Tales from A Garden

A Bit of Blarney!

2012-02-13T23:33:00.013Z

Last Sunday evening I paid a visit to Blarney Castle to see the snowdrops in bloom!As it was late evening I was a bit too late to justify an admission charge for the sake of half an hour so I relied on a free peek through the gates leading into the snowdrop laden avenue! Maybe I will get there earlier another time !

Some hellebores in the foreground too!

Daffodills and snowdrops.
The locked gates through which the drifts of snowdrops can be spied for free!
The avenue going into the castle grounds with clumps of snowdrops on each side.
The silhouette of Blarney Castle can be seen through the trees as the sun was going down.
A welcome coffee and muffin in Mackeys cafe afterwards!
Finally,spotted this great sign in the nearby Blarney Woolen Mills shop!Happy Gardening!

Guerrilla Gardener!

2012-02-08T18:42:00.006Z

Read this lovely story on the paper this morning,christened the guerrilla gardener ,this australian born guy is filling potholes all over the east end of London with little mini gardens complete with props which include,deck chairs,picnic blankets,golf clubs etc.!He uses is subversive gardens to alert city officials to the danger posed to cyclists when they ride over the potholes!The following pictures show just how artistic and creative he is though I am thinking how long does his work last before the next bike or car rides roughshot over it! He would be a busy gardener if he were to come my fair city of Cork!

Signs of Life!

2012-01-14T12:43:00.000Z

Small signs of life in the garden at the moment...............

Hopefully this is my Lily of the Valley making a comeback from last year!

Narcissi tete a tete coming on.

These are my indoor paperwhites at the moment,lovin them! The scent is amazing while sitting in the room at night even!They came from the local garden centre and have since flowered and are a good 2 weeks in flower now and still standing tall!

What an alternative to growing your bulbs in soil!Spotted this pic in www.bhg.com(Better Homes and Garden)using Lego in one,very imaginative and colourful!

First tete a tete to flower this year in my garden,there are reports of daffodils and snowdrops and crocus flowering a lot earlier around the country this year due to the milder than usual weather!

A solitary grape hyacinth peering through!

Snowdrops from last year..........returning!

More tete a tete in the garden which badly needs weeding now!

Campanula shining in the cold sunshine

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T14:31:00.001Z

Wishing you all a happy and healthy and prosperous New Year 2012!

Christmas Clippings!

2011-12-23T11:22:00.009Z

Its almost Christmas 2011,and as usual it flew from September to now it seems.Just a quick tour of whats been happening around here the past few weeks,must go and collect my turkey soon,hubby is hoovering,daughter C.has baked a few cakes,fridge is overflowing,and things are slowing down.The sun is even shining here in Cork!After the snow of last year the weather so far has been almost balmy!Days are already lengthing by 2mins.from today,yeah!!! Roll on springtime!
Daughter Claire (on right of picture)graduated in Retail Sales Management and her first cousin Stephanie graduated in Beauty Therapy!
Son John (in yellow jacket and eyes closed!) performing at the Cork Arts Theatre in a production of Mrs.Bob Cratchits Wild Christmas Binge!

Copied this idea from Kristy Allsop who made something similar on TV.
Sumptious chocolate cake for dessert,made to a recipe by Carla Blake.
Spot the humans! Seen in the city centre,a full band of musicians!
Just what the doctor ordered...................
Into Le Chateau (bar) on Patrick St. for a welcome Irish Coffee to rest up after the shopping!A happy,peaceful and healthy Christmas to all in blogland,see you in the New Year!

Weekend

2011-11-28T10:09:00.014Z

Over the weekend I visited the markets in the city centre,a vintage show nearby and went holly hunting! Just a selection of photos from each,the park below is lit up after 4.00pm and is transformed for the little children who visit.Storytelling and gingerbread men and candycanes are all visible through the railings and fairydust is sprinkled over the park when it gets dark.Daylight does not do it justice!

Loved the signage!

Gingerbread men and candycanes!

Nearby tree all lit up!
Part of a vintage fair I visited over the weekend,there was also a vintage fashion show which I did not get to take pictures at,but was great to see the range of dresses,jackets,headgear,jewellery etc.on display.Vintage fashion is all the rage at the moment though at my age I think I would be just "dressing my age!"Best left to the mid twenties I think!
Went foraging for Holly this weekend(I had already spotted a lovely tree of holly growing in an old graveyard!)and after hearing on the radio that it would keep in water with plant food away from heat I decided to start gathering. As well as armfuls of lovely berried holly I got this tree shaped piece as well ,cut from the top branches.I intend to sit it in a large pot and make a mini holly tree out of it and decorate with some lights and leave it in the porch.
And finally.......a full vase of fruit on Monday..............

Same vase of fruit on Friday!

Happy Gardening!

Ferries and Festivities.

2011-11-16T23:54:00.014Z

This passenger ferry the MV Julia is docked here in the Port of Cork for the foreseeable future having been placed in examinership unexpectedly in recent weeks.After a major campaign by interested parties last year to have the ferry reinstated to service the Cork /Swansea route between Ireland and England it enjoyed some success but the winter schedule had to be curtailed until next April at least.For now it is a towering presence in the city centre being visible from many angles and at times looks like it is stuck in traffic!Took a few snaps on a walkabout this evening.
Looks like a giant boot!

Reflections

Just one scene from the window of Brown Thomas department store depicting the legend of the Children of Lir.
On a quick trip to the city centre or "town" this evening shopfronts were looking very festive as the lights and decorations were on full display,following is a small selection!
Winthrop Arcade all lit up.

This store in the city centre is always decorated beautifully for Christmas!
A bit fuzzy!Happy Gardening!

Countdown...........

2011-11-14T16:48:00.005Z

So if you lift your computer up and turn it around to see this message!!Sorry forgot to adjust the photo for uploading,our local paper tonight says Planning is the key to a happy Christmas..........so in that spirit ...........
My planning has started around candles(not food)!Saw this in Homestore Mahon Point Retail Park for 10euros and had to have it!Similar candle holders with a brand name sell for three times the price so this will do the job for me.I lit a tealight on top of the main candle as I do not want to burn it down and be left with an unsightly mess,so come Christmas I will light the main candle until I have a little hollow on top and then I will start lighting red/cinnamon perfumed tealights in that hollow so the main candle will stay intact.
Bought this beauty for 5euros recently at Homestore in Mahon Retail Park,candles not included,but a steal all the same.Might surround it with some greenery for the season!
This dried decoration has been here since last Christmas! It sits on top of the kitchen window mantle gathering dust I will take it down and refresh it though for this year!

Happy Gardening!

Autumn flowers

2011-10-16T15:21:00.007+01:00

This lovely Clematis is now flowering,I do not know the variety,but bought and planted it last year.Unfortunately it suffered from clematis wilt and I dug away the majority of the plant but left what looked like a healthy part which was growing vigourously.Lots of buds and now a lovely flower later it too seems to be wilting!I will wait until the flowers are gone and then dig it up.Not planting deep enough is the cause of this and though the plant took off up the arch like wildfire its all been for nothing!I do have another one on the other side though that is looking great and no wilt signs.
Shame about the wilt showing on some of these leaves when its adorned with such a whopper of a flower and more buds to come.

My "Christmas Cactus" is in bud already!I know I should probably have it brought indoors by now but its budding and in the very front a fine fat bud can be seen.I will bring them in next week before temps.drop dramatically and give them some TLC.

I let these japanese anenomes seed where ever they grow,these are not as tall as the originals but look well !
My cordylines all 4 growing again after being decimated by last winters snow!Happy Gardening!

Autumn

2011-10-11T16:24:00.007+01:00

A sure sign Autumn is here when the acer is turning this stunning shade!
The birds have returned to the feeders despite the last section of hedge having been removed during the Summer.The clematis montana has only been planted this year so it will be their new hiding place when it thickens up.If you click on the photo to enlarge you can spot three little birds waiting in line to feed!
In other news I won a gardening competition for the second time with this local publication!A winning photo of your flowers or garden is chosen each week during the summer and the prize is a voucher for 50euros for a garden centre.This was the last week for the competition and I was stunned to win again!
My prize winning Stargazer Lily!
My second time winning in this competition!
The prize........50euros to spend at the local garden centre!Happy Gardening!

Reflections................

2011-09-14T14:03:00.002+01:00

Caught this unusual reflection on my wall yesterday as the sun was shining through the glass door in the front sitting room!It was perfectly reflected on the opposite wall,For a minute I thought someone had been decorating!
Another angle!

Late bloomers and recoveries!

2011-09-07T14:19:00.005+01:00

A miracle recovery!Last years snow and frost killed off many corydilines,including my torbay dazzler of many years.Advice given by the experts was to cut down the stump to any hard wood and watch and wait.Well ours had no hard wood ,just soft pulp,so it got cut down to nothing!Lo and behold a few weeks ago I spotted three new growths spurting forth from the stump!Lesson learned............never say die!
Last sunflower of summer! Out of 3 sunflower plants this one got decimated in early summer by slugs only to come again bearing a fairly small flowerhead but I am not complaining.This is the fairly commonly seen sunflower,the other two plants are two tone and bearing lots of flowers on tall stems.
"Jimmy" doing a spot of watering in the flower bed!Ground conditions have been very dry due to lack of a good drop of rain though now that I have said it ,we will get a deluge now doubt!

Still getting lots of sweet pea for indoors,today the 7th September,I picked enough to fill a glass on my kitchen window sill,not the vase in the photo here.The secret is in cutting every two/three days and still they are coming! I decided to display the sunflowers that I was losing on the stem when they blew over in the windy conditions.The stems are so heavy they bow down and break off.Happy Gardening!

Random

2011-08-26T12:17:00.008+01:00

A bit of everything in this post today! Never getting tired of the view from my kitchen window!Pink and white japanese anenomes and the red crocosmia hiding the fence behind!
Gatherine vases of sweet pea almost non stop since early summer! Certainly got my moneys worth here all 3.50 euros !If I secure the same supplier next year will buy more plants!
Found these self seeded pansies growing at the base of a hibiscus plant recently,they are great for showing up all over the garden and providing some cheer in odd places!
These sunflowers have outgrown the fence!My neighbour has her kitchen window looking out on them so she is enjoying the view!
The lack of sunshine did not deter these beauties from flowering all summer,bonfire begonias.
And finally.............birthday flowers for my August birthday from a friend who is a florist!

Not a gardening post!

2011-08-13T21:21:00.015+01:00

Getting away from the garden today we drove to west Cork and visited Gougane Barra,onwards to Ballylickey to the Ouvane Falls for refreshments and revisited the lovely campsite of Eagle Point nearby where we holidayed many moons ago with two young children in tow!Weather was dry with patchy sunshine and we picked up two young girls who were hitchhiking to Clonakilty,they were English but living here for some years and declared they love Ireland,dodgy weather and all!
The picturesque church at Gougane Barra,www.gouganebarra.com

Looking across the lake from the church
Candles glowing inside
Inside the little church looking out.
The weir at the Ouvane Falls www.ouvanefalls.com
Beautiful views over the bay at the rear of the Ouvane Falls

Wet,Wet,Wet.

2011-08-03T12:01:00.009+01:00

Greetings from a dull and rain sodden garden here in Cork!Its raining "cats and dogs" at the moment,though the whole summer has been a washout,little in the way of sunshine,but us gardeners look on the bright side(usually through the kitchen window as its too wet outside!).
Not a day for the patio and chimenea!
My sweet pea have outgrown the obelisk! They are giving me lots of cut flowers for the house and the scent is heady,trying to get them to keep growing upwards! The daisies are in full bloom ,will have to divide them though next year!
Crocosmia doing well in the rain!

Not so sunny sunflowers!Just had to stake them up more this morning as they were bowing down gracefully with the wind and rain.Lost a total of 7 branches which were ready to flower too!

Today I am linking up with tootsietime.com for fertilizer friday!

Slow Gardening!

2011-07-14T16:07:00.008+01:00

The garden is coming on colourwise at the moment though the sunshine is not sustained for more than a day at a time it seems.I look out the kitchen window each morning and I am wishing this flower or that would flower quickly so that everything would be out together but that does not happen,synchronised gardening would be a good thing!The monkshood is going over as the day lilies are in full bloom,stakis daisies are blooming now too as are the sweet pea.I am waiting patiently for the red crocosmia to open up and flower and the japanese anenomes are slow enough too and I wish the sunflowers would hurry up..................................
Loving my lavender! I do not have much of it but this is my own home grown bunch adorning my lavender holder brought from a trip to Provence(where else!) in 2007.
Stunning sweet pea!A must for the summer garden,bought a few plants at an open garden sale a while back,already hardened off I was told,looked fine and healthy,and so they have provided me now with bunches to pick every few days,all for 3.50 euros!
sweet pea again..........

and more sweet pea.....just cut this morning,the scent is beautiful!

My first sunflower of the season!If we got more sustained sunshine I could have more.A friend was given these as small plants and passed three onto me,while two grew well the third was eaten by slugs but by some miracle its come back again but is much smaller than these two.It looks totally different to other sunflowers I have had,there are lots more buds on each side of the plant and the flower is going to be much smaller than the really yellow ones I have grown before.It has a look of a gazania about it I think!
Pink coloured japanese anenomes just coming into flower now.Happy Gardening until next time! Linking up with tootsietime.com for Fertilizer Friday!

Relaxation!

2011-07-05T15:23:00.005+01:00

Views from the Castlemartyr Resort Hotel in East Cork recently,where we enjoyed a cooling drink on the terrace and you could have been anywhere in the world!

Fertilizer Friday!

2011-07-01T00:38:00.002+01:00

Here are a few gardening jobs to be done.

First look at the weeds,weed out gossip,laziness,indifference and pride.

Plant out five rows of peas,patience,peace,promptness,politeness and prayer.

Plant five rows of lettuce,let us be faithful,loving,useful,trustful and grateful.

Then we can turn to the reliable turnips,turn up on time,with a smile,a new idea,and new

determination.

Happy Gardening!

Today I am linking up with Tootsie at TootsieTime.com

Smokey Summer!

2011-06-28T10:46:00.011+01:00

Summer sunshine and heat is very intermittent at the moment but the garden flowers look so much better when the sun does shine so a quick tour of the patch this morning!
Monkshood and two sunflowers behind!
Day lillies
Close up of Stargazer Lily
Stargazer Lily in full bloom

Patio rose and begonia bonfire
These pansies have been going since May and have endured wind,rain,sleet and drought!
Frank Headley geranium
Smokey Joe! The latest addition to the garden,a chimenea,we do not have an open fire inside the house so at least we can have one outside!At the moment its in the "curing" stage where it has to lit at least 3 times with one log and left to die out and cool down before really setting a decent fire in it.I may have to rethink its position though as the neighbours may be getting a little too much smoke!

Summer Garden

2011-06-18T12:27:00.012+01:00

Begonia "bonfire" this variety is lovely in a hanging basket too!

Day lillies ,Monkshood and hostas
Sunflowers growing taller by the day!

Patio rose
Fushia recovered after the snow and frost this year just starting to flower now
Patio rose
Frank Headley geranium,I bought two plants this year as the previous one I had for years finally gave up!
Purple spires of Monkshood
Lilies starting to open up
My first jug of sweet pea this year,intoxicating!

Blooming Marvellous!

2011-06-04T23:37:00.046+01:00

Today I attended my third Bloom festival in Phoenix Park in Dublin with sister Peggy,www.bloominthepark.com Below a selection of photos which really do not do justice to such a great show! The various areas are divided into indoor retail/grand pavilion,outdoor retail/artisan food market/floral marquee/craft area which accounts for 246 stands,plus the catering side of things which includes best in season market/bloom inn/field to fork market/love irish food/and artisan caterers which accounts for 47 stands and it gives an idea of the scale of the whole enterprise!We enjoyed glorious weather,though our native city of Cork was hotter! We travelled by train leaving Cork at 9.30am and arriving at 12.25pm in Dublin,courtesy bus to Bloom got us there by 12.45 and off we went!Very enjoyable,I have been to Chelsea Flower Show on three occasions and while it is spectacular Bloom is fast catching up! We enjoyed strawberries and cream,a hot lunch,and cold beverages during our visit and next year we have decided to make an overnight of it to get more out of it or at least get the red eye up!!

Alliums
Alliums
Lovely Lilies!

Take a seat and relax!

Nissan Leaf the latest launch of an electric car who kindly choose me as a winner of free tickets to the show in an online competition..........thank you kindly!

Calla Lillies
Gypsophila "pouring " out of a milk churn!
Fingal County Council Heritage Properties
Fingal County Council Heritage Properties
See next post below!
Fingal County Council Heritage Properties,beautiful setting,old garden tools on display added to the old cottage feel!

The intrepid photographer at work (my sister)!
Colourful to say the least!
Loubutain at the show?

The Barbershop singers who brightened up the day with their lovely singing at impromtu stops around the venue!
All dressed up for the festival!

Alice in Wonderland Sanctuary Garden
Alice in Wonderland Sanctuary Garden
Alice in Wonderland Sanctuary Garden

The Alice in Wonderland Sanctuary Garden
Winning show garden at Bloom,criteria was a party garden using recycled materials.

The Aftermath!

2011-05-21T14:07:00.016+01:00

Well the excitement has not died down yet!After a very successful tour of Cork yesterday during which the sun shone for the Queens visit,I took my own tour of the English Market this morning.

I had to wait for about 20mins such was the crowd waiting for breakfast at the Farmgate cafe upstairs at 9.20am! The staff were stretched to the limit,at one stage the fire alarm went off for a short while(nobody moved) I think the toaster was overheating or overworked! The market itself was so busy with tourists and locals,there was a real feel good factor going on with customers and stall holders,the same topic was being discussed everywhere,what was she like,what did she say to you etc.etc.! Everyone was in great form,no talk of the damp misty weather outside for once.I think everyone came with a camera today to snap the plaque that the Queen unveiled,all in all a very positive visit!

The plaque which the Queen unveiled yesterday with my reflection on it!
The colourful display in the fountain.
This guy made all the front pages of the papers today as he had a fairly long chat with the Queen yesterday,telling her he hadnt been this nervous since his wedding day 30yrs.ago!

He also was quoted on the paper today saying how proud his late Mother would have been to see the Queen at the market!

A hundred thousand welcomes for the Queen (in Gaelic)!

A cake depicting the Cork coat of arms at the Farmgate cafe.

Upstairs at the Farmgate cafe
Ducks and pheasant hanging on view,Prince Philip enquired as to how the heads were allowed to stay on!
Homemade apple tart complete with cloves(like my late Mother used to make) available at the Farmgate cafe,delicious!
Artichokes adorning the top of the market fountain!

Todays Garden

2011-05-20T10:14:00.004+01:00

Various shades of green,hostas and geranium.

Poppies just opening now,brought back as seed from Monets garden in Giverny,Paris some years back!
Campanula
I am linking up with www.tootsietime.com today for fertilizer Friday!

Queens Visit to Cork!

2011-05-14T12:18:00.011+01:00

This morning I was in the city centre early and decided to stroll through the English Market (while I still can) which due to the impending visit of Queen Elizabeth next Friday is becoming the talk of the town!It will be closed off to the public during the visit for security reasons but after the visit everyone is welcome again,and I believe hampers similar to one given to the Queen will be available to buy online at www.localmarkets.ie .Everything from meat,fish,veg.cakes,household,clothes and cafes make up the market and a visit is a must for the tourist.The Farmgate cafe upstairs is my favourite to spend an hour and people watch from the lofty heights!
The focal point in the market is this colourful fountain where there were plenty of tourists around it this morning.The hen on the left is not real by the way!
Not sure about the no laughing area sign here,maybe the stall holder is a sensitive guy?
View from the upstairs cafe in the market looking out onto Princes St.
Mini Irish and coffee for me!
The self service side upstairs at the Farmgate cafe,normally by 11.00am it is hard to find an empty seat!Lovely teas/coffee,sandwiches and desserts are served,and you can have a good old spy on everyone walking through the market as well!

The table service side of the Farmgate cafe upstairs in the market where a sign proclaims "the market is our larder",all ingredients are sourced downstairs from the various stalls and local cuisine like Irish Stew,oysters,sheperds pie,bacon and cabbage can be enjoyed.
OConnells fish stall is a landmark stall here for many years being started by the boys late Mother and now run successfully by them.If it swims they sell it!
The ABC bread company are always very busy selling their various breads.
Now to await the next VIP to our country!

Garden Gems!

2011-05-09T11:12:00.009+01:00

Hostas never fail to please! I do not know the individual varieties,but the dark green one has been divided this year and from one enormous plant I now have four!The two tone one is more attractive though I think!
Hostas and geranium
This fiery red azalea is providing the "eye candy" in the garden at the moment,never fails to impress,even after being moved this year at a late date from its usual position.

Saxifraga
Campanula
My clematis,where there is a birds nest at the moment,acer in the foreground,crocosmia on the right and a beech plant towering over it.