Month: August 2015
My Rowan isn’t looking too interesting right now. Spring is its time, with its lovely creamy white flowers and wonderful fragrance. But I have a Clematis growing up through it to give it extra interest for this time of year. It rules out the need for support posts. Someone told me it was C. jackmanii. It’s pretty.
Now this I just absolutely love and was worried that it might not flower this year as I planted it straight in the ground last year but I did put a few stones around the roots to try restrict it a small bit. The colour of Blue and White on it is just amazing and seems almost not real when looking at it. A nice few little plants around it so shouuld be a great display within a few years.
Yesterday’s weather was superb, one of the best this year. Several types of work were done in the garden, including edging, pruning and weeding. I noticed that the garden could do with watering but being a big garden the question was how to do it. Going to bed, despite the weather forecast, involving rain, hard to believe it at the time, the request came. In the morning, it was really raining and plants, especially the Hydrangeas, got what they wanted. In the early afternoon, the rain cleared and it was possible to get at it again. Instead of getting at the garden, I tackled the window cills at the back. They really needed painting so a coat of Weather Shield, and they looked good. In the meantime all of the plants were thriving especially the Hydrangeas. It was warm again and as I walked through the front garden, one could see life coming to the place. The roses were tending to go back but with the rain, they should be great again. The Rose of Tralee wont compare with them.
Really delighted with this plant.
No sign of flowers yet, but the foliage alone is well worth it’s place in the garden.
When the rain finally stopped and the sun came out yesterday evening I thought my one and only Ricinus looked breathtakingly beautiful.
After Peter posted a photo of a beautiful bicolour Agapanthus ‘Queen Mum’ yesterday, Moya revealed that she saw them in Homebase. So that’s where I headed today. Not one Aggie to be had. So I consoled myself with a few plants to lift the spirit a bit. Colour is slightly waning from the garden now. So these upped my mood greatly.
Got a nice variegated Knautia ‘Thunder & Lightning’, which should tolerate lows of -10, but I’ll take precautions anyway, Begonia x tuberhybrida ‘Magical Sunburst’ (hoping this will overwinter ok), Kniphofia (no name, but a great colour), and lastly Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ which I’ve wanted for a long time now. The good news was that the Kniphofia and Begonia had been reduced to almost half price. Bargains to be had at this time of year now as we approach another season.
Happy with the few bits, and looking forward to placing them tomorrow.
For the past while there has been at least some sunshine each day – or at least some part of the day without rain – so I’ve been enjoying myself doing the “nice” part of gardening – cutting back and tidying, dead-heading and making plans for next season!
Today I took advantage of a spell of sunshine to take a few photos of things still looking good!
The Mallow has really bulked up well this year, the Leycesteria is well in flower and this Geranium Geranium X Oxonianum “Thurstonianum” has been flowering since June and are still looking good!
Following on from Myrtle’s journal earlier in the year about her Hippeastrum flowering outside in here garden, I coppied her idea.
I had a bulb drying off in the shed and repotted it and watered it. The plant just took off and is looking great in the Tropical border.
I’ll be repeating this idea again, thanks Myrtle 😉
Spent some time up in Dad’s today checking on the veg. A couple more cabbages left to pick. Peas and onions all picked, and garlic yet to come.
The peas were planted to grow up 4 tripods of bamboo canes. And sweet pea were planted on the kitchen side of them so Dad can get a nice view. And that’s what’s left after cutting them today. My house smells divine with the vases dotted about the place.
This is my favourite border in the garden. It has a combination of tropical looking plants, and hot colours like orange, red, yellow. Crocosmias are coming on nicely now.
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. My shrubbery includes this lovely Cornus Controversa which has really taken off this year. It is a very special tree in my garden because Brendan bought it for me as an Anniversary present.
However, I really didn’t realise just how much space this lovely tree needed so I planted in the Shrubbery where it was being seriously crowded out by a large variegated Weigela on one side and a very disappointing Lilac on the other.
The decision was taken today. Both shrubs bave been cut to the ground! I know they will probably come back again next year, but since both of them flower early I can live with the compromise of the Cornus being a bit overcrowded until their flowering time has passed – then out with the loppers and lo and behold Cornus takes a bow!
The amount of pleasure I am getting this year from spending a mere €1.49! At least 6 flowers open on my Glory Lily, and 5 more yet to open. Pity it’s not scented. But hey, who am I to complain.
Some of us are going to The Bay Garden and Coollaught Garden on Thursday 3rd September meeting at The Bay Garden for 11.00 am.
Gracedieu Lass, PeterW and Myself are going, with another 4/5 maybe’s. So if your interested in joining us please let me know here.
The Bay Garden is one of the easiest gardens ever to find, on the N11 road just before or after Camolin depending on your route.
Hope some more of you can join us.
Sanguisorba ‘Pink Brushes’ is just beginning to open now. It’s such a pretty little plant, and ever so tactile. I have Elizabeth in Cork to thank for this one.
This raised circle was here when we bought the house. It was originally a pool, but the concrete had cracked, so we decided to fill it in and make a bog bed. But it’s too exposed and not shady enough for ferns. It suffered from drought last year, and this year the hostas and candelabra prims were murdered by slugs. So as we wanted a front-garden pool, we’ve decided to reinstate it. We’ll take off the rough-stone coping, put in a pond liner, and add a smooth coping to sit on. The plants are all in boxes and pots, and we’ll take out the upright stones and put them in a rock-and-flag path feature.
Mind you, the big monoliths are cemented into a concrete plinth so it’ll add a whole new meaning to the term ‘getting your rocks off’! You’d think at our ages, and with dodgy joints, we have enough to do tending the beds and borders we’ve already done. But every so often the spirit moves us to do a bit of major excavating. Well, as Helen Dillon says, if you don’t keep changing things about, you’re caretaking, not gardening!
Purchased this Clivia on 6th April 2010 when it was in full flower. Each year I have despaired as I just could not persuade it to perform a second time round……until now! I am finally developing a bit of patience.
And after yesterday’s rain I don’t think anyone will be worrying about watering anything for a while. Snapped a few photos during one of the times it eased a little.
Putting up some pics of my Astilbe after reading Fran’s Journal. Mine is starting to lose its lustre but I’d like to think I have A. purplelanze in my border. It certainly stands out in a crowd. Moya, going to go back on my gdn diaries to see if I can find where it came from!!!
I visited Rathbawn Gardens, Kilteel, for their open day in aid of injured jockeys yesterday. Shortly into the visit I noticed the ducks waddling into the shed for shelter! Dispite the pouring rain a small group of us enjoyed a very informative tour of the beautiful garden followed by coffee and cake.
The garden is very near Jimmy Blake’s so watch out for the open days if you are in the area.
I really cannot thank Bruno enough for the plants he gives me and they are always amazing to be fair, the first is a Impatiens Niamniamensis which is starting to produce a good few flowers now and is a proper tropical looking plant to me and seems to enjoy being in the shade.
Second is a Kniphofia he gave me as a small little plant last year and has come on great since and is after shooting up a huge flower spike in the last week or so about 5 foot tall.
Very happy with the yield from the vegetable garden at the moment. We have lovely tasty spuds, the courgettes just keep on coming (from the tunnell) Great crop of tomatoes that are so tasty along with Basil and peas and mange tout and of course the salad crops all taste delicious and make the effort so worth it.
You know one of those days when you can’t seem to settle to any particular task ….
Well – today was one of those days. I started out with the intention of planting some late lettuce seeds and sorting the tiny veg garden – but on the way I stopped to dead-head some Alchemilla that was looking very sad.
Taking the debris down to the compost heap I spotted some mint that had planted itself in the raised bed with the blackberries – that’ll only take a minute …. but the whole bed needed weeding – and the Thornless Blackberry needed tying up …. so back up to the shed for the twine. Tied up the blackberry which exposed the strawberries that needed tidying too – and there were some Alchemilla that needed moving …. so back up to the shed for the fork … on the way I nearly fell over a pot with some Laurel slips I took last year that were needing to be potted on!
Finally got to the veggie beds.
Unfortunately Puss had got there before me – nice soft soil, perfect toilet! So having cleared away the mess and all the veg nearby I topped up the bed with fresh compost and finally planted my seeds.
Well, Puss will find it difficult to get at them this time! A cage has been built using various bits of stuff that was lying about – and at last it was time to go in!
Hey i expect all the males are disappointed when they saw my photo 🙂
This is my first yellow streptocarpus and i did order for the name ,but it looks promising and i cannot wait for it to bulk up and show me what she has got!
I don’t know whether this plant was as a result of one of MY cuttings, or whether someone else gave it to me. No idea what it is. It’s been that pale green since the beginning, and the leaves are fairly curled up. Can anyone help please?
i have taken some photos of the garden in august, lots of weeding to be done out front once i have finished the new area which is nearly there. it should be finished by next week weather permitting. just some finishing touches to put to it.
i am also sorting the patio, i will reveal the two areas at the same time. need to pick up a few bits tomorrow for some of the pots that i am putting in there.
i am putting up a small album now if anyone wants to have a peep
