Archives: journal

just couldn’t wait…blaithin and myself lifted a couple of our 1st earlies "Red duke of york"..they were plentiful averaging about 9 per plant. they were small enough but when we ate them later on they were melt-in- the-mouth gorgeous(and i’m not a potato person!)we have a good few plants that we’ve let grow jsut to see what size they might make

Red Duke of York

now that the gareden is in good shape i’m beginning to take a few photos again. these are the hellebore seedlings i mentioned a few weeks ago. they are literally at the foot of the plant itself. i’ll plant some of them up and see what if anything comes of them. the parent is quite large, it’s the largeat hellebore i have inthe garden but i’m not sure of the name. i had to chop it back in the spring as it was very dishevelled but it has recovered and put on about 3 foot of growth since. the leaves are looking very healthy and shiny so maybe the plantlings might be the same. i have them planted at the front of the house where the sun shines a lot in the early part of the day so i’m surprised they’be been as good as they are because i always thought they were a shade-loving palnt

hellebore and its seedlings

the hedge is really after filling out and growing so well. its well-joined up now(after 4 years). there is however a white fly on the underbelly of the leaves which is noticeable if you hit off the hedge when they fly out. they are copious on the leaves and leave behind a sticky feel on the leaves.

can a beech hedge be trimmed back now to keep it neat. i dont want to let it get too wide?

whitefly on beech

the 3 apple trees are doing really well and seem to be thriving. this is their 1st year to set fruit after being sown last year. they are free from scab at the moment and i hope they’ll remain so. there is a cooker and 2 eating/dessert apples in the garden. they seem to have pollinated each other even though i purposely got early and late varieties. i think i should spray them for scab soon though as you are not supposed to spray them when they are in flower

Laxton’s superb

Took a relaxing walk in the garden with my son, Joshua, today.

He was in great form and a real joy to be with.

Usually he won’t pose for my photos but he obliged today.

Joshua

After a tremendous day with the main item in question being water,water,and more water,that was the first item on the agenda.Any of the veg plants etc that needed feed had that done also.After 7 this evening the ivy at the rear of the kitchen had its first pruning and tidying up done for 2009.[Picture under Short back and sides album].The compost heap got some nice food from the prunings after a sweep up.Hoped to thin out some carrots in the veg area but that must wait for another day.Some clay and sand arriving tomorrow evening [hopefully]

Compost bin has a volunteer.

hi everybody

today has been beautiful, hot and damp, finished work at dinner time,bit of housework then in the garden till teatime wonderful.we live about 25 miles outside of manchester city centre,they had really heavy downpours this afternoon, so we have been lucky. first night of the TAKE THAT concert in mc tonight cant wait for sat hoping and praying it does not rain!!!!!

warm

They are getting fatter and eating the Silver Birch..

Silver Birch being eaten

I wouldn’t mention it but today is my Wedding anniversary and I have a gardening ‘issue’ realated to it. We decided to plant a tree on our wedding day and relatives bought said tree as a present for us. We posed for photos on the day and the tree seemed happy enough. I might post a photo just to give you a laugh. It was/is a purple beech Fagus purpurea pendula and while I am pleased to say the marriage is blossoming, the tree is not happy. As you can see from the photo it has barely any leaves, although it does have more than it had last year. I think the mistake we made was where we planted it as it is very close to a hedge of ash and the dreaded leylandii (which was to be removed) so the roots of the hedge suck up all the moisture and the soil is pretty bad. At the time I also planted some wedding themed plants like the rose ‘Wedding Day’ and Spirea ‘June Bride’ nearby along with flowers we used in the bouquets on the day – Love-in-a-mist, euonymus, sea holly and lavender but this has probably made life for the beech more of a struggle being surrounded by other greedy shrubs and, thinking the tree was gone anyway, I actually started training the rose up it – not a good idea. This particular beech is not a very vigorous tree – it might have been better to go with an oak tree or something but I liked it and I thought the colour was beautiful. Anyway I’m wondering if we should bring it with us if we manage to sell the house or if there is any point. Will it ever recover? I have faith. I’m going out to give it some ‘miracle gro’ straight away. (Organic gardeners please look the other way!) And a bucket load of manure!

Life is not rosy for this Beech.

got my garden shed up, well I don’t know whether to call it a shed or a cupboard as its 6X4 ha ha. Anyways its already making a huge difference to my utility which had home much of my garden materials. The wood stain was only 10.95 as opposed to paint costing 38.90. Have added a few butterflies and flowers to cheer it up.

The Cupboard

i dlipped it back a little this evening. it was too hot during the day to do it!!!

i’m trying to get it tapering out from top to bottom. its not looking too bad. the white fly are more numerous than i thought and one or two of the plants seem stunted. whether its because of the white fly ( in fact they are kinda ghostly blue)i dont know.

Its amazing how much this plant grows, its way up the pine tree. Also my carnations are out now and I just love the clove scent. Photos in new album.

Tropaeolum speciosum

Blue sky,lots of sun,left today perfect.Watered the tunnell and greenhouse this morning at 7.30 am and again this evening after eight pm.Potted on some cabbage and tinned some more carrots in the veg bed.Treated the roses against black spot and deadheaded any faded flower heads on them.The sand and clay having arrived is the next on the agenda now.Slugs be prepared for another fright.

Clay and sand arrive at last.

Hope you’r all enjoying the lovely sunshine. Long may it last. Did’nt do anything in the garden for the past two days except watering and looking around. I have two tomatoes growing and my lettuce is doing nicely. Spring onions a little slow. Just growing them in small quantities, experimenting really.

Due to work commitements I have not being able to spend as much time in the garden as I would like. To be honest all I have got to do is water the plants late in the evening when I got home. For the first couple of evenings I raced around doing the job for I was tired and hungry. This evening I started to race around water the flowers and plants when the beautiful fragrance of nightstock hit me. This stopped me in my tracks, for I love the scent of nightstock and it heralds the beginning of summer for me. It is the essence of summer. It was then that I noticed the garden had taken on a new life from when I last noticed it a week ago. Everything was in full bloom and was a picture of beauty. I think sometimes we have to remove ourselves from the picture to notice the background behind us and appreciate it. When we see something everyday we tend not to notice it and loose perception of it. The moment of finding it again is a recreation of the moment we first found delight and joy in our plants. Isnt gardening a glorious past-time suprising us with moments of joy when we least expect it, lifting our spirits and putting spring in our step. No money or wealth can buy that simplicity of life and no recression can destroy it. Long live the garden and the gardener.

I love sunflowers, I try to grow them every year. Had a good few casulties in the backyard with them this year. The bigger birds broke them landing in the flower beds for worms because I had fresh compost. Luckily my tiny front flower bed is more sheltered and there starting to climb. Last year they reached up past the first floor. Going to upload some pics.

Sunflowers 2008

Having faced the homeward journey on the M50 it was so good to just get out in the garden and relax. The tree ferns seem to be going mad and producing new fronds at the drop of a hat, as indeed do the other ferns which I have planted beneath them. There is also life in the agaphantus lilies as I spotted the small bud heads appearing on fresh stems, and the verbena bonariensis is just jumping out of the ground. My olive trees have been fooled into producing the beginnings of young fruits. Amazing what a bit of heat can do.

It was so nice to be able to eat out on the patio and linger over our meal listening to the birdsong. I can tell you no gardening was done, it was just time to sit back and enjoy nature. Not sure our resident robin was too happy though. He prefers when I am poking about in the flowerbeds.

i plant up the area underneath the trees with onions, cabbages, brussels sprouts etc..they are only temporary visitors to the visitors to the ground so i dont think they take too many nutrients from the trees. its interesting to see them grow there and to be honest it saves me having to maintain a veg plot

cheat?

i’ll try and find out the name

english rose

had reailtin in the garden during a relatively mild period in the hot spell we’ve thankfully been experiencing recently. she loves it and arms and legs go mad when she knows she’s being freed ftom the confines of the house. i’d say she’ll be like blaithin in a year or so. blaithin loves being outside unless Dora or Peppa pig are on telly

Reailtin

I am so excited and chuffed today as my Journal/garden is is being featured in the July magazine Irish Gardens!! What a thrill and priviledge…

I took some photos today too and they are in the Summer album..I think I may have identified the blossom I talked about in the last journal…see what you think..I’m thinking its Philadelphus ‘Virginal’ has that lovely scent..I’m delighted to find it in the garden…you see the builder had some landscaping done before we moved in and some of the shrubs and trees have no tags, but its lovely to come across a ‘new’ surprise…I was envious of Drumanagh when she spoke of her Mock Orange and thought how I’d love it in my garden too…so sometimes its good to wish for something…Hope everyone is still enjoying the summer days we’re having…such a blessing!!!

Philadelphus Virginal..I think?

When weeding I was surprised to notice a vertical stick poking up on one of my hills in the oddest manner.

I went over to investigate and discovered that my bamboo, having behaved and stayed in the one place for many years, has decided to migrate.

Joshua is in the photo, holding the new bamboo, and you can see the mother clump to the right. And me going to all the trouble of planting persicaria on this hill last autumn when now maybe the bamboo is going to claim it!

Phyllostachys Aur. Aureocaulis “Golden Crookstem”

this flower is delicate-looking what its pink petals but it is a sturdy little thing. it’s growing away happily under the eucalyptus and it seems to be enjoying the shade afforded to it by the tree

Incarvillea delaveyi–Hardy Gloxinia,

the marigolds i planted out with the buzy lizzies last week were absolutely decimated by slugs. i had applied nemaslug to the ground a few days before and kept it moist enough going out every night with the hose but unfortunatley it seems to have been futile as the slugs were treated to delicious marigold foliage. i had to resort to putting down slug pellets and well, this is the result

3 casualties of slug pellets

hi everyone got weeding done today and some mulching, didnt put membrane down though i am keeping the circles free and two other beds so that i can still plant stuff just mulching them as i have them weeded so that the weeds dont have a chance to regrow over night which would"nt surprise me, i seem to have a unending battle with weeds, not matter how much of the root i get out by digging deep they always find their way back. i still have"nt sprayed the roses, everytime i go to do them its too breezey and dont want drift i will get them done yet, done a few odd jobs yesturday, fixed my hanging basket hook yesturday out front it had come loose ages ago and the basket fell and potted on a few small gerainiums and mini peppers that were nearly out growing the seed tray, wasnt up for much have a viral infection in my stomach which is driving me crazy so to keep my mind of it i try to keep busy without overdoing it, cant sit down me to hyper. well i think its time for a cream doughnut and my new gardeners world mag that i got today, cant wait for my first irish gardeners mag to come in the post, well thats it for now. goodnight everyone and happy gardening.

Archives: journal

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