GLENVIEW GARDENS IN WEST CORK

August 29, 2018 | gaiainaction

Seeing it was the last week of the holidays, we took my grandchildren for a visit to yet another fabulous garden in West Cork. This one is very child oriented and the children, of which the eldest is 11 and the youngest 3 enjoyed themselves for hours on end. For ourselves it was interesting too with so many different plants, trees – some quite exotic, and different garden landscaping ideas. The children enjoyed the hobbit house and promptly started to play ‘house’ wanting to move in and stay there forever…. they also enjoyed the huge circular lawn and seeing it was a real warm day they went lying on the grass and rolling and frolicking like there was no tomorrow. At every turn among the foliage and shrubs the children found fairy houses and other novelties which they loved. I myself noticed several butterflies among which was a peacock, only my second one this summer. There were some exotic birds and for the children there were young goats and rabbits. Plenty of benches, situated in ideal and peaceful settings made it so that anyone could enjoy this garden and I was glad to notice that. And even though it was now at summer’s end, there were still some lovely flowers in bloom, such as bright yellow Rudbeckia, dark red Dahlias, and other colourful blooms. I also noted the variety of fir and pine trees, including some lovely Larches. Some of the trees were marked with name labels. What I personally like very much too were the statues, giving the garden an old time feeling.

It was our last outing before school started today and I am sure that it will be a lovely memory for all of us. We absolutely love the gardens of West Cork, rain or shine! This time it was actually very warm and dry – but in West Cork you never know what to expect weather-wise, so we were lucky and delighted.

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SUMMER IS UPON US

June 22, 2018June 23, 2018 | gaiainaction

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I saw a heart in the sky the other day, and I would like to wish all my friends and followers love and kindness in their lives.

Lots is happening in the garden of course at this time of the year, wonderful things; strawberries ripen, some are eaten by the birds who then give us their beautiful singing in return. Basil mint is about the nicest scented mint I ever smelled, I am glad to have been given a pot of it. The empty beehive on the little roof in our next door neighbour’s garden has of today received a swarm of bees. We have to find out yet what type they are, they came buzzing around my head quite aggressively while we were drinking tea outside, so I wonder. The comfrey flowers got destroyed by a week of wind and rain and it is now all manure on some of the raised beds. There are but few flowers left in the garden at present but more are on the way to blooming.

Basil mint

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I think that there is something so nice about seeing clean linnen blowing in the wind outside, the will be so fresh when I take them in.

But more importantly here is an small update of my experiment in plot 1 and plot 2.

In Plot 1 the beans are finally growing better, they are well established and are climbing up the poles. The spinach on the other hand are bolting, though they are growing leaves too. There is a lot of wild plants growing in between the beans beside the spinach, the beans, and the radish (for the experiment). I have found double poppies and also borage plants which I want to keep so I am not touching them at the moment. In Plot 2, and there is a huge difference, there is nothing growing from under the leaf mould. I am still giving this plot seaweed fertilizer every week. I have sown radish there also. The bean plants are doing ok but they are only 42cm high whereas the ones in plot 1 are already 82cm high. So there is a marked difference between the two plots already. In plot 2 also I have found a few flowers on the beans. When not raining I give both plots water. I have also noticed that now that the leaves on the trees in the canopy above my two plots are throwing a huge amount of shadow – I think that this is interfering with the growth of my plants.

And here in the following photos are some of the other vegetables growing such as asparagus, onion, marrow, rhubarb, chard, kale, leeks, orka, several different types of herbs, and finally runner beans and broad beans. If they all do well we will not be stuck for vegetables next winter.

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This beautiful Cinnabar moth was on the leaves of the lemon balm.

CINNABAR MOTH - TYRIA JACOBAEAE

I was given this lovely window hanger by my daughter, I like it very much. White and blue (in this case the sky) are some of my favourite colours.

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And so ends my present story of my garden. I’m in the garden everyday, planting out young vegetables and tending to seedlings. I love it very much. The birds are singing, blackbirds have nests quite close by and are feeding their young. I find that the closeness to the earth and the soil is what gives me solace and is what keeps me very happy indeed. I can only say one thing about it….

IT IS PURE MAGIC!

AN UPDATE ON MY TERRACE GARDEN

October 14, 2016 | gaiainaction

The tomato plants are doing very well, and so are the lettuce though I think that it is a bit too hot for them, we shall see what comes.
The seedlings are starting to really come up, at the moment they are only as far as the cotyledons but they look healthy and it is exciting to see them grow.
The temperature is still reaching near the 30C but it feels much hotter, it is nice though that now and then there is a little breeze which brings relieve.
I have taken to picking up bits of succulent plants on the roads, this is good because I can propagate them and it is a joy to see them do well. It is fun too to discover yet another orphan lying in the dusty street of Victoria, bringing it home and giving it a new lease of life. I am really enjoying all this.