Month: April 2017
As I mentioned yesterday, I had a 17 year old mowing the lawn. It was a great relief as I have arthritis in the two knees and the left knee is weaker than the right. It was the first time for decades that I didn’t do the mowing myself. I told my friend to simply do the mowing and that I would pick up the grass. I had been at the Country Market in the morning where I sold two tomato plants and a Hydrangea. In the afternoon, I fed the roses, (over 100). I believe the rain is on the way so that is a bonus in a way. You may recall that I pruned these roses in January and they have made good progress. In the evening, I collected a fair amount of the grass cuttings and brought them to a new compost heap. Coming up to 8 p.m. it was getting cold so I retired to the house. The Musa (banana) plants are making good progress. They are back in the greenhouse for the night.
If I had taken this photo there would be more flowers in it.
A happy Easter to all in Garden.ie. This year like last year I am at home for Easter. I always tended to travel and be with the relations for Easter like Christmas but I don’t drive long distances now. However let us rejoice as This is the Day.
For a considerable length of time there seemed to be no sign of rain, temperature not great and getting cold at night, so the heat was on in the greenhouse by night and the Musa plants being the tender type were moved in. They have grown quite a bit for that reason. I remember when I took them out and watered them about a month ago, they looked miserable. Peter W in Cork has similar plants and he gave me some advise about them. I wonder is it time to feed them now. The heating of the greenhouse could also explain how the vine has done so well. During Holy Week, I spread some fertilizer around the roses and on Good Friday it was misty, not enough to wash down the potato manure in these beds. Yesterday I got the Dutch hoe out and tackled the beds, well two of the three. It got rid of what weeds were there, not many. Then this morning it began to rain and this time there was plenty of it so I was very pleased. By the way these roses have come on very well. They were pruned in January and many of them are showing flower buds. The Magnolia susan has come on a lot too since I displayed the photo. The grass which was mown last week has also come on and perhaps needs another mowing. However there was very little work done in the garden to day but to morrow is another day. Sorry no photos to day.
Well I completed the rose beds to day. The weather was good, no rain and relatively mild. it would seem that in Cork and Kerry and other parts of Munster the temperature was better. In the afternoon, I tackled the third rose bed using the Dutch hoe. Even though the heavy rain came this week the ground was still quite hard. The roses in the three beds look good. There are rose buds to be seen, propably due to the fact that we didn’t get severe weather. I hear that it will be cold early next week and hope this type of weather will not do too much harm. There is one rose in a side bed Abraham Darby and rose buds are partly open showing some colour. Too late now to take a photo, probably to morrow.
Well I went to the Fota plant fair this morning. It is only a 5 minute drive from here so no excuse! Long queue but then we were the early arrivers it got better later. A few of you may know that when faced with masses of the same class of item I go blank this happens in clothes shops , book stores and of course plant fairs. I wander around like an idiot not really seeing anything and usually come home empty handed. So today I had decided to visit every one of the stands and actually look at the plants. I bought two succulents and met Hazel, Ted and Margaret en route. But then the time had come to flee so off to Caherhurley nursery stand to collect the plants I had ordered in advance. What a super nursery this is. So weighed down by the shopping bag I had brought with me and now two plastic bags containing 9 pots between them I headed to the car. Cor they were heavy and I had a fair walk to the car. I came upon two security / traffic director type gents at the entry to the park. I put my bags down for a rest and was told by one of them who must be related to a sheep dog he loved herding so much, to get in off the road….for road read grassy , meadow like track. So me and my bags went further into the undergrowth. Then would you believe the other man came over to me and said, ‘ Come on i will bring these to your car for you’. And he did chatting away as we went a lovely gentleman indeed. I thought it was so kind of him . ‘Don’t mind him’ he told me referring to the Lassie’s cousin. So it all ended happily!!
Oh I bought 6 Astrantias two different colours and 3 Heleniums.
Last year I bought a pot of these in Lidl. They were about €12 but a 5 litre pot. What value they flowered and flowered for ages really big tall blooms. I have been on the lookout for them this year and they are due in next Saturday. This seems a funny day for Lidl so double check. I can highly recommend them so just telling you in case you may be interested.
This started growing again at the start of March and it has just taken off since with very rapid growth. I really love this plant and the foliage is just fantastic on it. It clumps and spreads quick enough and because of its quick growing it gets the full Chelsea chop every year.
Well I must say I’m pleased with Mr S! In the nick of time he’s made this lovely cold frame, the first of two which will go on the front of my new potting shed, which he has also ordered! Not bad for a man who is not any kind of carpenter. No sooner painted than it’s filling up…. Happy days!
They do say that “The Lord loves a tryer” so I’m off again trying to produce something edible from the garden! I put my spuds to “chit” as per Monty Don and they should really have been planted on the traditional St Patrick’s Day but life got in the way so I didn’t get to them until today. It was definitely a beautiful day to be out in the garden and the raised beds had been topped up with a good layer of compost last autumn so they just needed a little judicious weeding and turning over of the soil and it was a really easy to pop in the nicely chitted spuds. Two lots of First Earlies and one lot of Second Earlies.
Checking out my other vegetables I really am left thinking “why do I bother?”. On the sucess side of the scales are the Red Onions and Garlic settts that I planted in the autumn. They all look promising but I haven’t been brave enough to look ti see if there is anything going on under the soil, but I did weed and hoe them so at least they look like a “real” veg bed.
The saga of the Winter Cabages and Purple-flowering Broccoli is still ongoing. For once I actually planted the seeds at the right time, did the whole pricking out and transplanting bit but they seem to have gone into some sort of suspended animation.
Having given them a good talking too as I worked, I have banked up both these beds in a final desperate attempt to get at least ONE dinner out of them!
I am totally puzzled about this, as they are growing in raised beds which are regularly mulched with compost, where peas were grown last year (so the soil should be rich in Nitrogen) and they just failed to grow!
Here’s another early-flowering Clematis that’s starting to open now. Very similar to C. ‘Pixie’ which is also almost open, but this is a non-climbing form. Still waiting for its eventual place in the garden, although it’s so small it may be best in a small planter.
Mine must remain in containers due to soil alkalinity but I love the burgundy colours now showing
Looking fantastic in the morning sunshine.
One of my top ten flowers is just opening now.
Despite been divided last year, this main plant is still putting on a great display at the moment.
On the way home from Waterford I dropped into the Steeltech displays in Ck On Suir . The 3m by 3m greenhouse looks fine and seems solid. Anyone got one or experience of them before I take the plunge ?
Over the last few days they have come on a lot. I would like to know what progress PCON’s grapes made, the “stick’s” I gave him through Fran.
This Amaryllis flowered Christmas 2015 and it was left in the shed. It produced some more strappy leaves in the Summer months and it failed to flower. So I just cut off all the leaves and basically threw it in the shed. Thinking I will discard of it in due time.
Of course totally forgot about it and I was clearing out the shed and greenhouse yesterday and came just came across the pot. Here was my Amaryllis growing away to its hearts content! No water, no feed, no sunlight even!
But it has a flowerbud on it and I cant believe its actually growing!
So fingers crossed I will have a nice flwoer in a few weeks time, well hopefully the stalk will get bigger!!
This Primula Auricula has been outside for about five years now, it’s trives on zero TLC.
I love the soft mix of colours on it.
The foliage has been spreading and spreading over the last few weeks. It fills a big planter and yesterday it began to open its gorgeous little flowers. It never gets pampered and cossetted, and is left outdoors all winter. Have it about three or four years now and occasionally I find some in the borders here and there. It responds well to division too.
I showed this shrub about a month ago. It has grown in leaps and bounds. I never had so much before. It is a pleasure to look at from the road. It is easily propagated by division of root stock. If anybody would like it I could sent it to them. Other yellow flowers like the daffodil are almost gone now but this had taken over. By the way Kerry and Dublin will be playing on Sunday so the green and gold for Kerry and the other flower I have shown in blue for Dublin.(Perhaps it is not really blue)
This is a plant which makes me smile when it appears in spring, as it totally disappears over winter. It produces a nice clump of soft green foliage which takes on reddish tones through summer and gives spectacular early autumn colour.
It needs partial shade and some moisture to do well. At this time of year the reward for growing it are these dainty sprays of spring flowers. It grows slowly and I’m looking forward to it spreading more as I really like it.
This is another Dicentra I have which is barely open. Today it opened a little bit more and I just love the little flower on it, almost blood red!
Nice foliage too
Well I’ve decided to go ahead with the Greenhouse steeltech polycarbon version . I’ve marked out the frame on the inner lawn for digging out and concrete from the template provided. Unfortunaty tomorrow is a full indoor beginners bee keeping course day 1 so while you all are revelling in gardens and sunshine I expect to be in class !!
oh well
yesterday was a fishing trip and today was fish pie … not a lot of gardening but the grass got cut
I fell in love with Narcissus ‘Green Eyes’ this year and when I couldn’t get it, I purchased N. ‘Green Eyed Lady’ as it looked similar.
N. Green Eyed Lady must have been mislabeled as not only is there no sign green eyes but it is not white but quite a vibrant yellow!! It’s a nice enough daffodil but not what I was expecting and I plan to move it.
I did eventually get some Narcissus ‘Green Eyes’ and while these are a lovely pale colour, there is still no sign of green!!
