Sweet sweet pea

I must admit that I never really 'got' Sweet Peas. They always struck me as a strange plant. A bit wild looking, some weak and pastel like colours and very light and weakly formed flowers.

Why oh why would anyone want to grow them.

Then about 4 years ago - I got a pack of free Sweet Pea seeds with Gardeners World and I placed the seeds directly into the soil. I place a few metal spirals around them and just watched.

Great example of how sweet peas can just captivate a spot in your garden

I must admit that I was completely smitten. They were a flower machine!! They just generated flower after flower after flower for months on end. Apparently you take every flower off the bush every 10 days. We were completely inundated with flowers for that summer.

And that is where they came into their own. Not only was there a massive variation of colours - the scent was just beautiful.

Since that year - I have planted more and more and even created a place for a wall of sweet peas that I will plant this year.

Anyway - did you know that there is an incredible variety of sweet peas. Here is a selection of some of my favourites!

This variety is called Painted Lady. Apparently it dates back to the 18th century and is richly scented.

This is a variety from Eagle Sweet Peas called Centenary Collection  - lovely array of strong colours.

Robert Uvedale has large frilly pink blooms. It is named after the Enfield teacher who brought the sweet pea to the UK in 1699.

Orange Dragon is one of the few orange varieties of Sweet Pea. It has long stems and is perfect for filling jugs of flowers during the summer months.

Finally, don't forget about the beautiful pristine Mrs Collier. This heirloom sweet pea has been around since the early 1900s and for a very good reason. They are so perfect looking and have a strong scent. A must for every Sweet Pea lover.

Raised vegetable beds - a higher form of gardening!

I only discovered the joys and advantages of raised beds for my vegetables recently - and now I don't think I would grow them any other way.

Raised beds are fantastic for veg and the soil will warm up a lot quicker and therefore your growing season is longer and earlier.

Also, if you are particular about allowing weeds into your veg patch - the raised beds are great as they give specific boundaries and is a lot easier to manage.

Generally I would recommend that beds are not wider than 3 ft if you can only access from 1 side or 4 ft if you can access from both sides. Otherwise they are too wide and you will have to stand on the soil which is a complete no no!!! You don't want to compress the soil if you can help it.

If you are thinking of designing some raised beds here is some inspiration.

These beds are about 2ft high - an awful lot easier on your back and the paving around them makes them accessible at all times - even when you are wearing your Sunday best!!

Personally, I wouldn't be too keen on these ones. The space between them is really small and would be hard to get around them and impossible to bring a barrow around them etc..

There are raised beds.... and there are raised beds!! These look fantastic!

Of course, you don't have to use sleepers or timber planks for the edges. Logs or cement blocks can be equally effective.









If you are thinking of building a raised bed then you should definitely check out Gary Pilarchik's video.

Rustic Kitchen Gardens

I love the look and feel to a rustic kitchen garden.  When they are done properly they should be inviting and pull you into it. I have pulled together a selection of gardens below that hopefully will give you some ideas as you think of what you will do to your garden this year.

Lovely gates and wooden railings define the boundary and make you want to enter.

Nice symmetry here and the cloches are really nice

Really simple idea of an entrance that completely changes the look and feel of the garden.

Who ever said that gardens all have to be identical or rectangular in shape??

Don't forget height when you are designing your vegetable garden!

And of course -don't forget colour.  Marigolds are super in a garden as they keep greenfly away. There are plenty of complementary plants and flowers that you can and should include.

My poly heaven

The biggest addition that I made to my garden was definitely the purchase of my polytunnel. It is absolutely fantastic. There is no better feeling that when you can potter in there and listen to the wind and rain battering off the plastic – knowing that without it I would probably be stuck inside the house.

After many months of saving and research I decided to go with First Tunnels UK - http://www.firsttunnels.co.uk/. They were super and I would thoroughly recommend them. There was no hassle and even thought there were some errors in the order – they resent the replacements immediately.

The delivery arrived and there was boxes everywhere. It was a daunting challenge – but luckily I had the help of some very good friends and family.  I had cleared the site (quite a big one considering the tunnel was 14ft x 25ft.)

The hoops went first – they were fine. It took 2 of us to put them in – but the challenge was to make sure that they were the exact distance apart from us – something that we didn’t really appreciate until a lot later on!!

After a lot of hard work (and cold fingers – it was February!!) we got the structure up. I even had some very able helpers!!!

The next stage was the plastic. This was a nightmare. In the end we did an ok job – but there was definitely some flapping plastic. We got the aluminum railing – they are supposed to be better. However I have seen the wooden ones in operation and I would probably go for these if I had a choice again.

This is Cormac, my father in law, who was a great help

Many hands make light work - this was attaching the plastic to the steel railings - very stressful!

There were four of us at this stage – definitely the more the merrier.

Being helped by Pippa – our gorgeous chocolate labrador

The kids loved helping build it.

It was definitely an ordeal – but absolutely worth it. I couldn’t believe the instant heat that was generated – even when we just through it over the bars and before it was tightened up.

I will post some more pics etc of what I did inside the tunnel – that took me a long time too. But if you are even considering getting a polytunnel – do it!! I couldn’t recommend it more.

Snowdrops - the winter jewels

According to Wikipedia, the Snowdrop (Galanthus - Greek gála "milk", ánthos "flower") "is a small genus of about 20 species of bulbous herbaceous plants in thefamily Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Most flower in winter, before the vernal equinox (20 or 21 March in the Northern Hemisphere), but certain species flower in early spring and late autumn. Snowdrops are sometimes confused with their relatives, snowflakes, which are Leucojum and Acis species”

However to me they just warm my heart as it means that the worst of winter is over and that Spring is on its way!

If you were thinking about getting snowdrops into your garden for this year then unfortunately you are too late – but, believe it or not, you absolutely should start thinking about 2015!!

Snowdrops are actually one of the easiest flowers to plant – and they should be done when they are “in the green”.

This means that you find a friend who has plenty of snowdrops and won’t mind giving you some. They you wait until they have finished flowering and then you dig up the bunch of bulbs. Be careful now – you don’t want to damage the little pearly white bulbs. Essentially, just split the bunch into two and take ½ of them. Make sure that you keep all the leaves etc.

Put them into a bag and make sure that you plant them into your garden as quickly as possible – don’t let them dry out. 

Pick a planting position that is not water-logged. Generally speaking, snowdrops will grow in any soil once there is no sitting water.

Place then gently into the soil and water them. This is very important as you want to establish root contact with the soil. Leave them completely alone and let the green leaves etc die back.

Come back next Winter and you should see the gentle heads starting to peep up through the soil!!

Easy. Happy planting and I hope that your snowdrops bring you many happy years!

Fantastic photographs of Nature

We all love the hayday of summer when the sun beats down and the flowers are in full bloom. It seems a long way away today - however check out this link from The Telegraph. RHS Photographer of the Year

A fantastic selection of beautiful images. I particularly love the Winter scene by the lake

Lavender - an aromatic feast

Lavender is a must for every garden.

I absolutely love it when it lines the edges of a patch and then every time you walk along the edge and brush against it – you receive a blast of lavender.  In my opinion, every garden should have some somewhere. Even if you don’t like the smell – the colours alone make it a must have. 

The vivid purple and sensational smell make it a must have in every garden.

If you are planting it you should do so between April and May. It thrives in poor or moderately fertile, free-draining alkaline soils in full sun. On heavier soils, like clay and clay loam, lavender tends to be fairly short-lived, becoming woody at the base. To prolong the life of your lavender on heavier soil, add organic matter and gravel to improve the drainage and plant on a mound. If growing as a hedge, plant on a ridge to keep the base of the plants out of wet soil.

Brighten up your footpath with Wood!

I am always looking for some new and interesting ways to liven up my garden. I came across this lovely post from Practic Ideas. It is all about using Wood in the Garden.

I love the footpath - really simple but great idea. Check out the blog here - http://www.prakticideas.com/using-wood-in-the-garden/

Great idea for a path. http://www.prakticideas.com/using-wood-in-the-garden/

Don't forget about the Soil!

January is a strange month in the garden. After getting through a relatively mild November and December you allow yourself to start getting excited at the thought of Spring getting close.

Then the January cold sets in. This morning the place is white with snow and it has been bitterly cold. January is all about patience… it can be a complete waste doing certain things. Unfortunately patience is not one of my virtues and I have already planted seeds. They probably won’t grow but let’s see.

During days like this the best thing to do is to read up and plan for the spring days. Last night I read a fantastic article about soil. I got it from a great blog call My Tiny Plot. It is on all of our gardens and we definitely need to spend my more time working it up.

My soil has too much clay so I am slowly trying to add materials to it to try and improve it. Loam is the ultimate goal and the chart in the article shows exactly why it is so hard to achieve.

Have a read and start planning for those Spring days which are getting closer every day.

Here is the link to the blog - http://mytinyplot.com/master-gardener/all-about-soil-structure/

Surprise - Spring bulbs coming early!

Spring is absolutely one of the best and most exciting times of the year.

I finally managed to get out into my garden at the weekend and I was so excited to see some of my bulbs starting to peep through. I was expecting to see some snowdrops - and I was not disappointed. There were loads of them coming up - but I was a bit surprised to see them still quite small.

However - the big news was my Daffs. I couldn't believe how developed they were in places. Some of them were about 2 inches above the ground and there could be a flower before the end of January. Definitely early for the middle of Ireland.

I have others in pots with bulbs and they are coming along nicely - but the ones planted in the ground are always slower. A few years ago I succession planted my posts with crocus, daffodils and tulips. Best thing ever and it guarantees me 3 months of flowers at my doorstep. I will write a blog shortly about how to plant one.

How are your spring bulbs going?

Daffodils peeping through

Snowdrops

Sowing seeds

Egg cartons are fantastic containers for some seeds

It is getting close to that time when we start the mass seed planting!! (Exciting times!!)

One thing that I always struggle with is getting enough seed containers. Regardless of how many I but I never have enough.

One great thing for propagating seeds are egg cartons. They can give the seedling just enough support and then you can tear each segment and place it in the ground. Just be careful that you only use small seeds. Large ones wont have enough support for the seedlings.

Happy planting!

Egg shells - perfect for tomatoes

Of all the fruit and vegetables that I grow during the year - I get most pleasure from Tomatoes. I absolutely love the whole process - from selecting the seeds, germinating, growing the seedlings, transplanting, and then watching them grow to produce fantastic fruit.

Blossom Rot is so annoying. After all the waiting - there is nothing more disappointing to see the fruit die and wither before it gets a chance to develop. The cause of the rot is normally a lack of calcium.

Egg shells are full of calcium and we normally have loads of them being thrown out during the year. (Egg shells are also great at keeping slugs at bay - but we can talk about that again!) However, you need to treat your shells in order to allow the calcium to be released into a usable format.

Gary Pilarchik has created this video to show you how to do it. I highly recommend that you take 7 minutes to watch this!

Garlic - planting tips

Fresh Garlic can be absolutely gorgeous. However, I have found it quite difficult to grow. Sometimes they didn't divide and then when they did - the bulbs were all quite small.

Courtesy of +Rated People here is a short (2 min) video from Toby Buckland giving tips.  Get planting!!

The Intelligent Bean

There is no doubt that plants are absolutely fascinating. Anyone has ever grown beans will know about their incredible ability to latch onto poles and structures around them.

Check out this brilliant video.   Do Bean Plants Show Intelligence? New Yorker

New Year Resolution!

OK - I am giving this one more go. I have tried and failed to get a blog going for a few years now - always in January when I am full of good intentions.

My mission this time is to change my MO. It will not just be about me - but will also feature interesting articles and snippets that I see on the web and elsewhere. Of course, I will try and update some posts on my adventures in my garden at home - but I reckon that the pressure on doing that is what made me fail.

So - no pressure this time! I promise to keep bringing you relevant and interesting information from across the blog-a-sphere and internet! My one request to you - please let me know that you are reading it. Just click like or +1 or comment or whatever.  Of course I would love to know what makes you read this site - so any comments, tips, words of wisdom or whatever would be gratefully appreciated!

Thanks,

JJ