Organic Gardening

THE GARDEN AFTER FROST

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Yes, Jack Frost has been paying West Cork, as well as the rest of Ireland, and I believe other parts of Europe too, a nightly visit. That in the middle of it I ran out of heating oil through my own lack of attention is beside the point. I was able to solve the problem very quickly thanks to a loyal plumber and heating oil providers. This did not take awake from the beauty which greats me while attending to some domestic chores like emptying the kitchen waste into the compost bin at the end of the garden. I could not resist taking some photos at least. Meanwhile a little robin has been coming closer all winter and even sang to me the other day, how totally lovely.

And what I would really like to do this year is to make my garden into a lovely space, that is nurturing to the soul, a space where my family, friends and myself can rest and find quiet and peaceful admiration for nature. And a space for wildlife, where bees and other pollinators enjoy all the flowers and find nectar. Where birds can build their nests and sing their hearts out, for a mate when the time comes. I’ve had up to five goldfinch everyday feeding on the seedheads of the Evening Primrose, such a wonder. The usual bird population is fine this winter, I’m taking part on the survey again. The chaffinches are definitely down, the sparrow count is up. There is only one dunnock whereas there have been two for years. The wren is our resident bird, as are two blackbirds, a couple. Everyday there is now a Pied Wagtail feeding in the front garden, a first for our garden. Of course the robin is always there, but some years there are two, so far there is only one, I read that the males come feeding earlier than the females so I hope that the female is still on the way. It is nice when a robin comes up to you and it feels like they are really trying to communicate with you, and when they then start to sing so close, that is wonderful!

I wish you all a peaceful, joyful, healthy and happy 2026, enjoy!

WINTER IN IRELAND

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We are ending the month of November and with routine changes and many things to attend to recently I’m only now starting to slow down and to dwell on what I’m at and what I would like to focus on in the next few winter months.  I love winter.

Right now I like how there is such attention on gratefulness by so many people, so many friends.  When looking at the small gifts we receive everyday, it’s easy to feel gratitude.

Well, my garden is full of seedheads attracting goldfinches. And new life is to be seen in primroses starting to flower.

The sun is out today and there is ony a little breeze.  The garden has not yet died down so far, our really cold weather only arrives in January and usually last untill April. Our daffodils are already showing their head above soil. I could do work out there but I’m inclined to leave the seedheads for the birds, and as well as that the soil, the grass, everything is sodden, the rains having taken care of that.  So I will leave the outside work for now, and I will make my adventkrans instead. 

Wishing everyone an enjoyable Thanksgiving day

ON A LAZY SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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I am taking a nice rest this afternoon,  because for the moment all my seedlings and young plants are looked after and doing their own thing, growing mainly and getting strong, oh and defending themselves against the onslaught of slugs.  I’m sitting in the livingroom but the door to the garden is wide open. Seagulls are flying over making an awful racket, and the rooks are not far off either, I often see them interact with each other, flying after each other.  They are having the time of their lives! 

The most exercise I’ve done today is walking around my smallish garden and picking a bunch of wild flowers.  There is a great tit in the trees, it has this certain call lately,  it makes me think that I’m in a large forest, it’s wonderful!

Our trees are very lush now , their best colour of all the seasons is now, the leaves, those of the oak tree only unfolding, are so fresh.  One branch of the chestnut tree is very elegantly overhanging part of the vegetable plot. 

The month of May is not far off.  Soon the swifts will arrive over our house and gardens, when I hear them, for me it is summer no matter the weather. 

Right now, in nature, it is the best time of the year! 

SEEDLINGS AND A MYRIARD OF PLANT POTS

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I’m sitting at the window looking out to our garden from our sunroom, which actually used to be called a Conservatory but when the old roof started to deteriorate and started to leak we got it covered in slate and put in two Velux windows, so now I call it the ‘sunroom’ and that will suffice.

And as I look out to the garden I can see some beautiful shrubs that are flowering right now, the forsythia is a patch of yellow and then there is the Berberis Compacta fully decked in orange,  it’s beautiful to see even through my still blurred eyes, I’ve had cataract surgery last week and I still cannot see clearly.  The Azalea both the purple and white one are coming into flower too, and the Rosemary is one blur of purple and dark green.

Forsythia
Rosemary
Berberis compacta
Very old azelia
Purple azelia, small flowers

 I’ve been working with my seedlings this morning; I’ve been repotting some of them.  The room is filled with all sizes of pots, which I’m filling with soil, and I am planting seedlings like there is no tomorrow, I have got so many seeds coming on and this whole room is absolutely turned into a greenhouse.  I’m so happy with having this space and being able to get my young plants going.  I haven’t been able to set up the small plastic greenhouse in the garden yet but that’s the job that’s got to be done. I will then move all these young plants in there and get them to grow strong before I can put some of them out in the purposed plot, the soil needs to be prepared yet. The grass which I had covered with cardboard needs to be either dug or else I will just throw soil on top of it.  The soil for the potatoes is ready though, and they have been chitin here on the press, so weather allowing, they are next to go into the ground.  

Right now, the sky is gray and there’s a bit of wind, but my chestnut tree is starting to come into leaf, its buds are bursting.  The sky out there is filled with birds flying in all directions, seagulls and crows especially, they’re all happy to be alive I think, yes there is lots of activity, for one I have seen our resident blackbird couple eyeing the thick hedge which is where they made their nest before.  

 It does look like rain and so it probably will rain but there is a lot of inside work and that’s what I’m busy with at the moment.  I have 28 kale plants, they’re very small yet but that’s ok as they are only for use next winter, I sowed some extra to be able to share them with others, because that’s fun.  

Young Lilac tree
Lemon Balm
Pieris berries
Still have to tackle the compost
Plans for another vegetable plot
Seedlings coming on

A week later and now we are April!

Despite my limited vision at the moment I was able to plant my potatoes, which is great as it puts me ahead. Meanwhile the sun has been shining for days and there is a warm wind today, my washing has been dancing on the line all morning, a lovely sight to behold because I can now put my clotheshorse away for the summer (I hope). Young plants and seedlings are coming along great and I’ve sowed more. The garden has dried out in the meantime, mud has become hardened already. I now urgently need a gardener, that is, a person who can do some of the jobs I cannot manage. My grandson has advised me to do proper fencing around my new vegetable plot rather than just put pots around it. The idea is to keep the cats from doing their business in the soil where the vegetables are growing. But I might just settle for keeping an eye on it daily and using a shovel. Not decided yet, but note that I have five different cats, not my own, visiting the garden!

Project not finished, watch this space!

TIME FOR THE GARDEN

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GARDEN AWAKENING
My grandson helping me, so valuable.

With the month of March well under way our garden is crying out for attention.  I have great plans this year, among other things is planting more vegetables and in order to realise this I’m digging up one third of our small lawn. Exciting! 

I have been suffering a bit from writers block for a while now, hopefully my muze will return soon.

Wishing everyone a glorious spring, or as it happens, autumn time. Much love.

JOURNEY THOUGH THE CAHA MOUNTAINS

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These days I enjoy a weekly journey through the Caha mountains on my way to see my husband Ian in Kenmare. It is a most beautiful journey, not only along the Bantry Bay towards sub-tropic Glengarriff where at the moment the rhododendrons are still in full flower, but following the N71 up to and through the tunnel separating county Cork and county Kerry.

Looking into a most beautiful glacial valley.
Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance.
Rododendrons alongside the road.
Looking back towards the bay.
Bonane which I come to once through the tunnels. This is in Co Kerry now.
The interesting rock formations along the road.
The Glenn valley.

It is such a lovely journey.  I do it once a week. My dear husband Ian is now resident in a nursing home in Kenmare.  It’s about 74km from here.  It’s a different way of life for us both, but we are adjusting and making the best of what life offers.

WHEN EVERYTHING IS SHADES OF GREEN, an update

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In our wild garden, and wild it is at the moment, I’m finding that everything is green, beautiful shades of green, but yet there are some colours to be seen too. I haven’t had much time, and less inclination to garden in the past few months and now everything has overgrown. But it’s beautiful, and there has been a lovely crop of very yellow buttercups in what is now a small meadow rather than a small lawn, I’ve really enjoyed that sight. The Californian lilac has also flowered in a pale blue. And the wild foxgloves that self-seed every year are in full bloom, a beautiful shade of pink.

I like the garden to be lush, and to have secluded spaces where I can sit on the old bench, or totally in the back under the oak tree and surrounded by nettles and foliage of montbretia foliage not yet flowering, protected by the sheds from the cooling wind. I often pick this spot for breakfast on fine days, the sun is only just hitting that spot then and it’s a lovely light. The old bench under the hawthorn tree is another one of my favourites, but I have to watch it as it is the domain of the sparrows and there are often droppings from above, not so nice in my tea.

I am not seeing many pollinators in the garden this year yet, probably because the weather has been rather unpredictable, I’m hoping they’ll come soon. I’ve seldom seen the garden so lush, or else my memory is failing me (which I doubt}. The month of May is of course the most beautiful month in Ireland, and often one of the warmest, not so this May, in fact I’ve had to light the stove today. Probably June will be better.

I’ll let you have a stroll through our garden for now. Enjoy!

Bright beauty of buttercups (Ranunculus)

Foxgloves (digitalis purpurea)

Californian lilac (Ceanonthus)

I hope to be back to my regular blog contributions, there is a lot of material which I can develop and plenty of photos to go with it. As I get used to the changes in my life I’ll get inspired again to share some of the beauty of Ireland, and of my past and future travels. And I look forward to interacting again with the blogs of all my friends and followers.

COLOUR AND TEXTURE IN THE WINTER GARDEN

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‘Every gardener know that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle, a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream’ B.Winkler

‘What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness’ John Steinbeck

‘Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous’ RUMI

Lacework of the hydrangea flowers.

‘In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy’ WILLIAN BLAKE

Totally enjoying a beautiful winter, the sky, the plants, seedheads, and all the little miracles that manifest during this time of year are a joy to behold. Winter is a time for reflection and restoration in nature and in ourselves.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and beautiful Christmas and mid-winter time, may peaceful blessings be upon you all.