Month: February 2015

While working outdoors today I came across a pot of these strange bulbs/sausages!!!!  I must have removed them from a planter last year and forgot to replant them. But I can’t, for the life of me, think what they might be. Any takers? 

However, they’re potted up now so I’m in a for a little surprise when/if they grow.

I was just about to post an album of the Hellebores I have here this year. But I see Hazel has beaten me to it. Lovely collection, Hazel.

I’ll still post the album. But I won’t name them as most of them were bought in Lidl and can’t be relied upon for the correct names. But I love them all.

During the week I heard that Monty Don, presenter of Gardeners World will be coming to Ireland for one of the many garden events taking place during the summer. If you are a fan be sure to get your ticket as soon as they are released for sale.

Anyone know when Gardeners Word is returning to BBC 2? I had read somewhere that it was due to start in early March.

Here I have 21 plants potted up. About 70 are potted so far. The first lot, Alicante are well advanced, about 40. The second Beefsteak, 9, fairly well advanced and now, Ailsa Craig. These were sown on 29 January and there are as many of same to be potted. You may ask why so many. Well, I had only one packet at first, then I acquired a few more. While only about six will go into my small greenhouse, others will be given to relations and friends. Joan in Dublin, likes the Beefsteak. Nora, in Castlebar, fancies the Ailsa Craig. She gave me that packet. Then there are colleagues who call every year and collect some for their greenhouses. Finally I hope to sell some in the Country Market. Of course if I meet any iers, they will be welcome to some.

The great thing about buying a new work laptop is that it makes gardening feel so satisfying. After several hours trying to download or activate email, a different browser, and Skype for a chat with my sister (I rang her in the end!) I escaped to the polytunnel to put in the early roots before my brain melted. 

Carrots and scallions don’t need updates or passwords, they don’t want to email me a code to input to access the program, and they don’t pop up condescending messages telling me that oops, there’s a problem when I do. I put my seeds in a drill and watered them. They will grow, or not. If they do, I’ll eat them. If not, I’ll sow some more when the weather warms up. 

Blissfully simple, and almost always effective.

This morning I was waiting for the washing to finish and to put it out on the line as it was a lovely dry day and very windy so I had about 3/4 of an hour wait for the wash as it was a white wash so down I went to get the lawn mower ….oh! it was great as we have a new bin for compost and it was so quick   to empty the grass into it ..I tidied around one side only so will get the rest done maybe Monday  if the weather is ok ….it does the heart good to get out and feel the soil……………..

This morning I visited Altamont Gardens in Carlow again with my daughter and some friends who are staying. It was a lovely morning for it.

Soon after arriving I remembered that I had the notes I made at last night’s snowdrop talk still in my handbag so I decided to see if I could get my hands on a few of the good ‘ns Paddy had mentioned.

However, disappointment was in store and only one on my list was available. It was €15 for the one snowdrop in a pot!!! I decided that being a galanthophile is just not yet on the horizon for me and that the Galanthus nivalis I already have are really quite good enough for the moment. lol.

I bought a nice eremurus instead for €12 and I think I made the right choice for my garden 😀

I am one of those people who do things on impulse a lot of the time, if I stop to think “will I ” or “wont I” I end up being indecisive and do nothing! and the excitment of just doing it immediately is lost!

Now I do confess that very, no, quite often my impulsiveness has resulted in the wrong decision but on the otherhand it has often been the right decision! You see what I mean, I dither if I give myself too much time to think about it!

I was tidying one of the front flower beds this morning and I have quite a big clump of dierama, I started pulling out the white leaves, if you have dierama you will know what I mean, a fiddly job. Thats when I made the hasty decision! I had the secateurs at hand……. I had a brief thought, should I ask my garden.ie friends……. but I just got stuck in…….. and job done!

Only time will tell whether I made the right decision! But I did it anyway.

The strech in the evenings is really starting to show big time. Photo taken just before 6.00pm yesterday. Soon I’ll be able to do a bit in the evenings

No more excuses allowed, if the weather’s good enough of this guy, it’s time to get moving and shake the dust off folks and get going ;))

Spotted several Bees in Primrose Hill garden yesterday, great to see them again.

Lovely morning, so I think there is some gardening time before I go back to indoors work.

Have a good one.

I’m just back from a talk in Enniscorthy by Paddy Tobin on snowdrops.

It was completely enthralling and, although I will not recall all the different cultivar names, I got a whole lot out of it. I feel my interest has been kindled.

Now I am home I am already planning what I will divide after flowering and spread about. I noticed that my clump of G. nivalis Flore Pleno has bulked up nicely and could maybe be spread a bit further…

Many thanks, Paddy. I loved it all.

PS The photo was taken in Paddy’s own garden on 10th of this month and is, if I am not mistaken, Galanthus ‘Walrus’.

There’s no chance of ever planting anything in this one, but I do love this little ornament that Aoife spotted in IKEA last year. I was in the garden for about three weeks before I spotted it. She was not impressed at all 😉

Delighted to see this opened, I bought this in October 2013 and got no flowers last year. But has loads coming this year and really what a gorgeous hellebore.

when i seen this primula i was smitten how gorgeous, i dont know the name of it but i am sure the end is sliver lace or white lace. i seen this on the english garden magazine 

I picked this old watering can up last year and had an idea of using it as a planter straight away.

Finally an idea is coming together of a few Ferns and an Ivy planted into it and then mounting it onto a wall somewhere around the house. Where, and how many holes to drill will be sorted soon.

This climbing rose ‘Teasing Georgia’ has been throwing out random blooms over the winter. But all of them were affected by the cold and frost and promptly fell off. I was thinking of giving this one its final cut-back tomorrow. But when I got back from my few days away today, I nipped out before it got dark. Another flower on its way, but it seems to have something inside the bloom (see the shadow?).

I’ll investigate further tomorrow, as I’ll be cutting it back anyway. It’s too early in the year for a flower on this rose to reveal its exquisite double bloom.

I was horrified at how much I spent last year on window box plants, so I got seed of lobelia and brachycome from Seedaholic. It’s great to see the first seedlings popping up and to think of those lovely summer days when the house glows with colour. 

I’ve been in Co. Meath for the last three days, and it’s lovely to see so many things waking up in Gretta’s garden. One thing I am impressed with is her Anemones, and Viburnum ‘Dawn’ which is in full flower right now. I believe the evening scent from it is just divine. However, I’ll have a long wait for mine to produce. I love the way it flowers on bare wood. The leaves are just beginning to bud now.

Looking at the photo makes me think how molly-coddled I have been over the winter months. My hands are as soft as a baby’s bum They need a good soil work-out.

Miserable wet morning here. Let’s hope Dublin is a bit better.

This is my own personnel opinion only, but I feel it has to be said.

Val Bourne’s talk last evening on Snowdrops was sadly not up to much at all.

If anyone is thinking of going, think twice or don’t go with any great expections ;((

Following on from an idea I heard at a talk last month, I’m thinking and scheming again.

No doubt some of you can recommend a very late flowering Daffodil. Thanks as ever in advance.

And now the primulas are starting, spring is well on the way here. Delighted to see these opened. I have a few around at this stage as it’s such a good grower and clumps up very fast for dividing.

I planted the Leptospermum 2 years ago, had no flower last year and just these 3/4 this year, so i picked and brought inside and photographed. Anyone know why there are a lack of bloom to this, i really thought this year it would be laiden with flowers.