Month: September 2017

I am trying to add an album of the new fairy houses in the garden  but it will not let me ..I will add a few here

He got the phone call today to say the lap top was fixed. I have to start all my e-mail addresses again but that can be done easily enough. It was gone for the week and life was a bit different. But as is obvious Im back! The finger healed brilliantly and I didnt lose a nail so far. I was out putting in bulbs on Monday and hope to put in some more dwarf rhodos tomorrow and some double anenomes that I got today in Glanbia.

The grass is coming up on my new path Via Felicia! but as the area is shaded I dont know how successful it will be, The rain brought it up quite quickly.

Bulbs- I got a packet of thirty six lately for about 8 99 and thought that was ok but in Lidle I got two packets at about the same price each but theres about 80-90 good sized bulbs in each packet. I realised it when I put in clumps of six opposite each of the trees in my walnut circle. Having done so I realised the bag was still quite full!

I put in s0me snakeshead fritillary in the bog garden. I love their delicacy. When people talk about those little red lily beatles eating also fritillaries is it the big imperial ones or the little snakeshead, Id be greatful to know this.

Im going to keep an eagle eye out for the beetles as they devastated my turkscap overnight this year. The difficult thing is I HATE killing anything. I wonder if I put them in a bag and scattered them somewhere else would that work? Answers appreciated.

I was lucky to get a good lot of dwarf rhodos so Ill be expecting a nice show next spring. And I must get those tulips in. I did a big scattering of crocii in the main lawn about 100 so that added to the others should help. 

Have got a lot of the long border weeded and will put in the divided anenomes-they are big enough to divide each in two.

Anyway glad to be back again! Sorry cant just manage my pictures yet as some seem to have disappeared.  Ive used an old one here

My favourite plants of Summer 2017 is Salvia ‘ Amistad’ which seems to flower for ever and I just adore it’s dark inky blue flowers.

My second choice is Dahlia ‘ Admiral Rowlings’ which grows to about six feet in height and has the most delicious coloured flowers. It towers over it’s neighbours and looks so well in the border.  I bought this dahlia in the UK last year and have not seen it for sale anywhere in Ireland, such a pity, as it would be a huge hit with lots of gardeners.

My third best plant of Summer 2017 is Amicia zygomeris. It has grown so tall this year, it is amazing. I love the formation of the leaves and the flowers, just gorgeous. I got this plant for a very keen gardener, who in her time,  was a very generous lady and it is a reminder of happy times.

This summer has been a great summer for growth with the amount of rain we have had.  Hydranges have loved it and are looking good into the Autumn. The drier weather of the spring and early summer was appreciated by the roses and the dahlias were flowering so early as well. A good summer overall for the garden.

I was round at the house today and amazed to see Geranium ‘splish-splash ‘ flowering in spite of having been buried under machinery and dear knows what all summer.

So, at Elizabeth’s suggestion, I am going to recommend the 3 p,ants that I find are invaluable in my garden.  

Some of you may know that I am generally against self-seeders, especially any like columbine that inevitably set themselves right in the middle of a choice subject and you just cannot get hold of the long tap root.   

My first two are in fact self-seeders, but “in the nicest possible way” !!! Also, they are easy and “good-doers”  

The 1st is:  double white Feverfew.  This plant is sturdy, weather proof, always in flower,  from early season right through and probably still a bit during the winter.  It is a great filler (I don’t do annuals), and it combines and enhances all the colour schemes.  There is much less smell from the leaves of the double than of the single.  What you need to  do is to cut back old flowered stems.  The lovely sturdy seedlings are quite prolific, but easily removed and planted on if necessary, but I just love how they find a great wee spot  I would not have considered.  When the surrounding plants grow and take their turn in the sun, the feverfew can be cut right back and come againn a month later.   Years ago, I consistently weeded out every plant with single flowers.   

The 2nd is Linaria purpurea  and also Linaria purpurea Canon Went which is pink. Again,   although a seeder, as this is a slim specimen, it is perfectly accepatble in any position, even at the front of the border. Tall, slim and graceful. Pink and purple both seed well.  I have had a white one fir a few years now but I haven’t spotted any white seedlings.  What a pity.  This season I bought  Linaria purpurea “Peachy”. I wonder whatvit will do?

sorry about the upside -down picture.   It is one from last year when I was inadvertently  holding the iPad uoside down.  Pcon has explained it all to me!  

The 3rd: Crocosmia Solfataire.  Why?  It gives me interest and joy from late spring till mid October.  Lovely spikes of bronze/green foliage, then come the well-held spikes of apricot flowers.  This soft apricot  blends in and enhances so many other dominant colours in the border.  Just now, in a stemmed glass on the table in front of me are a few stems of Fuchsia Genii with its yellow-green foliage and pendent flowers that have up-curved cerise petals.   Amongst  these are a few stems of Solfataire.  Delightful, because of the colour of the fuchsia foliage, I think?  

Book now for a share out at Johnstown!  I might even pot ip a few for you if I have your name on it.  

Today I decided to tackle the ailing part of my Willow Hedge. First off I had to remove the dead bits – and there were quite a few of these! Since the rest of the hedge is growing at a phenomenal rate it was no problem to find suitable branches to re-make that part of the hedge. As I stripped out the dead bits I became aware that the extreme weight of the new growth this year on the top of the hedge was causing the whole hedge to sway in the strong breese of the day.

I had to decide what was best for the whole hedge so a combination of  using some of these new growths to strengthen the top of the hedge and cutting back the rest of the hedge. So I now have a veritable mountain of trimmings to shred or cut up for kindling!

But the hedge looks much better but I will have to make sure to water the new bits every day. This is not the usual time of year for planting this kiind of willow hedge but it is generally a good time for taking cuttings so on balance i felt it was better to take the chance of doing it at this time of year so I could strengthen the whole thing against our usual winter gales!

I may have to adopt a new strategy where this older hedge is concerned. The top growth is way beyond what the lower structure can support – some of the branches have put on over 3 metres in the single year and since many of the branches are also very thick and strong!

Only Time will tell if I have been over-optimistic! 

Well, Elizabeth has started something, so here are my choices.

Penstemons always do well here; I really like them and have a few but this year none can beat Penstemon ‘Evelyn’ which has put on a fantastic show since June and is still putting out new buds. 

Also in flower since June is Salvia ‘Heatwave Glimmer’ which Myrtle gave me last year. Myrtle is, of course, our Salvia queen and this lovely low growing one has tucked nicely into the patio border here.  Many thanks for it Myrtle. 

And you won’t be surprised to see Anthemis ‘E C Buxton’ included in my top three; always a profuse flowerer here from July to November.  

Of course, I could easily have chosen three more 🙂 

This tree is just coming into it’s own just now. It’s fast becoming my best buy ever.

I don’t intentionally create borders with a colour theme – well, except for the Hot Border but this border in the front garden is definitely begging to be called the Yellow Border. At this time of year the Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’ is looking its best and the Rudbekia are complementing it well. Earlier in the year the Kerria lights up the whole area and the Leucanthemum are a vivd white with a strong yellow centre.  As we go towards Autumn the leaves on the Hazel beside it will take on a lovely buttery yellow colour.

All in all, a Yellow Border whether I intended it or not! 

Of course there are a few bits that don’t really go with the Yellow theme …. there’s a few lavenders at the edge of the border ….. and a really pretty pink Salvia “Penny Lane” that I got on a visit to Shirley Beatty’s garden in 2015 …. and a pink Corydalis that surprises me every year in the Spring-time…

But in September it is definitely Yellow!!!! 

I have three different Hamamelis in the front garden. The first year they flowered ‘out-of-season’, but I thought they’d soon acclimatise, and flower predictably in Spring from thereon in. Not the case!

All three are flowering now, yet again. Lovely to see the autumn-coloured foliage together with flowers. Have had a difficult spell with Dad over the last couple of weeks and only got home today. The early flowers lifted my spirits immensely. That’s what gardens are all about.

was advised by Anna to go to Doc this morning and our very kind Dr. assured me all was well. No need for a stitch which apparently is quite sore in finger tips-our tips have lots of nerves, Instead Dr, used super glue of some sort and gave me tetanus and the flu injection so Im now stronger than ever and very grateful and will be even more careful with the rocks from now on.

I went out and took photographs to show new log edging. You can just see the little pegs I hammered in to hold the logs in place.  While looking around I noticed a fairly young oak but in the wrong place. Its twenty or thirty years old and not especially lovely. Scrubber is in two minds. If I do take it out the area will look better and airier and the other trees will look better as a result. But one hates to take out a tree thats not diseased. The trunk is about 10 inches diameter. I know Im hoping people will tell me to do it……..

Lots of rain today so wouldnt have been able to get out anyway. I expect to get back next wednesday.Hope you like the third photo. I looked out and saw the sun shining through the other morning and ran out and caught the light.

Well what about every silver lining having a cloud!  The silver was the great show the hot border put on for me this year while the cloud is descending now in the enormous amount of stuff to cut back. In the photo it is not one big bed as the whole centre area is the cut back from a quarter of the border !

I found a shrub buried behind a huge clump of Joe Pyeweed and remember planting it a few years ago but not seeing it since. looks very familiar but cannot think of the name. It is rather battered looking having not seen the light of day but the tips of the new growth has a purple tinge. There is new growth coming from the base so it will be moved.

Love to watch the progress of the Cortaderia as it throws up it’s plumes  opening more every day, great.

Heavy rain today but glad to see it as the ground is bone dry.

If it’s one little flower that really earns its keep in the garden, it has to be the trusted Cosmos. 

I wouldn’t be without them and grow them from seed every year. This year was no exception. I remember before I left my old house the raised beds were choc-a-bloc with them. And so easy to collect the seed for next year too. 

This year I noticed a few in Lidl, plants that were about a couple of inches grown. So I bought a few of these as fillers in. The thing is the Cosmos I grow are lovely tall plants reaching at last 3/4ft in height. But the ones from Lidl are only about a foot tall. Full of flowers though but a bit disappointing. However, the ones from seed are towering over other plants now and will do until at least the first frosts. If you havent ever had Cosmos, go ahead and try them, you won’t be disappointed 😉

Can’t believe I haven’t posted in over a week – and now I have the nerve to ask for a plant ID!

This little plant – I think it will eventually be a shrub – came home with me from Johnstown. It has a very clear label saying “Hazel” but that is all! Could the donor please identify (a) who they are and (b) What is the plant called?

The patio is coming along but the place is still pretty much a building site but at least we are on the home stretch!

In between doing errends for the builders, catering fro them and the general state of the place I haven’t been feeling very garden focussed but first Monty Don and then our local Garden Club leader advised that this is the right time to take slips or cuttings. So there was nothing for it but to clamber over the debris and escape into the greenhouse where all my equipment for taking cuttings are kept.

So all the salvias I have now have backup cuttings – and so Jack Frost can do his worst and I should still have these pretty plants! And someone asked me for a piece of my Rosemary – so it is among the cuttings too.

Following the advice of the Gurus the cutting are residing under the staging to keep them from getting overheated! So here goes !!!!

Storm Aileen seems to have passed with little rain and not very strong winds. I went gardening this morning thinking that the weather was going to turn terrible by lunchtime. It was not until about three o’clock that the rain arrived and the wind was blustery, but not terrible and by teatime it had cleared away.

The leaves are starting to turn colour now and berries are starting to take over from the flowers of summer. Dahlias are still going strong, but I don’t think they will last much longer as the temperatures are starting to fall in the evenings. The hydranges are getting their faded autumn colour when the pink/red ones take on a ruby colour and the blue ones look a little metallic. 

The compost bin is growing everyday with the amount of plants being cut down and the grass growth has not slowed down yet. 

I was delighted today when I discovered Colchicum autumnale Alba just starting to flower. I grow many of the pink ones, but the white one is so clear and white, a real delight. The cyclemen are at their peak now and will go on for a least a month more and their beautiful marked leaves will be there all through winter. We are so lucky to be able to garden most of the year and even in deepest winter there is always a plant for us to enjoy.

The photos accompanying the journal were taken at seven thirty this evening and from the light you can see the nights are drawing in now.

Some years ago a friend gave me some Persicaria kunming and did issue a warning with the gift, that it spreads!

So I planted it at the edge of my hot border and it grew and looked very pretty and formed a lovely clump. Then I did notice that it was speading and used to dig out around the plant every year. Having a red root it was easy to see but hard not to leave tiny pieces behind. All went well so on the opposite side of the border I planted another bit. It grew quickly and soon I had two matching clumps that looked well.Kept a close eye on it until this year when with open day there was a lot to look after. Well the other day I noticed bits and pieces of it appearing away down either side of the border . On exploring I found it had spread dreadfully under plants   , through plants almost over plants.  Shock horror but even more of both when I did a close inspection. So I started to dig some out , the ground is so dry hard going.  You will see in the photos the pile from one of the clumps almost all roots and the next photo show the pile behind the bit of plant still left in the ground. The third photo is just part of the border to use the 3 permitted photos.

I could have saved all the work because I have decided to round up both clumps and get rid of it.

You see…confession….i have also put it in several other areas of the garden but will probably be able to dig these out.

Nice plant in a pot with drain holes sealed and and a bottle of round up on guard!!

No time for gardening at the present as we’re clearing out a lot from Dad’s house and skipping so much. He needs a major reconstruction job done on his floors, and will need to move out for a while.

This morning before I went up to fill the skip, I took photos of my lovely Begonia purchase in Fota two years ago. Very windy all day and difficult getting photos outdoors. It’s a reliable Begonia, and ever so pretty.

Aches and pains all over this evening and I’m now regretting having taken out our bath years ago. 

Between the downpours I took a quick trip into the garden this afternoon. These anemones were standing up well with no staking. They have been blooming beautifully for ages too.

No its not that the scrub denizens are in open rebellions, its Scrubber ruefully acknowledging that he should stick to what he intends to do, For example there were three things on the list today a) finish long border as far as the steps b) start clearing the rockery and c) edge the lower lawn border and remove the overabundant forget me nots—-all originally from two handfuls from my dad’s garden.Now taking over!

Well He began on the border and got about a metre done then noticed such a lot of brown withered foliage and branches in the conifers behind the border, ‘Hmmm might just trim those and clear it out. Not realising what a job that was going to be! Hours later with prickles of conifer in my hair, down my back, up my sleeves,,, Filled the tarpaulin and dumped in the bottoms but on the way back a large rock in a big rough wall in the scrub caught my eye. ‘Hmnn! I think I could replace that by turning it around. Up for the crowbar, Some moved easily some didnt and some slipped out and had to be placed back,

It didnt help that there were two HUGE heavy showers. But before I knew it ,it was evening and I had to go in, And the rockery and the lower lawn border???Need you ask. They are on the list for tomorrow! That is if I stick to the business!

The photos are not great sorry! The ploughshare picture should be one turn more.The name on it is P Byrne Graig, The river has a lot of churned up mud in it.

Yesterday was the first day in ages that I had a bit of time in the afternoon to do a bit of gardening. So I took advantage of the lovely afternoon and set about tidying up, cutting back and collecting seed. 

Its only when you take your time deadheading and cutting back that you really take in exactly what you have. Well for me anyway. 

So I was quite surprised to see these three plants, amongst others, making a comeback. 

The Clematis ‘Cardinal Rouge’ flowered in early Summer with its huge deep crimson flowers. And here it is again, in amongst the dead foliage of its earlier attempts, putting out more stunning flowers. 

Another little treasure is this Silene ‘White Bells’ But it hasn’t stopped flowering since early Spring. Once deadheaded it pops right back up again. 

Third photo is Oenothera ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (Evening Primrose) This was originally seed which I got from Rachel about 3 years ago. Planted them out and basically forgot about them. But here they are self seeded and putting on a great show week in and week out.

So many lovely surprises once you take the time to admire them all.  

It’s a real addiction with me now but I just hate throwing anything away, hence lots of pots with pieces of twigs sticking out!! 

Well more cuttings to be precise. I just love nothing more than cutting back and then propagating those bits!!! 

For example, I was trimming back some foliage off my Fatsia which is just getting bigger and bigger and it was blocking out light from some plants underneath. So in doing that I stuck a couple in individual pots and ended but with mini Fatsias now. They took no problem which quite surprised me. 

Another one which is taking too is Sumach seedling. I’ve had lots, and I do mean LOTS of seedlings since the trees fell down in Spring. So I potted up a few and I thought they died. I cut off all their leaves and left just stalks. And now I see new foliage appearing. Where will these go lol

Another which I find so easy to propagate are Salvia. A twig that breaks off or one that’s cut back is automatically stuck in compost and yes they too take. So now I’ve pots of new Salvia waiting for a home. 

So you see nothing is wasted. Luckily my sisters like what I have plus some good friends have benefitted too. 

I can’t help it!! 

Scrubber recently had an idea which came to him out of the blue or on a direct trajectory from Cherub Lute. Wouldnt it be a grand idea to dig out a circle around the dogwood tree in the lower lawn and fill it in with something. Then later Buxus sempervivens swum into his mind and he thought it might look quite posh!

Over to Arboretum and two trays of Buxus for a tenner each. Now as you know in these trays, each little punnet has four rooted slips of box. Scrubber being very thrifty, up tothis has always separated these into single plants and so instead of six plants he gets 24 plantlets. And they doo quite well and come along nicely. Now Eamonn in the Arboretum-most helpful advisor- was a little surprised at my method and he unintentionally sowed the seed of doubt in Scrubbers mind.

So this time Scrubber divided each into two plantlets and set the 24 little sections in the circle around the tree. They looked fine but Scrubber was troubled. On a lovely walk down in St Mullins he decided to act and when he came home this evening he divided the 24 into 48 and replanted them. He had six over and put those in another bed. And now even though they are thinner he feels that in a year or two he will have a more closely knit little circle of box around his variegated dogwood.

That being decided he went down the scrub and lopped a few beech branches to let in more light in that area. Beech are great to lop as you get a very large area covered by each Branch but then the disposal of same is a different matter!

Well, today I’m having a moan so you may want to stop reading now!

I mentioned that my decking outside the house needed replacement and we are in the throes of the project at the moment. Building projects go through lots of phases before the final result is created and that is very true of this one.

When the decking was removed it was very obvious that it was time to do this replacement. Some of the supports were also starting to rot. I have a HelpX Steve working with me on this project and he did a trojan job removing it. It took over a week – partly because it is a big area but also because many of the screws had rusted into the timbers so we now have piles of timbers all round the place waiting for disposal or reuse.

The replacement will be a patio which I hope will be more permanent. So when the decking was removed we called in reinforcements and a digger was employed to dig foundations for the retaining wall for the patio. 

The wall is done and that’s what has me in poor humour today! You know how it is, in the middle of a project walls seem to dominate and I feel that Mr Trump would envy this one!!! 

When I’m being rational I know it will only protrude a small bit above the finished patio, but I’m not feeling particularly rational today!

I have now had almost two weeks of clambering in and out of my back door and trudging over rubble and stuff to get to the garden. That’s now good for anyone’s humour! And it will be possibly two more weeks before normality is restored!

My poor cat is totally traumatised as his little house has been moved round the place to avoid being submerged in crushed stone and he also took exception to the Cement Mixer and various other trucks that have invaded his space! 

No photos of the work in progress – its far too depressing!