It was lovely to get to the Alpine Show and see some friendly faces! The displays were a restrained riot of colour, pristine and perfect and there were lots of new things to discover. I got this Edelweiss for my Mam as we lived in Switzerland when I was a kid and it reminds me of the Swiss alps. I got another little silver leaved alpine, Leucogenes leontopodium as I have a large dish I was planning to make into an alpine planter and this was just what I was after. When I looked it up I discoverd it is called New Zealand Edelweiss, so I got two Edelweisses(?) without even knowing it. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFHujvkacNY

I’ve been after Primula Francisca for a while now after seeing it on a couple of journals. Yesterday I got it at the Alpine show along with another green flowered primula – Primula aurilcula ‘Sword’. I have a bit of a thing for green flowers now but I’m not sure if this one is a beauty or a beast. Although I love it, it is described in the catalogue as a ‘love or hate’ plant! 

But it seems to work. 🙂

There is a terrible gale whipping up out there.

The trampoline was threatening to take off.

Isn’t it lucky I have so much compost waiting to be used!

just been broiwsing through my old journal from last year and noticed i had everything hardened off by now. nothing is near enough except the plug plants of petunias and lobelia i got earlier in the year most of the stuff is at a standstill, but at least it is giving me a chance to have the beds ready. but we had a cold and windy may so this year we are getting it in april so hopefully jacinta is right and we are finished with the cold. it is brilliant to be able to look back on the year, the diaries are well worth getting and keeping, before i done the gardening course i wouldnt keep a diary but because everything had to be documented it gave me the habbit, one thing i am sorry for though is that i can t get a job doing what i love so i am forgetting some of the plant names although i do keep going back to my encyclopedias, used to be good at spelling and id but im losing it now. 

spotted this geum yesturday not opened yet will check again to see if it is any nearer,.

tomorrow weather permitting i will get that bed finished, i cant get over how dry the soil is with the cold cutting winds any rain it had made is well dried. if it doesent rain tonight  i will have to water stuff outside tomorrow.  brrrrrrrrrrr it is bitter despite the sunshining 

Yesterday (against better judgement!) I planted up my new bed with what I had!  The wind was blowing from hehind the hedge so it was somewhat sheltered.

I put in 3 Euryops pectinatus, my new Euphorbia polychroma sonnegold, phormium black adder, Gracedieu Lass’s Iris Germanica, Primula Val Horncastle x 3, Ligularia Britt Marie Crawford x 3, 2 x Tiarella Cordifolia, 3 Cynara Cardunculus, my Eryngium Eburneum and my Meconopsis Lingholm and the grass Chionochloa Rubra.  There are also 2 Morello Cherry Trees in this bed and 2 Cornus Kousa, Norman Hadden and Bodnant.

You wouldn’t think there was anything in it looking at the photo.

All are now been battered by all the wind and the rain, I don’t mind the rain but

I HATE THE WIND

Yesterday not taking any chances I decided to stake the Cynara Cardunculus and Meconopsis Linghom so that they would not be blown over.  There was a big poppy head on the Meconopsis waiting to open.  I put a bamboo stick on either side of it and put light garden wire around it

This morning, this was the result, I would have been better leaving it alone!

I put the Meconopsis Lingholm Poppy head in water this morning.  Will it bloom for me or not????

No rude comments please!

Just on for a quick journal as it alsolutely horrendous weather out just keeping my fingers crossed for minimal damage.  While walking around Mt Congrieve with Ladygardener the other day we got to discussing geranium and she remarked she got a really nice one the other day and she hoped it would be hardy. Jokingly I asked here if it was G. maderense and she said yes oh how I laughed (this happens to Gabriel all the time when she buys plants) as I think theres a hint in the name wheres it from and it’s not from geranium for the smart alecs LOL.

Anyway I bought one of these from Billy Alexander at Hunting Brooks open day two years ago and it has blossomed and developed since until… about two weeks ago it began to flower lovely rich exotic looking pink flowers of course I was delighted as i’d seen one in flower only in pictures. I was also sad as I knew that it being monocarpic it was about to die too. 

But such is the life cycle of some plants and at least I’ll have lots of seed to share and plant. Spent a lot of today plotting, planning and doing research. Weather not looking good till Wednesday though 🙁  glad I didn’t plan to go anywhere today.. day for the fire as my late mother use to say

Just starting to take off – now if we had a bit of mild weather ! This grew more than 4ft last year looks like it has spread well as there are lots of bits of it coming up

Today I am feeling so much better and I have just seen both your journals and wished me well… Thank you both.

Your photos are lovely Rachel and thank you putting them up.

I went to bed  after Rachel left and stayed there until 5 am. and came down for a cuppa and paracetamol … and then slept until 10 am. so up I got as usual no aches or pains so I am fine .   so sorry I did not go to  Cabinteely but another time.

As you may know, Terry (sumjak on this site) had an Open Day today. She handed out a few brochures at my Open Day to whoever was there.

Well, this morning I looked out the window at the gale howling and the plants bending and I though : no way! No way could she hold the Open Day in this kind of weather and no way was I going! Besides, my throat hurt – a great get out clause!

So I texted Terry to see if she was still on and when she replied back that she was, and Scrubber also said he was still on, I knew I shouldn’t be such a wimp!

As soon as I arrived at Terry’s I was so glad I had made the trip. I thought I had a big garden but it is nothing compared to Terry’s seven acres! And sooo many tulips it was mind boggling! Everything was in top shape and weeded to within an inch of its life. I loved the white and green planting combinations, the paved tunnel but the square pictured was my favourite. 

Terry has  the cleverest idea for growing semi-tender plants, planting them in an open, purpose-built house, clothed with transparent plastic to let in light. It was a haven, away from the wind, and had a lovely seating area among the bottle brushes and other tenders.

And just as I was tucking into some delicious cake and tea, Scrubber arrived. He brought me stacks of much-needed empty pots and plenty of banter.

Terry opens as part of the Wicklow Garden Trail so look out for her and DO visit!

Well, Holy God! What is becoming of our weather? This is no way to carry on in advance of the first day of summer, which lands on Tuesday. Biting cold in the garden centre. Couldn’t wait to get home. Everything is still in one piece in the garden so far. But, Crikey! It’s a lot to ask from them to withstand the battering they’re getting right now. Garden is completely sodden. Hopefully it will abate overnight.

You wouldn’t believe that this photo was taken this morning before heading off to work. It’s like butter wouldn’t melt…. 

Aoife is doing the Junior Cert this year. She has spent most of the day compiling all her Art Work as it is due to be handed in this week.

This piece was made from clay and painted by Aoife.

For a fifteen year old, I think it is very good. 

I was in Tesco this afternoon just to get ONE thing of course but couldn’t resist having a wee look at the plants. On my way out I saw a stand of Acers reduced to €10 each. They were in 3 litre pots so I thought that was good value and got two. The label says Acer palmatum Red. When I got home I put them into two big pots that my bay trees were in before the frost got them and I am well pleased with the result.

I’m convinced we had a mini-tornado here today – thankfully almost everything was well tied down but a couple of half-empty compost bags went dancing down the garden accompanied by the usual scatter of pots!

I am another wind-hater so I just curled up with my garden mags for the day and watched wht wind doing its worst outside. Towards dusk it started to rain a bit, which helped the wind to drop a little. I’m actually hoping that the heavy rain orcast for tonight will materialise, as I put some "weed and feed" on the front lawns  yesterday and I don’t fancy trying to water them in gale force winds!

I’m trying out an idea I saw on one of the gardening TV programs – planting carrots in a pot and keeping it on a table to defeat the dreaded Carrot Fly – I have them sown now and covered with fleece until they germinate – then they’ll be positioned on a nice high table. The idea is that the carrots grow very close together and you use the thinnings as soon as they have any size at all. Looking forward to that bit 🙂

 

with all the talk lately of planting to enhance the overall look, by putting the correct

colour scheme together, i laughed out loud when i came home from the garden centre

and plonked them down together. i thought how well they looked together, because when

i plant them out, they will never look this well again. i will plant them in a totally different

way. but it will reflect who i am. i wont colour by numbers. 

dont know who likes this more me, or the bees, this is its second year, im pleased.

I like the way the violas emphasize the rich, warm colour of the Libertia in this wooden barrel in work.

had a great weekend, with deb her mum, and her son ben. fri night was fantastic, breattaking photos, great speaker inspirational, magical, captivating, excellent show etc. these are only some of the comments heard on fri night after deborahs talk at fanavolty hall , at the muddyboots event. what a success. thanks deb.

 

I can’t believe that on a garden website I got an answer to a query about a quotation in Irish and yet nobody has come up with an answer to a plant menu_order. Thanks to those who tried but I don’t think they’re it. I think a lot of people must have been away or busy and not seen the item!

well i did get this bed cleared and apart from turning it over and some fertiliser and better weather i will be able to get planting it. there is still two beds and a bed around the birch to do, this one birch circle wont have too much planted in to it some cyclemen and some voloas and bulbs later inthe year. i am glad with what i go done got some nasty showers and the winds gusting, left it for a while but didnt get out again with getting dinner will have to leave it till tomorrow now, with the sun and the awful winds i am struggling to keep the tempreture down in there, got out to water everything in the tunnel and dampened the floor.

boy did we get some gales here today, we got breezes and then these gusts would come up and boy did they lash out. there is just one cloche left standing, will have to cover the plants left uncovered if the temps drop tonight. the only good thing is that it happened during the day while i was here, one actually lifted while i was looking out at the heavy shower that had me running in from the front garden, raced out and got in  to the shed safely and still intact thankfully, they will stay there now until these winds die down 

This is the foliage of mystery plant.

Being the last day of April, I thought I’d take the camera around the garden this evening and add a few last pictures to my April album – which I intend to do as soon as I get time. The first thing I noticed was several blooms on my Michelia had peeped through their suede outer coat!! Some had dispensed with it altogether and others were half-way there!! It seemed like they were asking "do you think we’re wise, or is it too cold out there?"!

But it is amazing to compare the garden now with pictures of just a couple of weeks ago! The longer I garden the more amazed I am at the wonders of nature. So delicate and yet so strong! And all following a pattern that is inbuilt and nothing to do with us gardeners! Makes me, for one, feel very humble.