Last weekend I visited our local garden center and stocked up on bulbs so I have been busy all week planting. It is not quite a year since I moved in so have used the excuse of "waiting to see what comes up" before making any drastic changes to the garden. I made a gentle start planting just a few bulbs in the rockery. Miniature daffodils, mini iris, crocus and grape hyacinth.
I bought a sack of mixed daffodils and planned to plant a large swathe across the far end of the lawn. When I tried the shiny new bulb planter I found it was not up to the job and promptly bent so is now useless. Lifting the turf with a spade was an easier task but the soil below is very stony so progress has been rather slower than I anticipated.
I still have half a sack of daffs to plant and then there are the two plum trees which will need two large holes to be dug before I can ask my wife to help me with the actual planting. Then there are more daffs, hyacinths and tulips to go into pots but that is her job.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
From old Irish habits to the Delia effect.
Here's my latest pick of gardening articles in the papers.
When is the perfect time to plant? Conventional wisdom would say the spring but what if you were overtaken by events (good excuse?) and didn't manage to carry out your plans? Read more...
The "paisin" secrets contribute to a corny story. Not a promising first line I know, but if you want a heart warming story with Italian overtones just Read more...
You will all have seen the sign "Warning - gardening can become addictive" but the benefits of gardening are more widespread that you may have thought. Read more...
THE Delia Effect is about to do for kitchen gardens what it has already done for sea salt, omelette pans and Welsh lamb says Gareth Morgan in the Western Mail. If you haven't heard of the "Delia effect" now is your chance to find out. Read more...
Once upon a time in Ireland, they dug spuds by using forks. Why? Michael Boodro tells all. Read more...
Americans aren't just overweight. They're fat. More than 30 percent of us weigh at least 30 pounds more than we should, according to the National Institute of Health. What has this got to do with gardening you may ask. Well read this article by James McWilliams and you will find out. Read more...
As always don't forget to visit The Garden Supplies Advisor and now look out for my newsletter Garden Ramblings.
When is the perfect time to plant? Conventional wisdom would say the spring but what if you were overtaken by events (good excuse?) and didn't manage to carry out your plans? Read more...
The "paisin" secrets contribute to a corny story. Not a promising first line I know, but if you want a heart warming story with Italian overtones just Read more...
You will all have seen the sign "Warning - gardening can become addictive" but the benefits of gardening are more widespread that you may have thought. Read more...
THE Delia Effect is about to do for kitchen gardens what it has already done for sea salt, omelette pans and Welsh lamb says Gareth Morgan in the Western Mail. If you haven't heard of the "Delia effect" now is your chance to find out. Read more...
Once upon a time in Ireland, they dug spuds by using forks. Why? Michael Boodro tells all. Read more...
Americans aren't just overweight. They're fat. More than 30 percent of us weigh at least 30 pounds more than we should, according to the National Institute of Health. What has this got to do with gardening you may ask. Well read this article by James McWilliams and you will find out. Read more...
As always don't forget to visit The Garden Supplies Advisor and now look out for my newsletter Garden Ramblings.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Garden Ramblings
My blog has been neglected again. My excuse this time is that I have been busy creating a newsletter for my site. The first issue was published towards the end of September and if you would like to subscribe just follow the link for
Garden Ramblings. To give you a flavor of the newsletter here is the section on "From the Papers":
Where death bulbs grow, gophers fear to tread.
According to Maureen Gilmer nasty little rodents generally avoid death bulbs of narcissus like the plague. Rooted in its name is the legendary toxicity of the bulb, derived from "narke," the ancient Greek word for deep sleep, stupor or numbness. It is also the root word for narcotic, which in this case is a paralyzing alkaloid that strikes fear in the hearts of rodents everywhere.
So why write about narcissus as we head into September? Because this is when you should be thinking about your fall-planted bulb garden. Read more...
In answer to the question Question "What should I be doing to ensure that my garden remains lush and healthy this fall?" Sarah Robertson lists the tasks under four headings Weeding, Feeding, Grooming and Planting. For the details read more...
Sarah Robertson again on extending the summer! Well not quite but she explains how exterior lighting extends that connection to the outdoors, giving people a chance to appreciate and continue using their garden even as the seasons change and natural light is at a premium. I found this a really worthwhile article. Read more...
Liz Seymour reports on Gardening's new odd couple.
How's this for an odd couple: upscale, eco-conscious gardening retailer Smith & Hawken and the Scotts Co., which makes Miracle-Gro plant food and Ortho weed and insect killer products. The company paid $72 million to buy Smith & Hawken and its debts; the sale is set to take effect Oct 1. Read more...
Maureen Gilmer tells how nature's seed provides colorful fall bounty.
It was an old custom in rural farmlands to save a bit of the harvest for the birds. Farmers growing wheat, rye, broom corn and millet would gather up sheaves of mixed grains and tie them to fence posts, where they are not so vulnerable to rodents. Read more...
Finally here's a piece about the formation of The North American Water Garden Society which aims to look after the interests of one of the fastest growing sectors of the gardening world. Read more...
To see the rest you will need to be a subscriber and there is a link on the front page of my site The Garden Supplies Advisor.
Garden Ramblings. To give you a flavor of the newsletter here is the section on "From the Papers":
Where death bulbs grow, gophers fear to tread.
According to Maureen Gilmer nasty little rodents generally avoid death bulbs of narcissus like the plague. Rooted in its name is the legendary toxicity of the bulb, derived from "narke," the ancient Greek word for deep sleep, stupor or numbness. It is also the root word for narcotic, which in this case is a paralyzing alkaloid that strikes fear in the hearts of rodents everywhere.
So why write about narcissus as we head into September? Because this is when you should be thinking about your fall-planted bulb garden. Read more...
In answer to the question Question "What should I be doing to ensure that my garden remains lush and healthy this fall?" Sarah Robertson lists the tasks under four headings Weeding, Feeding, Grooming and Planting. For the details read more...
Sarah Robertson again on extending the summer! Well not quite but she explains how exterior lighting extends that connection to the outdoors, giving people a chance to appreciate and continue using their garden even as the seasons change and natural light is at a premium. I found this a really worthwhile article. Read more...
Liz Seymour reports on Gardening's new odd couple.
How's this for an odd couple: upscale, eco-conscious gardening retailer Smith & Hawken and the Scotts Co., which makes Miracle-Gro plant food and Ortho weed and insect killer products. The company paid $72 million to buy Smith & Hawken and its debts; the sale is set to take effect Oct 1. Read more...
Maureen Gilmer tells how nature's seed provides colorful fall bounty.
It was an old custom in rural farmlands to save a bit of the harvest for the birds. Farmers growing wheat, rye, broom corn and millet would gather up sheaves of mixed grains and tie them to fence posts, where they are not so vulnerable to rodents. Read more...
Finally here's a piece about the formation of The North American Water Garden Society which aims to look after the interests of one of the fastest growing sectors of the gardening world. Read more...
To see the rest you will need to be a subscriber and there is a link on the front page of my site The Garden Supplies Advisor.
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