Month: May 2015
OK folks, so it’s just over a month away from the Garden.ie Summer Get Together in Terra Nova so it’s time to get the show on the road.
Venue : Terra Nova Gardens. Dromin, Co. Limerick. Saturday 6th June from 12.00 pm
These gardens are a wee bit off the beaten track, so my advice is as follows, for Satnav users enter the following address.
Terra Nova Gardens, Raymondstown, Dromin South, Kilmallock, Co.Limerick.
For everyone else, I really do advise taking some time and going to Google maps and printing off the directions or visit the Terra Nova site and print or copy their own directions. Parking is along the road outside so please do be mindful of neighbours and other road users.
While I was in touch with Deborah about this idea she suggested what I thought was the lovely idea of a ‘community lunch’. Whereby everyone brings something to eat and we will all have a mix and match eat out, so to speak. There are tea and coffee making facilities in place and Deborah and Martin will have plenty of seats etc. So I would love to hear your opinions on this please.
Deborah is also going to give one of her talks and is also planning a Treasure Hunt around the garden. I am really looking forward to seeing the new shop and all it’s wonderful contents that we have glimpsed recently on their Face book pages.
And as if that’s not enough for one day, we will have our usual plant swap. So if you have any spare plants, cuttings, divisions, seeds, books or magazines bring them along and let the mayhem begin.
I think there will be a few first time attendees on the day and I wish to make it clear that it is not compulsory to have items to swap, but do not allow that stopping you from asking for something on the day. It all good fun and sharing is the main idea.
There is a fee of €10 for the day. I won’t go into the details of how this was agreed, (the UN were nearly been called in) but suffice to say that it was only agreed upon when it was suggested that half of the fee would go to one of Deborah’s local animal shelters, an issue that is close to her heart as we all know.
I am adding a list of who is going or hoping to go, so if your name is not there or you wish to join us just let me know.
Finally for now I just want to say that it is a journey to make this visit, so if you know or see someone who is travelling in the same direction or even for part of the way can I suggest that you make contact with each other and maybe meet up and travel together even part of the way.
List of people attending.
Self + one Tina
PeterW
Elizabeth7 Hazel & Listai
Hosta Accsean
Fraoch?
MaryB
LindaB
Kindredspirit
Kathrin
JoanG
Clara
Rachel
Terrishoos + one
Joann
Myrtle + one
Liga + one
Violeta
Hoeys
Doreen?
Keego?
I’ve been looking at my Penstemon the last while, wondering if I should cut it back and if so how much, so I was delighted to watch Rachel’s video and here is the result. After a good hair-cut I put some compost round it and even gave it a hoop to grow through.
I cut back my penstemon recently and made a little video about it.
It’s a bit basic for many of you but might be useful to those new to gardening…
Some of the pictures had been duplicated on the photo album. All sorted out now, I think. Sorry about that. It didn’t look like they’d been uploaded and then they started appearing like mushrooms. 🙂 🙂
Spotted this on FB earlier this morning, had to copy the photo.
Isn’t it just stunning.
Oh dear!! Got this plant about 3 years ago from a friend of ours who grows vewy big plants!!!!! But not a budge from it so decided it had rotted….mistake. It is going like an engine this year and having babies ..as is the present fashion. It seemed to arrive as a two foot plant out of the blue , none of your growing bit by bit for this lad. It is going to be huge and dominate my poor hot bed. Should I move it , but then it might die and it was 3 years coming so is that fair to an innocent plant. Maybe put a Cosmos next to it and let it sort of grow into this giant. But next year or in the Autumn Mr. Mac will be moved. Meanwhile anyone for babies should more appear??
Hello all, and a very happy long weekend to you all, Well the rain came & is still coming, but my how those trees and leaves have got that special Irish green to them, Have a look they are wonderful, Just putting a photo up of a nice Gerbera from a bouquet i got at halfprice in Lidl. i Hope ye all have a lovely bank holiday tomorrow
Well, the naked gardening yesterday was all a bit of fun and now it’s back to more normal videos.
Here is the second and last video I made at the Botanic Gardens last weekend, in my favourite houses (well, after the orchid one).
I hope you enjoy it…
Just once, be able to post a journal saying,
”I seem to have lost a lot of weeds over the Winter from my garden”
We all loose plants from time to time, but why don’t we ever seem to loose some weeds?
Looking brighter out there this morning, sun trying it’s best, have a good one.
This time last week the garden was just taking off after the lovely few days sunshine. Well this week we had heavy frost three or four nights and I have had some heavy damage with some of the plants very badly burned. Astible Fanal in the photos has been very badly burned as has Persicaria Red Dragon a lovely Azalea that was just blooming and the tips of some of the Hydrangea and all of the Pieries. I am hoping that they will all recover but some of them look very shook.
The photo is from last weekend before the frost – the astible fanal features heavily in my bog garden planting so will be very disappointed if this does not recover.
No gardening here today so my garden VIP visitor coming tomorrow will have to close her eyes to uncut lawns – weeds and weather beaten plants!!!
Clematis “Joe ” in my garden this week
After a week with no internet and an evening and morning trying to sort out problems connecting a new modem, I sure am glad to be back and will spend this evening catching up on journals and, of course, Rachel’s videos which I really missed!
Amid all that it was lovely to have ClaireE, Clare (Clara) and Myrtle visit here on Thursday for a wander round the garden and lots of good chat. The sun shone for us and it was just a heavenly day for me. They brought lovely gifts which I’ll post about when I take more photos, including from Clare the perfect sign to hang in the greenhouse. Thank you all, I so enjoyed your company.
May 2 2015
Well, our gardener came this week and the big job was to restore order, which he did. Franco, as you might be able to guess, is from Italy. I’ve never known anyone to do so much work so quickly. Borders were trimmed and edged, beds cleared, wilder areas strimmed until the whole thing was once again looking peaceful and tidy. An orderly garden is very relaxing to sit in, though I don’t like it over-preened and pruned.
Anyway, we explained to Franco that we’d like to use a non-toxic treatment of some kind to kill the weeds and grass that are threatening to take over the gravel drive. From the photograph below you’ll see the situation is pretty bad, though not all as bad as what you can see there. That’s the worst bit, honest. Having consulted friends on facebook, I was assured that either a salt-water or vinegar and water solution would do the trick – possibly needing two or three applications. Franco scoffed at these suggestions when I mentioned them – and wasn’t remotely concerned about the alleged cancer-causing properties of the infamous Roundup. We ran out of time and left it that he’d come back next week during which time I’d make my mind up about what to use.
To my immense surprise, he’d been and done the job while we were out the very next day. Hmmmm. Only it’s been raining for two days solid ever since so I’m wondering if we may yet have to start all over again. Next time, I’m going to have to be sure to get in first with either the salt or the vinegar. Possibly both?
A celebration of Naked Gardening Day from Douentza…
Today 2nd of May 2015 is World Naked Gardening Day.
So on this, a lovely ‘SOFT’ Irish day, what are you doing to partake in this world event? LOL
I finished my seven days last evening, and am really glad I went out into the garden for a few hours as there won’t be much done today by the looks of it.
I did say recently that I was finished showing Acers until the Autumn.
But I spotted this strange sequence of Acers and it looks as if the three Acers are all linked together, green, orange and red.
Hello garden.is I have just got an amazing Wollemi Pine for my birthday. The Wollemi Pine is survivor from the Jurassic era. On Sept. 10 park ranger David Noble was exploring in the Wollemi National Park and came across this bizarre tree with leaves shaped like a Stegosaur’s tail and bark that looked like bubbling chocolate. First it was thought it was style of fern, then it was thought to be part of the same family as the Monkey Puzzle and Norfolk Island Pine. Eventually it pronounced a completely new genus. The botanical name that was given to it was the Wollemi nobilis honouring both the park where the tree was found and its discoverer, David Noble. I am really excited to be involved in the conservation of this wonderful species.
We had a lovely day at Mount Congreve, although the weather wasnt as nice as it was in Dublin, a cooler air and a bit of rain, but nothing could dampen the pleasure of this beautiful garden.
I have put up an album, photos not brilliant but they will give you some idea of what there is to see at the moment with so much more just waiting in the wings. I recommend a visit any time.
I was given a few small bulbs of this Erythronium a couple of years ago and this spring a couple have decided to flower.
Nice pink blooms and good foliage, it’s a nice un.
This is the last of my tulips to open – T. ‘Ballade’. Moved the rest of my yellow ones yesterday so really looking forward to seeing them in the best spot for next year.
Good morning, folks.
Here is the second instalment in the gripping serial – A Year in the Life of a Border 😀
It is the April edition and I hope you enjoy it.
A Year in the Life of a Border – April, Cherry Border – YouTube
And here is a little info on the latest Irish Garden…
