To start on a pessimistic note , death and decay everywhere in the November garden as plants die back or are cut down by the frost but it is the natural cycle of things in nature but it does leave gaps in the borders and a lot of cutting back to take the untidy look away and certainly every garden needs a rest… and good news the new season’s growth is only two months away ! Gunnera would be my favourite architectural plant and it makes a huge statement in the garden but it needs space and water and when I say water I mean that it needs water close […]
My Gardening Month October 2022 … More like coffee beans than olives !
Gardeners seldom have patience in growing plants and we all want instant growth or at least I do and it is a great feeling when the garden gets established , the borders have thickened out and you can add things and not be hovering around waiting for them to grow …such is now the case at Old Spa Road and I am getting to that same stage with the new garden in Croatia after six years where in the top terrace gravel garden where the plants have at last adapted to survive the baking hot summers and I now have plants peeping out from under plants in no particular order […]
My Gardening Month September 2022 … you need a man with a cold heart !
Late September is for me a lovely time in the garden as there is none of the rushing around getting things done while weeding , pruning and grass cutting has all slowed down and the garden is resting getting ready for the gentle snooze over October before the winter sets in and I have time now to stop and smell the roses as the saying goes ! I always make a point of saying that I don’t select any trees or shrubs for their flowers only as this period only lasts a few weeks and then you are stuck with an ordinary looking thing with no beauty for the rest […]
My Gardening Month August 2022 … Rock of Ages !
When typing the title August it suddenly dawned on me that the year is almost gone in the garden and soon we will be looking at winter … and if it is winter then it is Christmas again , always keep looking ahead ! Why are you buying that was Snezana’s query at the Clonmel Garden Centre recently as she saw I had added three stachy’s byzantium to our trolley … stachys comes from Armenia and Iran and is commonly known as Lamb’s Ears and is a loved old favourite cottage garden perennial which given the right conditions will spread out as a terrific ground cover plant which keeps it’s […]
My Gardening Month July 2022 … a quiet day on a Ukrainian front line .
Almost drought conditions in Ireland throughout July and all our pots suffered especially those in full sun and even a few days without water while we were away for a week left everything looking pretty limp but quick remedial action with a bucket of water into each pot usually works if you have not been away too long . I hate to see flowers wilting in the heat but we have too many pots to ask neighbours to look after them so they have to take their chances and before I leave I always saturate the pots … Snezana and I water differently as she is mean about watering whereas […]
My Gardening Month June 2022 … Cutting back for Ireland !
June is a month where the garden gets out of control quickly and you need to get it back or end up playing catch up for the rest of the summer ! So it is here where having been away for a few weeks we are both flat out cutting back and weeding not to mention primping up the new areas with bedding annuals and the odd fern here and there . To add to the work there had been a bit of a drought here while we were away and all the pots had suffered and wilted … I know … drought and in Ireland ?! A huge job […]
My Gardening Month May 2022 … Rewilding … That’s the name of the Game !
May is the green month , that time before colour kicks in through the perennial borders in July and August but for me May is best as I love the green leaf colour you get in May and May is also the month when the hostas and gunnera are really at their best . A lot of gardeners regard May as a waiting period , a limbo in the garden’s growth before that huge burst of colour in June and July … not for me as flowers are not a priority , my gardening philosophy is more towards leaf and structure but don’t think I am against perennial flowers , […]
My Gardening Month April 2022 … A Tale of two Hostas !
The last days of April sees the garden in full flow and is one of my favourite times in the garden , all vibrantly green and a complete contrast to the last few months of winter but of course the weeds are also vibrant and in full flow ! However just in case we get carried away with ourselves the weather in March over a few days was … well , March weather and there was snow , not Balkan but enough to cover the back garden chairs for a photo ! Fussy gardeners , there are a lot of them about , consider as a weed anything they haven’t […]
My Gardening Month March 2022 … Slugs the new Garden honoured visitors !
March is the first real sign of Spring in the garden , the extra hour in the evening is a great bonus , lawn mowers are dragged from hibernation and cursed at for not starting after the five month lay off but eventually we begin to organise and look forward to the new growing season and my favourite time in the garden . Spring has arrived in the Lower Wood garden . There is one tree in the front garden here , a large golden willow , that bursts into leaf almost overnight in mid March and when it does it really represents the end of winter . The poor […]
My Gardening Month February 2022 … shorts and t shirts at the beach !
Spring is definitely in the air as I write , our first snow drops have arrived and looking at these gorgeous little flowers I have the same thought every year that I MUST plant more snow drops next September ! A walk around the garden each morning shows more and more happening with daffodils popping up everywhere and today, a year after the new Water Garden was started, the final accolade that it had fitted in came when Snezana spotted the first frog spawn and I immediately went down to take a photo . Frogs just don’t lay their eggs in any old place as for example in all the […]