Month: November 2014
I also decided to protect my tree ferns today but only got time to do one so I wrapped the one in the more shaded area as it will be more prone to frost. Again same idea as the banana but not covered over completely just the roots and center of the plant again wrapped in chicken wire and then plastic around the side of this.
Also a shot of the garden from the back door.
It’s a feast or a famine with my journals, but I couldn’t resist posting some pics I took today after spending another day out it the garden. (I’m always surprised the way a couple of hours gardening puts me in such a good form). I’ll create an album in a sec.
I really wanted to thank Rachel again for this cool Alstroemeria called ‘Indian Summer’. I fell in love with it when I saw it at Wisley this year, and mentioned this on facebook. In no time at all, Rachel made sure that this beauty was in my possesion. It’s right up my street with its exotic flowers over dark foliage, and it’s flowering away right now, in full shade of all places. Thanks so very much Rachel. I just know I’m really going to enjoy this one for years to come!
We had a lovely stroll around Altamont yesterday.
Even in winter it is beautiful.
I was astonished to see my Lilium nepalense produced seed.
And what’s more it looks like it is seed with a viable embryo.
It is surprising because most liles are self sterile and I have no other nepalense that it could have crossed with.
There is the possibility that my lily has hybridised with a different species and, if so, the seed may be viable but would involve using tricky embryo rescue propagation methods.
There is also the possibility that L. nepalense is not self sterile (like about two other lily types) but reference books and internet sources are scarce.
So I think what I will do is treat my seed as if it has self pollinated and geminate without stratification (if the lily were a hybrid, cold treatment might be needed depending on the the pollen parent) as the embryo rescue thing is too complex.
So now that I’ve figured all that out, wish me luck!
To day was mild, like yesterday. I got nothing done yesterday and between the Country Market where I sold a bag of cookers, 1kg at €1.50 and then paid €1 for the tea! but while I would like to sell more, it is for the case of meeting people that I go there. A meeting at 2.p.m., back at about 4 and so gardening out. To day I had more time and the barrow, not the river, was taken out and barrow by barrow at the back of the house was in operation moving leaves to 1. a place where I have rhubarb and 2. to a place rear the compost heap. It is not the last of the leaves and that still leaves plenty. I don’t think I ever had so many. Most of the trees are bare although the Liquidambar still shows a fair amount of leaves. I took a coffee break and the darkness arrived. Only 22 days to the Solstice (21st December) and then with God’s help I will be seeing an increase in the days. If the winter, which , is with us, like last year , will it not be great?
Over the past few years my garden has revealed itself as a Woodland garden. The only area where it benefits from a south facing position is where I have put my hot borders. That is working well. The middle part of the garden gets a reasonable amount of sun but the lower part where I have my work areas and trees and shrubs gets very little , if any.Ferns seed themselves everywhere and require Round up there are so many…..bad I know.
So inspired by Keith Wiley I decided to develop the Woodland feel in the lower part. There is one bank consisting of rubble with little soil but where many plants seem to do well, weird. So last night off to Pottertons site to order some plants. Cyclamen were a must so ordered 10 coum and 5 hederifolium and a few others, want to have good spread of each plant. Then today I remembered seeing, a few months ago, a glimpse of purple in the little front garden behind a blue spruce. Off to investigate and what do you know lots of hederifolium growing away, out with the trowel and I got more than 15 big, big tubers which are now in their new home down in the lower garden. Then working in another area under a Viburnum, what do i see??? Well done, yes a clump of Coum!!!!! There were a few others scattered around the area so these I dug up and put them all together and left them where they were. So a most exciting afternoon and to think I only ordered more last night ….bah. Not so good when you don’t know what is in your garden but then surprises are good:)
Even house plants need a mascot!
Picked up this cheeky chappie in France last year 🙂
So here’s my new coldframe in the ‘business end’ of the garden.
It is for germinating cold seeds and has a plunge bed of sand on the inside and is in a sheltered spot. The lid will stop the seeds getting too wet and rotting.
Since I put heat in the greenhouse it can no longer be used for this purpose.
I have a few pots in the coldframe already, nicely spaced out.
I wonder how long it will take me to fill it.
I have just uploaded my November photos of the garden.
Its great to look back on the past year and see how the garden has changed and evolved so much. I love looking back on the different seasons.
Didnt get to do anything over the past few days as I had the grandchildren here. And of course today was a smashing day too.
Maybe tomorrow I will get a chance to do a little more tidying up. Thankfully all the leaves seem to have fallen off all the trees around us and as there has been little or no wind they are all gone now from the garden, well except for the few stragglers!
I got word today that my greenhouse is to be delivered on Wednesday next week. Not too sure if it will be erected before Christmas as time is very valuable at the minute trying to get a hold of Jimmy and some spare time…..but I will have it and it will be done asap Im sure!
Hope you enjoy the album
A new programme starting on January 2nd 2015 ” Show Me Your Garden” will be broadcast at eight o’clock on Sky 1 HD. Our own Bruno is taking part and his garden will be featured in the programme that was filmed in Ireland. The programme covers other areas of England and Scotland each night. The idea is that four gardeners from an area visit each other’s gardens and pass comments, good or bad. Should be interesting to peep into private gardens, but hope it is not nasty like some of these type of programmes.
Just had a look to see if we have Sky 1 HD, but afraid not. Looking forward to all the reports on it.
Put this journal up as I know some members are not on FB and might miss it.
Best wishes to Bruno.
We had a family gathering here a couple of weeks ago and this photo was taken by one of the visitors!
It always delights me when someone finds a different view of my garden!
Spotted this bloom this morning, could do nothing but smile and click.
Up and out early yesterday as I had to get the train to Dublin to do some research. Alan drove me to the station at Athenry, sun was just rising as the train left and the countryside looked fantastic, mitsy and frosty. But it was a pea-soup all across the midlands and though the milky sun looked amazing, I wouldn’t want to be gardening in the country’s frost-pocket! I was working in Merrion Square and walked across the gardens at lunchtime, then after I’d finished I had some time so I walked round Stephen’s Green and down Grafton Street, admiring the Christmas lights. Got to Heuston at dusk as the fog was descending again.
I didn’t have a camera with me so couldn’t take any photos, but I did think Dublin was looking gorgeous with the last of the leaves golden in the gardens and the shapes of the plants and trees in the misty sun. Very wintery and festive. I love living in the country, and I often forget what a lovely capital Ireland has with those graceful terraces set off by beautiful gardens.
Heather, as your Rhodochiton matures this is what you can expect from it at the end of November all going well. Main thing is to have it in as sheltered a spot as possible.
Photo taken last weekend.
The seed heads of this plant are colouring up nicely as the tempetures drop, shortly now the foliage will follow suit.
This is the best one I can find at the moment… must take a few more next time I go down
i am in the process of buying my greenhouse 🙂
Im looking at buying from Lenehans and I know that a few .iers have given me these as reputable suppliers.
Im looking to get a 6 x 10 ft with Safety glass. It comes with an integrated base. It’s an Eden Marquess. Do any of you know if Eden are a good make?
Im dazzled with all the research at this stage and am now just itching to get one. Is there any other info I should be asking?
Any tips or advice are very welcome.
Well it’s a frosty old morning here in Wexford – the worst yet.
So I think we could all do with some cheering up.
Here is the first video and it is about making a no-dig border, using ther lasagna method…
Pasta Power & the Lasagna Bed – YouTube
And, just because it’s so cold out, here my greenhouse in summer, which I may have linked to before…
Douentza Garden Tour, Greenhouse as Showhouse – YouTube
Not long in from the talk by Keith Wiley, with JoanG and Clara. It was a packed hall, Keith is talking in Cork later in the week and all I can say is if your anywhere close by, make the effort to go, you will not be disappointed.
Keith gives a history of where he came from, how his garden Wildside was aquired and has developed over the last nine years. It is really stunning how just two people can change a green field site to what is today a stunning garden that really is breath taking in every way.
Keith speaks so fast and with such passion and love that you are totally pulled along with him on this amazing journey. He was been influenced by many different areas around the globe. He has very cleverly copied these scenes using different plants with fantastic results. He shows slides of these areas and slides of what he has done to copy the effect.
With some amazing ground works, he has turned a four acre site into a six acre garden. A great night out and just what I needed to get me moving again.
Thanks for the company ladies.
Google Keith Wiley Wildside and see what I’m talking about.
I grew seeds from a kind ie.er last year and it survived the winter but only had a flower or two earlier, so when I went to tuck some mulch around it and the Eccremocarpus today I was amazed to find a couple of flowers!
Stopped off on way home from Dublin today and purchased two small Camellias at The Aboretum Loughlinbridge. Should I Patio Pot or plant these and I beliece they prefer acid soil? What can you recommend folks as I don’t want these expiring like my Rhodo!!
This autumn’s good weather has encouraged me to work in the garden much more than I nornally would and today I got more done.
I started off by filling four bags with leaves for leaf mould and raked for a fifth but got called away. So we’ll see if that pile is still intact tomorrow!
And then I did a little weeding and tidying and some preparation for the area where my cold frame is going to go.
I just want to say that this is not a fancy coldframe. It is made from a resurrected plastic one from the attic. But I need somewhere to stratify my cold seeds now that the greenhouse is heated.
I wonder if any of you has seen this new Allium? It flowers all Winter whatever the temperature and I gather in fact the flower never fades….how about that for a plant!! It is very like ‘Purple sensation’ and I was so lucky to get hold of some before it is released on the market. The height seems to be more variable than PS but I quite like that. The full name is Allium chickenwirensii and I have been told that it was in fact cloned in a garden near Cobh , Co.Cork……how about that just down the road from me. I will be happy to give you any further details of this unusual plant. Oh it is also available in white and orange and I hope to get my hands on those soon.
On my walk along the seafront this morning I continued as usual to the end of the pier. It’s a lovely spot at any time but I particularly enjoy it on a lovely calm morning like this. The views as one looks from the mountains of Barnesmore Gap in the east then westward to Benbulben in Sligo are truly spectacular. This morning there were several boats in the bay, no doubt harvesting the herring.
There are a great variety of birds along the shore, some that have their permanent residence here and others that make it their winter residence and still others that use the bay as a resting place where they can feed and ‘fuel up’ before moving further south.
In recent weeks I have noticed a couple of divers out from the shore and all summer numbers of shags and cormorants can be seen perched on a rock with wings wide spread to dry, a lovely sight!
This morning I noticed a large bird in the water some distance from the shore. I could not be sure if it was a cormorant or a diver. My attention was drawn when it started to flap it’s wings as though to rise from the water. It repeated this many times but failed to be able to lift clear of the water. I finally came to the conclusion that it was either injured or entangled in something below the surface. Poor thing it was just drifting on the current as the tide receeded.
As I made my way back I was startled by a noise and looking towards the sea I saw a small flock of brent geese flying in and taking their place along the stoney beach. The first group to arrive of many more that will winter here!! It gives me that feeling that one gets on seeing the first swallows arrive in April. All is well with nature.
The echium down in the bottom corner of the garden is coming on well and has made me realise that this area needed a vertical accent. Wondering what I might plant there once this has flowered and gone over (not another echium) … hmm.
Food for thought over the coming year.
