Archives: journal
Fish are jumping……..and Rachel knows the next line. ha ha. That was my mams favourite song. Fish are very active in both ponds.
We went to Ratoath Garden Centre today and bought more pond plants. Costing a blinking fortune. We bought 2 more waterlilies, Nymphaea ‘Sioux’ which is a yellow orange colour, and ‘Firecrest’ which is pink. These are for the new pond. Also bought Lysimachia punctata ‘Alexander’ (Loosestrife), Polygonum bistorta, Ranunculus flammula and Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Spire’ and Hostas, Astilbe, Geranium, Lupins, and 2 more oxygenators. Also another tall grass for the bigger pond. And Noel, Aquatic compost. We also went to Howth Quarry and picked out stone for the 3 circles which Steve will pick up on Saturday. Maybe when I get home from work, at least one of the circles will be edged. Can’t wait.
I extended the shady border out so now there is part of it which will get full sun. Planted up everything that I bought. So unusual for me. But that was after I caught some rays. Did it when the heat went out of the sun. Couldnt waste it, glorious day here.
For anybody interested, a place on the far side of Ashbourne called 4Home is having a closing down sale. Its a place like Woodies. Might be worth checking out their garden centre. We didnt bother going. But somebody else might pick up some bargains. They will close their doors on Sunday week.
My new house – I wish!
…on the window sill!
Blinkin Wimbledon. No Gardeners World. We suffer yet again. Why dont they show it on BBC 1?
I wonder are these discs keeping the sawfly away. Last year I let the birds get all this fruit. I have never seen gooseberry sawfly but I have plenty of other bugs to contend with!
Sweet red gooseberry
am i glad i got and did a bit of weeding in the last 2 weeks. i was in the car this morning with the wipers going 90 to the dozen to keep the screen clear. there was a deluge all moring. my neighbour must be delighted because he just sowed a lawn last week and since had no rain until today. when i came home from work it looked like a fairly healthy "beard" if that makes sense.
rain was so heavy last night that i could not sleep with the noise of it on the roof and windows. i wouldn’t mind but i only went to bed about 2am as i was glued to the telly about michael jackson rip. very sad. a fan of his music. you’re going to think i’m making this up but karen and myself have a habit of saying he he(as he does when he’s singing) to Balithin and she knows his name. her 1st popstar. hard to believe. its kinda like diana all over again.
she died on the 31st aug. my birthday is 30th and so was out, it was a saturday night sunday morning. i remember my mam coming into the room(i was still living at home at the time) early the next morning -sunday- telling us to get up for mass. then through indecipherable sobs she said that dodi and diana were dead. a crash…..as you can imagine with a few drinks on me i hadn’t a clue who dodi and diana were at that hour of the morning. then i thought maybe they were related to us. then i thought it was the names of our dogs at home before discounting that as we dont have any dogs!
i dont know how i got onto that but i better go now…..early start in the morn.
michael jackson
My tomato plants are doing fine in the tunnel but I think I have too many leaves, is that possible? I am not sure how to cultivate them. I am feeding them every two weeks now and I think I should increase that to weekly. I have white turnips outside and they are very big, the size swedes usually are, but I thought I had swedes sown, but… I cooked some yesterday and they were delicious.
Does anyway know how I would go about growing wheat grass?
Happy gardening to all!
Eleanor
more house plants
my recycled propagator and the propagator my hubby bought me for christmas
my new propagator aka fish tank
hydrangea
my latest purchase
my white one
Today we celebrate 862-th anniversary of our city Vologda. The weather seems to be very hot, +32, no rans, no clouds at all.
I guess, celebration is on now, but I’m still home, as a lazy night bird 🙂 Center of the city is now closed for cars, there will be concert on the Kremlin square, carnival procession, brass bands parade, and fireworks.
Vologda Kremlin. Night lights.
posted some photos from Scotland and some of my own thrown in for good measure. The Scottish ones are not gardens mostly as weather was not good and we were tracing ancestors as this was the object of the visit. We were staying near Maughline where Robbie Burns lived and fathered 9 children most of whom died. His twins were born the day he died himself when only in his 30’s. Robbie Burns is the Scottish equivalent of our Irish Joyce and as such is made much of in scottish tourism
On this genealogy hunt round Scotland and Ireland it is very saddening to see the number of babies and children who did not survive. When one sees the efforts to save premature babies now it makes one glad not to have been born in the 1800’s. Lots of women died in childbirth too, must have been very scary to be pregnant then.
In Spite of bad weather (which improved the day we were leaving) Scotland is a beautiful place and we got to see more than was planned when the ferry was cancelled at Troon and we had to drive to Cairnryan along the coast.
Our search for Scottish branch of the family unearthed some facts better left in the cupboard!! What a hard life they had..
Robbie Burns house, now a museum
We moved in July ’03 house was already six years old. There were only five plants growing in the garden apart from hedging and grass. A Willow tree, a berberis, a phoeny rose, a creeping cotoniaster and an azelia. Unfortunately the azelia died. Although someone must have told the previous owner that it could be planted in limefree soil in a plastic membrane separating it from the limy soil, which he did, they forgot to tell him to put drain holes in the bottom of the plastic and hence the poor plant drowned. The count then came back to four and now six years later on I have lost count. However I had a "Vision" the first day I set eyes on the place and it is coming to light, albeit dimly, still a lot to do.
The Garden is now loosely separated into front, side, veggie and back/patio. Some of the pictures will give a fair idea.
Went over to Virginia to the garden centre this morning and bought a Lonicera japonica "Hall’s Prolific" (honeysuckle) for a corner on the back wall. Wanted something evergreen and flowering and fast growing. It flowers from June until August. Got it planted and also got the lawns cut both back and front and now its time for water. Dont know what we will do if there’s a drought!!!!! This weather is to continue for another week. Long may it last.
Green privet
What I found when I cleaned out Blue Tit nest.
Just this fternoon the flowers on my Yucca opened. Oh my god they are fantastic. Between the Yucca and my Roses I am just in awe!!! Who needs 1/2 an acre??? The photos speak for the selves!!!!
That’s if they ever go up for me – this is the third attempt at this journal entry!!!
I think I am in LOVE……
Today the plan was to go to the Springmount Garden Festival. However, when I announced to hubbie that there were six talks I wanted to sit in on, he suddenly wasn’t so keen anymore. The result was that he stayed home.
But what a wonderful surprise I had when I came home because the stone circle is all-but-finished.
stone circle
I had such a wonderful day at the Springmount Garden Festival today. I highly recommend anyone in the Wexford area to go tomorrow.
I got down there early as the first talk I wanted to attend was at 10am. The whole garden centre was transformed with two large marquees, masses of large shrubs for decoration and loads of stalls. The polytunnels had been set up as talk areas with chairs and podium. In fact, it was very well organised and, despite the large numbers of people, there were lots of staff on the ground to ask you if you needed help or to politely suggest that you sit in the nice shaded seating area to eat your food.
I attended six talks in total by a variety of speakers. Dermot O’Neil did various talks but I particularly enjoyed Carmel Duignan, from the Shankill garden, and of course our own France McDonald of the Bay Garden and Paul Doyle.
Best of all was the free Design Desks, where you could bring your design, planting or landscaping issues for consideration by an expert. I went along to ask advice about re-planting my ex Rose Garden and think I now have the solution. What a wonderful service to get for free!
I was happy to bump into Joybells finally, over at the talk on Coastal Planting, and we exchanged a quick few words before rushing off to the next talks. Only when I came back did I see that Cooper was also there but didn’t see her at all.
Of course there was booty. My list consists of Nepeta ‘six hills giant’, Anthemis cupaniana, Ligularia przewalskii, Nemesia ‘confetti’ (fabulous scent), 2 Convolvulis sabatius and a Polygala myrtifolia (Carmel Duignan’s recommendation – I’ll overwinter it in the greenhouse).
So, I’ll go to bed tired but happy tonight, fortified for my kids’ birthday party int he garden tomorrow, although it looks like rain : (
Booty
What a glorious month, especially after May being so cold and hit and miss weather wise. Have finished digging the early poatoes. I grew Arran Pilot, and was very pleased, lovely big soapy potatoes. For main crop I have growm Sarpo Mira which are supposed to be blight resistant, but there are spots on the leaves!
Lots of apples on most of the apple young apple trees. Looking forward to getting to taste some of the varieties for the first time. They are all Irish Seed Savers heritage irish apples.
Eating courgettes and lots of peas and broad beans too. I always find June the busiest month. Your still sowing seed, weeding but also keeping on top of harvesting.
Cold frame clean up.
Busy day with the riding school, running to collect and drop off boys in various places. Last Sunday I had a caller asking about a B&B as they had been told there was one out towards Emyvale the next village- I don’t know of any but as he left I did say often I think I am running one as I never know who my kids will have over to stay- I often feel that I have a really big family especially as Conor who is in a band has the 3 other lads over- they are playing tonight in the village and when outside I can hear them clearly at least I know were he is.
It’s been another dry day and although it threatened to rain once again it missed us. I spent the late afternoon watering dead heading roses and lupins past their best, I must make note of what needs to move home now that plants have expanded in the beds I planted up 2 years ago, the other task was to weed these beds. The white roses in the bed at the front of the house have so many flowers that I will need to support them.
Off to- morrow to a riding club competition shortly after 8am so hope the day is good again and with any luck will be home early enough to spend some time in the garden.
geraniums in wall planter
