Archives: journal

Have been away, but was glad to grab the chance to visit a lavender farm in the Cotswolds which I have wanted to see for a while. I was probably two weeks too soon to see it in it’s full glory, but I enjoyed it all the same. The scent on the breeze was beautiful. Have put some shots in photos. Did take some pics of different varieties, though it was very hard to see the differences between them (that’s why labels are in some of them!)

For the 1st time ever that the met office has issued a heatwave alert in UK. temps are set to reach 33* this wk.

 

if it comes this way enjoy but be careful

 

For Jacinta.

Also known as the Chusan Palm.  Has been in the garden for about 6 years and for the first time this year it has flowered.  I gather this is not all that unusual but it sure surprised me.

 

Well yesterday was spent cutting the griselinia hedge in the front garden. What a job in that heat. I waited till the evening when it was a little cooler to mow the lawn. Got it cut just in time before the rain came. As I was passing the old Belfast sink which I rescued from a ditch some years ago and planted up with alpines, I noticed a little gem I purchased two years ago had come into flower. I have somehow mislaid the label so cannot tell the name. It is South Africa and produces a combination of red and white flowers so you never know what to expect. Anybody know what it is? 

Call in the troops

 

 

both looking at Suili’s photo online.

I’m finding it hard to motivate myself these days and seem more overwhelmed than ever with all the jobs to be done. I was never good at breaking down jobs into small pieces and getting things done, being much more likely to wander aimlessly from one job to the other.

Today however I made a last burst and planted up most of my final annuals and some remaining plants I had in my coldframe. Of course the greenhouse is still packed with seedlings, cutting and such like and I will be trying to fill up my near empty coldframes with even more as I try to get a head start on producting plants for next year. I’m trying to propogate shrubs but this takes longer and only a buddleai I stole from my sister in laws garden (softwood cutting) and a small hydrangea are ready to go.

I ‘helped’ the kids pot up their plants they grew from seed as they have been a little unmotivated to do so. I also divide up a crowded Musa Rubra and now have 7 hopefully healthy plants from it. I also moved my wisteria to a larger pot by the sunroom and took 4 Carex Buchanii and 3 Varigated Bamboos (Hibanobambusa tranquillans ‘Shirosima’) that seeded in this both are prolific, but the varigated bamboo is a right thug and needs careful management.

I find I dont get as much done when the kids are off school as I become the general entertainer and all round dogsbody round here, my children have little respect for the Head Gardener!!

Doug, who is a member of the Aclare Garden Club, opened his garden today for the Street Children of Nepal. We enjoyed a wonderful relaxed atmosphere in beautiful cottage garden surroundings and met lots of very sociable gardening enthusiasts. Have a look at the album.

The upper garden was our big garden task in 2008.  My husband, James, worked at removing the grass while I worked at uncovering the rock face that would become the rock garden.

This photo shows what it looked like before we started work.

The upper garden was cleared of grass and the future rock garden began to take shape as we worked on through the beautiful days of May and early June last year. 

The rock garden began to show itself more each day.  I couldn’t resist getting a few alpines planted.

More to do . . . .

The Hypericum hidcote hedge along one side of my garden has come into flower.

It gives a great sense of gaiety to the place with its bright colour as a backdrop to everything.

Enjoyed being able to potter yesterday, weeding and tidying the veg beds. I planted some courgette seeds directly, which are coming up. I am going to see how they compare to the ones we grew on the windowsill and then planted.

 Lots more roses out. I must do something about my two climbing roses. I planted them over two arches, but unfortunately they just were not up to the job when the winter winds came. Arches came out (in bits) and roses have been supportless for a long time now. I think I am going to try building wooden ones, but I might need some technical support…

beginning to use the veg that have grown for us. fingers crossed!

Couldnt sleep last night it was so hot. So I got up at 5.00am.

The first thing to greet me when I went out to the garden was a broken pot. I had 4 small buxus in 4 identical pots. And during the night I heard cats fighting. One of them was my own. So they must have knocked them over and one broke. I was devastated. I loved them because they were so simple and unfussy. And the buxus were great in them. But I bought the pots years ago so the chance of me getting one replacement is rather slim. I was going to buy 4 new ones. But there were no nice ones in work. I can wait. So out comes the superglue until then.

The lilies in work are beginning to flower so when that happens I usually reduce them to half price. And lilies are one flower I just cannot resist. So I bought them. 3 bulbs in one pot for €5.99. So I got 6 lilies for €6. Not bad.

When I got home I watered everything. And potted  up my lilies. They’re gorgeous. I also potted up seedlings of Lychnis coronaria that had self-seeded in my small white agapanthus. They would have been handy to bring to Mullingar, IF I WAS GOING. So if any local members would be interested in taking them off my hands, please feel free to let me know.

Oh and by the way, what colour are snails eggs? My vine is covered in transparent pinhead things that I think might be snails eggs. Somebody please let me know. I have posted a bad pic on my latest album ‘hot hot hot’. The best I could do. Hope you can make them out.

This is the spreading Alstroemeria, so you can see why I don’t like getting anymore orange ones!

For Rita D….this is the orchid…its a deeper pink than this…hope you can identify it!

hi everyone didnt do much this eve was to hot to do any weeding so i mowed the lawn and watered the flowers. have new project on pipeline. decided the hedge at the front looked so bad it has to go so i am going to take it out and put in an escaonia hedge the pink evergreen one.and put a bamboo screen behind it as a wind breaker. the hedge that is there now is very hollow and doesnt look good anymore. hope i can get some weeding done tomorrow if it is not to hot. goodnight all and happy gardening