Archives: journal

The countryside is beginning to struggle . I can see my vegetables starting to wilt . Potatoes are really small and not thriving . Beans are going brown . Strawberries have given up . Rhubarb is sulking and peas well they are just hanging in there undecided . What it’s like for farmers is far worse . My eldest brother is up at 4am filling 1000 Gallons of water for dairy cows who are also now eating silage . This silage was meant for winter fodder but there’s no grass growing at all now . Rain is so badly required . Even the dogs are pooped . I don’t spend much time in greenhouse either

A few more photos from the gardens on Garinish Island. The heat and drought was telling in the walled garden but there was blissful shade and seats in the Italian Garden. The views from the Grecian temple and Martello tower were reward for the climb to the top.

If you ever go to Garinish do take the house tour as well. It has an interesting history and all the contents were left to the State, so you see it as the family lived there, plus the resident gardener’s books and magazines.

Have returned from a break in beautiful West Cork, where temperatures reached 29 degrees every day. So off on a short boat trip to Garinish Island for some relief! Most of you will know of the home and exotic gardens created there in the early 20th century by the Bryce family and Harold Peto, bequeathed to the State and now managed by the OPW. I was much younger when I last visited so it was a treat to return, despite the intense heat.

There are magnificent trees from all over the world, many rarely grown outside their native lands.

I’ll post more photos in next journal.

I have had to go to Facebook to get a wider audience for this question – I got this lovely Hemerocallis from another .ier but unfortunately I don’t know who it was! I wold love to know who gave it to me! I think it is “Pink Damask”

I was sitting at the laptop yesterday and heard a scraping kind of sound. Looked around, and there was little Mr. Robbie walking along my worktop. He’s making himself right at home in our home. 🙂

I snapped all the Hemerocallis that are in flower today.

This one is more orange

First is Alstromeria – I have a few now and I love them all! Rachel did a great video on how to keep them flowering by removing the finished flowers from the bottom and I find it really keeps them flowering like mad! I have a miniature one too and I don’t bother dead-heading and it still keep s doing the business!

Tall variety ‘Aimi’

Alstromeria ‘Little Miss Gina’

Altromeria ‘Orange King’

Alstromeria Oriana

Perhaps I am dead stupid?
This site is like a secret society. Perhaps known and understood by at least one person? Or is there anyone, either staff or members who can work it? Do all the features we previously had at the blink of an eye”?

I wanted to look back at early June journals: ALL OF THEM.
Not to be found.
The archive only goes back the same few days that are already visible WITH the Member’s name.

Why is a “fools’guide” to the site not available? (I won’t answer that).

It is not worth spending time here. SO SAD. I did enjoy it so much before and I could deal with, circumvent, and forgive certain porblems there.

Hemerocallis Black-eyed Susan

Every day, I’m inclined to say “The warmest day yet.” the temperature seems to be about 29C day after day. I well remember 1976 but had no garden at the time. This house was built the following year. It was also in June when that heatwave came. Over the last few days, It was a matter of watering the plants in the greenhouse and keeping the door open in case the plants would burn. As my greenhouse is a fairly small one, I decided to plant some of the tomato plants outside and they are doing well. Over the last three months I did quite a lot of propagation of pelargoniums (geraniums) To day, I went to the Country Market with Pelargoniums , Geraniums and one Hydrangea. It seemed going out the door that there was no sale but one woman coming in showed an interest and bought two Pelargoniums and one Geranium.Total sale €6. I have disposed of 32 tomato plants to the compost heap. Every day generally I propagate pelargoniums from plants that over the years have got too big. Yesterday, I had run out of compost. I drove to the DIY centre and the lady at the check out asked me which type I wanted, a lad employed there would put them into the boot of the car. That he did but when I got home, I found that it was top soil I had got and so back to the DIY and you can imagine the temperature in the car. Temperature in the shade to day was about 29C and relative humidity 8%.

Rosa Rhapsody in Blue yesterday and again this morning during the golden hour.

Zéphirine Drouhin has never looked better. She delighting in the warmth.

Full Moon

Dahlia Creme de Cassis

Salvia turkestanica

Campanula Blue Bloomers and Geum Mrs Bradshaw

Ricinus coming into flower

Black Cornflower, Centurea

Clematis Nelly Moser

Garden view in the sunshine

In the last few days a juvenile robin has become extremely friendly. He was right beside my foot today. I whistle the same call to him so he’ll get to know me. It seems to be working. Before long he’ll be eating out of my hand.

Still haven’t figured any other way to add an album so here goes!

Cornus Kousa

Livingston Daisies

Alstromeria Selena

Cotinus Royal Purple

Hemerocallis Fulva

Lamium “Beacon Silver”

crazy patterns

Hemerocallis “Bright Sunset” (Maybe)

Lychnis Coronaria Atrosanguinea

I’m totally inspired byt this great weather. The garden is even start to look a bit more like itself! It had been a bit neglected recently and I was finding it difficult to get down to the weeding etc. However, Elizabeth and then my daughter Ciara both visited and inspired me to get cracking!

One of the difficult tasks was to trim back the Bamboo Garden as it was making the boardwalk impassable! I am hoping that I am right that the cut stalks will not re-grow so all I’ll have to contend with will be new growth?

Bamboo unlimited

Having trimmed back all that Bamboo the issue of disposal comes up! Some of the bamboo is quite useable so Ciara and I got creative last weekend and made a little fence for the new Zen Garden. We were very happy with the result.

We sorted the bamboo into “useable” and “rubbish” so no doubt I’ll find other uses before too long!

Making the little fence for the Zen Garden was our first attempt to use the bamboo and I’m really happy with how it turned out! Since that one worked I’ll tackle some more when I get the chance!

Zen Garden at evening

The new fence

A blast of orange is on its way in the garden, in tune with weather.

To day I decided to get rid of excess tomato plants. Some were planted outside in large pots.32 of the Red Cherry were put into the compost heap. I ran out of potting compost and although I have plenty garden compost, decided not to use it. I have a small number of tomatoes in average pots for my sister in Dublin when she comes. No more will be brought to the Country Market. It is probably too late now. When watering the tomato plants in the greenhouse, what did I find but one tomato turned red. Temperature in the shade 26 C. I’m attired in shorts, T shirt and sandals most of the day