Month: May 2017
Not much done outdoors today as I was late getting out into the garden. Where do I start? The question that’s always on my mind.
Well, firstly, last year with the knee op, garden maintenance was put on the long finger, and I just about managed to keep things ticking over. I concentrated on the areas that I could see from the house basically. So, in tidying up those areas, things got shifted down under the Pergola. Oh, Lordy, it was such a mess. Early this year, Steve removed a lot of the pond plants from the Upper Pond, and the Cave Pond. Some of the grasses had almost rooted into the liners. So they just dumped under the Pergola and forgotten about.
The floor covering for this area is gravel, interspersed with blue crushed glass, marbles, and other little trinkets that I ‘allow’ Wee Davey to pocket whenever he comes over. Even to this day, he has a glint in his eye thinking that Gran is going to search his pockets when he’s saying goodbye to me each time, hoping that I won’t discover his ‘hidden gems’.
Anyway, after our pond clearout, we were left with about 7 pond plants to relocate or dump, whatever the case may be. And some of them are in really big baskets that need the next size up. But I don’t think that size is available anywhere. Maybe they were the wrong choice of plants. C’est la vie.
So today I was going to dump the lot and cut my losses. But I had forgotten that when I was planting some of them, I had topped them with blue crushed glass just for that extra bit of ‘bling’ in the ponds. I couldn’t just dump all of that. So I had to get each plant for dumping, and go through them to remove all the glass. And as it happened, some of the plants were still showing some signs of growth after being dried out all that time. Gotta be worth saving them now! A few more plants to rescue. But tomorrow’s another day.
I’ve taken out only SOME of the crushed glass now, and washed it all. Little Logan is now of the age where he’s beginning to explore the garden and its treasures just like his big brother does. And so the Indiana Jones games continue, and long may it last.
I hope to get down as the entrance price includes the gardens which is decent-very. My news is that today I finally collected my iron bowl. Ian who makes all my iron work for me had thought I wanted it at the same height as my obelisks but he kindly cut it down to size. I am really pleased with it and cant make up my mind whether to leave it rust or to paint it very dull gold, I might put in a big cobble stone as Ian suggested so that were little birds to drink from it they would be ok.
In the photo the stand is only just stuck in a few inches. I intend setting it a bit deeper. I am very pleased as it forms a nice sculptural touch and yet it fits in with the natural shrub background. Its definitely not ‘pretty’ but Scrubber does think its rather fine!
I was so pleased that it fitted in exactly as I had hoped. I have my last two obelisks which I shall paint on Monday and then as fraoch advised, Ill chance the sweet pea seeds even though its late.
The nice thing about the Obelisks is although they are large and very sturdy they are not at all obtrusive and you have to look to notice them. Being painted green probably helps.
Im looking forward to Monday when that aspect of the Garden will be complete. The forget me nots are just gone over so I will pull them all out and shake them out down in the bog. I think it was Mary who suggested forget- me- nots might be nice contrasting with the strong yellow Skunk cabbage.
The border at the lawns edge can then be prepared for summer. Sure even if theres only one well kept area it will help a lot!
Hope you like the Iron pot!
In Gracedieu’s journal on garden outings a little while ago, one of the gardens suggested for a visit was Charleville in Enniskerry, which only opens on limited dates. Charleville is a large estate beyond Powerscourt, the present house dating from the late 1700’s, with restored gardens. They are open during May and up to 8th June, also for Heritage Week 19th-27th August. Would anyone be interested in a visit in late May?
Opening times are: Weekdays 1pm to 5pm; Saturday & Sunday 9am to 1pm.
Suggested dates (when I can go!) : Tuesday 23rd or Thursday 25th May for an afternoon visit; Saturday 27th or Sunday 28th May for a morning visit.
Lunch options either before or after our visit, depending on the chosen date, would be the Avoca restaurant at Powerscourt (with the added temptation of an adjacent garden centre) or there are a few nice cafes in Enniskerry village.
A get-together at this time of year would be nice; please say if you are interested and your preferred date.
Photos are from our visit in mid-May 2014 which Rachel arranged.
We had the pleasure of visiting this garden today which was a total delight. It was a garden for the rhododendron/ azelalea lover. The colours were just amazing and the location could not have been better, overlooking Cork Harbour. The photos will tell the story.
I have Thujas lining both sides of my driveway and since the start of the year I’ve been very concerned about one in particular. They are planted about 7 years or so and were all doing well but one of them started to show signs of dying back down one side. I googled it as you would – and it came up with infestations of pests so I sprayed it with everything I could fine but to no avail. Then I thought fungus so I had a go with varios fungicides too but still no joy. I even dosed it for vine-weevil but it just kept getting worse.
Finally yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and do a proper excavation of the root on the damaged side to see if I could find a clue.
Three wheel-barrows full of rubble, cement and hardcore would appear to be at least part of the problem! There was a solid layer of assorted builders stuff a couple o inches below the surface!
So the great cavern created when the rubble was removed has been replaced with a nice healthy mixture – equal parts of fresh soil, home-made compost and bought-in compost. The roots have been gently encouraged to take advantage of this new environment and now all I can do is wait! Either the tree will recover or the remaining live stem will also die. If that happens I’m already looking at alternatives …..
Very depressing that the only time I’ve been free to garden this week had to be “wasted” on such a soul-destroying task!!!!
This is the last Jap Prunus to flower in our garden – it’s such a wonderful tree.
This Peony came from a small local gdn nursery about 3 yrs ago and this is the first year it has flowered!! What a glorious week we are having here in the West and this morning it looks as if we’ll have more of the same!!!
Ive always loved this little blue poppy, but would never even consider growing it as I was told it would be too difficult!
But last year when I was ordering seeds, I came across them on the website and decided to give them a shot. A few people told me I was wasting my time as they would never succeed as I didnt have the right conditions etc. So I though, oooh I will prove you wrong!
So I sowed some seed in the greenhouse and they germinated. But I wasnt overly enamoured with them and basically I was going to just leave them, when I saw Monty on GW saying he was putting his out! So I did the same!! planted them out and left them, neglected them until about October when I decided that I would switch them to one of the circles in the garden as I wanted to plant in the bed they were in already, didnt think they would even survive after uprooting them!
I had Mary Keegan , Keego, visit me here a couple of weeks ago and she spotted one and how well it was doing!!I hadnt even noticed lol, it was then I realised that they were all doing very well, in fact I have about 8/10 seedlings on the go. Then I noticed a flower bud on one of them and yesterday it opened and a bit more today, I think it might open another little bit but I dont mind, its gorgeous! I love the Cobalt colour. Now I noticed that another two seedlings are in bud too.
Really delighted with myself and moreso that I got them to flower afterall!!
As the weather has been so good it is almost sinful to be on a computer posting a journal but it is important to keep the site active so here goes.
I feel that at times my inclination to include Rhodos in every journal is a bit off-putting for those of you who don’t share my passion for them, so here is a rare Rhodo free journal.
Cercis siliquastrum is a large growing shrub or small tree and I am very fond of it. I have read that it needs a good summer the previous year for it to flower well, but last years summer was no great shakes to say the least and it is flowering very well in spite of it. The photo shows an opened flower and others on the point of opening. The shape of mine is best described as all over the place, a bit like myself, but that adds to the charm.
The latest Paeonia to flower is Paeonia officinalis, which may be a very common Paeonia, but that doesn’t make it any less garden worthy.
The third photo is of a flower on Magnolia subcordata, which is a lovely yellow/green colour.
Having given up on any further work on the Sick Tree I consoled myself by clearing the Fernery. This is a rather grand name for an area where a few ferns struggle to survive amidst thugs such as Helebores and Japanese Anemones not to mention the variegated ivy and the Grape Hyacinths!
However when I ruthlessly thinned out the thugs I was delighted to find these pretty ferns hiding in the undergrowth – well, I supplse that is their preferred habitat!
1. Red Japanese Painted Fern
2. Green Japanese Painted Fern
3. Unknown fern
I never realised that the unfurling fronds could have this lovely down on them!
Saxifraga cuneifolia is a good plant for seeding in small cracks. It will never become a thug in the garden and I adore its variegated foliage. It’s also known as lesser Londonpride. I love its dainty sprays of flowers, and they’re beginning now.
I have uploaded my album of the garden for the month of April!! I cant believe we are already into May.
What a great month April was and with little or no rain! The garden is transforming before my eyes and I really love it. Within weeks everything just changes. From the beginning of the month to the end of the month sees so much happening and thats just April. There are changes in every corner and everything is growing really fast now.
My favourites have to be, dare I say it, my Tulips! I have fallen head over heals in love with them now! I never thought I would hear me say that but what I had here for the past few weeks has been nothing short of stunning, even if I do say that myself, what with self praise being no praise! But I just thought they were so eye catching. And anyone that came to visit were fascinated by all the stunning colours and shapes. They are a real treat for the garden.
I am hoping some of them might come back again next year, but anyway, just in case they dont, I am going to buy lots more bulbs and plant them up again and hopefully replicate what I have had or even better!
There were so many photos taken that I didnt know when to stop, so apologies if they go on and on and on!!
I hope you enjoy the album
Here are some photos of my Amaryllis which was neglected and has now resurrected and is producing these stunning red flowers. Two are already open with another two to come!
Its just beautiful and if you could only see the petals on the flowers, they actually look like silk when they sun shines on them.
Cant believe how this has flowered after being in the shed for so long without water or food. Mother Nature really surprises us when we least expect it!!
Hurried around this morning getting some essentials done while it was dull.
After that, I committed one of the 7 deadly sins – idleness. Way too nice, and definitely too warm, to do anything constructive other than faff about.
Let’s hope my penance isn’t two weeks of solid rain.
Phlomis are coming out in the greenhouse border, despite them getting rather a harsh thinning out earlier. Love the intermittent whorls on single stems. The flowers are almost pea-like.
Hope you all had a good day too.
What a heavenly day it was, good for the heart and soul.
The garden continues to please as well and I will start this evening with the fantastic species, R yakushimanum. This is the parent of so many good hybrids in the yak series, but to my mind the parent species is superior.
Isn’t it very pleasing when plant placements go according to plan and work out, I just adore the way that the flowers of the deciduous Azalea hybrid, A persil, complement the flowers of my Choisya ternata.
Deutzias go very well in a garden like mine and mine is a prolific bloomer. I will have to give it a good haircut this year when it has finished flowering. In the meantime I can enjoy the lovely scented flowers.
Though the east coast has been cooler than other parts of the country lately, it was another beautiful sunny day here today. I was busy with other jobs until late afternoon, then it was great to get outside for some pottering.
I tidied up some pots of “plants in waiting”, took plants out of the greenhouse for their fourth or fifth day of hardening off and decided they will stay outside now, though I won’t plant them in the ground just yet. Tied up clematis shoots as per Monty’s instructions last Friday, potted on geums from the seedlings Jackie gave me at Johnstown (Jackie, are they the lovely red ones in your April album?). Then a quick sweep of the paths of today’s deposit of petals from the very floriferous Camellia ‘Donation’ before taking a few photos at about 7pm.
I got the hose out to water as the garden is bone dry, only to discover it is kinked beyond salvation, so hoping we get some rain later this week as forecast, though it usually only amounts to patchy drizzle here. Meanwhile, it’s off the the shop for a replacement.
I woke very early this morning and was surprised to see the garden covered in fog. It seems to lift and suddenly there is a shaft of sunshine and in no time the fog is back again. The temperatures also have dropped and it is cold out there. Glad I covered my dahlias last night, but come hell or high water they are being planted out today. Maybe, that is why I am awake so early, anticipation to have them planted. Took a few photos this morning of the garden with the fog, but cannot upload an album until later when I can use a laptop, but here are three photos to capture a foggy morning in early May.
A few years ago I had all of my Hostas displayed in almost identical planters, and placed in tiers on a small patio table and the ground. Before long though, they became quite congested. While I thought that this was my favourite part of the garden, I was aware that eventually they’d have to be given a bit more freedom.
They had a special bed created solely for themselves. And it’s only now that I’m happy with the changeover. They’re expanding every year now and Costa de la Hosta is really taking off. Only a very small amount of slug damage at this stage. The evening sun captures the different types of foliage and leaf colour so nicely, and also picking up colour from Caltha palustris and Hippuris vulgaris in the Lower Pond. Nice to get this view at the end of a lovely day.
As Mary has said in her journal it’s quite chilly this morning. Here in Dublin it’s a gorgeous sunny morning but it’s only 3C degrees and it’s nippy in the shade in the garden.
But we shouldn’t complain because the weather has been so nice, even if we do need a bit of rain. And it looks like it’s on the way. But for now, well today, I’m going to have a good one in the garden. That’s the plan.
A few trips ferrying Nicola and a few indoor jobs but then it’s the garden for me for the afternoon. I see Mary and PeterW mentioning they are putting out their Dahlia. Mine have been hardening off for agEs now so I too am going to take the plunge, if I can find space for all those pots.
These Camassia leichtlinii ‘Alba’ are just flowering now. They look more creamy in real life but a lovely addition to the garden.
Also this lovely white Geranium, no name though, is flowering away
Finally Osteospermum looking good in the sunshine yesterday.
Have a great day whatever you do! 😉
I went out to the garden early this morning with a mission and that was to plant out my dahlias. Watering, feeding and keeping them safe from cold weather for nearly three months, I was anxious to get them into the ground as soon as possible. They were good big plants with healthy roots, so should get going straight away. We planted thirty four plants in all which I hope will give a nice display over the summer/Autumn months.
Evening all and wasn’t it another lovely day.
R. graziela is a hybrid that is very popular these days, and with good reason as it is very attractive with its narrow foliage. The flowers are nice as well so it is one to be recommended as it isn’t difficult to obtain.
A Rhododendron species that isn’t easy to obtain is R.wardi. The form I have is the Ludlow and Sherriff one from South Tibet and I just love the flowers. They are a little more yellow in colour than they appear in the photo and are really beautiful.
The largest evergreen Azalea in my garden is A. geisha orange and it is mightily impressive in full bloom as it is now. This is very easy to obtain and is invaluable at this time of year.
Well Scrubber has been quite busy lately. He got his last two obelisks and also the iron bowl he spotted in the iron works attached to a slab of metal. Ian the owner said he could have it so he asked Ian to remove the slab bit and mount the bowl on a stand. Ian did this and the result is very beautiful. Scrubber thought about leaving it in its rusted state but eventually ended up painting it a dull gold and he thinks it works beautifully. So then the Obelisks are in order and he got some sweet pea plants lately and he had some clematis so it looks like they will be clothed soon enough. It gave him HUGE pleasure to see an obelisk in a very prestigious store in wexford selling a wispy coat hanger strength obelisk-rusted- for 38.50! Now the ones Scrubber has cost about a third more but they will see scrubber out! He is going to allow the bowl to fill with rainwater rather than plant it. And as it is it has a lovely resonant gong sound if struck gently-which has given Scrubber and idea for a gong-watch this space.
As if that wasn’t enough last evening as scrubber stood contemplating a large -very- boulder and wondering if it would look better eight feet away, he saw a large cat come slowly up the path towards him. Then he realised ‘That’s no cat’. It was a large and fearless mink with a whitish head and beautiful full brown black coat. It had no fear and after staring at Scrubber for a few seconds it came on and went past him about twelve feet away and disappeared into the hedge-all done quite measuredly without any fear. It was such a thrill to see a wild creature so at home in my garden!
But back to the boulder. Scrubber had two free hours yesterday and the boulder had exercised his thoughts quite a bit over the past few weeks as it was in the middle of Lady gardeners path and sort of spoiled the sweep of grass there. Now if it were eight feet further up would it enhance the sweep of grass or did it serve a better purpose marking the end of the slab path????? Luckily there was a big wind last night and do you know what! It blew the stone al lthe way up to the new position and once there Scrubber realised it was perfectly placed!!! I might add that the winds in the Scrub can be very strong at times! That’s my story and Im sticking to it!
Well we have had a few dribbles of rain this morning and a small shower last night. Not enough for the dry garden that’s outside! But then after having gorgeous days it’s hard to get back to dreary days isn’t it. Everywhere and everyone look so well in the sunshine. But still the garden keeps on giving…..
This is Rosa’For your eyes only’ a gorgeous rose which changes colour as the flowers go over. Not bad for a Lidl purchase
I tidied up my Tree fern yesterday taking off all the dead fronds and ones that were ripped to shreds by the Winter winds
Astrantia ‘Hadspens Blood’ is starting to flower now this is a deep deep red Astrantia which I bought in Johnstown a couple of years back. Really vivid
Hope the weather doesn’t stop us gardening have a great day!
The rain finally arrived around two o’clock and even though not heavy, it is constant and if one listens carefully, you can hear the shrubs and trees singing songs of thanks.
R. sneezy and R. dreamland are two hybrids that go well together and even the dull, rainy evening doesn’t take from their display. I reckon it’s a waltz.
The only Rhodo I don’t have a name for is featured in the second photo, I almost lost this three or four years back and nearly took it out but thankfully I am slow to take that step and it recovered brilliantly and has thrived since. Fatal hesitation, I don’t think so.
The third photo is a close up of a rain drenched R. marcel menard truss.
What a day of continual soft yet determined rain! I must say Scrubber was very pleased to see it even if it stopped his projected garden work. But just before it got too heavy Scrubber went down into the scrub and managed to rake some bald bits on the lowest path and scattered lots of grass seed. Actually one of the places that was renewed was the area around the rock that moved in the night (last journal). Apparently the ground was quite disturbed by the moving rock so yesterday Scrubber spread a bit of compost there and hopefully the rain will have settled the seed in.
He then started to put in some drumstick primulas that he had got in Glanbia but the rain came down and put an end to that.
The garage was in such a mess so seeing he was in his working gear Scrubber got stuck in and by seven o clock there was an improvement. Some of the time was taken up with sorting through piles of labels and seed packets-all out of date! How many plants Scrubber has killed down through the years!!!But it is satisfying to see the successful ones and the amount of pleasure a few euros expenditure can bring.
So many things promising to break into flower soon. There’s still one shy rhododendron waiting to come out. It looks a bit like ponticum but hasn.t its bad habit of spreading madly.
Im really looking forward to Plant Fair on Sunday as Mount Congreve always is a delight. I shall only look as Scrubber sort of lost the run of himself last week in Glanbia. He had got a beautiful Clematis and then spotted some small clematis which were very reasonable so he got three of them. Then the following day Scrubber in a moment of weakness went back in and got some more!! Greed or seizing the moment???? So if you see him coming out from the rare plant fair with a very tiny bag that’s the reason. ‘When Temptation comes near me make me strong against it’ as dear Sister Josephine drilled into us long ago!
My daughter and her husband have the tiniest yard you can imagine in the centre of Dublin. It is probably about 6 feet by 8 feet in total and has a large manhole in the middle. Not a promising start for a garden then! Last year they both got very interested in making their tiny outside space a more attractive place and they filled the yard with shelves of plants and gained a lot of knowledge of what their plants might like in the challenging conditions of very little light!
When they travelled abroad for Christmas this year they saw and fell in love with the idea of a Living Wall.
So here it is!
