Month: December 2015

Yesterday I went out to open up the greenhouse and it was wild but mild out. I can’t believe the temperatures. At one stage in my car yesterday the outside temp said 17C in DECEMBER!!! 

It was up to 20C in the greenhouse so I had to move some of my plants outside for a breather as it was just too warm in there and that’s with no heat!! 

I had a quick look in the garden around the greenhouse and I see a few buds appearing in my pots and also on my Hellebores. 

The first picture is Helleborus ‘Pennys Pink’. I bought this in Johnstown at the last get together and it flowered for months. Delighted to see it taking off again. Plus my Lidl ones too  

Second picture shows a Fuchsia, I’ve no name for it, which had literally lost all its leaves, only to start growing  again but also some flower buds appearing. Totally confused now!! 

Last photo are my daffs and tulip bulbs making an appearance already. 

Lets hope we aren’t in for a mad Jan/Feb now that we have had the mildest weather so far!!! 

Here is Mae’s Amaryllis in full flower now. Cara is not impressed lol. Her one is still tightly closed. 

This one is so heavy it has toppled over a couple of times in the pot it came in so I’ve had to put it in this lovely red pot to keep it upright. 

Arent they so hard to photograph trying to get all the sides in?! So that’s why it was on   the floor to give you an idea of how beautiful it really is. 

Finally the gales ran out and we woke to a sunny day on Sunday so it was up with the lark and out to put up the rose arbour, which has been sitting in the shed for months. Next front-garden project is to line the pool, which is concrete and has a hole in the wall. But we can’t do that until we can drain it out – ironic that we can’t line the pond because it’s too full. 

Well, it was great to cross one job off the list! 

Another one starting early.

finally thinned out the Iris,they are now spread far& wide around the patch.

Tried putting up a bird album did,t work.

P.S. 2nd time worked with the album trust you ejoy the bird pics.

A lovely little daffodil that has just started to flower in the garden, despite the wet and windy weather, is Narcissus’ Jenny’. It usually flowers just a few days before Christmas, but this year seems to be a little earlier. At first you get the odd flower for about two weeks and then they start in earnest. I look forward to it flowering every year and these beautiful pale yellow flowers are most welcome in the darkest days of winter. This year has also been a great year for the Iris unguicularis and I have been picking lots of flowers over the past weeks.

Driving home from Dublin today, my heart went out to the poor folk who are struggling with floods these days. It made me so thankful to come back to my humble abode, set high above river and sea, and find all intact. Having grown up on a small farm and witnessed the struggles of farmers tending animals in dreadful weather one is always full of sympathy and admiration for their dedication.

I have no right to complain about water-logged borders! So to cheer us all I’m putting up a couple of pictures of plants that smile through it all!

First attempt at growing  this plant seems to be working so far.

Roses are still blooming away too.

Picked up this little bird feeder in Dealz. The ones that have suction pads, and stick on to a window. They’re great for getting a closer look at the smaller garden birds. I laughed yesterday when I spotted this massive pigeon trying to top up his food intake, and having to flap his wings constantly in order to remain balanced long enough to get the seed. And strangely enough, the feeder actually stayed in place.

I went walkabout in the garden today during a very brief break in the rain and was rewarded with some more nice things to help to brighten these shortening days.

First there was the surprising discovery of lots of buds on a little Daphne shrub in the Maple Border that I’ve nursed along since 2012. My database records that it was given to me by a .ier but I have no idea who the donor was! It almost died the first year, but giving it a few feeds of compost seems to have improved it a lot but up to now there has been no sign of any flowers so I was amazed to see all these little buds appearing!

In the same border there is Helleborus ‘Atrorubens’ which was also a slow developer. It disappeared after it was planted without ever flowering so t see it reappear, and flower is a real joy. It even has its original label! I just let the label there when the plant disappeared in the hopes it might survive and for once neither birds nor adventurous children moved it!

The other treasure in that border is Chaenomeles ‘Pink Trail’ which is starting into blossom already!

All in all, a very satisfactory walkabout!

Nothing much to report as rain keeps tumbelin’ down but am very pleased with the way the Scrub is beginning to take on a shape and have an idea for 54 euonymus plants I have my beady eye on! I see a carpet of the golden little one where now there is bare clay. Otherwise there are still leaves to be cleared and if I could only find my camera. has Cherub turned up in anyone’s garden yet? Cherub Lute is growing into his role and yesterday when he nudged me as I wondered about the euonymus planting it was almost as if…… Ulp! Sorry am still a little wobbly on that front!

Wasn’t it great to get some gardening done to day. True, it hasn’t been cold but  the rain has been the problem. Now in this part of the country, we didn’t get it bad from the point of view of floods compared with other areas. I can remember the Barrow being flooded several times before but not this time. The temperature was exceptional too. One would hardly think when when doing a bit outside that it was December. There were several jobs to be done but I must say that not all were done. It was a bit depressing prior to this to look out and witness the precipitation. To day was great again. Gutters had to be cleared of leaves. Perhaps more of this has to be done. Leaves on the ground has to be collected, perhaps to morrow if it is as good as to day. Would you believe the Pelargoniums are not all in but to day, all at the back of the house, big ones too. I felt much better when the time came to retire. I should have more time to morrow. Isn’t it interesting that only five days to the shortest day and then the days will begin to get long again.

There were absolutely NO Goldfinches visiting my garden last winter. A few weeks ago I went off and bought some nyjer seed as they love it. I’ve been waiting and waiting, and waiting some more for their appearance. I knew it was probably going to be only a matter of time before they discovered the nyjer seed. And ‘lo and behold, today they arrived.

I was told a few minutes ago that there was that guy again over in Santry park on his bike, with a basket containing 40 goldfinches to sell on the black market. So I’m blessed that I saw a couple for now. Hoping there will be lots more.

have had to be made to accommodate the ladies,shrubs instead of vegies in acouple of beds.I,m hoping a happy medium will be reached.

I,d like to wish all you good people a very Merry Xmas & trust all is enjoyable with family & friends.

I was planning last night that I might do a littl bit in the garden this morning. After all, it was a really nice mild day yesterday and I was too busy writing christmas cards to go outside at all.

Will i never learn?

I have lived most of my life in this country, and the past eight years in Sunny Laois. Wouldn’t you think I’d have learned the lesson of Carpe Diem – Sieze the day!

The forecast was talking about scattered showers ….. they seem to have all congregated over Gortnalee!

And i HAVE to go out to post those darned cards!

My bargain Echeveria has started to put out little florets of leaves (is that the right word??). I gave it a tiny drop of water when I got it first, about a month ago I think, and nothing since as I read that they need a few months with none. I wonder now that it’s putting on growth should i give it some water? I think I might take off the leaf that has gone a bit yucky too.

I have hardly looked at the garden in the last 5/6 weeks, the ‘mojo’ just seemed to disappear while I was also wrapped up in other things and  also on my days off the rains were very much against me.

So yesterday, been a lovely day I took on the monstrous task of doing a walkabout with the camera in hand, well come on folks you can’t jump into things too fast either 😉

It was lovely to see so much bits and pieces of colour dotted around. What really struck me was the cutting back that is needed and boy am I just about ready for it now. I love this task, so I’ll bide my time over the break and the poor old secateurs better be ready for a major task.

Photos are of Angela’s corner and part of the Bend area, so these photos also show Fran’s garden isn’t always in the pristine state all seem to think LOL. But with me, you take the Good, Bad and Ugly and I don’t have an issue with people seeing these photos, in all honesty very few of us are totally on top of the garden all year round.

On another note while I was buying the Christmas tree yesterday, I happened over to the ‘reduced to clear section’, I’ve been really good this year with buying plants, but boy was I tested yesterday, some serious reductions. Prunus Kojou, covered in buds but in a broken pot caught my eye, there was no marked down price so I asked and the young lad and he marked it to E5.00, deal done. On paying for the christmas tree, I dropped the broken plastic pot, a manager walking passed picked it and said, ”a fiver for an auld plant in a broken pot” and told the girl at the check out ”make that two euro”, he wished me happy christmas and was gone. So, from E18.99 to E2.00. Happy Days.

Wallflower and Ipheoin both with flowers starting.

What another miserable morning it is out there today. I have been looking through some gardening photos from the summer in order to cheer myself up, when I came across thIs group of photos of the girls so excited, well Olivia, at being able to pull carrots and pick a few flowers. It is so nice to see how they enjoy simple things like selecting flowers to bring into their Mam or collecting the eggs, long may it last. In the photos they were sizing up how big Olivia’s tree, an Acer with a very long name, has growing since they were last here.

The flowers of this small tree are always welcome at this time of year and it has never failed to flower in time for Christmas since it was planted in 1988. They are not the cheapest of plants to buy but they give so much over the year, from their spidery flowers in winter to the rich red of their leaves in autumn.   

It’s so long since I have done any gardening – the longest stint of idleness so far. And boy, am I going to regret it when I eventually get to grips with all the brownies out there. Normally I do it bit by bit so it’s less daunting. But not so this time round. 

Still lots of summer flowers on the go, albeit sporadically. My Rose ‘Tequila Sunrise’ is throwing out a few more blooms now, but without the orange tinge to the edge of the petals. The Buzzard is becoming quite a regular visitor.

It would be difficult to say anything pleasant about the garden at mid winter but I have had a couple of surprises recently and they were pleasant ones.

Tomorrow will be five seconds longer than today and so the year has turned.

Firstly, the hellebores are in full flower. They are early and are wonderful. Mine are among trees and are starting to spread as they seed themselves. Long may they continue to spread.

Secondly, a couple of late roses are still showing. The petals are slightly foxed about the edges but isin’t it wonderful to have them.

Thirdly, I found one spray of holly with berries. The birds have stripped all other red berries. I put aside some berried holly in mid november but those sprigs have dried somewhat and now have trouble holding the berries and so are delicate to handle.

However the garden is looking civilised and if you saw it on the 12th and 13th it was horrendous. The stream had overflown its banks – just as it had in 2009 – and spread dirt and debris all over. But by the miracle of our changeable Irish weather it had dried enough by this Saturday to be able to clean it up and gather all the loose debris using the lawnmower. So it now wears its Christmas coat of respectability.

And all the signs of the year to come are already up. The snowdrops are well up including the “Elwesii” given to me by Mary Davies. Daffodills are well up though I hear others have them near flowering at this stage.

Bluebells are breaking ground and there is a similar white flower which shows just after the bluebells and it is well up already. I wish I knew the name but it normally flowers for about four weeks in May and early June.

All is trimmed back though the rudbeckia did not fully die back this year. Some iris have come up and the sisyrinchium is spreading all over. Even some crocosmia still show green leaves. A most unusual year.

I headed out yesterday morning to start on the clearing and cutting back. It was great to get that secateurs working again. Sadly only got 40 minutes done as the rains came in hard and fast, needless to say the garden is sodden wet. One big advantage of having so much hard landscaping I’m do no damage in a lawn.

Even in the short time I had I uncovered all kinds of delights and signs of the on coming season.

Heading out again now shortly and hope to get the morning out of it as others plans for the afternoon. The old ‘mojo’ is back in full kilter once again.

Sorry about the photos, very dark and taken on the phone.

I was in Dublin for the Christmas. I stayed with my sister Joan who has 9 children and 23 grandchildren. As usual these people gave me lovely Christmas presents. I travelled to Dublin by train this time, same coming home, much cheaper as I have the free travel for some time but did not avail of it that much. The main reason I went by train was the eyes. I had been to Beaumont Hospital on 2 December, for the injections around the eyes. It was not until much later that I felt that there was a change and feel capable of driving longer distanced now. That means that unless things change a lot, I should be able to drive to Johnstown.

I travelled back from North Tipp / Galway border last night and what a frightening experience. Flood after flood and worst when I was almost home. Drive through some nasty torrents but luckily made it. The photos today are all from my locality and Parish . Storm Frank now battering the a bartered communities. If this is global warming in Ireland Iam seriously considering leaving !