Month: September 2014
I have just uploaded an album from today. The last day of September, well where did that month go. Its been just blissful weather and hopefully we will get a few more days of it too.
We took down the old hedges from the back wall and decided to give it an overhaul. It has been painted olive green and then some trellis added. I think it looks great and makes the garden look so big….The trees at the back now seem even further away. Its a work in progress this area. We have most of the trunks of the hedges out and a new border bed is being made in the left hand corner. Then eventually I want to move some plants and place Clematis and other climbers on to the new trellis.
I hate seeing some of the plants ‘going over’. I was out deadheading today and seeing whats what. I have a good bit of weeding to do as it has been neglected over the past couple of weeks…but bit by bit it will get done.
Hope you enjoy the album!
Spotted this guy waiting hopefully today.
Podophyllum disappeared completely into the ground after flowering. Now it’s throwing up more leaves. I suppose it’s too much for me to expect another flower????? It’ll be interesting!
I must get all three ponds topped up TODAY before the Water Charges come into effect from tomorrow.
My magazine dropped through the letter box last Friday. I didn’t get a chance to open it until late on Saturday evening. As I was flicking through the pages i noticed some great articles.
Rachel has a great article on self seeders!!
When I had read the Know How section i was quite surprised to see my name. Yes I had won a years subscription to the magazine.
Happy days as I never ever win a thing. So thank you Gerry and the team. I’m delighted 🙂
As ever I am on the lookout for new daffs for the garden here and while doing a order on Mr Middleton’s page didn’t I spot this beauty that they have new in but limited stocks. It’s called Daffodil Popeye and got a order of 5 and cannot wait to see this in all it’s glory next year. I have added 4 or 5 more new daffs aswell but will wait till next year to go on about them when they are up.
I took this photo at about 6.30 pm a few days ago with no special camera settings and was surprised when it came up on screen looking like the garden was washed with a pinky glow.
Just sums up how lovely September has been.
All this lovely weather means we have a bumper crop of seeds this year and as they cost me nothing to produce I would like to share them with anyone who wants some..I will bring them along to the annual get together, or if you are not going I will post them to you ..
California poppy seeds both orange and cream …….
pink and purple poppy seeds ……
various narstutiums, ……..
Lunaria annua “Honesty “ …..
mixed Delphiniums…..
Potentilla monarch’s velvet….
Vabascum ……..
Nigella …….
Antirrhinum/ red or white ……….
Amaranthus (love lies bleeding) ……..
Yesterday, I was in Knock, Co Mayo. While Met Éireann gave us the feeling that Mayo would have drizzle and some heavy showers, it was not like that at all. It was sunny and warm. The paper to day told us that the warmest part of the country was Claremorris, not far away. To day in the sunny south east as they will tell you it was so different. It was warm but no sign of the sun and showery. I had planned to mow the lawn, ach mo léan there was no drying. It will have to wait. I decided that as October is just around the corner, to lift the Pelargoniums and pot them. This I did making use of garden compost which was in top condition. Of course not very many were potted but one might say Tosach maith, leath na hoibre (a good start, half of the work) I had bought tulips from Bakker and these were put into pots which from which I removed the Pelargoniums. It is raining now so gardening is suspended until some other time.
It’s a misty morning here, as is usual for this time of year.
Going out to work on my Lasagne Bed now.
I have two apple trees here, but both in pots so I’m never going to get much of a crop. But with only Steve and myself here, that should never be a problem. And nothing will go to waste.
‘Elstar’ produced absolutely NOTHING this year. But Malus ‘Red Lane’ produced a massive crop of three apples. LOL
Lovely red flesh and very sweet.
Take today for example (Sat). Scrubber got two things done in the garden. Yes two and neither of them was shifting a rock or shaping a bend or trimming a branch. The first was a good watering of all the garden and that took ages. Then He dug up the final veg bed, dividing it into three and grubbing up heaps of scutch in the process. And that was it. And that took all day!
Sometimes gardening is like that and then it rained a bit last night! However its like the weighing scales. There comes a time when all the things you do, even the boring bits, add up and you see that you were heading in the right direction after all. I hope itll be like that when and if we get to heaven!
Someone came in today and looked around and said ‘Lord, you have done an amount’ Now scrubber is not a Lord of course, lest you get the wrong idea but it is always nice to get the compliment. So only two things done but two AND two make four and so theres hope for me yet as Sr. Josephine was wont to say ‘But not in the discernible future!)
I have 4 or 5 Gaillardias in different parts of the garden and they’ve all been flowering away, but these three just seemed to be posing!
I would spend a lot and persuade the Farmer next door to sell me the field surrounding my place. Then I would pay even more to seek the services of Piet Odulf to make me a garden like the one on Gardeners World this evening…sorry if you have not seen the programme yet!! I would have a comfy room at the top of the hill, on the field, with just a cosy chair , water for making tea and a fridge. ( Mary Joe has one of these and it is fab) There would be loads of mugs and tins of bikkies for visitors to have a cuppa. Every one would be welcome especially iers. I would make a point of asking people who were not feeling great to come and visit cos it would make them feel a little or a lot better. This is my dream garden and has been for ages . I love good Prairie planting to me it has everything I most admire in plants. If there was any money left over because of course some has gone to charities etc, I would have a full time or even part time gardener as by the time this was complete I would be ever so old. Actually I will probably need a ski lift thingy to get to my comfy room by then.
Meanwhile I will count my Blessings that I have all I have and enjoy it to the full and perhaps make a mini prairie garden ackshully my hot borders are a tiny bit like one..thinks…………….seeing as there is not any division between these borders and the field I mentioned wonder if the Farmer would notice if I borrowed some more land…..thinks again….yes he would, forget that ploy.
Happy Birthday Fran, hope you have a wonderful day 🙂
Had E-fibre installed here on Wednesday and this is the first time I feel inclined to post a decent-sized album in a long, long time. It was downloaded in a mere 7 minutes, compared to about 30 minutes or more beforehand, for the same amount of photos. This is going to change the frequency of my Albums big time.
I’m so enjoying these glorious autumn days in the garden! There is something so satisfying about this time of year – everything has done its thing!
The rich colours are really coming into their own now. I took a few pictures this evening and I will add them to the September photo Album.
The only asters that I have is this ‘Little Carlow’ and the lovely one that Keego gave me which I think I will just name “Keego”!! I have these two asters divided and planted in different places in the garden and they really do give a great display at this time of year.
Saw this planted in one the borders in Ratoath yesterday and my first thought was that it was a Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)……..until I got a closer look!!! So can anyone name it for me please?
In my case, the landscape is not very exciting but this tree just behind the wall is looking good at the moment…
This is a funny little pelargonium. It is a species one called Pelargonium cautyledonis.
Would you have known it was a pelargonium before I told you?
I know I wouldn’t have before I was introduced.
It’s kind of like a bonsai tree, if you ask me.
I love it to bits and thank you, Liga!
This is an eipidendrum orchid.
This year it is taller than me, even taller than my Sammy, who is also taller than me now.
Sammy is holding just underneath the bloom in the photo so as you will notice the slender flower spike.
Lucky this one can stay in the greenhouse over winter!
A little something that can be done with the shells of your sea food 🙂
i am amazed at the hanging baskets and pots are still going and needing watering we had some rain here so the water butt is full it looks nice here again today
bought some tulips bulbs in Lidl the flowers are suppose to change colours that will be interesting to see??planted in a big tub with about 50 crocus on the top put the bulbs in the shed and they get forgotten so now all happy in the tub
have lots of bulbs i dug out of tubs will replant them soon thinking of getting rid of all old tulip small bulbs as they only seem to go leaves ????
all will have to wait till im off next week
post the pic of the one of the flowers on the Rhodo pjm.
On our way down to Co. Meath yesterday I spotted this little attraction by the roadside in Kilmessan. So simply done, but I’d say it has brought a smile to many tourists.
Looking fantastic together.
