Month: August 2014

Back in spring I bought a packet of cutting globes in different sizes from a garden festival. I went home full of optimism, thinking I’d get fine plants with a head start on ordinary cuttings. 

Well, I find them quite difficult to attach, for one thing. Unless you have very tall plants they’re a fiddly job, bent double,  needing two people and polytunnel tape to keep them in place in our windy garden. 

Of the first 4 I put on, 2 died and 2 survived. I realised when I spoke to the sellers at the next garden fair that you need to water them in dry weather. So the ones in deep shade, a honeysuckle and a forsythia, did produce, if not roots then at least root nodules and were duly potted up. The honeysuckle grew away well, but the forsythia took ages to produce true roots and grow. 

At the same time I did the first globes, I took some soft cuttings of the forsythia as a comparison, so I’ve put up a photo. The plant on the right is the cutting globe plant, and the one on the left is a soft cutting – hardly anything to choose, really. 

I tried a month ago and checked that the globes were staying damp. No sign of roots yet and some of them are already dead. Of course, not all of the ordinary soft and semi-ripe cuttings have taken either, but I’ve had a much better than 50% success rate, so I think I’ll stick to the old-fashioned way! 

took a stroll around horkans yesturday and spotted the cornus contraversa variegata and i was hooked. i havent bought one yet but will next week. i also have my eye on hydrangea anabelle the big white flowered one ( hope thats the name). really excited to get started so although i have alot of overtime this week as it is really busy,  i hope to make a good start on taking out what i can right now ie primulas etc and divde and repot on saturday . while i was also at horkans i seen the gorgous crimson king acer and the gorgeous autumn colour on display oh the temptations 

I had 5 or more of these but the slugs/snails mullered them and only 1 survived… Can’t remember what it is but it looks lovely…

Looking through my photos I found this great one that illustrates how the banyan grows.

See how the tree ‘drops’ new roots from on high and when they touch the ground they dig in and make roots!

I had seen this tree in a few places before this trip but never really appreciated it.

Spotted this today while out gandering at the garden. Immediately I thought Arisaema. I did have Arisaema sikokianum here a few years ago, but I’ve been informed that this is a short-lived plant, and there was no sign of it last or the year before. Then I thought peony?

Ok, it’s not quite a mirror, but it provides a similar quality to the garden as a mirror. I would love to create a whole wall of mirror. I’ll just have to content myself with the port-hole.

See what you started, Fran.  LOL

That title might be a bit misleading as my piece of ‘rockery’ is rarely in need of water! 

However, I saw this water pot in Woodies a couple of years ago and thought it would look good on the gravel and, indeed, I have been pleased with it but have always intended having a plant ‘flowing’ out of it that would represent water! I never saw any plant that took my fancy until earlier this year when in Murphy & Woods in Cabinteely and this little sedum jumped out at me!

I think it fills the criteria quite well, dont you?

We had a party here a little while ago for the traveller been home from NZ for a while. A fair few of the people here would never had seen the garden. One major topic of conversation was the mirror in the garden, great discussions were had about it.

Following on from that night I found myself in a friends garden last evening advising what could be done. I was a nevous at first, but in no time at all I was in full swing, the poor man of the house was glad to see me go as he thinks the bank balance will be effected.

I have to compile a list of plants for certain areas for them.

If you don’t have one, think where and if you could use a mirror, they really do add great interest.

I was disappointed that I had very little Agastache Heronswood Mist this year, I think it could have been in too dry a spot. But I must save seed of the one clump that did well.

However, Sangria did very well also Apricot Sprite, Red Fortune and Blue Fortune not so good. I think Agastaches are one of those plants that may be short lived or else my garden is too dry for some of them.

A love Dahlia that had actually opened a few weeks back but took no photo and after deadheading to ages to flower again. A good few flowers on it but had to cut most off after the rain as they were starting to droop.

The Irish Garden Magazine arrived this morning!!

 Beautiful freckled toad lilies are on the front cover.

But thats as far as I have gotten so far as I havent had a minute all day. Looking forward to taking it to bed with me later on for a good read 😉

So enjoy

As you can see, hubby really enjoyed the Botanic Gardens in Palermo.

I really think this is Trevesia palmata and, if so, I have gotten my hands on seed!
Can’t wait to get sowing!

After what we had yesterday, to day was great, clear blue sky in the morning, ready to get at the garden again. Pelargoniums were potted, now 36 I think. Next , Epiphyllum Cacti, ten of them, all taken from one large cactus, early on and now 9 or 10 of them rooted. some other cacti, one Easter type, a few Christmas type and some more Epiphyllum, outside. They should alle come in before long. I had a fair number of daffodil bulbs inside. I put the into flower pots, shown and of course they will remain outside. LaterI will have a place for them. The lawn is ready for another mowing but I will have to check and see that the grass is dry.

Will it scare the slugs and snails away? I wish! I certainly hope it doesn’t attract them to the garden!

I bought this as a souvenir from a garden visit during the holidays. I only managed to get my holiday photos onto the computer last night so will upload some garden ones later on or tomorrow I hope.  In the meantime, this little friend is sitting beside the steps, where I can see it from inside 🙂

Plenty of veg to harvest at the moment. A good year for most things though under watering odd effect a few including the size of onions and half my Swiss chard bolted. Freezer is filling up fast.

Gidday,

            has lasted well over Winter finished now,still have cabbage & broccolli to come.The french beans that were blanched will come in handy until the new crop is ready.

No, Catalpa tree! I had never seen one of these before, spotted it in the south of France in July. I asked a local person what it was, and they said it is considered a bit of a pest over there as it grows everywhere. Once the “beans” are ripe, they open and drop their seeds, and a new tree grows. It looked quite exotic to me, but from what I read afterwards, it’s originally from north america, so not that exotic.

OK, so the weather for the last week has not been the best but we won’t give up on decent weather just yet, well at least I won’t.

I did ok with garden visits this year, I was hoping for a few more but such is the way of things. But I am not prepared to let another year by without getting to see Mount Congreve Co. Waterford.

So on Thursday 4^th September I going to go and see this garden. Meeting there at 11.30 am. €5 entry, coffee and garden shop on site.

So if anyone who is interested and free and hasn’t given up on decent weather still to come, meet us there.

Myself and Clare are going as of now, so join in and see this wonderful garden.