Month: December 2017

I see that Monty Don has a new series mid January 2018 – My Paradise Gardens!  It will be on BBC 2.  Photos attached of Christmas cactus.

A miserable day here in Waterford, but the local herons have been landing in the garden all the morning. If they are visiting in hope of taking fish from the pond they will be disappointed as all the fish have died of old age and they won’t be replaced as I only bought them for John when he was a little boy. Photos are dreadful due to all the raindrops on the window and they seem to be a very alert bird.

Today we woke up to a white world and a very winter post card one at that.

I have two photos of Castlewellan Arboretum as it looked this morning.

You know how they used to say:

If Mohammed cannot go to the mountain, then the mountain must go to Mohammed.

So if Elizabeth cannot go to the fuchsias (for fear of hypothermia), then the fuchsias must go to Elizabeth. And this is just what they have done – to the kitchen precisely, where along with my current HelpX helper Jon, work is progressing on the large pots which will be remaining out of doors.

We are assembling a mini-tunnell? tunell? you know what I mean – out of fleece. But in case that isn’t sufficient, its ‘belt and braces’, with bubble-wrap either inside or outside the pots, and fleece caps on top.

But HORROR OF HORRORS, I spotted a vine-weevil on the base of one of the pots, and we decided to look in case there were others. We found FIFTY alive and wiggling in just one pot. No hope of the cold discouraging them!

I cannot imagine there are not others. My understanding is that nematodes suffer even more than I do when the soil gets below 5 degrees, so I will hope for the best, and wait till early Spring to treat them. 

PS I just put the heron picture in as he looks very calm and peaceful.

…. well, not really between cup and lip in this case!

My decking had proved to cause “many a slip …” which is why it had to go! But its an ill wind (apologies to all Ophelia victims) because after finally getting the resullting mounds of timber sorted last week I reckon have enough timber for at least a year!

At this stage of the year it is hard to have the enthusiasm for getting out into the garden to do any work. The days are so short now and the garden has little colour, but Spring is just around the corner, so I keep telling myself. I always find it more enjoyable to garden in Janurary than December, despite Janurary been colder. I feel the light is coming back into the days once the New Year is in and of course the spring bulbs are starting to flower. The early snowdrops have already started,  Galanthus ‘Faringdon’s Double, Galanthus ‘Three Ships’ and an Irish snowdrop Galanthus Castlegar’.

The greenhouse is about as far as I get these days to water and clean off any dead leaves from plants. At this time of year there is a balance about how much watering to do to keep plants ticking over. Paddy did cut the grass a week ago as it has been reasonably dry and any leaves on the grass were cleared as well. The birds are like children with bricks tossing the leaves all over the place, a constant job collecting them.

With the cold weather forcast for Thursday/Friday, I will have to get out today and cover one or two plants that are a little tender.

I am looking forward to the Get together in Johnstown this year as I missed out last year due to a family celebration.  I hope more members  turn up than are posting on the site at present. Hazel is very good to take on the organising of the event again this year and I hope we have a good turn out and who knows maybe the site will be re-launched on the day. Live in hope.

Easy to know it’s winter when I start buying stuff online but another book I have wanted for awhile now. It’s Christopher Loyd’s Exotic Planting. Again I have just glanced through it but looks like an excellent book and fantastic planting ideas that I will try and use. It was again a 2nd hand book from ebay for €8 inc postage and is in immaculate condition. Below is some images of planting in the book and think they are just fantastic

I noticed quite a few bees buzzing around Fatsia japonica today, while I was tidying around and giving the plants in the glasshouse a light watering. Lovely to see the bees active throughout the winter months.

Woke up at 630 no snow. Got up at 930 ( well it is Sunday ) and wow . A winter wonder land . My new bamboo centerpiece was bowed under but only from weight of snow. The trees all looked stunning . The dogs really enjoyed the initial fun . 

…. of things to come! This delicate dusting of snow was very acceptable – and I suppose I should have known when Puss didn’t want to sit on the cold ground – that things might get a bit more interesting later ….

Update to follow!

I kept consoling myself saying in 2010 Dublin had a couple of feet of snow and we had little or none – just low temperatures (Well, -17 is low in anyone’s books!) but alack and alas – I woke to a different story … I took a short video that gives an idea of how it felt – Boy! Was I grateful for my sheltered area outside the back door! 

Snow at Gortnalee 9.30 on Sunday

But a few photos too – just to give you the flavour!

My problem is that I have two very willing HelpX workers here until the end of the week so hibernating is not an option!!!!

And today they had great sport making snowmen!

Snow yesterday afternoon.   Croagh Patrick looking resplendent in the winter wonderland.

This cold spell has finally convinced my bees to cluster for their winter snooze . Here’s hoping they have enough supplies till Spring. I’ll be moving some hives away from the veg garden shortly and across the lawn.

In 2016 I started with one hive and now there are six going into year 3 .  I have found since starting bees that iam much more plant aware and have stopped using pesticides . 

No change yet though rain is forecast . It’s really dangerous to even walk the dogs so Iam sticking to the fields . No gritters where I live !!

People manage through , is there an alternative ? Now Iam off to cut some fallen timber kindly donated by next door .

After being away from home for the last few days, I was itching to get out and have a look around. This morning has been the heaviest frost so far. All three ponds were frozen over when I got home this afternoon. Spotted one of the Shubunkins on his side in the Lower Pond. Usually at this time of year they have already gone down to the deepest part. But, as it has been so mild of late, they must be very confused with the seasons.

I poked about gently at him, ready to remove his body. But where there’s life there’s hope. He was still alive, but only just. He’s about 7yrs old at this stage. But it looks like he’s on life support. I expect him to be dead in the morning, although it’s to get slightly milder. Fingers crossed as I love having fish. 

Cyclamen coum is flowering away nicely now. And it’s clumping up well too. I discovered a few Dahlias in pots that I had forgotten to take into the glasshouse. They’re in now so I hope it’s not too late. 

The weather over the last week has been a right miserable mix. We had rain on Sunday morning which turned to snow and dark grey skies all day long. The snow was thawing by late afternoon and was gone completely by Monday morning. The nights have been cold and every night this week I have had to cover the plants in the glasshouse with fleece. It was nice and bright today, but very cold winds and followed by rain tonight. I did manage to pick a few Iris unguicularis this morning which I suppose was a bonus. 

On Sunday during the snow showers a heron paid us another visit. This time he seemed to be less frightened by us and spent from about eleven o’clock until darkness staring into the pond which has no fish. It was very easy to take photos of him this time. 

The early snowdrops are well and truly up, but are slow to open when temperature are low. I have also noticed crocus, Iris and early species of tulips pushing through the soil. I have cleared the leaves from the hellebores and the flower buds are swelling nicely. Despite the weather there is a promise of a little colour returning to our gardens before too long.

Looking forward to the get together at Johnstown in Janurary and getting the gardening year started again. I do hope we have a good attendance.

I’m increasingly amazed with my non-stop Nicotiana that self-seeded out in the front garden over two years ago. Photo taken on Friday afternoon, despite some recent really frosty nights and lingering throughout the day, it’s still flowering. Let’s hope that the babies I lifted for the back garden will be as successful as the mother plant. Maybe, for the season that’s in it, I should name it Nickola. 🙂

I’m also still getting new blooms on my white Hydrangea.

Job’s done. All fuchsias double wrapped (fleece and bubble-wrap) and now bedded down in the new fleece tunnel.

Regarding the vine-weevils, I couldn’t face any more ‘squishing’. (Not only did I do the 50 from the ‘Champion Pot’, but also 29 in another pot and 32 in another.

So I thought back to that great gardener we visited in the Burren (was his name Karl?). He also had a number of fuchsias. When I asked him about vine-weevils, he said the garden was full of them. His philosophy was that he was bound to lose a few plants, and if he did he would just plant more.

So I will join him in that thought for this year. But next year, it’ll be nematodes April and September – no matter how busy I am!

Lots of posts from people who are missing their kids now they’ve gone back to their lives. Well we are still waiting for ours. Jonny is bringing his kids over on 2nd January for 6 days so we have the turkey in the freezer and the presents under the tree still! 

Meanwhile the bulbs are coming up fast in the new garden. And to our surprise the Prunus Autumnalis has decided to come into full bloom, most unexpected as we only planted it a few weeks ago. It’s lovely to see it. 

We won’t have much to share at Johnstown this year as we are saving all our spare plants for our youngest son and his wife when they move into their new house and start to create their garden. We can’t wait to be working with them, they’re both desperate to get planting. 

Well, Johnstown will be a week after the grandkids go home so we’ll be glad to have something to lighten us up, we’ll be missing them badly. Looking forward to seeing you all there!