Month: December 2016

The mild weather of late has our plants really confused. This Leptospermum scoparium was flowering profusely during March, April and May this year.

Out there for a short while today and couldn’t believe that it’s ready to spring forth yet again. Let’s hope they won’t be knocked back during our cold spell next week.

Is the only garden tool that has been used in recent times here.

It’s been busy all week making Christmas Swags for my stall at Killruddery Market this Saturday and Sunday, busy long days but don’t I just love it, the weather is to stay mild again which is great.

‘Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me’, Rhodo buds can do that to you. Last year i thought i had a flower bud on my R.roxieanum var oreonastes but it turned out not to be the case. I didn’t mind in the least as it is a fabulous species for foliage but now i am certain that i have a flower bud so there will be a first flowering next spring.

There will also be a first flowering on that most wonderful species R.bureavii, i adore this Rhododendron and it should be in every garden. 

The third shot is of a flower bud on R. cephalanthum crebreflorum, this is a very dwarf species which has daphne like flowers and aromatic foliage. It is fussy as to growing conditions but well worth the extra effort.

has increased around the patch,roses have been doing their bit now the Chinese Star Jasmine is chipping in,never had a fragrent garden before joining this site so thank you.

This little flower bed is in my front garden. We planted this Kilmarnock Willow, which was doing ‘OK’ in the back but taking up too much space, so decided it needed a new home. 

So as its so bare obviously it needed some under planting. So in there are Heuchera, Tiarella and some Cyclamen, plus lots of Snowdrops and Tete-a-tetes

Their colours are really beautiful at this time of year and really add to the drabness of these damp days. I love the lime green colour of the Heuchera against the deep cerise of the Cyclamen. 

Well I shouldnt  complain about the dampness after the lovely weather we have had over the past while. A bit of rain forecast and then back to bright days. Wonder will there be snow at Christmas lol?? Not long now!

Have a great day 😉 

When everything else is taking a break it’s nice to see the colour on the foliage too. These are sometimes overlooked. Some are just beautiful  

First picture is Nandina. The foliage has beautiful red throughout and is stunning at this time. 

Second photo is Tiarella which has the deepest of red foliage during Winter. This is exceptionally beautiful and in the planter just outside our dining room window. Very apt for this time of year. 

Third photo is Ajuga reptans. This is beautiful all year round with its purple flowers but now it’s the foliage that is really putting its colour out there. Again this is planted near the patio doors and can be seen from the house on a dull day. Brightens up any corner too. 

awhile since I posted some pics of the King Parrots,this time of the year they love having the cherries as something different on the menu.

Evening all, i know a lot of us have a tendency at this time of the year to say we haven’t much colour in the garden but there is always green and it is one thing i really miss when we are away abroad  in sunny climes on holidays. No lack of green here in my garden with a lot of evergreen shrubs and trees.

The first photo is taken from my sons window at the back of the house so even though i have hundreds of shrubs of various sizes in the garden there is still room for more. I like the different colour shades in this photo.

A very common Rhododendron hybrid is R.scarlet wonder and it is a great addition to any garden as the foliage is attractive and the reddish buds are very appealing also. It is also a reliable bloomer.

I like to underplant larger growing Rhodos with dwarf Rhodos if at all possible and i love the contrast of the two Rhodos in the third photo. The larger of the two is the beautiful species R.niveum which will flower for the first time next year and the dwarf is the hybrid R.wren. 

I haven’t been here since August.

But it has been busy in the garden. It was an extraordinary Autumn with no wind and a long mild lead-in. Then some cold frost in November and suddenly the leaves came down almost all at once. Keeping them cleared was quite the chore. I have only managed to cut away some of the dahlia stalks and did cover the roots with lots of mulch. It worked last winter.

Another notable thing is the holly berry. In spite of the frost in November the birds have not stripped the berries. There is plenty of other food about for them and they have not even touched a full bird feeder yet; extraordinary!

As always there was colour aplenty and I just have to describe it. The colour of the Japanese Acers as they shed their leaves was very beautiful. Deep reds and pink/ purple with shades of yellow running through it.  The colour of late houttinya and of deep pink sedum just before it went seedy.

A very good friend surprised me with a book put together with over 140 photographs of the garden taken over the years. It was interesting to experience how another person’s interpretation of the garden made me see it in a new light. It is beautiful and has given me ideas for charity fundraising in the new year.

New year: new challenges.

And in the meantime may you all have a great Christmas and New ~Year.

like to wish all you good people a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year,hope you all really enjoy.

after 4 days of beaut rain,the patch loved it.Even the lizard has returned,I,m hoping the girls do,nt realize he,s back.

Yesterday, the 19th December was the 100th anniversary of the death of my great grandfather Ned Higgins, who died in the first world war on 19/12/1916. As i am very into my family history i feel it important to honour him as he was one of the tens of thousands who have no marked grave, the war diary of his battalion on the day just says one killed and two wounded and that was it. I haven’t been able to find out how he died and i probably never will but you can be sure there was no last post and chorus and no piper playing the flowers of the forest.

Ned was from Knockainy in Co Limerick and in the space of a few months, Ned, his brother in law Martin O’Sullivan and his friend James Gammell who all lived very near to each other had been killed in the war. My guess is that Ned joined up for the money and when he got killed he left my great grandmother and nine children behind and it must have been a horrific time for them as life in rural Limerick wasn’t easy. Rest in peace Ned and all who died in wars from all sides.

Three photos for you today of three smashing species Rhododendrons. The first is R.insigne, the second is R.williamsianum and the third is R.roxieanum var cucullatum.

Who would have thought that I could cut such a great selection of flowers today as a Birthday treat to myself. There are Schizostylis, Hardy Gerbera, Penstemon ‘Garnet’, Osteospermum, Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’, R. ‘Iceberg’, R. ‘Teasing Georgia’, and R. ‘Tequila Sunrise’, and not forgetting my special little hardy Nicotiana which is still going 18 months after spotting it in summer of 2015. I was almost afraid to cut any of the Nicotiana today for fear that I might be putting the ‘mockers’ on it. 

Mr scrubber was so busy last saturday morning that the scrub was agog with interest. No he was not planting or shifting rocks or dividing astilbes. He was mixing cement. Half a small bag of sand and cement, (8Euros and great value).

He had earlier cut a strip of linoleum and made a circle-like a cake band.

This was placed on a rock and half filled with cement. Then the head of Lord Buddha was placed on top and infilled all around making dure the ears were clear of the mix.

Then Scrubber stood back and hoped he had not made a prashock of things-old Irish word preasach=mess or mistake.

He had to wait until today to see. In the dimming light he retrieved the linoleum and exposed the new plinth! He thinks it has not ruined the lord Buddhas head and it is now solidly grounded on the rock so that thieves ‘may not break in and steal’.

His conscience is bothering him slightly because he thinks the Lord Buddha is alll compassionate and understanding and were thieves to take him away he would be accepting and not be very angry as would Mr. Scrubber.

So is concreting in the head of Lord Buddha a very zen like action?

Is a puzzlement!

Gardening  and Philosophy should go together but…….

In any case the new plinth works in showing off Lord Buddha to people who pass by and I hope a blessing follows them.

Yes dear friends I know you think Mr Scrubber has lost it but until it is lost it is very difficult to find……..

Evening all, as Christmas day approaches it is lovely to stroll around the garden and see some lovely flowers. 

The first photo is of an un-named Camellia which is very early flowering for a Japonica. The second photo is again of some early flowers, this time on my Hamaelis ‘pallida’ and the third shot is of flowers and berries on that wonderful winter flowering shrub, Sarcococca confusa.

I would like to wish you all a very happy christmas and hope it is all you want it to be.

A dear friend of mine gave me a present last Tuesday to remember another dear friend by. It is Daphne Bholua Jaqueline Postil. I know it from its glorious scent and had tried and failed to acquire one last year. I see Johnstown are sold out until March. It will remind me of the friend for whom it was given who incidentally loved pink as a colour.

No gardening today as lots to be done in other areas mostly christmas ones.But I went down and photographed Buddha on his plinth now that the linoleum casing was removed. It looks a bit raw as yet but it will very soon get a green coating and the lichens will soften its starkness. I am quite pleased,

Called into Kehoes today and got three nice skimmias for 10Euro. Not very large but good plants. They will go in after Christmas and I have decided to put the Daphne near the drive so I shall get the waft of perfume going in and out.

Its a sort of settling down time before the aconites and snowdrops shove through. May I wish everyone the happiest of Christmasses and hope to meet many at the Johnstown gathering.

Wishing all of you a very happy Christmas. Don’t think about all those winter garden jobs, just relax, enjoy your families (and a small tipple!) and get out if you can for a long walk in our lovely countryside. 

Looking forward to seeing you all at Johnstown!

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

May you have
The gladness of Christmas
which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas
which is peace;
The heart of Christmas
which is love.

Merry Christmas dear garden.iers !!!!xxx

Flowering in right time!Got in ‘Avoca’ ,when I was looking for Hippeastrum pappilo.Not bad i think.

p.s. i hope you all feel ok today 😀

year for the roses,very little blackspot,no aphids & plenty of fragrance,colour.

I trust you all had a enjoyable Xmas& the New Year is kind to you all.

I just cant believe that we are at the end of 2016 already! Where did that year go? The garden was brilliant and it has really come together. I loved being out there whenever I could and I am hoping that next year will be just as good. 

When I left my old house I worried that I would never get that same ‘feel’ I got, but oh my goodness, that is all now a distant memory. The ‘feel’ I get from here is magical and it is something I have wanted for years……

The album is a great reminder of what was….not a huge amount going on in the month of December generally, but this year we have been lucky that it hasnt been too cold or wet. Still some colour going on too!

So…….I want to wish all you lovely gardening friends a very HAPPY, HEALTHY and PEACEFUL New Year…..

Let this New Year be the one, where all your dreams come true……….

I hope to see some of you in Johnstown in January or if not maybe a garden visit throughout the year!

I’ve been eyeing up this bush for weeks . Job done today and I noticed this foxglove had  found an unusual space for establishing a new home . Talk about opportunistic! 

Ok – now that the Plum Pudding has been eaten and you’ve walked it off in this lovely weather its time to get back out to the garden!

Time to start looking for plants you might want to swap at Johnstown!

For newcomers the process is very simple – if you have divisions or seedlings from your garden that you would like to send to a good home, just put up a journal with a list (including how many you have) and keep an eye on that journal – you can edit it if people have “booked” your plants!

The tricky bit is that youw will need a LABEL on these plants on the day with YOUR NAME as the donor and the name of the lucky person getting yoru plant! It all gets a bit crazy at the plant swap so this little bit o homework will make life a lot easier for you on the day!

I’m hoping that lots of the newcomers will join us on Saturday 7th January for a great day out!

I need to do a bit of a tidy-up of the “plants in waiting” in my garden before I can put up a list!

Now that the Christmas madness is subsiding I managed to get out in the garden for a few sessions! Venturing out i was faced by a dilemma that is probably familiar to most of you – where to start????

Would I concentrate on one area and to the COMPLETE TIDY, WEED, TRIM or woud I try and give an impression of overall tidiness by tackling the dreaded leaves?

Well, day one I tackled just one area and it took the entire session to get it sorted – including shredding the cut back Michaelmas Daisies from that border – total effort less than 3 hours finishing at dusk!

Day two I took the other apporach – a previous HelpX helper had gathered a lot of the leaves from the woodland together on the path but hadn’t got around to picking them up so I gathered up as much as I could, then realised that he hadn’t actually raked off ALL the leaves so that needed doing. Then I realised that the helebores I transplanted to that area were coming into bud but they weren’t visible so I cut off all last years leaves and look forward to watching them thrive!

Its good to be able to walk a,ong the path without wading through leaves! Interestingly, this also took about 3 hours – but I didn’t get the shredding done this time!

Well, today I was facing another long day and I really was/am fed up feeling rotten. Tomorrow is going to probably be the longest day in a while (and thank you all for your condolences). So today I literally pushed myself out into the garden. Initially it was just going out to clean up the cat poo. But lo and behold I ended up staying outside doing stuff for at least two hours. The place doesn’t seem to look any better, but I got two black bags of cut-back stuff. I need to get fit. The backs of my legs were stretched to their limits today.

I know some of you already have flower buds on your Hellebores. But I got just as much of a thrill knowing my own ones are almost in full flower. The fresh air was so therapeutic, and it was a mild enough day so that most of my time was spent with no jacket. I’ve also noticed daylight lasting a bit longer today, and it was brighter earlier this morning. This is just music to my soul as I HATE HATE HATE dark dreary days.

My Senecio petasites is still going strong, and I spotted a cheeky little Knautia macedonica just opening up another flower. Mad or what!