Month: May 2017

Time was a bit limited today but I was determined to get the veggie bits sorted. Last year the strawberries came to a sad end when a blackbird manage to get inside my caging while I was away for the day and gorged herself on strawberries for the day so she wouldn’t fit out the hole she came in!

This year’s cage is a new design – lets see if it works! The sides are rigid but the squares are a bit big so I’m afraid we might get another cami-kazi blackbird having a go – so the net is loosely over the top – should mean I can actually get at the plants to harvest them!

I can’t secure the net too tightly as at the moment as I want the bees to be able to polinate them!

That was last weeks task – completed one evening in total darkness 🙂

I had bought pots of Coriander and Basil in the supermarket so I took them out of the pots and divided up the totally overcrowded seedlings into rows in the raised bed.

Having gone to the trouble of preparing the bed it was time to get brave and plant some seeds – so two kinds of lettuce, some Mange Tout and some French Beans were all planted. Meanwhile Puss was watching me with great interest. He obviously thought I was preparing a Luxury Loo for him! so chicken-wire had to be added – and a little cloches to protect the herbs until they acclimatise.

The last planting was some ordinary peas down in the Vegetable Garden – but this only reminded me of all the work I need to do in that area ….. rasberries gone native ….. thistles invading all paths ….. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

I’ve put in a photo of how the redesigned Rock Garden is looking after all the work on it last year – Then you Elizabeth for all your help!

Very mixed day here in Dublin. Mild enough but intermittent showers. Delighted that Steve finally got the grass cut in between. And the babies called over too. They had their fun out in the garden and it rained again (heavily) just as they had left. And during their time here, my grandsons watered all my planters from the water butt. 

I had a couple of bald patches in the lawn so I re-sowed today. It rained afterwards, but the soil is just still so dry.  I’m sure it’ll be fine though. Grass seed is so reliable. Roses are all tied in and tidied up. Everything in the greenhouse got a good soak too, and the peaches are looking very promising for another year.

My Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ was looking lovely at sunset, and I swear to God that my Hostas have grown at least 6 inches in the last 24hrs.

26 Figs showing already so the move from a container to a permanent location must have suited. 

The wellies are also showing nice Dahlias even if my dog did drag one about the lawn for a walk yesterday. 

Iam enjoying the green house and it does add to ones alternatives  

I actually managed to kill off a Clematis Montana Rubens last year having to move it while some building was going on but I am very happy with how all the Montana children are coming along! They range in colour from deep pink to white – the only one that is a bit of a disappointment is Clematis Monatana Rubens ‘Marjorie’ which isn’t the lovely deep peach colour of the one I saw at Maryjoe’s open day a few years ago. It is pretty insipid and the flowers are much smaller. I’ll be giving it some extra TLC in case it is an environmental issue.

In the meantime I’m more than happy with the Clematis Walk and I think the Laburnum is going to really enhance that area.

The other star performer at the moment is the Wisteria which is making good efforts to spread along the Pergola.

With the wind, rain and sun over the weekend our poor gardens are getting a thrashing from this May weather. We badly needed rain, but at this stage I think we have had enough. With trees in full leaf now, the weight of the rain on them is bending them to the ground and I hate to think what is happening to the herbaceous plants. I should have staked them sooner and I doubt if I am alone putting this job off. 

We had a busy weekend with a wedding, baby minding and visitors, but an enjoyable time nevertheless. I did not get to Mount Congreve for the Rare Plant Sale, but from some photos I have seen, it seems to have been a good day and the weather stayed dry,  if a little windy. 

A few photos of the garden from inside this morning with the rain and strong winds howling outside.

Last year I bought three shade loving plants which now reside beneath the big gunnera clump. The gunnera  provides shade during the main summer months that keeps them happy. They are Brunnera macrophyllum “Jack Frost”   Podophyllum “Spotty Dotty”  and Lamiastrum”Hermanns Pride”.  They have put on a lot of growth this year and look great, especially spotty dotty which I really love. The foliage in all three of them is bright and cheery. 

I was saddened today to get an email from Glendoick nursery saying they are discontinuing mail order due to various reasons, which are well worth reading if you log onto their website. I would like to wish them all the best for the future and I will sorely miss my yearly order. My garden is full of their fantastic plants. I will have to try and get another source for my Rhododendrons. Millais nursery looks a good option, I will keep you posted. Credit to my son for the journal title.

The latest and last of my Magnolias to flower is M. williamsii, I had one flower last year and will have five or so this year. They have a lovely scent and I am very fond of this wonderful Magnolia.

An old and very reliable hybrid is R. alfred and every year is as good as the previous one for flowers.

It would be fair to say that my sister isn’t into gardening so you can imagine my surprise when she purchased an evergreen Azalea at a local market. She had been sizing them up for a few weeks and was smitten. Of course the poor girl didn’t realise she needed ericaceous compost for it as she wanted to put in a bigger planter and now she has to gather rainwater for it as well. Is she converted?, I’ll have to wait and see. In her honour the third shot shows a couple of my evergreen Azaleas and other plants on a section of the bank at the back of the house.

I was aware that my beautiful purple Violas weren’t looking good over the last few weeks. They were such a pretty sight at the kitchen window. Since seeing they were on their way out, I’ve been giving them extra care and a twice-weekly well-diluted tomato feed. It did the trick, but only very temporarily. This weekend they were really on their last legs.

So I bit the bullet today and replaced them with some good old reliable Begonia semperflorens, as I’ll be away a lot over the next few months. I need something that can basically look after themselves. Watered and fed the Begonias in the hope that they’ll bulk up lots. But the good thing is that they should last well into late Autumn, and possibly through a mild winter.

And of course, the affected plants were disposed of in the household rubbish. 

Margot has been asking me now for almost two years to come to Donegal to see her wonderful garden. I really wanted to see it but I just wasnt sure if I would ever get there. But my brilliant daughter, Linda, told me she would drive me up and back if I really wanted to go! We decided to make a weekend of it and we booked a hotel so that our trip wouldnt be rushed. 

We arrived at Margots around 1.30pm on Saturday. It had been a very wet morning while driving up and even when we arrived. Margot, her daughter in law, Ann, and her adorable little grandson, Alex, were there to greet us. By the time we had finished our very enjoyable lunch,  the rain had stopped and we decided it was time to head to the garden!!

Firstly, can I just say that Margot’s garden is a credit to her. This is a lady who does all the work herself aside from her son who cuts the grass. 

Margots garden is just incredible. It is set in 3/4 of an acre of stunning gardens. There are beautiful sweeping borders around the house with all sort of planting of every type of perennial, trees  and shrub. I was amazed at how much  colour she had in the garden and how lush the grass was too. So we walked around the garden with Margot carrying a garden fork, while I was allowed to pick and choose what plant I would like, that is how generous Margot is!!So while we continued around the garden,  Linda took a walk along the beautiful beach which is literally across the road from the house along with a gorgeous lighthouse. This house has views to die for and you would never EVER want to leave it, we certainly didnt want to go home.  We talked and talked non stop about the planting, the history of where some of her plants came from, how she acquired others and when she planted them and general chit chat too. I feel like I have know Margot for years, she is so welcoming and so easy to get along with. After looking around the top garden it was then time to head to the lower garden. 

There are steps and gravel paths leading down to the ‘lower garden’…..this is just stunning. Here the garden has a rock formation which has been there since the house was built and Margot has planted around these rocks so lovingly. Every turn you take you see something more special…….I have never seen such an array of planting, garden ornaments, beautiful trees, shrubs…….it even has its own pond. Steps leading back up the garden with more outstanding planting. Its all these little extras that give this garden its uniqueness

We were looking around the garden for over 3 hours as there was just so much to take in. I absolutely loved every single minute of it and of course Margot was more than generous in all the plants she gave me, the boot of the car was full. This is one garden that has to be seen to be believed. When you stand at the end of the lower garden and look back up at the house, it is then that you see the full extent of the beauty of the garden where all the rocks are covered in such fantastic planting. 

It was all over all too soon but after a little rest we headed out for dinner in a lovely fish restaurant in Redcastle. Good food and great company ended a fantastic day.  Margot organised another garden visit for us on Sunday, Daphne and Andrew’s garden in Kittybane house…..but thats another journal!!

Margot’s garden was one garden I was determined to see and I am so glad that I finally made the journey to see it. This has to be seen to be appreciated. I will upload an album which will show you exactly what I mean and will explain to you much better than I can, just how beautiful and stunning this garden is. 

Thank you so much Margot for such great company and such a great weekend. Both Linda and myself thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!!

After we had visited Margot’s garden, she kindly organised a visit to her friends Daphne and Andrew on Sunday, who live in Kittybane house near Strabane. 

This garden sits on a country hillside overlooking the River Foyle and the Donegal mountains. 

We were met by Daphne, who used to be active on this website some years ago, and her lovely husband Andrew. Daphne gave us a guided tour of her wonderful garden. Linda had decided that maybe this time she would ‘sit’ this one out and maybe just read and let us ‘get on with it’ But Daphne told her to maybe clear her head and go for a walk around the garden herself………….Well!!!! Linda met us along the way and her reaction just said it all. She said to me ‘have you been up to the top yet?’ I said no, why? ‘Well wait until you see it’!! That was the first time I have actually heard Linda be enthralled about a garden. In fact, Daphne said later that the biggest compliment she got was that Linda walked around the garden AND loved it. 

But let me say, this garden just took my breath away. I just wasnt expecting to see such beauty on the side of a hill. A steep road up to a beautiful house and the garden seemed to surround the house! Daphne started the tour by showing me the stunning views overlooking the River Foyle and the Donegal mountains, pointing out the individual mountains across the water. She said that every half hour the view changed with the weather and believe me she wasnt wrong. It went from sunshine, to mist, to clear to rain all in a matter of minutes!

We continued on up through the garden, meandering  through fantastic plants, shrubs, stunning Rhododendrons and trees of all shapes and sizes. The garden has a lot of rock underneath and very little soil so you can see stunning rock formations, walls that have been built using these rocks and slate which really add to the beauty of the garden. Meandering paths lead the way up along the garden, showing off the amazing tapestry of perennials that have been planted by Daphne and she knows each one too! She also has amazing Acers, each one even more beautiful than the other!! Then we finally got to the top of the garden, where there is a lovely seating area and 1000’s of native Bluebell’s and their scent was amazing. From this advantage point the views are even more stunning than further down and it was in fact here we found Linda sitting on her own admiring the view! 

After a little break here we then came down the other side of the garden and it was a continuous ooooh and aaahhh as we went along. A lovely stream also adorns the garden and then we were taken to a stunning cottage garden. There was just so much to take in.  We were very lucky with the weather then, but all of a sudden the wind whipped up and the hailstones appeared and we had to race inside. 

Here we were invited to sit and have some lovely afternoon tea, with sandwiches and dessert. It was just amazing. 

Daphne’s garden is just stunning. She said she is out there every day and I can see why, I would NEVER want to come in. Andrew said he is the ‘labourer’ lol, but usually that is always the way. Daphne was so welcoming to us and she was just lovely as was Andrew, they really made us feel at home. 

Then it was time for us to ‘hit the road’ home. 

It was a fantastic day out and one I will remember for a long time. To think I never met Daphne or Andrew before and they were so kind to us. Thank you for the lovely plants too. 

I will upload an album of Daphnes garden as I know she wouldnt mind one bit. I am sure you too will just love it as much as we did!

Had to take it easy now today after that weekend, the journey was long and hard but so worthwhile!!

I read an article the other day written by Sarah Raven in which she recommended removing the dying leaves from alliums. I find they always look horrible at this time of year and was wondering if any of you grow a companion plant that covers the ground now that the leaves are gone. I am trying Artmisia  ludoviciana, but it seems to be slow to get going. Any suggestions welcome.

I have been visiting this wonderful hillside garden of Daphne’s since she started to develop the barren hillside above the house, round which she had already established a good cottage garden to one side, and a more formal lawn with trees and shrubs at the other side.  

The hillside garden was begun in the Millenium year : 2000.  As I said, it was a barren rocky piece of land with a few self-sown ash trees growing over it and dear knows what else.  Now it is quite steep, so when she ventured forth, it was by traversing across sideways  and avoiding the rocky outcrops.  Then when the paths had been laid in gravel, it was a matter of hoking and poking to find areas for planting and gradually using every availalble space .  At all costs, get the ground covered.  She knows ground cover can always be removed for a more choice subject when necessary.  

 I am putting up 3 pictures, but as you may know I cannot upload an album. You may find time to check this journal with one I did in May 2014. Anyhow, doesn’t Jackie’s of today show it beautifully?

It is a happy, freeflowing exuberant garden.  A happy place.  

I would just wish to add that the Kittybane garden is open to groups, on request.   

Well that is what I have been doing over the past few days. Not jumping out of planes, though I would love to do that, or walking a tight rope over the river Lee.  No it was giving a lot of plants the Chelsea chop.

You see my hot borders are rather lovely  in late Summer from end of july onwards. I just happened to hit on good colour combinations. But they are held together by lots of red Monarda repeated down both sides. There is no way that this and other plants like Knautia, lyschmachia and probably Hemerocallis and Alstromeria  will last until my open day toward end of July.  All plants seem to be about a month earlier than usual. So lots of them got about half the stems of each clump cut back. I intend removing flowers from such as Geranium Ann Folkard  and some Dianthus , could end up looking rather dismal!! But hope David Howard and other Dahlias will be ok  . My Cannas will not be in flower probably until August. Geums are in full bloom but by dead heading every day do you think they will last another two months?

The Ferula communis that I showed photos of already continued to head skywards but the flowers are opening so guess that is when growth ceases. It is lovely against the blue sky though we had cruel heavy showers as well today.

While I am here I wonder have you any ideas of how to green up grass? There are patches looking a bit straw coloured probably due to the drought.

I have quite a number of Iris reticula open at the moment. But this is one that I’ve really been looking forward to seeing again. No idea of its name, but isn’t it a beauty.

Very showery here this afternoon and evening, but I got out to take a few photos anyway.

I have a preference for the deciduous Azaleas over the evergreen Azaleas but I have to say that the evergreens can be very impressive in flower and A. kermesina rose is a good example. 

The second photo shows the deciduous Azalea, A homebush and I just love this shrub. It is extremely attractive in every way and the photo explains better than I can put in words why I prefer the deciduous type.

My Crinodendron has never looked or flowered better, it is a very impressive large shrub at this stage and associates very well with neighbouring Rhodos and Azaleas. I wouldn’t be without it.

And of course Monday was wet and windy so I couldn’t paint the arch.However I was in Bagenalstown so I called into Ian and told him I had bought the arch. He was very encouraging and said he was pleased I had got what I was looking for which was very nice of him. Then I asked him to make me a gong!!! Anna sometimes can’t contact me if I’m strimming in the Scrub. An old friend’s wife used use a whistle but I refuse to be whistled at! Bells are very dear so I had an idea. A piece of pipe with two bars of metal bent over the top and a small circle on top, hanging by a chain from a tree. We tried a few different pipes and settled on one resonant one. I wonder what Ian will turn out!

On Tuesday afternoon I got out and painted the Arch. I ran out of paint but Anna kindly went into Borris and got me a small tin. I was quite pleased with the look but wondered could I possibly fit in the arch where I wanted it. There was an old arch of two cotoneasters and there were large stones at the base and a small stone built pillar.

This morning ,Wednesday, Austin my son helped me lift the arch into position. It was unbelievable, I did have to take out a large rock but was able to replace it once the arch was in place. Both cotoneasters fitted exactly onto the arch and I tied the branches in with soft plastic tape and trimmed just a little. There will be room at the base for sweet pea and a clematis or rambling rose. I was so pleased that the arch fitted  so well .

I had hoped to get in some of the Mount Congreve plants after that but had to turn to something completely different instead as we had a touch of the drains!!!Kept me going but the fact that the Arch was such a success helped immensely!

Now the obelisks are in place and the arch has arrived I can get back to weeding and planting the plants which at least are being well watered!!

These seedlings are growing away happily on my windowsill. The label is missing (I think David had something to do with that!). Could someone possibly put me out of my misery and tell me what they are, please?  

One of my Auriculas have finally opened after a long spell of neglect. Yay!

Another plant that’s doing super at the moment and I’ve never seen so many flowers on it.

Been very lucky with the weather the past couple of days. The forecast was dismal but I took a chance and ended up with long productive days weeding and tidying only having to dash indoors for the occasional shower!

Took a few photos of things that caught my eye and was surprised to find that I seem to be a bit obsessed with white flowers at the moment.

The Purple is my Cerinthes. This year the flowers seem to be an even deeper purple than I remember and I observed several different types of bees taking full advantage – they dived in, gorged themselves and were almost drunk as they headed for the next flower!

Cerastium tomentosum ‘Silberteppich’ is doing its annual treat for me. In a south-facing spot it nearly explodes with the flowers!

The Irises in the last photo are a real surprise. I planted some Irises along the south borders at random about 3 years ago and only some of them flowered and they were all the deep blue ones. I’m delighted to see that many of the “blind” ones have decided to flower this year – and they appear to be all WHITE!!!

Great to be getting stuck in to the garden again. I may be working myself to a standstill but the satisfaction I am getting when I stand back and view another border “sorted” is the best reward.

Evening all, as an old neighbour of mine used to say years ago, ‘it’s no day for a bee’. That may be so, but it is always a good time to show off some of my Rhododendrons.

The first shot is of R. catawbiense boursault, a common hybrid, but I like the flower colour and it always puts on a decent show.

I love the second photo as it does a good job of showing what my garden is all about. The Oak in the background sets off the two Rhodos (L to R. unknown and R.marcel menard) to perfection with the Cotinus doing a photobomb to the right. Just lovely.

The third photo shows off another combination that I am pleased with. R. ponticum variegatum is one of the two most common variegated Rhodos, (the other being R. goldflimmer), and here I have it paired with that very fine hybrid, R. graziela.

I wish you all a lovely weekend.

Hazel’s journal made me think about white and purple flowers in my own garden. While I enjoy them at any time of year, it is now during the quiet time of the so-called ‘May gap’ between the zing of the spring bulbs and the exuberance of summer’s full on colour, that white and purple provide a lot of the interest.

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ is of course a real star that many of us grow.

In the shady corner of the back garden, Smilacina racemosa (now called Maianthemum racemosum) provides a nice beefy clump alongside the delicate flowers and foliage of Thalictrum aquilegifolium, which Elizabeth7 gave me at her open day about six years ago now. Both are stalwarts of the garden here in May. 

I have a lot of Clematis in the garden but they always surprise me. I buy and plant them and leave them do their thing. Very little attention to group 1 ,2 `and 3 pruning , hanging my head in shame. Noticed this one today Miss Bateman and was amazed at the size of the flower it is ginormous. The lime green stripe is best seen in the smaller one still opening.

Took a photo of my friend Sarah next to the Ferula…Sarah is about 5ft 5”.

You know there is nothing better in life than spending some time with your family. And that’s what we did this weekend. It’s been just great. 

It was my birthday yesterday and Jimmy and Nicola bought me  these new additions to the garden, my new children lol. They know me wayyyyy too well. I love all these goodies in the garden so these are more than welcome. 

Of couse they are a boy and a girl, on a see-saw and a little girl sitting down reading with a little puppy by her side. So when the grandchildren arrived they were ‘christened’ with their names lol. We had to improvise and say that the little boy was in fact a girl dressed as a boy, to even things up as you can imagine. 

I just love them in amongst the plants and they add some fun too. It was time then to head out for dinner to celebrate  

Life is great!! 

A few pictures from the garden a week or two ago. So much happening in the garden at the moment. I am sure these pictures are not going to come out right way up but here goes!!

To day I was up early and determined to get to Mass again as it was my mother’s anniversary. After Mass I had a great chat with Fr. Tom Little who like me is very interested in hurling. At about 11 a.m. the physiotherapist arrived and was very pleased with my progress. I visited the greenhouse tasted the grapes, good and sweet. I did a bit of work on thhe tomatoes removing the side shoots. Then I went out the front and took some photos: a fern I got from Martin B at Johnstown, Rose Ragusa and Rose Abraham Darby. This rose has excellent fragrance.