Month: August 2015

Well what a  surprise I got today.  Playing ball with Meg in garden and went to pick up what I thought was a tennis ball (it was about 20ft away!)  But what do I find but a big Peach. Bruno had kindly given me a little tree last year I think. Never thought it would produce fruit certainly not until it grew up a lot. There was one more on the little tree just as big and gorgeous looking. Too good to be true; so though the insects had started to eat the fallen one there was enough good flesh to taste….lovely. So now I have a huge lovely Peach for supper. I thought Peaches only formed in Glass houses? Or maybe if we had a really hot Summer. Thanks Bruno

Also a photo of Begonia Silver splendour reputed to be very hardy. Anybody grow it?

Its been a while since I have been able to do anything and today I decided I would treat myself to some therapy……….of the retail type!

So I headed off to Plantagen in Clonee. I love nothing better than looking around garden centres, taking my time, looking at all the fabulous plants and shrubs. It was packed with all sorts of goodies. 

I didnt really want for anything, if Im honest, but I couldnt help myself in the end.

Bought two beautiful Clematis. They are from the Royal family collection. Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ and Clematis ‘Princess Kate’ Their flowers are so dainty, a little different than the usual clematis, so they were definitely coming home with me. 

Then I picked up a lovely pink Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Daisy Marguerite’. I also got a White Marguerite, and another Pink one but this one has a yellow centre and a Pelergonium ‘New Choco’. Not a bad mornings work!!

So they are now waiting to find a home, which Im hoping I might be able to do that, or at least some of them tomorrow, all going well.

Its amazing how therapy can really lift somone and this type ‘floral therapy’ is the best ever 🙂

When I got my greenhouse back in January, I mentioned that I could probably do with a little ‘potting’ shed too! Well one has to ask dont they ;)!

Little did I think that it would happen, but as usual my husband came up trumps. Although he has been very busy with work and working long hours, he has used his weekends to put together this shed for me, with a perspex roof for more light! He is going to insulate the inside also, so that way I can overwinter anything that needs more heat than my greenhouse can give it!

Its getting there , just a few more lengths for the finish on the outside and the door has to be fitted, then the inside will be complete. He is going to put in some shelves also. 

Im so looking forward to seeing it finished and making good use of it over the Winter. 

Just a few pictures at the moment, will put up more when its complete

Had to calm myslef down after those horrid creatures appeared so I went walkabout and found these Rudbeckia that i grew from seed this year. I’ve been told that the ones from seed aren’t usually hardy. Has anyone else tried them? Theya re such a lovely colour that i would love to be able tp bring them through the winter!

And this Fuchsia “Seventh Heaven” has finally flowered too!

Gretta was away in France a couple  of weeks ago and brought me back a lovely gift. A proper gift, not just some oul’ dust collector that sits on a mantelpiece. But something that will add both interest AND beauty to my garden. And possibly other gardens, if I can manage to take cuttings from it and share it around.

It’s Campsis radicans, something which you don’t often see for sale here in Ireland. It’s supposed to be hardy to -10 degrees so I’ve planted it into a bigger pot and will take it in if the weather becomes really bad. Thank you so much, Gretta.

Just look at the size of this flower!

Myrtle gave me a generous piece of her Dahlia ‘Vancouver’ earlier this year and I have been watching with eager anticipation as it started to open about a week ago.  I was afraid the rain was going to ruin it but no, it’s coming through fine so far with more buds to follow. Next year I’ll know to stake it better and give it support for its large heads.

Thank you Myrtle for this gorgeous dahlia.

Arranging the stepping stones to the pool was the easy bit, helped by a quick shower that entailed standing in the porch for ten minutes muttering to each other, ‘Number 5 needs to be three inches to the left.’ ‘Yes, and that means and 3 are going to have to move a bit, too.’ 

It was the bit behind the pool that caused the trouble.  If only the builder had actually lined the front garden up with the house, and made it symmetrical, it would have made arranging beds and features so much easier! But possibly less interesting…

So there are two uprights, several flat slabs and a lot of lumps of Burren. Plus one tree, several plants and eventually a big bag of gravel. How they’ll all fit together is a work in progress, but between the artist’s eye and a few discussions, I’m sure it’ll all work out. But if Scrubber would like to lend us a cherub or two, we wouldn’t turn him down!

I made such a mess in the garden yesterday what with all the weeding. I’m usually pretty tidy. But the heavy showers came down without warning so all debris was left lying on the grass.

Today I had assistance, and he insisted on raking up all the weeds. I couldn’t dissuade him.

Then he proceeded to plant a Passiflora flower in the only available free soil. Knowing David’s luck, it’ll grow.

I have just uploaded some photos of the back garden in July. I know Im a bit behind in time, but finally I can put them up now. 

I still need to do August!!

Nothing done this week really, only out looking at plants and seeing where what will go and what needs moving around in time. Had a lovely time in the Botanic Gardens yesterday and had some lunch in the restaurant, really enjoyable. I have some photos that I will upload too. There are some over on FB but I will put them up here too.

The borders were just gorgeous and the Dahlia beds were amazing too. It really is a fabulous place to visit, for those who have never been, and I was one of those up until a couple of years ago. Well worth a visit. Im so glad now that I went in Summer as I have now seen it in 3 seasons and definitely yesterday was THE best so far!

Well thats it for now, enjoy your weekend and lets hope the weather will hold up!

I just cannot grow Tomatoes.  This year I tried yet again and got as far as flowers but that was it. However my friend and neighbour grows lots of different tomatoes so over to his house this morning. I came home with 7 different varieties!!!  I have tried the Zebra and it is delicious. The small red one was a bit tasteless but there are 5 more to try. Great to eat home grown tomatoes. The two individual photos are of Zebra and Russian Black.

Finally I have put up an album of the garden and how it looks in August.

Lots of plants and shrubs are going over now and the rain has just been relentless the past couple of days. Today was really bad with thunder and lightening. The photos were taken today so that is why they are all so wet!

Its amazing how you can see the different colourings in the different months. This month brings the oranges and yellows, Autumn colours……….I hate seeing everything going over but then I love going out and deadheading and collecting up the seeds wherever I can.

I hope you enjoy the album.

I have had a couple of Ligularias here over the years. But what with juggling around plants, and redesigning borders, they all got overlooked. Probably ended up being dug up accidentally.

But the garden is much more to my liking now, although it’s nowhere near being finished. Bought two different types in Leitrim earlier in the summer. One has long gone over. But here comes the second one. Think this may be L. ‘dentata’?

Didn’t get a whole lot done today due to very heavy showers, and family.

A few lillies in flower

Still looking well despite all the rain

I loved my Echium this year and it was given to me by Joan at my first get together. 

I know I will have seedlings in time from the plant but rather than wait and see if that happens I decided to plan ahead. So as soon as the flowers were dying off I took some of the seeds off and planted up a few. 

Now I have a couple starting to make strides and really taking off. I’m sure there will be more around the garden. But just in case I end up weeding them out by mistake, I know I definitely have a few myself. 

i have just finished the patio and extremely happy with it. i had pots and bistro set sprayed purple but to me it just didnt work so i have now gone for black which i think looks far classier. the bistro set the you see in the picture is from mom i love it in black.

i also done up some pots with ferns ivy and some delicate violas for some colour, i love when joe swift done hanging baskets with ferns on gardeners world a while back, i loved them and thought when i was doing the patio i was doing these, i had no moss to add but they still look good.

also added solar lights, the photo does not do it justice as it looks so lovely when the lights are on it 

Rachel here are a few pictures of the Echium. So disappointed with it now. I didnt think it would flower this year as it was taking forever to grow, but it was doing ok and lots of growth coming out of the centre. But after all the rain over the past few weeks I really didnt notice until yesterday that it had gone soggy in the centre. Do you think that there is any hope for it now, or will I just get rid of it!….Its still green in the centre under all that gunk!

My sunflowers are so late this year. But it was a nice day today and one of a few have finally opened. It’s a small grower, only getting to 6ft. Such a pretty colouring, and a good addition to my hot border.

2 fantastic plants recieved from Myrtle earlier on in the year and both are coming into flower now.

1st id dahlia ‘vancouver’ which is just gorgeous and with massive flowers.

2nd is Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ which is a plant that was on my wishlist for awhile now and just love it. I have it in a pot in full sun and have fed every now and then so here’s hoping it  bulks up in the pot like myrtles has.

Thank you again for these wonderful plants

Simplicity 

More simple colors 

Fuchsia genii, which I’ve had for quite a while, was slow getting going this summer but is looking good now. 

And this lovely Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ which I got from PeterW as a tiny cutting at our 2014 Johnstown get-together has once again amazed me with the growth it has put on.  It’s perfect for this spot in the front garden where I can enjoy it from indoors as well as out.  I’ve already passed on one cutting from it and have a good sized plant destined for my nephew’s garden.  More cuttings were taken recently, so I hope to spread it around further.  Thanks again Peter for this gorgeous plant.