Year’s End – Yesterday, Early this Morning and A Little Later.

The year, thankfully, ended with two days spent in the garden. We have had few such days over the past weeks and it was great to be out again - despite the cold, wet and muck. Mary had the very good idea to put a path at the back of a particularly deep border in …

Jeezez, ‘Tis Perishing Out There!

Despite the often-referenced "stretch in the evening" we are still a long way from spring and warmer days. It was a brighter and drier day today than we have had in ages and we headed out to the garden, happy to have the chance to be out and to be doing a bit again. A …

Come in out of the cold, Darlings!

Snowdrops may well live up to their French name, "Perce-neige", snow-piercer , but the same weather can make it uncomfortable for the gardener to enjoy them in the garden. A number of snowdrop cultivars have already opened in the garden with many others above ground, even in bud but waiting for warmer days to open …

A Quick Look Around

It has not been a week for gardening. Bad weather put it out of the question early in the week and and all things Christmassy occupied the latter half. Christmas Eve was a bright, if cold, day and rather than let the week pass without any sort of report on how things were in the …

Books I’ve Enjoyed this Year.

CLICK ON THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE TO READ MORE: It has been a good year for gardening book and these are those which appealed most to me: https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/the-penny-drops-eventually/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/12/04/sceitse/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/dining-on-the-long-acre-the-wild-food-plants-of-ireland/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/11/05/for-the-love-of-snowdrops/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/britains-orchids-a-new-book/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/10/24/sissinghurst-the-dream-garden/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/10/17/on-psyches-lawn-the-gardens-at-plaz-metaxu/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/08/21/not-once-but-twice/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/flowers-wild-and-garden/ https://anirishgardener.wordpress.com/2020/12/24/a-year-at-brandywine-cottage/

A Year at Brandywine Cottage

David Culp’s writing transports his readers, even those at the other side of the Atlantic, to an enjoyment of his garden in Pennsylvania, USA. It is a gardener’s garden and a gardener’s book, written for fellow gardeners who will understand so very well the happinesses, dreams, successes, trials and errors and great fun and enjoyment …

A Grey Auld Day

I forgive myself for being optimistic on this mid-winter day, the winter solstice, a day of moving from darkness into light. In effect, it is bringing the dark days to an end or, if not the end, certainly the beginning of the end as daylength will exceed that of night from today onwards. Midwinter day …

It’s All Going Swimmingly – A Look Back at the Week in the Garden.

Waterford, south-east Ireland, 19th December 2020 There are times of the year when the gardener has to search for the beauty in the garden. As it says in the song: You've got to accentuate the positiveEliminate the negativeLatch on to the affirmativeDon't mess with Mister In-Between You've got to spread joy up to the maximumBring …

Ah, Sweet Misery of Life…

Ah, sweet misery of life, at last I've found you! Those of you for whom the title rings a bell probably recall the version of Victor Herbert’s song (Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life...) sung by Mario Lanza but it you wish to have it at its most grating and annoying you simply have to listen …

A Little Done … A look-back at the week in the garden.

Waterford, south-east Ireland. 12th December 2020 It is a time of the year when it is very easy to slip into a negative attitude towards the garden. The weather is wet, cold and generally miserable and going to the garden is not always the most attractive option. The arrival of three beautiful gardening books one …