Month: April 2018

Evening all,

Three splendid Rhodos for your delectation this evening. I am showing the trusses as they aren’t fully open and they are very attractive at this stage as well with lovely colour variations.

The first shown are the saucer shaped flowers of the splendid species, R.aberconwayi ‘His Lordship’. The second is R.Lady Alice Fitzwilliam, a lot of people rate this hybrid as their favourite scented Rhodo and it is excellent, but to me R.loderi ‘King George’ is the ultimate hybrid for flowers and scent. It is magnificent and i will show it again when it is in full bloom.

We spent from midday today outside after a cold and foggy start. Got loads done. And on my travels I spotted a seedling of Tetrapanax rex about three feet away from the mother plant, originally given to me by HeadGardener about 5yrs ago. Mary Tobin had warned me that once the soil was disturbed around the mother  plant, that I’d be sure of getting seedlings of same. It’s been pulled up and potted on now, for anyone who wishes to collect it. I can’t locate a photo of the seedling on my photos for today. But I guarantee it’s a good healthy one.

Steve managed to get the grass done at last. Firstly he had to use the strimmer all over. Then he went over it again with the mower. It’s looking a bit scaldy at the moment. It usually does after its first cut of the year. But after its second cut, it’ll look properly cared for. Ooooh, I got so enthusiastic outside after that. Weeded like a mad woman and enjoyed it thoroughly.  I need to get fit again. It was such a pleasure to be doing something constructive again.

My Hostas are all coming up now. I love the ones that emerge purple.

Sorry to say I have lost track of these little flowers. Can anybody name them please?

I got this little Pleione orchid on line a couple of weeks ago. It came potted up with a few shoots showing. The blooms began to appear last week. I just can’t stop admiring it! I believe it is hardy but how hardy? It is staying indoors for the moment. I just hope I don’t kill it with love.

Months ago, before our dog was diagnosed with cancer, we bought Members’ Tickets for Chatsworth flower Show on Wednesday 6th June. Since then we have found out that Oscar only has a short while to live, so, as we don’t know what his health will be like in June, and we don’t want to book flights or accommodation if we’re going to have to cancel, we’ve decided not to go. Seems, though, that the T&Cs are that they don’t do refunds, nor are we allowed to sell the tickets – a bit draconian, to say the least!! We could postpone and they would reissue the tickets for next year, but first I was wondering if anyone would like them? They cost £65 sterling, and I’m sure we could come to an unofficial arrangement if anyone wants them. PM me if you do.

What a total washout this season has been. We get one good day, and two weeks (or so it seems) rain. Can’t believe that I still haven’t given the grass its first cut yet and it’s nearly May. I would normally have done it myself. But a couple of years ago Steve bought a humungous strimmer in Aldi that has a harness. Even with the harness strapped around me, I find it too heavy to manoeuver round. So it’s now Steve’s job. He’s away with work for the next couple of months but should be home this weekend. Unfortunately the forecast isn’t good so he may as well just relax.

Good to see the white Forget-me-nots that I bought about 5yrs ago are still popping up.

I wasn’t very happy with the planters I got for the Sweetpeas. I bought the terracotta coloured ones in a panic because the sweetpeas were rebuking me every time I went to the greenhouse – but as often happens the local discount store finally got in some gardening stuff and they had much nicer planters! At only €4.99 each I made an executive decision that the sweetpeas were for a speedy move! Tackled it today in a really pleasant day – only some minor showers! I am much happier with the results! It was our local Mr Price that had them – they are a really good size and nice and deep too!

The other photos are my Erythroniums – they remind me of Fiaryland for some reason!

To day was fine and sunny but a bit windy. I did some work in the rose beds using the hoe to remove weeds and put some garden compost around as many as I could. I have some lovely compost, possibly better than I had for a long time. I read about people putting household waste into the brown bin but I don’t put out any bin.

Here are some of the tomato plants I have in the greenhouse. Those shown are Alicante and the seed went down in January. I cannot understand why people wait so long to sow the seed. the plants I have shown vary from 9 inches to one foot in height. Flowers will be here any day. Side shoots have been removed a few times.

It was dry but quite breezy here this morning, so I wasn’t sure about getting much done in the garden.  Went off to Woodies for farmyard manure and topsoil only to find they had no topsoil, so I bought a plant instead (well, Thursday is discount day).  The wind calmed down so I donned the heavy gloves and got some more done on the pyracantha renovation this afternoon (that will have to be the subject of another journal).  I haven’t taken many photos this April, so during a break the camera came out as the light was nice.  Just when I decided I’d done enough for today, the heavens opened with a sleety shower and I barely made it indoors with my tools.  April many weathers, it seems!  Here are a few of the photos.

I seem to have learned how to load pictures, at last. I still find the new site very much more difficult than the old ne. Where is the list of members? How can we contact one another? Could we not have the list back, with email addresses, if we cannot have the old private message system.

Native primrose and Guinevere

Above pic. Has been tidied up since taking picture!

I just want to say that I think, ….. no, really feel, that I like this new site.

Yes, there are problems and it can be quite daunting to negociate your way to write a journal,  perhaps save to drafts overnight, retrieve from drafts and then add pictures having interpreted the words of the various buttons, followed by actually “Publish”. It can be hard to remember the sequences. BUT, as we get used to it, it will be easier.

I really like the 1st screen after logging in showing recent activity and comments in 2 separate columns.  It is an inviting presentation and makes you curious!

Here are a few primroses that absolutely love this position.  Needless to say, it is not the one originally chosen by me which was the small woodland area.  There must be vine weavil there and yet I have ‘t discovered any of those little menaces. I lost quite a few down there. Contrary to advice, they look very happy in this open area and I cannot keep the native primroses from multiplying.  I heard at a lecture that to maintain a healthy colony of native primroses, you need at least 60 plants, both thrum and pin-eyed.  (Check the anthers)

Let me know if you get round to foing to those lengths!   Prize will be awarded at next Johnstown Get Together!.  

We braved it today, it was sunny enough between hailstorms, but oh my the wind was ARCTIC! I chickened out this morning and hid in the polytunnel planting tomatoes, courgettes and cucumber plus lettuce seedlings and re-sowing roots. We’ve been eating lettuce for the last three weeks and they do taste good after a few months of supermarket salads.

Despite the cold, things are growing – spuds are up, the new grass seed has germinated and the bulbs have been spectacular. After all the work in the new Forest Garden it’s really great to see the baby trees and shrubs coming into leaf. All we need is some real warmth. Those few days last week weren’t nearly enough.

Hi All,

I’ve been in touch with both the Blarney Castle Hotel and Adam at Blarney Castle Gardens (not the same place)

I have asked the hotel to do a soup and sandwich lunch for us with tea/coffee and they have given me a price of €12.50. As it’s very convenient for the Gardens I’ve asked them to book us in for 12 noon. Adam has confirmed that either himself or one of his colleagues will give us a tour at 2pm. We will each pay our own way in – it’ll be €14 and the tour is free. We can collect the entry fees over lunch and that will make it quicker to get through the turnstiles.

What I need now is numbers. If you are going to attend, please let me know by June 1st so that I can confirm numbers with the Hotel and Gardens.

Thanks a mill, and hope lots of you can make it!

Terri

Another Fuchsia, a Gazania and a chocolate Cosmos that I bought as a bargain at the end of last year. I’d grown the Gazania from seed. They were all looking as if the cold had got them so it was great to see them sprouting.

This comment is looking back at recent weather and commenting on its effects. 

I have been away for a couple of weeks visiting my daughter in  Surrey.  I had been so depressed all winter with the absolutely unremitting awful wet weather we suffered here for months on end and I was hoping for bit of warmth on the “oul bones” over there.  Alas, it was only marginally better add I never had cause to “shed a clout”.

Remember the E and NE wind before Easter? Even though I have been gardening here for almost 40yrs, and have never suffered weather such as that unrelenting  5 week  spell.  When I got back from my holiday, I could see the full extent of the damage.   Very bad in parts which I would not have considered exposed, and yet reasonably minimal in others.

Here is an example : I don’t like Camellias, but I have two .  So what do you think is their response to the prolonged East wind? C. Anticipation is flowering better than ever!  You can see from the picture that there is no real shelter between it and the shore from where the winds were coming. Hoping to load a picture.  

Cedrus Atlantica Glauca is 3/4 brown and wizened.  Planted in 1991. Similar for C. Deodar.   Embothrium coccineum which faces straight down to the sea, lost all it s leaves, but today I see it will shortly be a mass of red flower! The buds must have a good outer  shield.

The pinky-red patio rose, which is a great doer, and of which I have several, in some positions are totally wizened and yet others in the direct path of the wind are fine.  There is obviously more to wind and the contours of the garden, than I can understand.

I am saving this to Drafts, as I will endeavour to add a few pictures. …. tomorrow,

Good.  Well done ME . I have saved to drafts, found it again, and uploaded 2 pictures  – not a simple or obvious process and you need to have eyes everywhere for clues on the screen, including down at the bottom right hand corner where I found the final button for uploading pictures.

FINAL REMARK:  what are “trackbacks and pingbacks’?

I got this plant some time ago from my niece Joan. For a long time, there was no sign of a flower. Then all of a sudden it bloomed.

I never liked Tulips if I am honest. I always found their strappy leaves awful in the borders and especially if, like in my old house, you only have minute borders, those leaves took over.

But then I saw all the beautiful selection of Tulips available and someone said why not plant them in pots….hmmmmm maybe.

So thats what I did last year. Planted them in pots and they looked amazing along the pathway to my greenhouse. So I did the same this year. Bought some new varieties in Mr Middleton last Autumn and planted them up and left them alone for the whole Winter. Then all of a sudden!!

Hey presto, they are all coming into flower now. I have put them along the path to my greenhouse again and they are looking great again. The recent good sunny weather has made such a difference to them and in a few more days they will all be open. Great to see such beauty after such a miserable Winter.

Ok,it is one of my favourites ,if I honest 😃

Pelargonium ‘Ludwigsburger Flair ‘ just opened buds.