calling all Irish gardeners

how about a meeting somewhere like Daphne Shackletons garden
http://indigo.ie/~jshack/shackletonplants.html

or elsewhere?

it would be great

Mark

This message was edited Friday, Jun 1st 6:51 PM

Where is that, Mark?

Mullagh, Co Cavan

or we could go meet somewhere else

how many people on here are from the North and the South?

Mark

I don't know, Mark. Next thing, we'll be wanting our own Irish forum!

I think that's a great idea! How many Irish do we have on, Dave?

Hi Mark, not far from Mullagh - Belturbet. Would love to meet up with anyone who gardens in Ireland.
:-)) Rosie

When I come over to Northern Ireland to visit my son I would love to meet up. The weather's beginning to get colder now though and nights are 'drawing in'...maybe next Spring would be a good time? Something to look forward to over the long Winter months :o)

Terri

A bit late replying I know but if you are ever in Co. Cavan Terri please look me up in the spring. I'm in a beautiful part of the country on the river Erne. You might be able to come up with some ideas (cheap ones LOL) for my new garden :-))

Rose, I'll certainly bear that in mind!! My son is planning some trips out to different places once the weather improves and it would be very good to meet you.
I'm hoping to get over for the flower show at Hillsborough again this year. We enjoyed it tremendously last year. Have you ever been to it?
I noticed that the Snowdrops are coming through nicely in our garden. It's always nice to see the Spring flowers appearing...soon be daffodil time!!

:o))

Terri

No I've never been to Hillsborough Terri but it's something on my to do list. Perhaps I can get over in spring. It's not too far from me as we are near the border - hey, how about meeting up there?
Nothing is emerging here yet apart from the poor sorry daffs my SIL keeps in her porch - they look a little leggy if you ask me.

Rosie, I'll keep this in mind and (fingers crossed) if I'm planning a trip over nearer the date I'll let you know. Another place I'm wanting to go to is the botanical gardens in Belfast.

But then....anywhere there are plants is a 'must see', so I'm open to suggestions.

LOL

Terri

Hello Irish Gardeners! My name is Tai and I live in Texas, always interested in how the gardens are growing other countires. I know it is a bit cool over there- well compared to Texas... so far all I have seen of Ireland is pictures and movies. Great-Great Grandmother from County Cork.

Hi Nip - here's another picture for you - the view from my house in the beautiful Earn valley. Well, it was beautiful last spring when this shot was taken. Brrrr it's been snowing today with really high winds. I managed to squeeze my car beneath the tree that came down over our lane though. LOL

Rose, I spoke to my son about possibly meeting up with you at Hillsborough show and he thinks it's a lovely idea. We'll check out what date the show is to be held this year and he'll make sure he has the time off work.
He also said it would be lovely to visit your area because he has yet to see Co. Cavan...so we might even get to visit your garden :o)
Of course, we'll bring something to plant in your new garden as a memento, LOL
Will keep this in mind and contact you via dmail a bit nearer the time. Last year Hillsborough show was on 7th June. I remember as it was the day after my birthday.

Terri

That sounds great Terri and just let's hope the weather is reasonable. Please keep in touch and dmail me anytime. I'll be bringing my partner to Hisborough who is in a wheelchair and possibly a grandkid or two.

Roseimp- what a beautiful picture! You have a wonderful view there. Snow is a real treat for us here in central Texas- of course we have no idea how to function in snow... it will be 71 f today!! We have very mild winters and hotter than- well- you know summers. Well over 95f daily. But my tomatoes love it. Pictures of our gardens are on my website. www.bushwoodacres.com.

Hi Mark,
I just came upon your post, (2001!). It seems Irish gardeners are not very gregarious (although I think Terri1948 and Roseimp have the start of something???
I am not a gardener, I teach, but am always interested in meeting people with an interest in plants. There are a few hundred members in Ireland, they just seem to be rather shy.

Hey, not too far from me Lortay. We are meeting up in Enniskillen next month, if you want to tag along just Dmail me. I could do to pick your brains LOL. Moi, SHY!!!! I think not.

:-)) Rosie

Hi Roseimp,
I did'nt mean you (see comment on your 'relationship' with Terri) but it is curious that there are so few replies to the original post????
Might be tricky to get to Enniskillen as the students are running into exams at the moment, odd time but it's to do with work (what's that) placement.
Mind you, I could get in a bit of cheap shopping!
Good to know there is at least one member active enough to post. Keep in touch. I have not used d mail yet. Must give it a try.

We'll take a raincheck then lortay. If you ever get to Cavan Dmail me - I would love to catch up with other gardeners in Ireland (BTW I'm an exile from the UK LOL)
Rosie

Hi, Roseimp,
Thanks for the rain check, I will make sure I cash it during the Summer if we have one.
Incidentally, I have a 'rake' (ask your neighbours) of seedlings of a spotted white Helleborus coming up in my gravel, interested?, if not they will just be pulled out (no room). Anyone else interested? (I know there is a formum for this but I can't be bothered.)

LOL sounds interesting lortay. I'll catch up with you during the summer and see what I can dig up to swap for your hellebores.

Rosie

To all your Irish! you will love it here with all those bright green cakes for "St. Patty's Day" They also sell shamorock, and they done believe me when I tell them it won't grow outside of Ireland. When I told my cousins wife (Donegal Gal) she had hysterics at the St. Patty's bit! Oh yeah I am English!

Hi... Just found this page - stumbled upon it really. Yes, I agree the Irish gardeners are not saying much..maybe that will change after nine years.... Was this thread really started in 2001?
Anyway, my garden is mostly wild/cottage look. I have day-lilies, geraniums, clematis, poppies, sweet williams gone over now though. I cut the tops of them yesterday. Shoud I just dig them up and discard??

I hope to get some images uploaded..I even have a wasp nest built neatly into a small variegated rhodo bush which is growing in a container. I thought the nest was an old foot-ball, but read up on it. They are amazing creatures and so far are well-behaved..

So nice to meet you, Orange_Blossom.

My maternal grandmother was born and raised in Ennis. She was a Walker Lenihan and when I visited Ireland I passed the old family home still owned by a Lenihan.

Here I grow clematis, daylilies, geraniums, poppies, dahlias, hydrangeas and many lilies of all kinds. Why throw Sweet William out? Can't it simply be cut back?

Yes 2001, it seems a lifetime away.

Sweet William for us is Dianthus barbatus which is a biennial (unless you're Scottish then it's Stinking Billy). You can try and eek another year out of them but it will depend on if you need the space for something else or not.

This message was edited Jul 15, 2010 10:37 AM

Hi to you Pirl,
That's amazing re your maternal grandmother... I know there are Lenihans in Ennis, but have not heard about Walkers. Its a small world though.

Re sweet williams, I know it can be cut back or left, but gets very woody and really is a bit of a mess after flowering.
The weather here is dull, misty, humid and great for weed growth..
Anyway, happy gardening and hi to a descendent of Ennis!!

Thanks for the reply Baa.

I took them out as they had gone all brown and dead looking. Its such a shame as they were just great earlier on. I hadnt heard of Stinking Billy though, but its cute. I knew they were Dianthus family, but sometimes the common name is prettier.

Thanks, Orange Blossom! Walkers were the maternal side of the Lenihan family.

So you just cut them back but not discard the Sweet Williams, right? We have some astilbe that went dormant early, due to our oppressive heat wave, and I just cut them back to the ground but I realize it does leave a rather unpleasant look to that area. Why do our eyes focus on one little spot when we both have lots of flowers to enjoy?

Seems as though the garden art industry could come up with something sweet to cover a bare spot and make it more acceptable for the rest of the season. Even the lilies, as beautiful as they are right now, will eventually leave just bare stems. There is a price for beauty but we enjoy them while they are in bloom.

I try to use as many ground covers as possible (sedums are great for that) since we both have the weed problems!

Well it's Stinking Billy because the English (supposedly) named it Sweet William after William, Duke of Cumberland, or "the Butcher". However Dianthus means Divine flower, which, considering the previous, is a much nicer name.

I was mentioning Dianthus and biennial for Pirl really because they asked why throw them out and the reason being because they are at their end.



This message was edited Jul 18, 2010 2:22 PM

Aha! Thanks.

Hi Orange Blossom and all,

Yes, Irish 'contributors' seem to be a shy lot. I sent a d-mail round to the members registered in Ireland and got one reply.
Pirl's problem with bare patches, e.g. if you throw out 'Sweet William' or have Poppies, etc. is to grow a few of the later flowering annuals, e.g Rudbeckia, Aster, Dahlias (although I don't like them), in small pots and plant out when they are almost in flower. It is a bit of extra labour but the result can be brilliant.

Very good idea!

Thanks Pirl for advice and also to Baa for the explanation for Stinking Billy..That fits. I think the problem with the Dianthus-Sw William is that if left in the ground they will survive, but get quite floppy and woody. An aunt of mine used to take cuttings though I havnt tried it and successfully propagate in each season.
Hi to Lortay too and thanks for the tips re Rudbeckia and dahlias..I think the groundcover option is preferably though. I have a few Sedums the dark red one and the plaing one and they are good.
Anyway, happy gardening all and a special hello to the Irish lot..too busy in the garden to write here..huh!!

Hi again Orange Blossom,
What are the difficulties/advantages of gardening in Ennis. Did you lose much this winter?

Hi Lortay,

Just saw your questions. I lost a cordyline like almost everyone. I didnt like it very much anyway..so not too bothered. I believe they are v deep rooted & was advised to cut it right down and it may grow again. I aso lost some daffodils and a few lilies that I had forgotten to put indoors..not very clever, also a choiysa, but many things did survive even my madonna lily and all my hydrangeas. My strawberries were excellent this year. My soil is quite heavy in places - clay really, but is loved by many plants.
How did you fare out?

Hi,
Ironic that you lost a (Mexican) Orange Blossom! Even thought I am much further north, we did not suffer as much. Cordylines were killed in some places and not in others. I agree that they are best left and dug out.
I work over on the coast at Malahide and, because of more tender plants, they had just as much frost kill as we had. Very little died completely though, most regenerated.
Interesting that Blueberry grower has their best harvest for years as well. You cannot know what way plants will react.
Most areas in Meath are also on clay. It is a good soil for growth if you can drain it a bit with sand and compost, otherwise it is very difficult to work.
I am planting a Choisya this year as I have cleared an area which has some shade. I will probably plant the golden one as it does better in shade than in sun. (Nicer colour).
Cheers,

Very surprised you lost Cordylines and Choisya - up here (northeast England), I've not seen any damage on the latter, and only one or two tender red-leaved Cordyline cultivars damaged; all the 'normal' green Cordylines were undamaged.

I'd suspect yours were killed by something other than winter cold.

Resin

Hi Resin,
I enjoy your posts and I.D.s always.
I did not get kills of Choisya here, unlike Orange Blossom (in Clare) but Cordylines were killed all over the county but not on the coast. It was patchy (as is often the case) due, I assume to shelter, etc. of some. Palms were killed in the Botanic gardens in Glasnevin, but there was very little damage on things like Ceanothus, Olearia or Hebe which one would expect to be damaged in severe winters.

P.S. I am posting a Deutzia in the I.D. forum which I can't identify but have seen an illustration from Glendoik gardens. Have not seen it anywhere else.
Cheers.

Hi all,

Just on the subject of Choisyas. I have still got one Aztec Pearl which incidentally I raised from a cutting very slowly and it survived the frost, but is not doing very well. It needs some tlc at the moment. The yellow one vanished, sadly though.
The frost helped to break up the soil as it went so deep and many hardy plants survived. Lortay, yes clay can be a bother, but quite rich if minded.
I have a love of Welsh poppies (Meconopsis) a most hardy perrenial to -15 & I have seeds of these + some aquilegia if you Lortay or anyone is interested? Let me know.
By the way, I am keeping a gardening diary, which I find so handy..helps me remember where & what I planted!

Happy gardening