Month: July 2018

Bought this Clematis at Fota earlier in the year and was delighted to see a bud. A bit disappointed it’s not red, but happy enough with it!

Today I was in  Belvedere House and Gardens. I visited here with dear Brendan about 6 or 7 years ago in maybe February and the Victorian Gardens were in very poor shape – little hedges badly blighted and the only things bring planted were annual bedding. I was interested to see how it is doing now with a major restoration being implemented. The photos show some of the areas that I remember as being quite desolate. I hope the photos give an idea of the progress being made here. I didn’t have time to visit the Fairy Garden – in existence long before Fairy Gardens became fashionable but if the rest of the garden is anything to go by it is probably well worth a visit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Im probably one of the few that is REALLY enjoying this weather. The heat and the sunshine is doing me the world of good. Yes I know the gardens and countryside is suffering. But as this is a rare occurrence its great to wake up each day to sunshine and warmth.

The garden isn’t doing too badly overall. Yes a couple of casualties here and there. Plants that have just recently been planted are suffering and need a drink every now and then just to keep them on their toes and not lose them. Ive a very small Acer that the leaves have gone crispy but Im hoping the roots will survive.

Overall the garden is doing its thing. Its great to see plants that usually at this time of year, after the wind and rain, would be on the ground now and either broken or damaged with no hope of rising again. These are standing tall and enjoying the sunshine too. That is what I love the most.

So here are a few pictures of the garden from the past couple of days!

 

I managed to shift rock into exact position. Austin helped me with the hardest bit.then I set up a third big boulder opposite yesterday’s.  They all look well and are secure. And found urns in garden centre were twice the price and more and nothing as nice  asite mine

I got a round circle Base for 7.95 and it fits perfectly.So lots done and lots to do tomorrow

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Trying landscape and cropping on this cool dude in the sunshine. Please stay up the right way on computer

I keep on cutting bunches of these fragrant Sweet Peas and they reward me with more blooms.

Sweet Pea Early in the season

I went out today and shuffled two beds. The dry and dusty I hit the river. Refreshed I thought about straightening a very big rock.there was another even bigger beside it at the rough steps up to the banks. I tentatively poked it with my trusty crow bar. It moved. I pushed, it moved a bit more. I pushed. It decided enough was enough and came out and down and luckily stopped a few feet away. Then the other very big one also left the bank and rolled not too far. I was like Mrs May withmy two main supporters gone!

I was able to roll one down a slope and set it in nicely. The other is huge and flat faceted so no rolling. I had to inch it bit by bit and put little rocks under it as I went along but I think tomorrow  morning will see it done. And I do think the new positions are even better!

I’ll try to put up photos.

 

 

Lavender’s blue, Dilly dilly, Lavenders green.

When I am King, Dilly dilly,You shall be Queen.

Who told you so, Dilly dilly, Who told you so?

T’was my own heart, Dilly dilly,That told me so.

And in my garden with the heavy clay soil Lavender is usually not very happy and really struggles to survive.

But lo and behold – this heat and drought is really suiting it and my Lavender finally is giving me the display I have yearned for!

 

Down in Waterford on Fri and sat and bought an urn. I failed miserably to bargain the price down and there were quite a few flaws in the mould but it has character. And I saw a better finished one but far plainer and about 2/3 the size for five euro dearer in a garden centre the same day.

I knew where I wanted it and I chipped off some of the flaws and am very pleased with it

I also have my eye on another piece . we’ll  have to see. Got two lovely small rhodos. The flower is a pale greeny yellow so should be lovely in 11 months time.

1. Crocosmia lucifier is brightening up the place and I’ve done a revamp on fern corner. Still swimming. 4 today!
   

   The new urn

   

   Looking down on path

   

   Finally got two types of lysmachia growing in bog together.

Hello everybody, due to the dry and warm weather the place is very different from this time last year. First due to the high temperature this year compared with last year, the tomatoes are doing very well. Late in June, I had the first and to day I picked two and one can see from day to day that it won’t be long before I will have plenty. The adverse effect can be seen in the case of the gooseberries, blackcurrants roses and lawn. I picked a few pounds of gooseberries in June but due to lack of rain, the yield is low. The blackcurrants are worse and I have picked none so far. As you all know the blackbirds are very fond of same. About a week ago, I was very pleased with my roses but alas unless we get rain “We’ll all be ruined said Hanrahan.” I have foliage about 100 rose bushes and you all know that watering them would not be easy. So I will have to leave them to God and the weather. Of course the foliage in the rose bushes is still quite good. As regards the lawn, I know it will turn green again but it really needs rain. Two shrubs that are still very good are Hypericum and Philadelphus and it is a pleasure to look at the flowers. i was at the Country Market on Friday and even though the plants I had, Pelargoniums and Geraniums and one big Hydrangea, no sales

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Well it certainly has been a challenging Bee year ! First we had the really long cold winter followed by a wet and late spring and now a heatwave and drought !

The last week in June and first 3 weeks of July are traditionally  when the Nectar flow is strongest . Mainly clover and blackberry for most bee keepers . Unfortunately as the plants depend on some moisture to produce nectar they are now struggling . You have probably noticed in your own gardens how flowers and veg are struggling .

Right now it’s a case of keeping an eye on our “ honey boxes “ or Supers which are stacked on top of the Main hive body . When you see a really tall looking hive that’s an indicator of a good honey flow . As the boxes fill

you add another one on top . The bees will store nectar in these 10-11 frames in each box and each box is capable of producing 20-30 lbs of Honey . It’s Nectar makes honey not pollen. Pollen is used mainly for feeding young emergin bees . Bees store nectar and then reduce its moisture content down to approx 18% before capping it with the wax you see on cut comb . This is why Honey will store indefinitely . I’ve got 3-4 Supers on my hives so am happy enough so far . I didn’t lose any bees to swarming which was great . Some tried but with a clipped wing the Queen was quickly placed in a smaller Nucleus hive and together with done bees added from her old hive will now head up a new colony for next year . The hive she left behind will produce a new Virgin Queen and once she mates will continue happily along . Of course things sometimes go wrong which is why regular inspections are vital at this stage . I captured a very large wild swarm some weeks ago and these have added to my growing Apiary .

I will post some photos next month of honey Frames and the finished article ! It’s sure tough work wearing a full bee suit in 25 degrees or more ……

thanks Dick for reminding me of my Bee Blog !

I’d forgotten about the design sketch I had submitted to The Irish Garden . Low and behold  there it was in July’s feature . All I need now is to win the euro millions

 

Delighted to receive the Irish Garden magazine in the post yesterday. It was only today that I managed to have a glance through it. Delighted to see our very own Declan is featured in this month’s ‘case study’. Great article. Well done, Declan.

6 plants in polytunnel. Fruits appearing on some plants … golf ball size now.

All plants however have leaf curl. No sign of insects, planted marigold in bed. Feeding with liquid feed once week. Water lightly daily. Not sure how to go with this.!!!

Temporarily insane.I mean says G Nome ‘how can one explain this latest behaviour?’all the Scrub denizens are a bit a bashed.

Mr Scrubber has taken to swimming three times a day-all excusable with the weather we are having. BUT he spends a lot of his river time diving for r—s.!

Then he lands them on the bank and wheelbarrows them up to the scrub. There’s a lot of huffing and puffin involved and he is nearly finished. But he has managed to line a main path beautifully!

He has also spent ages realigning the rocks near the hexagonal steps but it’s all coming together wonderfully well except that I have to keep reassuring the Scrub denizens that I will not be dragged under by a big rock and that it’s really a very good source of rocks and I’m making it a safer place into which to dive!

Oh Mr GNOME did say the middle picture of tree had ‘a touch of Lothlorien

! ‘

Grass like straw

This was already in flower on 30 May and it’s still flowering today. The bees like it too but didn’t wait to have their photo taken.

Important to add; last year I used Agroxone to control mares tails -Equisetum- and it worked. They came back this year but not nearly so profuse. they appear to have been weakened by last year’s spraying and have been sprayed again this year.  Now that I have them on the run I will keep at it and hopefully a year will come when they will be a thing of the past. but you do need to make sure that you get them all sprayed. There is no point in not bothering with an awkward corner as it will in time reinfest your entire garden, returning you to your starting point in just a couple of years. Agroxone is a brand name for one of the MCPA selective weedkillers. They are available from most farm suppliers.

The dry Summer !

In clouds of dry brown dust I ran the lawnmower over various areas of the garden last evening. No, the grass did not need cutting but trees are shedding leaves and fruit and there was a general untidiness about the whole thing. The place looks better but I got covered in dust. Then I actioned my irrigation system. I filled a 1,000 litre tank from the well, pulled it across the garden, and released the water around trees and onto raised beds. I could hear the sigh of relief from the apple trees in particular. I hope it will stop them shedding any more young fruit and I may do some more this evening.

This year many of the dahlias have failed and the lilies are lacking vigour. But the roses are profuse and showey. they are such show-offs when they get the chance. The Kiftsgate in particular is in profusion and a bee magnet. It looks and smells beautiful and also emits a continuous busy hum as all sorts of bees flit from flower to flower. It is such a sight and sound and as I stood by it at twilight several bats flew by, their erratic and omni-directional flight pattern a give-away.

All the spraying of four weeks ago has fully kicked in and yards and drives are brown as though it was only the drought. I have also got some work done to get John’s garden ready for seeding. It is too dry just now so the effort is going in to getting it level first. It will primarily be a play garden for three young girls so the fancy stuff can come later. But there will be an apple tree or two.

The noticable feature early in June was the profusion of green growth. Leaves in abundance on new shoots and it can be seen in the picture of the Cornus kousa ‘chinensis’ which blossoms this year like never before. that was after an ideal month of May and before the water table dissappeared in to the “Pre-Cambrian”. Many threes and shrubs are now distressed and in great need of a drink, with or without the tonic water. So the regular watering is essential provided you have a source of non mains water. Remember the hosepipe ban !

The countryside is beginning to struggle . I can see my vegetables starting to wilt . Potatoes are really small and not thriving . Beans are going brown . Strawberries have given up . Rhubarb is sulking and peas well they are just hanging in there undecided . What it’s like for farmers is far worse . My eldest brother is up at 4am filling 1000 Gallons of water for dairy cows who are also now eating silage . This silage was meant for winter fodder but there’s no grass growing at all now . Rain is so badly required . Even the dogs are pooped . I don’t spend much time in greenhouse either

A few more photos from the gardens on Garinish Island. The heat and drought was telling in the walled garden but there was blissful shade and seats in the Italian Garden. The views from the Grecian temple and Martello tower were reward for the climb to the top.

If you ever go to Garinish do take the house tour as well. It has an interesting history and all the contents were left to the State, so you see it as the family lived there, plus the resident gardener’s books and magazines.

Have returned from a break in beautiful West Cork, where temperatures reached 29 degrees every day. So off on a short boat trip to Garinish Island for some relief! Most of you will know of the home and exotic gardens created there in the early 20th century by the Bryce family and Harold Peto, bequeathed to the State and now managed by the OPW. I was much younger when I last visited so it was a treat to return, despite the intense heat.

There are magnificent trees from all over the world, many rarely grown outside their native lands.

I’ll post more photos in next journal.

I have had to go to Facebook to get a wider audience for this question – I got this lovely Hemerocallis from another .ier but unfortunately I don’t know who it was! I wold love to know who gave it to me! I think it is “Pink Damask”

I was sitting at the laptop yesterday and heard a scraping kind of sound. Looked around, and there was little Mr. Robbie walking along my worktop. He’s making himself right at home in our home. 🙂