Archives: journal

To day, I decided to dispose of excess tomato plants. 32 of them were put into the compost heap. From now on there would be no demand for any more in the Country Market. I kept some for my sister in Dublin when she comes. Temperature in the shade here was 26 C. I was clad for most of the day in T shirt, shorts and sandals. When watering the tomato plants, I noticed one tomato gone red.

Hope you all had a good weekend?

New to polytunnel this year. . . Planted 1st earlies 1st week March in buckets

Harvested about 1.5 kg today

 

When the trees at the bottom of the garden were cut down the trunks were left quite high. I now have a raised area and retaining wall and I’m starting to plant screening plants. I put Hesperis and Maltese Cross that were in containers in front and am also training two Clematis to clamber over them.

We seem to have our email notifications back. The only improvement here in a long while but most welcome.

I have loads of seedlings all over the garden. If anybody would like to collect as many as they want let me know, I am in Cobh , Co.Cork.

This shrub comes into bloom at this time of the year. It is a variety of what is generally called St. John’s Wort. Unlike other varieries of Hypericum, it grows into a large shrub.To day of course is St. John’s eve, and to morrow Feast of St. John the Baptist. In the west of Ireland, this day is the great day for the bonfires, I spent a lot of time in the west and on this day, you would find bonfires all over the place. A lot of wrappings have accumulated in the house and so I tend to have my own bonfire in the back garden and it serves two purposes, the tradition of St. John.s eve and getting rid of waste.

Steve has been working up in Sligo for the last ten weeks, so I joined him last  Friday and we toured around some of our favourite spots, heading down to Co. Clare, and we ended up staying a few days longer than originally planned. The first few days were pretty miserable with constant drizzle so when the sun eventually decided to shine we were coaxed into exploring the countryside even further.

We visited Terri and Alan in their garden ‘Rockvale’. I had missed their Open Day and I haven’t visited there in about three years so it was interesting to see how their garden had developed since then. I loved in particular their wildflower meadow. And I had just previously seen my very first wild orchid out on the Burren before we arrived at Rockvale. As always, Terri and Alan were very welcoming. But it was only a flying visit and I’m sure Terri and Alan had lots to fill up their time with. Thanks again to both of you for the spontaneous visit. I haven’t attempted to put up an album here as such, and it’s a bit early in the day. So I’ll just pop three photos in for now.

Spent day on ladder Trimming the walnut trees. Six in circle and four in lawn.if I trim them now the growth won’t be too top heavy. Lovely big yellow day lillies coming out.strong and scented. Two swims as well!

To day was a real summer’s day. It was clear all day although a bit of a north wind in the morning. I attended the Country market. While I had Tomato plants, Red Cherry, there was no demand for them. I sold two Hydrangeas at €3 each nd 5 Pelargoniums @ €2 each.In the afternoonthe tomatoes (Alicante and Red Cherry0 were watered. I had taken plenty of cuttings of Pelargoniums yesterday, leaving them to dry and to day many of them were potted. Some of the Red Cherry tomatoes were put into bigger pots with compost. As it will be a bit chilly to night, I will leave them until to morrow to put them out. I think that I will forget having tomato plants at the Country market The roses are doing very well, the best I would say for a few years. I took a few photos, one photo is a rose tree, also one flower on it, as big as your hand and onother rose a beautiful cream coloured one.

Any ideas what these are? I think I grew them from seed some years back and they’ve been self seeding since. Pale blue or white small flowers with very narrow leaves. Hard to see in the photos. Thanks in advance!

Photo taken at 10 pm on the patio … longest day of the year, perfect calm and glass of wine on hand … bliss!

I have decided to try a concentrated period of writing journals and so speed up my handling of this new site.

Yesterday I went out to check the letter box at the gate, and came across the martagon lilies in their 2nd sesaon.  The bulbs were in very bad condition when I got the batch of  mixed martagons.  The results this year are very promising as now there are several stems to each plant.

No apologies for adding/repeating the white one I have had a good few years.

No sign of any buds on the species ones I bought in Branklyn gardens, Perth last summer.  The plants look healthy.  Next year? Did you see the interview with their head gardener on Gardeners’ World last weekend? It is a garden well worth going to see.  Good plants for sale.  All from the garden. I also bought 4 different meconopsis there.

PS. I note that this time, I cannot separate the photos.  Should I have inserted a title in a little box before actually inserting the picture?

Here is my Amaryllis which I bought for Christmas a couple of years ago. Discarded out to the shed afterwards and then last Summer it puts out some gorgeous red flowers again!

Then I left it alone and lo and behold it started to flower this year about a month ago. As the flowered had finished I went to cut off that stem….when behind it was ANOTHER flower head.

And here it was last night flowering away for a second time this year. I moved it inside, it was in the greenhouse, but I wanted to see it…..so its sitting on the kitchen window…

Isn’t is a beauty!

Photos were taken very late last night…..so colour is a bit darker!

 

 

 

 

To my utter surprise I found this little guy hanging on to this leaf of my Agastache……The plant is about 3 ft tall now and  I wonder how long it look this little fella to actually clamber all the way up.

Anyway it only took me 2 seconds to send him on his merry way over the wall lol……. ☺

Grew these from seed this year, so far they’re all mauve/purple shades, interesting markings though.

• After a few days break. Things a bit dry but ok. I bought a nice big nandina domestica which I can divide.went out this evening and did heaps of strimiming. But then there’s a small wall in the scrub and it was completely blanketed with ivy. It all came off in two lots and is looking new and clean. I havent a clue how I managed to arrange them but I was younger and stronger and hadn’t a crowbar in those days!!!
  

  Here they are!

  

I am trying again to put up a journal showning some pictures before Storm Hector last week.  All these poppies were flattened.  Peonies survived quite well and it paid dividends to have staked each flowering stem of new plants.

Last Summer, on my trip to Svotland witn Maghera Garden Club, I acquired, (amongst many other things!!!) some species lilies and more Martagons.  I am looking forward to seeing what these will produce.  I think the yellow rose was grown on from a little Mother’s Day pot.

I really do miss the old site and tne many friends there.

Last Saturday I visited Terri and Alan on their Open Day. I had been dying to see the latest project they had described in their journals and I certainly wasn’t disappointed! I always love visiting them, not just for their warm hospitality but I am always impressed by their garden, most of which has minimal soil above the rock of the Burren. The new area which they are calling “the forest garden” to me is a great representation of the greater Burren! The artists skill and the gardeners spirit of adventure are both well represented here. I was enchanted! I took a total of 64 photos but I have selected a dozen to try and capture the whole garden! I’ll put them in a separate journal! But here is the lady of the moment – just to whet your appetite!

On my way home from my short break in Cork last Tuesday, I diverted off the motorway to visit Gash Gardens in Co. Laois.  It had been on my list since attending a talk by the owner a year or so ago.  This is a beautiful garden, created by the current owner’s father and immaculately kept.  It starts with a cottage garden at the front of the stone built house and flows gently down through a nursery and plant sales area, beyond hedging and into a gravelled rock garden and mixed planting area, centred round a circular pond with fountain cascading over a “moon gate” that you can sit behind! Then on across a bridge over stream and rills to a sweeping area of perennials, lawn, another pond with decking, and beautiful shrubs and trees.  This again flows through a wide gap into another lawn with mature trees and leading through a laburnum tunnel (just gone over when I visited) to a fern area and a gate leading to a river walk. Unfortunately I couldn’t open the rusty gate, so had to miss that bit.  I really liked this garden and, on the day, I had it all to myself!

The pink plant on the right is Phuopsis, identified by Sally in her recent journal.

I absolutely love this clematis. It’s a pity that it’s a bit hidden behind some broad beans and hollyhocks in the vegetable patch but I am enjoying it nonetheless.

The seed for these tomatoes were sown in January. They are in a small greenhouse, large pots. I had used growbags for years but find the pots better as in the growbags , they tend to dry out. Some were planted outside. The variety is Alicante. I feed them every week. I sold some in the Country Market. Some of the fruits are as big as golf balls.

I grew some really dark ones from seed a few years ago, and I’m still getting offspring, obviously crossed with more ordinary ones.

Some of the plants, roses and shrubs were left out on the previous occasion. Sorry for this.

Very little rain has come.