Gardening in Ireland, our own garden, gardens visited and book reviews
We attach a certain magic to islands, as we do to other remote natural areas – mountains, remote seashores and the like. We regard them as special places, places apart, places where we may be in more intimate contact with nature, places of beauty, of wildness, of ruggedness, of challenge and of success against the … Continue reading Island Gardens
There are simple things which add enormously to the enjoyment of life - to see a wild mink run across the road in front of me the other day, to hear and see four buzzards high in the sky above me and then to have two raucous ravens, obviously discussing some matter of contention between … Continue reading Getting Out and About
Time has been on my hands, an imposed stretch of confinement, but I have done my best to keep myself occupied and life has not been unpleasant. It is now over five weeks since I had a hip replacement operation. A routine has developed, interspersed with regular short periods of walking and set gentle exercises: … Continue reading Passing Time at the Windowsill
Gardenlust by Christopher Woods - A Review This is a book which will gladden the heart of any gardener as we read of the vibrancy, enthusiasm, creativity and beauty of gardens worldwide. In the face of climate change, urbanisation, species loss, deforestation etc, garden creators around the world respond with positivity, a get up and go, … Continue reading Gardenlust
Two Men Went to Mow: The Obsession, Impact & History of Lawn Mowing by Clive Gravett - A Review The maintenance of the domestic lawn has been portrayed for many years as a male obsession; man and machine in a co-operative striving to produce and maintain the perfect green sward, weed-free, blemish-free, perfectly edged and … Continue reading At the Cutting Edge!
The title was “Monsters Under Glass: A Cultural History of Hothouse Flowers, 1850 to the Present” and I misinterpreted it completely. I’m sure you, like me, might have expected something about glasshouse plants and their cultivation but I was wrong and it was nothing of the sort but rather a study of literary metaphors and … Continue reading Literally taken by the Venus Fly Trap.
These last few days have brought miserable weather, cloudy on the best days and strong winds and heavy rains on others. We have reacted differently, Mary and I; she frustrated by the lack of opportunity to be outside and busy in the garden and I with my mind somewhat consoled that I am prevented from … Continue reading Window Gardening.
