Archives: journal

2 years ago this was in full bloom at this stage, it is only beginning to bloom now.

this is a replacement tree i planted only 3years ago after a pea tree snapped in half during a freak gale. i am delighted with this tree as it is truly a year-round tree with masses of white blossom in spring and later a stunning display of shining red fruits which persist long into the winter. its planted in full view of our sliding door into the kitchen and is as good as any picture on the wall

4 years old and 1st time to flower. huge dark pink flowers. i was thrilled to see the buds on it this year as i know they can be planted many years before they bloom at all. i don’t think there is a fragrance but the sight of it is alone is something to behold. i really look forward to seeing it continue to grow and show off its blooms over the coming years

i bought a nine pack of cabbage in feb and planted them out. they are growing well, i think, but they dont look like cabbage. there doesn’t seeem to be any heart forming. to my eye they look more like brocoli. some of them have yellow flowers on them-could they be bolting?

there’s still some daffodils blooming, particularly the taller varieties. we’ve given away so many bunches to family, friends and neighbours since feb. 

as the area to the side of the drive is not very wide i didnt want a wide-spreading tree that could damage the car so i planted something dainty, upright and flower-laden from top to bottom. its narrow so it should not damage any car. it’s flowers are so soft its like cottonwool. Reailtin loves the feel of this on her cheek

blaithin keeps me on my toes in the garden. here she is helping me plant potatoes last year.(only came across this photo there now).

this is where the huge leaves of the ornamental rhubarb spring from. this photo was taken on st patricks day. the little red swelling is where the leaves unfurl from.just over a month later the leaves are nearly 2 ft across. if you scroll down you’ll see what the leaves are like now.isnt it amazing how nature works

after getting rid of the very untidy dead leaves from the hellebores they came on better than ever this year. they’ve been in flower since mid feb and still in full bloom now 2 months later. i said i’d remember its anme but i cant. sorry!

After visiting the gardens yesterday, I’ve decided to add more rhododendrons to the garden, they definitely add height and mass to the garden, and I have the correct soil type.

I took a cutting from my mallow tree a few weeks ago and its growing well, so that will be a new addition to my flower bed at the back of the garden which could do with some height.

And speaking of height, I have added a new apple tree to the back garden, I’ve already got a dwarf one, this is a full-size and is self-fertilizing I need some focus at the front of the garden and this will do nicely.

Can someone tell me if this seedling is actually Bird of Paradise.

It germinated a week ago in the tray where I sowed Bird of Paradise but it is the only seedling. I suspect it is a weed.

Any thoughts?

There are Native, Spanish and hybrid(mixture of these two) Bluebells. . A friend gave me ‘Native’ one.???? I looked up on internet and am now really confused. See album!

Apart from the trellis work on Sunday, I did not do much outside gardening over the long week-end… I still managed to repot the indoor plant which had been on my "to-do" list for quite a while. I think the plant is called a Kentia palm. In the process of repotting it, I got 3 baby palms. I need to find a home for these now!

Off to work now. I hope the weather will hold as I’d like to cut the grass this evening. It’s growing so fast at the moment…

When I arrived in Dublin, one of the first places I went to see the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin.  I remember going out on the bus and thoroughly enjoyed it.  When I moved house, I kept the National Botanic Gardens within easy reach.  At one stage, I lived about a mile north of the Gardens.  Most Sundays I spent in Dublin meant a quick spin on the bike down for a walk around them.  It was a lovely way to spend an hour or two.  When studying, it was a great treat as a break between the endless hours. When I moved in Dublin city centre, I had a car at that stage so I would drive out, go for my walk and still see the plants.  Then came hubby, house, child 1, sick parent, child 2 and my visits to the Gardens became few and far between.  Even now, my Saturdays are not my own as either I have to work or as my father is still alive and well, I go down to visit him and do the few jobs.

 

This Saturday I had to work but because of certain circumstances, I could only work until lunch time.  With hubby and children up with his parents, I had a free afternoon – the first since the start of this year.  I was like a child in a sweet shop.  I had to make a choice – come home and get the housework done early for once, meet friends for lunch/early dinner or head to the Botanic Gardens.  Doesn’t take a genius to work out which option won out! 

 

Well, what a surprise I got when I arrived.  Firstly, as I drove up, I became aware that there were no cars parked everywhere and anywhere.  For one moment, I thought that I would have the Gardens to myself!  Then I spotted the “Car park” sign – as you face the main gates, the car park is up a small side street, to the left.  For €2, you can park there for as long as you like.

 

From the car park, there is a new entrance into the Gardens.  Entry is still free, by the way.  There are now a number of new buildings.  One office is the administration office for Teagasc College, there is a gate lodge and a visitor centre.  The visitor centre is fantastic.  It has exhibitions, café and toilets.  In the past, I used to feel very sorry for anyone who had to use the toilets because they were appalling.  The toilets in the new facilities are absolutely lovely; very high standard of fixtures and properly maintained.  You can collect a leaflet at reception in the visitor centre which gives a map / layout of the Gardens.  Again, another improvement on the old days where there was only one map, on display, just inside the main entrance.

 

It was lovely to see the old reliables were still there – the great oak trees, the woodland area going right up the back beside the cemetery walls, the legendary rose garden and the various glass houses.  New to me were the lovely peony border and the organic fruit and vegetable garden which is still under construction.  The rhododendron and azalea were in full flower, and as usual, were absolutely stunning.  Some were fragrant, which was an added bonus.  The range of tulips around the Gardens was amazing – I will admit being a bit delighted to see the odd “wrong” tulip in with a bed of all the same colour tulips as that is something that has happened to me.  I abandoned ship within seconds of going into the Great Palm House – I had completely forgotten the dead heat in there and I just couldn’t stay inside.  But the Orchid House and the Curvilinear Glasshouse Range made up.  One thing that struck me – the doors going in to these houses are still the same old doors with the knobs that you have to turn.  As I was coming out of one of these, a woman who I don’t know was commenting to her partner about the exact same thing.  How many hands turned those knobs during all those years?  If you were to just take one year alone, would it amount to 1 million hands?  The makers of those knobs were great craftsmen. 

 

Another thing that struck me as I walked around was the other visitors themselves.  The different languages suggest that these gardens are enjoyed by Irish and non-Irish.  I saw men in suits walking around, mothers and daughters when the daughters are of the age that they are the spit of their mothers, couples with children in buggies, couples with older children who had to be kept back from the edge of the Tolka River, young lovers, grannies with the grandchildren, individual men with cameras and big family groups comprising of one grandparent in a wheelchair, one walking with a stick, watchful parents, giddy children and the toddler who has just walked too far and needed to be carried.  Isn’t it amazing that one place could be of interest to so many generations?  When you think of national attractions, there are few which can compete for multi-generation entertainment. 

 

I didn’t check out the café as I was on my own and I didn’t want food.  So, I can’t comment on prices/food quality.  It appeared to be full both when I arrived and when I was leaving, which may, in itself, speaks volumes.  There is an indoor café and an outdoor café, for those who wanted to stay outdoors.  When I saw it, I thought to myself – the outdoor place is the place for us when we come back as a family as my youngest is a bit too young to sit for any great lengths.  When leaving, simply slot €2 in any combination into the barrier box and off you go.  I noticed there was a sign on the road to say the car park was full.  So if you arrive to see the same sign, if you have passengers, get one of them to hop out and check it out because the car park was not full when I was leaving, despite the sign. 

Today was very overcast. I did a bit of weeding. I’ve started right back at the beginning today and am weeding the first flower bed again. Quite a few brambles still coming through on the hill. Unfortunately I have to cut them as I can’t pull them up so they grow back. I thought I saw signs of a Dahlia emerging. I have all my fingers and toes crossed!

I thought about spraying my roses today and got as far as locating the liquid and a spray gun. The two didn’t come together however so the job is waiting for another day.

I took my small garden ornaments out of the shed and gave some of them a scrub. There they are in the photo – a motley looking crew, waiting for a summer position in the garden!

My Flaming Parrot tulips are almost all open now. I much prefer their rich warm colours to those of Estella Rijnveld although it is obviously more cultured to prefer Estella. At risk of boring people, there are more tulip photos in my May 09 album. If you don’t like tulips – steer clear of this album.

We have  been very busy this week planting out the runnerbeans,  weeding all over again tying down the daffodils pulling out the for-get-me-nots from around the lupins, We took down the old chicken run that ran down the side of the pond and made the flower bed wider to take some Hostas and Astilbes John built a low dry stone wall around the bed it really opens up the area around the pond and orchard. also we brought two new benches for the garden (I do not know when we will have time to sit on them. )

Its probably a little late in the year already for dividing grasses but this one was in danger of being totally overgrown by a neighbouring shrub so I thought I’d give it a go. I planted some in the border and potted up other bits to have to swap or take with me when I move!  I should probably cut the leaves back a bit …. will have to check the books.  I dug up and moved some crocosmia too as it was also in danger of being shaded out.  Studying hard for exams at the end of the month.  Can’t wait for them to be over!