The New Kids on the Block

Isn't it always the first to flower of any group of plants which seem to get us most excited. We see the first peep above the ground and are out each day to monitor progress, clicking away with the camera at the first show of colour even before the flower is fully open at all. …

Up to see the Ladies.

There was a mixture of emotions when visiting the Meadow Saffron - Naked Ladies is another common name, hence the title - at one of its two sites on the banks of the River Nore in Co. Kilkenny. It seems that these are the only two sites in the country where this plant is still …

Six on Saturday, 19/09/2020

It has been a beautiful week, a week of recovery, of new flowerings and the start of a new season. After an extraordinarily wet period, with two storms and a great amount of damage done to plants, it has been wonderful to have a week of beautiful weather and the opportunity to work again in …

Six on Saturday, 05/09/2020

It was not an especially good week for gardening. I seem to have been occupied with other things, some garden-related but I feel I have done little hands-on gardening this week. Nonetheless, the grass was cut and edged and I made good inroads into tidying up the vegetable patch in preparation for winter. The damsons …

Fish, Saffron, And Chips!

It was a matter of coincidence and contrivance and social conscience that brought these three together and apart but, regardless of the circumstances, they added up to an enjoyable day. Word had reached us that the Meadow Saffron was in flower in Inistioge, an annual event we look forward to and go to see each …

The Naked Ladies of Inistioge

Peculiarly, there were no newpaper headlines; nor did it make the news on tv or radio – I had been listening – but this morning some hundreds of naked ladies gathered on the riverside meadows of the picturesque village of Inistioge in Co. Kilkenny. It didn’t seem to bother the local population in the slightest; …

Meadow Saffron

Meadow Saffron is not a common wildflower in Ireland and it is a thrill to walk through a meadow where it is in great number and to even come across the rare white-flowered form which occurs now and again. There are a number of areas along the banks of the River Nore where it grows …