Month: May 2016

Well the various Zinnias grown from seed beeded a new bed do they got one today . Then I added some Stock , Geraniums and Clarys to it as one does ! At least the potting table can breathe a little easier tonight … I imagine the beds will one day ” join up ” if I keep adding them ad hoc . 

The Hostas are from division and I think they enjoy the drier conditions in this bed as do some Sedums I propagated . Always nice to see your own stock multiplying . Weather forecast is for some nice warm days next week .

……..when you see the Foxglove, Delphiniums and Lupins appearing. 

These are just coming into bloom now and I love them. Yesterday was a great day for relaxing in the garden and taking it all in. I spent a bit of time just doing that! And it was then I spotted the Foxglove hiding behind some ribbon grass, which of course got its marching orders lol 

Also coming up are the Lupins, which look more like ice cream cones 😉 

And the deep blue of the Delphiniums doing this thing too  

The heat has really made a huge impact on the garden and it has grown about 6inches in height since last week. I love it!!

Weather is looking good for next few days so get out and enjoy! 😉  

Lovely day here hope the same for everyone.

I just happened to plant some Iris in front of a Ligularia no colour scheme in mind. Then as the latter started to get tall and show the back of it’s leaves  the iris decided to open with the same colour flower a lovely dark maroon.  Looks great especially when the breeze ruffles the leaves and really shows off the reverse side……yummy.

Viburnum opulus and Ceanothus, Chrysogonum and Physocarpus “Diabolo”, and Choisya “Sundance” with Centaurea.

I took advantage of the nice weather today to take a few snaps in the garden. Growth has come on at pace and everything has just taken off. Some of the combinations that we work hard on trying to achieve look ok’ish but it is the ones that are accidental ( as Elizabeth illustrated earlier ) that often turn out the best. Anyway see what you think.

These are three of my favourites at the minute – the first is euphorbia excalibur which I originally got as a stray in a pot with another plant from Jimi Blakes I like the new growth when it first emerges and the way it forms such a perfect mound. The second is Viburnum rhytidophyllum and is looking lovely at the moment. I am a big fan of the viburnum family of plants and this one does not disappoint.The last plant I am including for it’s fragrance I was walking across the garden earlier quite a distance from this plant and the smell stopped me in my tracks just lovely. I noticed lots of it in June Blakes’s garden in the photos Fran posted earlier (Thanks Fran). Common name is false solomon Seal proper name Smilacina Racemosa.

Last journal for tonight – Shots of three differnent flower beds  – Entrance bed wiht Geums wallflowers and geraniums ( not yet in flower) The Geum I split up last year and made several bits and it did not really performbut this year it is doing really well. The second photo is of one of the big beds at the front of the house – lots of different shades of green at the moment – geraniums, Phlox, Day Lily, Holly and Joe Pye at the very back is the monster cephalaria that will in the next few weeks be by far the tallest perennial in the garden. The last photo is the cottage garden which has been taken over by Aqualiga seeds of all different varieties.I will let them do their thing and then pull out the majority of them as they are in danger of taking over

I have been waiting and waiting for this Iris to open, it stopped me dead in my tracks yesterday when I saw,

simply stunning.

Have a great day 😉

Great to see three old friends meeting in the garden for a coffee instead of visiting various coffee house in Limerick.

Mary McNamara ,Mary Neville & Mary Ryan 

They enjoyed the sound of the water from pond ,The Scent from the Arthur Bell Rose, etc the weather makes all the difference in Ireland.

Firstly is Fuchsia Lady Bacon which has been on my want list for awhile now and after buying on ebay a few months back I took several cuttings which rooted and then planted the main plant out in the garden but delighted to see flowers on one of my smaller plants from the greenhouse. A super looking fuchsia.

Second is Geum Lady Stratheden which is just coming into flower now and should flower well into late summer.

Third and last photo is of my Snow in Summer which is spreading along nice an area I can’t really plant much and this year is finally pushing out a nice amount of flowers. Def a a great spreading plant which has fantastic colour foliage alone but also rewards you with super flowers.

Gorgeous day here today but only took a couple of photos as we went to youghal for some lunch and then the beach after. Funny enough then we came home to Thunder, lightning and rain after spending the afternoon and evening on the sun in East Cork.

As Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, I did just that yesterday. Well, in the garden anyway. Once all the boring indoor chores were done, Steve and I sat out and appreciated that little space we call home. That was the intention anyway. Ok, I couldn’t actually stay sitting in one place for too long.

Ended up planting a couple of plants, and watered stuff in the greenhouse. What a super day, and I believe it’s to be a smashing week. Hope you can all avail of some of that essential vitamin D.

With all this heat and sun, the garden is just taking off at a rate of knots. I can’t believe how quickly everything is growing. It’s grown about a foot in a week and where I had bare soil I now have to be careful not to stand on anything. 

Lots of flowers now opening up at last and everywhere is starting to look so lush and colourful. 

The first photo is Nasturtiums which I have growing in a basket. I love the deep orange. 

Second photo is Gazania which are out in the front garden in my containers. Gosh these are going for years now. And never cease to shine once the sun is around. 

Last photo is Dianthus ‘Lily the Pink’. A really gorgeous pink  in my pink circle, which is really coming into its own now. Really pleased with the results here. 

Another fab day on the cards and looks like the week ahead too. So enjoy 

Another lovely day really warm. All the same I confess to feeling a bit grumpy and fed up with endless weeding; three hours a day is pretty grim and even then there are plenty to be seen. BUT then I spotted that the Roscoea had pushed above ground and were looking really healthy and strong. So no more grumping. Then I saw a flower on Saruma henryi , don’t know if you are familiar with this lad it is a wild ginger and related to Asarum thus the fiddling around with letters to make Saruma….can’t think of the proper word to describe when this happens grrr. It flowers best later in the year and grows to about two feet and has lovely soft leaves. A woodland plant.

Finally Primula poissoni a rather dainty looking candleabra  but a lovely strong colour.

I think these are all self seeded, though I may have scattered some seed last year, senior moment!!

To day was surely the warmest day this year. I had plenty to get done and plenty of time to get at least some of it done. First, Saturday was a day when time was limited. I had a meeting which started in the morning and was home by about 4 p.m. Needless to say when the usual things were done, time ran out. Sunday, well nothing done in the garden except the usual, ventilation and some watering as well as inspecting that enemy, the Giant Hogweed. There was much more of it that I had expected. To day was different. I spent several hours at the gardening. Some pruning of Senecio which had been neglected and a bit of weeding around same and Hydrangeas. Next task was to attack the hogweed. My plan was to use a herbicide like Roundup. However I changed  my mind and pruned about half of it using the hedge trimmer.  Using the Dutch hoe, some colt’s foot at the back was removed. The reason for this was that despite the temperature being high, there was a bit of a breeze. Later on, three Dahlias were taken from the pots and planted in a bed near the front door. More weeding was carried out in that area. There is still a lot to be done yet. The lilies have survived that dreadful red beetle.

This R. Nancy Evans is going from strength to strength each year.

Well I never knew these existed until I joined here. And what a treat they are. To me Geraniums were what I now know are Pelergonium, thanks to Liga 😉  I wouldnt have even looked at these before because I wouldn’t have had the room  But now I’ve them dotted around the garden doing their thing  

Thanks to some very generous .iers I have acquired some and I bought a few also. 

These are just opening now and are looking great in the sunshine. 

Geranium ‘Dusky Rose’

Geranium ‘ Spinners’ 

Geranium ‘Blue Bloomers’ 

Have a great day whatever you do and try and get outside. 

Living with a painter we often have discussions on whether things are blue or purple. Seems to me a lot of garden plants are either wrongly labelled or the breeders are colour-blind! Like this Iris Laevigata, which is supposed to be blue, but isn’t. I love nepeta in all its forms, but my favourite is Six Hills, which we have spread almost all round the garden. It, and the N. Fassenii, are a mass of bees, which makes them even lovelier. But is it blue or purple? I think purplish, Mr Artist says blue. The bees don’t care. 

The little Veronica Gentianoides is a plant I fell in love with at Doolin Garden. It separates easily into plantlets, so that’s gradually spreading too. Now that’s definitely a blue!

The weather over the last two weeks has just been glorious and the trees in The Lane are now shading most of the grass path. The large horsechestnut is in full flower and looking very well. The deciduous azaleas are all flowering and the scent in the evenings is just intoxicating. These are the last of the shrubs that will flower here and for the summer months, geraniums, primulas and the blue poppies will continue the show.

We have been busy for the last week or so with a visit to The Burren on Thursday and Friday and this week with wedding plans which is only a little over two weeks away.

This Geranium maderense is in a strip of soil about 6 inches wide, and gets bashed about when I take out the mower or the strimmer. The Campanula will be in the front door if I’m not careful. And as for things growing out of the compost bin……

Two purchases brought home and left outside front door this evening while I changed into suitable outdoor wear ! Imagine my disbelief when I saw the pot empty in the lawn and bits strewn everywhere !! Yes the new bound decided to chomp it into manageable portions . After I calmed down I began to wonder … Many of the bits had small roots so nothing ventured nothing gained . All potted up and the rootball may even survive . Think I’ll buy ” Hunter ” his own gardening tools .. The other plant was a lovely lavander which I saved in time .