The Head Gardener would say that I lack a certain finesse as a gardener; that I lack that attention to detail and routine that brings good to excellent; that I am fine as an "edges and hedges" gardener, as Jean Van Der Lee (a Dublin gardener) used describe her husband - another long-suffering Under Gardener … Continue reading Plants and People.
Category: General Interest
Of A Friday Evening.
There are two very pretty magnolias in view from the kitchen window and they look especially good as they are lit by the setting sun. We have admired them as we have done the after-dinner washup over the last week and have commented that we must go out and photograph them but it was only … Continue reading Of A Friday Evening.
It’s All Happening Now!
With a positive telling our full day in the garden yesterday might be described as an excellent example of the "Carpe Diem" attitude but, if truth be told, it was more a case of headstrong revolt against cabin fever for it was preceded by days of horrible weather with gales, heavy rain and flooding. After … Continue reading It’s All Happening Now!
Mount Congreve Today in Pictures
Writing a second time today about Mount Congreve Gardens might seem excessive but we did visit and enjoy the gardens again today. My account of the gardens will be through my photographs. I have arranged the photographs into the sequence of our walk. Click to enlarge and to begin a slideshow: Magnolia x veitchii Magnolia … Continue reading Mount Congreve Today in Pictures
Magical March Magnolias
March and magnolias is a combination balanced on a very fine knife edge for there are years when they flourish and perform with a brilliance that can justifiably be described as awesome and others when the blossoms are reduced to a disappointing dirty brown having been hit by a hard March frost. This year has … Continue reading Magical March Magnolias
Altamont Gardens
There is an inclination to pay less attention to those gardens we visit most often; they become almost everyday and lack the surprises which might otherwise prompt one to finger the keyboard. However, when I consider that we have visited Altamont Gardens several times each year for the past forty years it would be remiss … Continue reading Altamont Gardens
Ffffffing February
We would like to be alliterative in our title but the mind runs to words which might cause offense. I suppose I could have said Freezing February but that wasn't really the case. Yes, it was cold, the fingers suffered in the garden, but it wasn't Arctic by any means; there wasn't snow or ice … Continue reading Ffffffing February
From the Bookshelf
That wretched Christmas song comes to mind, "Oh, the weather outside is frightful" etc but time indoors had me reading back over a few books I hadn't taken to hand for a long while. William Stearn and E. A. Bowles lead on to Vita Sackville-West and that group of books which were simply reprints of … Continue reading From the Bookshelf
What A Bore!
As happens at this time of the year a number of new hellebores were purchased and added to those already growing in the garden. A hedge of hypericum, along the top of a retaining wall above a patio area, and a line of pendulous cotoneasters hanging over the same wall were dug out, removed and … Continue reading What A Bore!
Coolaught Gardens
We dropped into Coolaught Gardens and Garden Centre (Caroline and Harry Deacon) in Clonroche, Co. Wexford, during the week, always a good port of call when you want something special, a tasty plant. As expected, Caroline told us to feel free to take a walk around the garden and I had brought my camera with … Continue reading Coolaught Gardens