Archives: journal

There is a slug in my greenhouse. He always goes for the same poor Russian Giant Sunflower.

I surrounded it with slug pellets but still he munches it up.

He didn’t touch anything else until yesterday when I noticed a bite taken out of one of my Mexican Sunflower leaves. Will try more pellets tonight.

My giant mums have shot up just recently – new photos in the album.

Munched Mexican Sunflower

Working Bloom around the day job is tough and this week I’m fighting with a cold from hell too (no it’s not swine flu!). I always say "I like a challenge" but this is madness!

I need to get the final timber measurements over to the lovely chaps in Whites Agri who are going to take what I need from their seconds pile. I need to call my plant supplier as he’s a little slow on getting back to me and I’m starting to panic a bit.

Edited designs need to go back to the judges to show plans for wheelchair accessibility. Will send those next.

Heading over to Wales first thing tomorrow to pick up the ‘natural sculpture’ which my mum and stepdad have kindly been storing for me for the last 10 years! I’ll tell you all about that another time; it’s a great story. Hoping that I can borrow my mum’s amazing stash of gardening tools for the Bloom build…don’t tell her or she’ll hide them all.

Next on the list is contact all the lovely volunteers and give them directions, check times and check if they have any mates that like to dig holes too. Then call all the ‘slow to volunteer’ volunteers and make them feel bad!

Then, when I finish work I’m going to call Mr Peter Donegan and pick his brains for tips for Bloom. Hope he doesn’t mind.

Hmmm, pretty sure I’ve forgotten something?

My Rhododendron is in a large black planter at the front of the house and at the moment is flowering away nicely. The blooms are just beautiful, delicate and bursting with a gorgeous red/pink colour. I’m so pleased!

My Tulips are steadfast and are providing good colour in the borders as are Anemones and Aubrieta.

I just noticed this morning that my red hot pokers are starting to bloom too so looking forward to seeing how they look.

I’ve managed with the help of some Iron Sulphate to keep my Hydrangea the bluest blue and am happy with how its growing.

Clematis, Sweet Pea and Climbing Rose are still climbing upwards and I’m looking forward to the flowers they produce.

I planted some annuals in pots and baskets in the front and back of the house. Some Lobelia (A favourite for their reliability and clouds of colour), Mimulus (a new one for me) and the old reliable Petunias. I’ve also planted some stock and sweet william in beds.

Photo’s to follow.

The past couple of weeks have been taken up with planting a new border in front of the kids area. The vegetable plot is going well onions, garlic and shallots are looking good. Potatoes all in. Carrots starting to come through now. I have lettuse growing out of my ears there is so much. The kids are really enjoying it all. Strawberrys are looking really good hope for a good crop. Really enjoying the greenhouse everything is really taken off. Just have to lear this year how to take cuttings, I’m going to start with Dahlia’s as there growth looks really good for cuttings.

My second son came home from school very pleased with himself today. He got a prize for being the 2nd politest child in the middle classroom (2nd, 3rd & 4th class).

The prize was this lovely pelargonium. The flower looks pink and he is going to plant it in his area in the greenhouse. Look how proud he is of himself!

I also finished weeding the whole garden (hurray). Lap one is complete for this year.

I also had a first pass at removing stones and raking the newly extended border. But the soil was too wet to stand on so I couldn’t finish the job.

Josh

And to think I used to work in an office. Couldn’t do that kind of work ever again. My present job is THE job for me. Out in the fresh air all year long.

Tough day today. I sometimes am way too tired to do anything out in the garden when I come in from work. But once the caffeine kicks in, off I go again. ha ha

Had to introduce the tadpoles to the pond prematurely. I was going to wait at least until their legs appeared but when I got in from work I noticed their water was going green and there were a few tadpoles floating on the top. So I got my sieve from the kitchen. And strained the water off them. My god, they took to the pond immediately. You know the way when you’re introducing new fish to a pond and you have to acclimatise them to the temperature of the water, so I hope I won’t find them ALL floating in the morning.

Come ‘ere, I have this plant that I got from a friend a few years ago. But she couldn’t tell me what it was. It’s doing really well. And I haven’t a clue what it’s called. So, come on, all ye horticulturists, share your knowledge with me.

Identify please!

Despite a wet start, today was not to bad at all.This evening the strimmer was out and most of the garden edges and where ever needed was given a touch.The usual check out for watering etc was done in the polytunnell and greenhouse.The plan for tomorrow is to move out some more trays from the house and to give the room a clean up.Only some of the trays will have to remain now but hopefully not for to much longer.Hopefully at some stage the tunnell with have any little weeds removed tomorrow as well.

Lavatera [Parade Mixed] in the greenhouse

even though the weather took up lovely as the day progressed i didnt do any gardening..just a bit of running up and down with Blaithin

Hi, where are the best places for plants in Ballina or Castlebar? I buy a few bits in Belmullet, but the choice is limited, and then I usually end up in Woodies. Will take a trip to Horkans, but would like to try somewhere new. I shouldnt be thinking of buying more, I already have quite a few things still sitting in pots, waiting for a home, but could do with a few more fancy pots. Must try and get my hands on a few barrows of topsoil, have a few bald patches that need tarting up.

I originally intended to have some hard landscaping done in my garden this year. However, the recession is biting and it is hard to justify such expense. As a compromise, myself and my husband thought we would have a go at laying a paved circle. Neither of us have attempted such a task before but, with the help of the digger, we thought it would be possible…

I want a paved circle to put my stone table and benches on. The stone table has lain unused for more than a year when we had it lifted onto the grass. It cannot be lifted manually. I want the stone circle, with table, to be surrounded on two sides by ornamental planting. In my photo album "New Borders 2009" you can see the site I am planning for this.

Anyway, today we got the task under way.

1) We measured out a 3m diameter circle in the right place and marked its edge with paint (brush attached by string to stick at centre point of circle).

2) We then cut a strip around the outer edge. The inner side of the strip is the edge of the circle – we made the circle a bit bigger than needed like this to avoid problems later.

3) The digger scraped off the grass and we wheelbarrowed it to the dump.

4) The digger excavated several buckets of earth, placed them in the wheelbarrow and we then ferried this nice top soil over to the newly extended border, close by, and dumped it on top. Actually my husband did most of this as I could only wheel the barrow when it was half full.

5) I then dug, with the spade, along the edge of the circle to give it a neat edge.

Now we need to work out how deep to excavate the circle. We are going to level it and put sand on top and then the stone circle. Of course I haven’t bought the stone circle yet so I don’t know its depth and I need to read up on how much sand is needed and buy it.

Paved Circle

Posting photo of two 1 yr old streptocarpus for those not familiar with this plant

Caitlin and Frosty Diamond

Got a bee in my bonnet yesterday and decided I wanted to dig up some of the lawn. Having no patience, i made a start today but didnt get very far. Husband usually deals with the hard labour, but there was footie on the telly, so on with the boots, gloves and jacket, and off i went. think i dug about 6ft x3ft and thankfully the rain came on. Only about another 20sq ft to go. Maybe I should ask Rachel for the loan of her digger!

It is a cold corner, it only gets the sun in the morning and from late afternoon, so have decided to cover with weed suppressing netting and gravel, and maybe just plant a few hardy shrubs and some pots of flowers that can be moved in the winter. I thought gardening was supposed to be relaxing!

Ended up the the plant shop again today, bought some nice ivy which I will plant beside our shed. Will probably manage to dig up my bulbs in the process.

another lovely day have put up some photos i took yesterday.

everything growing like mad especially weeds.i am fed up still cant walk for any length of time , need crutch still. never mind could be worse . good news lawn improving dramatically t. g for small mercies

forgot to tell you about my bargain, (i love bargains)in garden center other day , just browsing , you know , when i saw tree paeonies 11.99 , only one left but sitting on compo, not in it i . dissapointed but struggled on t o the next garden center , asked about tree paeonies . one left but couldnt see it for weeds. got it for 20 euro , not bad

tree paeonies

Another good spell of weather today with no hold up in getting some jobs done in the garden.Some of the tubs were moved into place in the first small garden with just a few little touch ups left to be done there with them.Outside the polytunnell the remaining three large tubs along with the six mini ones were filled with manure, compost,clay etc,and are all ready now for some cabbages and some of their companions.The usual evening watering was completed also.Over all a slight difference to the plans made for today,but good to have some more of the new big tubs in the garden area, along with some more in veg plot,prepared now and ready for action.

Filling up time.

Busy day in work again. Hands are in bits. Can’t wear gloves while I’m working.

Checked on the tadpoles when I got home. They seem to be fine.

Planted a Rodgersia ‘Herkules’. I hope it gives me the lush growth I am looking for. Bought some Nemesia and planted up a huge window box. I got that last year and the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. Will post picture when flowers bloom. Steve had the grass cut when I got home. It’s amazing how even if the garden is looking crap, when the grass is cut, it seems so much nicer, and tidier. Just in from the garden now. We had a drink outdoors. First of the year. Oh how I long for those sultry nights and star-gazing. And barbecues. Only tonight I just dialled for a ‘chinese’. Ha ha.

Decided to just relax in the garden today as it was such a lovely day. My husband might not be too happy as I got loads of ideas for new projects. I bought him the new rugby Grand Slam DVD today so that he might help me with them. I have loads of blossoms on my two tubs of blueberries, I am really looking forward to eating them, I like to make blueberry muffins with them.

I was so excited this evening to see the photos my husband took today in the garden of my Flowering Cherry Tree. Actually, I have two of the same tree.

I have started a new photo album, imaginatively labelled "May 2009", showing some of these photos.

I have always been so impressed by Butternut’s profile. Take a look at her photos and you will see a spring garden to-die-for. When I first viewed her profile I determined that I would try to emulate some of her ideas. Today’s photos, I hope, are reminiscent of the beauty in her superb garden.

Prunus Shogetsu

Trying to decide wheather to get rid of this tree or not. I think it is out of proportion in the garden – it was here when we moved in and I now have the urge to get rid of it. I plan to extend a bed out from it with cottagey plants – I bought some Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’, some purple heuchera, siberian iris and herbs the other day and I have a few other things from cuttings I want to plant out. Try to ignore the untrimmed hedge (tomorrow’s project) and unedged grass !

Should it stay or should it go?

I had been thinking about going along to the Castlepollard gardening club for months but something always got in the way. It wasn’t until last friday, thanks to the encouragement from garden.ie member Janette that I actually made it. There was a talk about Birds by Birdwatch Ireland and I learned a little bit about the Swallows that returned to our barn a couple of weeks ago, and the Jackdaws that are trying to build a nest in the chimney. Pictured is the tulip competiton, with lots of gorgeous blooms. See you next time Janette!

First Class Tulips

This is what went into it -: Euphorbia ‘Fireglow’ and Lychnis coronaria ‘Alba’ courtesy of a friend. Also, from underneath the spreading Alstroemeria aurea, I rescued a white, a red and an orange Dahlias. The white and red Dahlias went in too.

New residents

Looking for info on where the bishop series of dahlia can be got. Have Bishop of LLandaff and Bishop of York. Lost bishop of Oxford last year and cant find a replacement. Does anybody know how may bishops were bred?. Hoped to have sufficient to form a synod of bishops. Any info gratefully accepted.

Energy levels were low and sciatica levels high today so we weren’t too ambitious in the garden.

My husband removed weeds from the raised beds, which he had previously dug with the mini digger. I gave him a hand but we quickly disbanded and drifted to other things. My husband cut the grass and I potted on some plants.

I did however manage to mark out the next new border for the digger. This border, in front of the north side of the greenhouse, will be full of annuals and will make the greenhouse look prettier and more enticing. I want the greenhouse to be a thing of beauty not just a functional part of the garden.

Terrified, as usual, by the size of the emerging borders. However, I don’t have to fill them all this year. I will probably just put a weed surpressing membrane down on some of these borders for this year rather than going mad trying to populate them and maybe even end up with another Rapunzel’s Forest in my haste!

Greenhouse Border

Am planning a bed in the middle of a new hard landscaped area, roughly 5ft x 4ft oval shape, though might be larger. It gets morning sun, and late afternoon to evening sun, is breezy so no tall plants, and wondered if anyone has any suggestions. The earth is clay, cold and damp, though i will improve it. I have looked up different plants etc. but there is no substitute for someone who has actually grown these plants in their own gardens. i will be heading to horkans next weekend, and it would be great to have some idea of what im looking for.

Was thinking of planting some veg too, probably too late this year, but after reading the know-how section on veggies, i think it would be simpler to get a degree in astrophysics. who knew spuds and cabbages needed so much TLC?

The fan trellis I got yesterday is painted and up on the wall. I spent about two hours painting it this morning, it’s quite a fiddly thing to paint…

I’m quite happy with it anyway, except that now the clematis needs to be trained to climb ON it, and not beside it! Hopefully it will get there eventually. I can’t remember why I didn’t plant the clematis in the middle of the wall (that was last year), but it is probably too late to move it.

Talk about doing things backwards, I should have first put the trellis up, then bought the clematis and planted it!

New trellis

Archives: journal

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