Month: April 2018

The same Acer in early April. It’s interesting to see the difference a cold spring can make. Other plants in the garden seem unaffected. Maybe they respond more to light rather than heat.

Well kind of hotting up….but Ill take that. Its great to be able to get out into the garden. It was such a lovely weekend. We did have a couple of showers but that was later in the evening and by that stage I was well finished in the garden.

I got a bit of tidying up done and we put in a little ‘crazy’ path to my new flower bed at the back, rather than trample on all the muck and plants that may be in the way. In time I will get Jimmy to do something more permanent.

My Magnolia Stellata opened up yesterday in the sunshine and what a great surprise. Even though we are in April the flowers are slow to come out. Ive just got a reminder on Facebook of an album I shared this time last year and the garden was full of Tulips…the ones I have this year don’t even have a bud on them let alone a flower. But they will come. It was nice to be out and get the hands dirty and clear out all the debris from the long Winter. And there was plenty of that. Lets hope now that the worst is behind us and we can look forward to those long hot sunny days ahead

Have a great day everyone!

Today was the first day that I got to walk around and admire the new fresh growth aconitum , geranium madernse and lupins 

Quite a mild day here today and showery. But the showers were short-lived. But if I can’t be out and STAY out, I’d rather go about something else. I did a bit of tidying up and cleaned out the Lower Pond. Disappointed to find one of the fish floating on the surface. According to a member on Facebook, he had a fungal disease. But I’m wondering whether or not he’s correct as he’s had these carbunkle-looking growths on him for about two years or more and seemed fine.

Delighted that my little furry Pulsatilla is finally open with the bit of sun.

Thought the rain would come today so didnt go out.sorry now. Had a slightly sore back recently and put it down to levering out new rock. (Carefully!) Then remembered_ i also chopped down two hawthorn trees with an axe!and carried them into bog!so thats why. Fine today. Yesterday another but with a small saw so less effort.

Got more rhodos in Aldi thats 7 new ones 9 euro each.couldnt not! Bought them over a period so not too painful.

My turkscap lillies are coming back after last years demolition but im keeping an eye out for those bold red beetles.no mercy!still wondering if many had blind daffs this yeat.

Any idea what this is??

Lovely day here today, we didn’t get any of the nasty showers. I did some work on containers and came across vine weevil grubs which I put on a little dish for the birds.

Hello again friends 🙂

What a lovely day today, I hope it is the start of warmer days to come.

I came across this self seeded plant in the garden today. Can anyone help me with identification? Could it possibly be hypericum?

After the fog cleared this morning, the sun came out!  You know that big yellow ball in the sky?  So I got out and cut back stuff in a frenzy, littering the grass with all the debris. The borders are looking better, but I didn’t get time to bag up what I had cut back and the place looks a right mess. Came in for a cuppa, and down came the rain. So that put paid to that. Anyway, my back was beginning to tell me “enough is enough. Tomorrow is another day”.

While outside I was having a look at my Camellias. I had remarked earlier that some of them had loads of flower buds before Christmas, and not a sign of them now. I have 6 different ones. The three that are looking great at the moment are all in flower, and that tells me that the others definitely need to be give a top-dressing of ericaceous soil, and bigger planters. My favourite one is in a big half-barrel, so there’s no way I’m going to be able to get it out. I’m wondering now are Camellias easy to take cuttings from?

The three below are the ones in smaller pots and are a delight right now.

Hailstones Again  ,No end to this this year…Small Lawn I have is wrecked.

Some do enjoy it.!!!

I bought this little Tumbler tomato plant today. I will plant it in an old milk churn if the weather ever warms up. Then I will be able to look forward to little red treats in my lunch box.

I ventured out to the greenhouse yesterday and gingerly unwrapped the fleece over the few plants I have been trying to protect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that casualties are few!

The first lot of heroes are the Sweetpeas planted in the root-trainers I bought online in January. I even got to pinch out the tops but they are hardly what I would call “bushy” – maybe they need another pinch? Either way, they are staying where they are for another while.
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The lot that pleased me most are the Salvias I lifted. I am so glad I did as they would never have survived this interminable winter.

I took cuttings of them all but maybe I was too late in the season because none of them took! I really thought I had lost at least one of them but I am delighted to see that all three are sprouting well.

Outside the first thing that delighted me was my very first tulip – brave little thing!

Michael, here are two photos from spring last year, one showing Irene Patterson in close up and the other a general view of the border, you’ll see it at the back though the top is cut off in the photo.  It has doubled in size in a few years and I’ve now started to trim it gently to keep it from getting too fat for the space, while letting it grow taller.  Best of luck with yours, it is a lovely shrub.

Just a few photos from the garden during a brief respite from this rain. Looks like a nice day today so fingers crossed it might be ok to step outside and get some gardening done.

Glad to see lots more people using the site and hopefully it will go from strength to strength.

A few photos I took today. This is my second attempt to put this up!

I ask my daffs.so many failed to come this year.and I have a problem and can’t ask Gerry.I can’t get into that box it was easier in the old days.problem.I have a fantastic old climber thirty years or more.stems thick as ropes.unfortunately the supporting tree hawthorn is dead and about to collapse.any ideas on how to save rose A barbier ?

For the past few years I have been suggesting and asking that my last three remaining poplars be taken down. So, at last they went last week. You may wonder why? Tney had become tall and unfortunately very ugly and tatty and also very out of place on the N. Coast of Donegal.
So why did I plant them 40yrs ago? When we acquired this site and bungalow, the plot was a total blank canvas. Tnere was absolutely notning between us and the sea. Not a bush or hedge or tree either above us on the brae, or below or to either side. The local youths took glee in telling me it would not be possible to grow trees here!!! Red rag to a bull!
So tbe 1st thing we had to do was set up wind defenses. I did some research and decided on Poplar TT32. We bought 20 of them and they settled in pretty quickly and grew well and quickly.

In a few years, we were able to plant choice trees inside this shelter belt. As the years passed, we culled, and then removed the poplars wholesale. (Quite often a St. Patrick’s Day activity!).

The three remaining, strangely were not my chosen variety. Rogue intruders.

Having a superb panoramic view out to sea and across to the N. Antrim coast, and even on clear days up to Islay in Scotland, it is a pity to hide it. You may say that a “framed view” is better than a panoramic one. Well, the choice trees that had been placed inside the shelter belt have done well and are providing a framework in certain areas.

So, it only took the tree fellers 30 minutes to expertly take them down and they left them lying on the grass. My son has now cleaned off the thick trunks and taken them away to season and then they’ll become firewood for another cold winter……..

Talking of cold…… today was, as the children say, Baltic. The temperature never rose above 2.4°C and add in, or should I say, substract, the wind chill factor, it was pretty cold. The East winds were constantly blowing at a reported 50 mph. Let me say, that the lack of the 3 poplars was not noticed. You could not keep tbat storm at bay. Tjis has been our constant weather for the past 4 weeks.  Huge damage has been done, although I must praise the resilience of bulbous flowers. They are wonderfully brave.

Wet dark cold miserable day here ..had lots of plans made for this bank holiday but it is just too wet. But every cloud has a silver lining as they say as I have spent time getting to know my way around this new site.. it’s fantastic that it’s mobile friendly. It will make things so much easier and quicker to use.. no more excuses for me🤔😁