Archives: journal

I especially like the agapanthus as it’s such a dark blue.
Every year I get verbascums re-seed in my cottage garden. I love this one as the colour is unusual!!

Lily and Lizzie

Drought tolerant Agapanthus doing well


Godetia

Helenium Moerheim Beauty

Some plants have done really well dispite the drought. Everything has perked up after the couple of days of rain.
It’s been a tough year hasn’t it ? I’ve found the weather a challenge but many plants have managed to put on a show. The two new Dahlia beds are coming into flower now and it was a mixed bag as the tubers were a complete mix so to speak . Happy enough with the colors . I need more yellows generally in the flower beds .  Very happy with the Yellow Helianthus I grew from seed this year . Lovely bright yellow and dark center’s contrast nicely with the orange Pom Pom dahlia.
Spotted him from the kitchen window and for once I managed to get a few shots before he flew away. Not surprising that Buddleia is called butterfly bush!
Scrubber was so busy praising himself and all the new work and reordering of the scrub that he hardly heard the little girl shouting ‘ but de emperor is Nekkid!’ AND EVEN LOUDER ‘WHAT ABOUT ELIZABETH’S CORNERRRR????’ Crestfallen and not ,of course, naked Scrubber had to admit that at present it’s a slightly sorry sight! What doth it matter if all the rest is glorious if the corner dedicated to a dear friend is unkempt.

So today I cut down huge shadow casting hawthorn boughs and trimmed back elder and dug out excess clay on rocks and now Elizabeth’s corner looks even worse. But this is the beginning of a whole new renovation involving crocus snowdrops primula (I HAVE MY EYE ON A LOT OF gold tipped cowslip/primula daffs etc. Any suggestions for small shrubby plants that can take dry soil? So next time the little lady asks the emperor will be clad!

Did some edging on Hannah garden and it looks well!

This is Tom Jones. She, yes she, (is the bane of all mice and she hates lily foliage!!!

All those stones just arrived last week!

Elizabeth’s corner please ignore the very discreet waste pipe.plants will cover the two outlets

Cushion,beer,I pod,, recipe for contentment!

Hi everyone. I hope there still a few people left here. Just wanted to share some photos of a Canna that some kind .ier gave me a few years ago. I love its gentle colour. Rather demure looking, in my opinion. Unfortunately I can’t remember who gave it to me, possibly Bruno. But after having it about 5 years this is its first time flowering. So pretty.   It’s Canna ‘Panache’.
Hi everybody,

This is a test on mobile. Hope you are having a nice day!

Craig

 

The garden is looking refreshed, the water butt is full and the grass is green again!  Of course this isn’t enough to resolve the overall water shortage but still very welcome.

Were the skies clear enough where you are to see the Lunar Eclipse last night? I was lucky enough to get a really good view if it although my phone camera wasn’t up to the job!
The beautiful red moon appeared over the trees and as it rose Mars also appeared more gold than silver. The moon gradually faded and almost disappeared and then just as magically reappeared. then as the eclipse ended the moon slowly lost the red and became the silver brightest element in the sky – and a full moon at that!
Here is where I was ….Sunny Catalonia! I believe I have to prepare for a return to “normal” summer when I get home!
Well baby melon anyhow . Doubt if they will come to much though . Time will tell . The T Datura is a little different and I like it’s shape and seed heads .
As mentioned in my first post, I was a part of the GLAS 2018 event team. This was my first exposure to the gardening and horticultural world. I am only in Ireland for the summer to intern but Irish horticulture was something I never thought I would be intrigued by. I have actually really enjoyed learning about it. When I go back home to Ohio, I want to start gardening. I live in an apartment with no balcony, so it would need to be something inside. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Maybe some vegetables or herbs to start with?

Here are some more photos of me enjoying my time at GLAS. Has anyone ever attended?

Hi everyone, I was recently at the GLAS show at Citywest, and it was awesome.

Here’s a photo!

On the river bank and see a bum in the water there’s no need to call the gardai or fire brigade.it’s only Scrubber indulging his latest passion- river rock reclaiming. He scans the river bed. Seems a suitable rock.up ends himself.grabs the rock. Then hoists it out onto river bank.

Later he comes down with wheelbarrow and transfers rocks to garden. They become pathlinero. Little walls or even just nicely placed rocks as in… three days ago I planted a large hydrangea limelight beside an acer. They clashed. The one big and blowsy the other light and airy. I asked a friends advice. She suggested planting the hydrangea elsewhere and replacing it with ferns. Then Cherub lute reminded me that stones and ferns go well so I have introduced some river rocks and it is looking far better. So many thanks Felicia! And Cherub of course. Photos to follow.

River stones

Exposed tree roots

My swimming place

And thank you Heather for this lovely plant at Blarney. I have mixed fortunes with houseplants, yours is certainly a winner!  Displayed in a beautiful pot hand painted by Clare, which was a present a few years ago.

Many thanks,Joan, for the Zinnias you gave me at Blarney. This is the first to flower and I love it. Loads of buds coming on on all of them. Thanks again!

I called to a gardening beekeeper friend yesterday with some bits n bobs but came home with more than I left ! Salvia  Prezwalzkii, Solanum Marginiatum , Tetrapanax P, Lobelia Speciosa, Delphinium Requnii, Solanum Laciniatum and Tamarillo .

She does love her plants !

Am I the only one here still not getting email notifications? Most annoying. Losing heart rapidy.

Tomatoes in polytunnel not ripening ( green) any tips welcome?

Have removers boots, cut away some  curling leaves, used feed weekly and water every few days

Grew broccoli under netting. No cabbage butterfly attack.

May not be the weather for a hearty đŸ’“ meal of broccoli , new potatoes and chicken but couldn’t resist.

Seems to be ‘bolting’ a bit now.

I have two Cotinus in the garden. One is Cotinus’ Grace’, renowned for its large leaves, the other is Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’, smaller leaves but a deeper shade of purple. I love them both but have been waiting patiently for the “smoke” to appear.  ‘Royal Purple’ is in a shady location but when the other things are cut back the leaves become the richest purple! ‘Grace’ on the other hand is out in the open. She sends up enormous long branches every year. I first saw her in Head Gardeners garden and he was bemoaning the fact that he hadn’t cut it back in Spring as this is supposed to make the leaves bigger. Can’t say I’ve ever noticed this. I tend to cut it back or at least shorten the branches and this was what i balmed for the lack of “smoke”. (“Smoke” is what they call the very fine flowers that appear on the branches).  I was working on something totally different today and came towards Grace  from a different angle – and guess what? YES! SMOKE!

Cotinus Grace

I’m not a fan of the large flowered pansies but I do like violas, especially perennial violas.  These three are in pots outside the kitchen window, so I can enjoy them from indoors or out.
Viola ‘Etain’ has a lovely scent. Viola ‘Ivory Queen’ Viola ‘Rebecca’
These have appeared on my raised area and I’m not sure if they’re weeds or not. I think one is Solanum of some sort. I tried FB earlier but no ideas on the other one. Maybe we can show that this site is better!!

The bees are going mad for my geraniums today. They are ignoring all the other plants. I wonder why. 

Quite a tiring day but hugely enjoyable. Started early and was in the river at ten! (Some unmentionable person actually dumped about thirty big filleted fish.

I only saw them after I came out. But it was sickening. Obviously someone had a stock of fish that went bad.

Anyway to nicer things.  Anna thought she would like a plant for her big red orange pot. We went to the Arboretum. Anna liked a spider Web Fatsia and a fig. A very nice Moroccan man  Said was passing and he knew a lot about figs. He picked out the best one for himself. Then he very kindly offered it to Anna if she wanted to buy it. We did.So home and I repotted it and and placed it in the larger tub.

Then down into Scrub and spent afternoon strimming and strimming and got a lot done and the bog area is now huge!but it’s nice.

And after that another swim

And I am a vewy fierce lion.RAAAAHH!!!

of course but not near the dumped fish!