Month: October 2017

Myself and my daughter took a trip over to the Botanic Gardens this afternoon, before the Sculpture in Context ends at the end of this week. I haven’t posted any albums recently but I’ll try in a few minutes.

The Gardens were very well attended, and lots of tours going on. Just want to share a couple of photos for the moment of their lovely pumpkin display in the run up to Hallowe’en.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be out in the garden securing as much as possible before the arrival of Ophelia. Stay safe, everyone.

Margie really set me thinking so I had a scroll through my photos for this year and there was no way I could find one that met all the criteria – also I’ve noticed that I seldom take photos of the plants that fit the first two criteria!

1. Best worker

2. Least minding

3. Lifts your spirits when you see it

4. Makes you smile when you pass by

So I’m combining 1 and 2 in my first photo – this is one of the Potentillas that I have in my little mini-Burren area. They are so trouble-free – just give them a good trim in the early spring and they flower for months right through the Summer into Autumn. They are so forgiving that even if you forget to cut them back for a few years they don’t mind at all!

My second photo is the “Lifts your spirits” one – and it is one of my Rhus Typhinas – Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’. I have a couple of these and their wonderful Autumn colour really does lift my spriits particularly as I really dread the shorter days of winter which are just around the corner.

And the third one – the “Makes you smile” one is definitely my Tetrapanax Rex – this photo was taken in April after a late frost had killed off the first spurt of growth – but I have no recent photos of it in its prime! It is such a giant and it is the plant that most visitors gasp when they see it, and for this it definitely makes me smile when I pass it!

I’m still trying to clear up after Ophelia and even with the help of Elizabeth we only got the arches dismantled … then we had a monsoon day yesterday ….Then they started putting out more storm warnings and I was on my own today so I desperately wrapped the greenhouse in baling plastic and reused some of the stuff from the arches to try and hold the plastic in place – so all fingers crossed – I really would like to have enough of the greenhouse left to repair when I can get some help!

I also have some very tasty cut-and-come-again lettuce that I’m trying to protect ….

Oh and I took a photo of the Tetrapanax that is my “makes me smile” plant – and today it did make me smile – well, until the monsoon returned! Just as well its dark now and i can’t see if the greenhouse is surviving !!!!!

hello all, well it’s been so hard to get out to the garden everything is just a soggy mess.

Thank God for the tunnel. I have been potting on cuttings taken earlier in the summer some of these are artemesia, agastache, monarda , salvias and penstemons. I am hoping that these all make it through the winter.

The pictures are from earlier today in the pouring rain.

A sketch of the hotel we are staying in, apainting of the view from it and a painting of the restaurant beside it.

Sorry, one is sideways and sketch didn’t come out too well.

Ophelia passed over my place. While it was not welcome, it didn’t seem to do much damage. I noticed a branch that came off the liquidambar but unless you saw the branch on the ground, you would not miss it. Storm Brian seemed less dangerous and yet when I went out the back which faces south, I noticed something. At first it seemed superfluous. To day was a beautiful  day, good temperature and no wind, not what you would expect in late October. I went out with secateurs and pruning saw. Some branches were removed. A pair of loppers took over later on and more wood was removed. Eventually  I had decided to call it a day, remembering the operation I had. I will return perhaps to morrow. The amount of damage done to cultivated plants was small. It was mainly trees which were there when I came here in 1977. One tree that I noticed to day lay horizontally and as a result I was unable to get at work I had done with roses and the like. However, bit by bit I will get it under control. Sorry the camera is out of action but I will look after that  as well. By the way, I hear that the Danes came to Ireland recently to have a go at the Irish. However where the two armies met was not in Clontarf but at the other side of the river. What was the name of the man leading the Irish in Clontarf?  Answer:Brian.

Today looks like it might be mild but dull. My aim is to get out and sort out the back garden as its gone wild!! 

I’m trying to keep my Cosmos going a bit longer as I want them to form seeds, but then I think they look untidy!! 

Amazing to see some colour now at the end of October. I’m expecting frosty days and yet it’s so mild. Incredible. 

So here are another few beauties. This first photo is Hellebore HGC Maestro which I bought in Johnstown last year. Really lovely markings on the back of each flower. 

Second photo is my Chrysanthemum beppei Bronze. This is a Dealz plant, in a pot, thrown aside, but still flowers every year. I really must plant that out. 

Lastly my Salvia ‘Embers Wish’ and Parahebe ‘Avalanche’ which I think look good beside each other. Both have just grown so well this year. The Parahebe was chopped right back and regrown and has some more beautiful flowers. 

Im hoping today to find a few more beauties and will post them up soon. Well that’s the plan. I bought some plants last week while in JGC with Margie  and then on Tuesday I had to go to Naas and popped int B&Q and found some bargains .  But that’s another journal lol 

Hope you all have a great day!