Issai in the Box

Issai made a very speedy journey from Naas to Waterford. Ordered on Monday, packed and readied for dispatch later that day, collected by a courier on Tuesday morning and delivered to Waterford early that afternoon. It wasn’t a long time to spend in the box though the care taken with the packaging ensured it was …

The Garden Visit

There have been many “Why did we do this” moments of late but a visit from the members of our local garden club inevitably comes around every few years and while it doesn’t involve a great deal of extra work, as we would maintain the garden anyway, it does introduce the element of a deadline, …

A Weekend Away – Our Annual General Meeting Weekend in Co. Donegal, May 2015

It’s great fun to go off with a group of fellow gardeners, leave your own patch behind for a while, and wander around other gardens admiring, chatting, photographing and finding new ideas that you might try back home. We had such a weekend recently. It was the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the …

First Ladies of Gardening: Pioneer, Designers and Dreamers by Heidi Howcroft with Photographs by Marianne Majerus – A Review.

This has been one of the most delightful and enjoyable books I have read in quite a while. Marianne Majerus’ photographs are immediately captivating and this lead to my having to wait until my wife had read the book before I could have the pleasure. It was worth the wait and if you too wish …

The Plant Lover’s Guide to Epimediums by Sally Gregson – A Review.

We have entered a period of renewed interest in epimediums following the introduction of a range of new species from China and the subsequent richness of cultivars bred from them. For many years gardeners have considered epimediums as the pretty plant for dry shade conditions but the new Chinese plants are simply astonishing and have …

Hidden Histories: Trees –The Secret Properties of 150 Species by Noel Kingsbury. A Review

This book presents a collection of snippets of interesting information about a world-wide selection of trees and presents this in an arrangement of text boxes along with accompanying illustrations. As would be expected the practical uses of trees feature regularly – those used for building purposes, for making furniture or tools, for weaving into baskets, …