Month: May 2014
A strange thing happened today. The tour leader of a German garden group had told me that she felt the fairies in our garden. She was so enchanted by me greeting her at the gateway with a gardeners hand – covered in mud from planting, that at the end of the tour she wanted to take a photo of my hand. She zoomed in with her high-end Canon camera and clicked. But there was no photo. Again and again she tried with the same result each time. No photo. Giving up, she walked over to a rose bush and hey presto, photos galore. Coming back to me she patted my hand and offered an explanation. “The fairies say this is their hand and they do not wish anybody to take a photo of it”
I was lucky enough to visit a fungi factory in Spain last week. It was fascinating to see how they are produced commercially. Have alook at the album and see what you think.
This beauty caught my eye at work yesterday, growing from small container but managing to produce huge blooms. Anyone recognize it ?
A lovely day to be out in the garden again, we have been cutting hedges and John weeded the veg garden, sowed a row of beetroot. I trimmed the Heathers and made up another hanging basket using a new variety of Petunia called kermit and miss piggy its pale yellow and pink its very different I will put up a pic next time.
It was great to see Fran and Clare here today, despite the appalling weather.
They put on a brave face but I think we had fun all the same.
I took no photos but thought I’s put up this tree dahlia instead.
It is one I grew from seed last year, Dahlia imperialis.
Thanks a million for coming, guys.
While I have had other types of rose, the Bush Roses are here now, Tea Roses and Florabundas.
This is a great shrub, with really beautiful foliage. It literally lights up the area where it’s planted, with its bright yellow/green leaves. Because we don’t have that much space we keep it small by pruning it every year, but I would say that if it was allowed to grow to its full size it would be even more beautiful… It is deciduous so goes bare in winter, but I always look forward to seeing the new leaves appear. Quite hardy from what I can see, the very cold winters of 2009 and 2010 did not affect it at all.
when it involves a trip to Douentza, Rachel’s wonderful garden in Wexford.
Clare and myself headed to Wexford this morning. I have seen this garden several times now, but this I think was the first time at this time of the year. As ever with this garden, it did not disappoint.
Rachel, you were the main topic of conversation on our way home. Main question been, how does she do it? and where does she get here enegry? The garden really and truly is a credit to you.
It was great to meet up with you and have a chat, as ever the time just flew by.
Rachel is opening her garden on 12/13 of July, I am adding an album to show what is in store for you.
Sorry we brought the rain Rachel, but it was sunny when I left Shankill, clouds only started when I collected Clare in Bray 😉
Thank you for a lovely afternoon.
This Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’ cast a tiny ray of sunshine in the very wet and miserable garden today.
It should look even nicer when the Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ is in flower.
Candleabra primulas. I have seen them growing profusely in other gardens and seeding with gay abandon. But here they really struggle though planted in areas which they should like. This year they are very bad only a few returning. So if any of you kind iers have the type that seed around would you ever pot on a few for me? I could try them in other areas and hope for better results cos I love them. Thankyouverymuch.
Over the next half hour or so I will update my latest photo album. Hope You enjoy them. Shown is the wonderful species, R.mallotum.
Here is the first Cosmos to open in my garden this year.
The seeds were collected from plants I had from last year , so pleased with that.
Look forward to seeing lots more too 🙂
is look out at it!!!
Maybe later
Well after years of waiting we are all booked to go to Bloom. I can’t wait. When the West Coast line opened we decided we’d get the train up from Athenry, well what a disaster – the station was terribly signposted and it took us 45 minutes to find it (and Athenry is not a big place!), then we couldn’t find the station car park. We finally got there with mins to spare to be told by a spotty youth that tickets were €60 each and that the advertised €10 tickets were online and from Galway. So we said we’d drive up on the motorway, but by the time we’d got lost finding the next junction we were so fed up we had a row and went home…..
Then for some years I wouldn’t have been able to walk round it, and for the last two years I’ve been post-op. But now we’ve booked the early train from Ennis (cheap too!) and we can’t wait.
Anyone else going up on Sunday?
Watching the Chelsea coverage and it struck us both that there seemed to be three things going on at once. The presenters were obsessed with black plants, the garden designers were heavily into soft blue and white, and the floral marquee was rainbow-hued and as multicoloured as possible. I would hate to see Joe Swift’s garden, it must be like a funeral parlour! :0
The weather has just been atrocious. It just hasn’t stopped raining and The mood has been very grim.
Unfortunately yesterday, Sunday, was a very very sad day for us here
One of our dogs, our beloved Scamp passed away.
He was 16, so old for a Westie but a pure pet of a dog and so so loyal. We had him since he was 12 weeks old. So very sad and upsetting. We took him to the vet at 7am and said our goodbyes. Happened so fast as I had him out walking on Saturday for a few minutes. But hopefully he is at peace now.
Im hoping the weather will improve soon so it will lift our spirits again 🙂
I was home just before six after a busy day in work. It was a quick change and I was out into the garden, it really is great to be able to get 3 hours work out there at the end of a day. The evening was even on my side as it just improved and improved weather wise.
Most of the Crug plants are now planted, I spent a lot of time over the last few days placing them here, moving them there, checking google to be sure they were in the right place.
Some other bits and pieces, along with the on going weeding.
I am continuing my plan of softening all the hard landscaping where ever I can. Really pleased with the results.
Glass of Vino and it’s ‘cheers’ from me 😉
Geum Princes Juliana and Dianthus Sooty. While the Dianthus has not opened yet, it’s foliage looks great against the Geum.
I’m hoping it will work even better when both flowers are open.
Spotted this one through the rain this morning and ran out to take a photo in case I didn’t see it again.
It dried up nicely for the afternoon so I decided to stake up all my sagging poppies and accidentally knocked the flower off. Duh! But plenty more on their way to opening.
I thought it was ‘Beauty of Livermere’. Gracedieu posted a photo of this yesterday, but mine is more orange than red.
It was such a wet dreary day here so I decided to do a photo journal instead. Hope you like them. I dont think any have figured in earlier journals. It didnt come up on Recent Activity so I did it this way. Sorry
Sometimes form and texture does it every bit as good, like this one.
I have been watching this the last few days as it was near opening and then when i looked out this morning it had opened and ran out to take a photo of it as there was rain and lo and behold this evening it was flattened from the heavy rain. Hope there is more buds to come on this as i love the oriental poppies. I have 2 more different colours ones yet to flower aswell.
Pulmonarias are mostly looking pretty tatty right now. So today some of them got a major tidy-up.
But in my opinion P. ‘Majeste’ stays looking the best for the longest. Admittedly a lot of my Pulmonarias are not in dappled shade so they tend to dry out quite quickly. But P. ‘Majeste’ is under the shelter of Photinia and a few other taller plants and is still looking great.
Weather was better to day than yesterday but compare it with a week ago. That day was great for the garden but it was out for gardening as I was at a Confirmation in Kildare. To day, I was free and could get at some gardening when the rain stayed away. Some hedge trimming was carried out. Blooms on Kerria are gone but plenty of growth. I was fortunate that most of the new growth on same was clipped away. In the greenhouse, more tomatoes are appearing so feeding was carried out. While looking at the shrubs outside I noticed a few Hydrangeas in bloom. I don’t think I saw that in May before. I was planning to get at more work outside but the rain came down again.
Hi I’m Mary and I have a small sized suburban garden with a mix of evergreens and perennials.I would like to reduce the number of evergreens in favour of more perennials in order to enjoy a bit more seasonal variety. I also have a small vegetable patch where I enjoy growing herbs and salad crops as well as a few favourites like purple sprouting broccoli, peas and beans. I am very fond of Spring bulbs and a few pots of colour around the place in Summertime.
My favouite thing about the garden is it’s privacy and the large, old sandstone wall on the northern boundary which is both beautiful and useful for the growing of climbers.
I like this photo.
