of the time”, yet today I saw it looked like it was flowering. I was confused as it normally flowers in summer, not in the middle of winter. Looking at this more closely though, these pink “flowers” are actually new leaves I think!

It’s in my front garden, and I really don’t pay much attention to it, but it is quite lovely actually, and so, so so reliable! It’s branches are also great when they are cut and put in a vase.