Garden Explorations!

Head Gardener has been doing some horticultural exploring and found Derreen Gardens on the Beara Pensinsula in Co. Kerry, Ireland.  Home to the largest collection of naturalised tree ferns in the Northern Hemisphere!  Despite it being December, it is a fabulous place to visit with literally forests of mature tree fern specimens.  If you're ever in the area then this is THE place to

 visit: https://www.derreengarden.com/.

Being December, our expectations weren't exactly high and so it was a really lovely surpise to find such a magical garden in such scenic surroundings.

Garden Birthday Bonanza!

Hellebore 'Diva' in a faux lead pot

Head Gardener is still in a sling and feeling a tad fed up with not being able to get on with the usual seasonal jobs - sigh!  The garden has suffered one of the wettest autumns and the ground is still so wet, it 'sings'.  There are leaves fallen leaves EVERYWHERE and the Yew topiary by the back door remains untrimmed - for the very first time at this time of year.

However today I did manage some potting left handed and it took 10 times longer than usual!

Acers - Osakazuki & Beni Komachi in their new pots

Having been given a couple of Acers for my birthday, I spent some birthday money on some pots for them and also a Hellebore. Two glazed pots for £10 and a really big English grown Gold Standard  'Diva' for £15. For the Acers,  I used a mix of ericaceous potting medium, grit and JI No 3 with a top dressing of horticultural grit.  Hopefully both will thrive when they're put outside in the spring.  For now, they'll remain in a cold greenhouse.

After all the excessive rainfall we've had to endure,  for the past few days, we've been enjoying a well deserved spell of dry weather with some remarkable sunrises and sunsets.  Sadly using a camera left handed is nearly impossible and using a phone isn't much better!

Sunset from the garden tool shed verandah.

Rescuing an Oak!

The 2014 rescue.

Totally obscured oak.

In 2014 an oak tree was rescued from its neighbouring thugs.  Fast growing Leylandii conifers had practically starved the oak tree of all light on one side and it was leaning desperately searching for more light.  The side adjacent to the conifers was bare of branches and when the conifers were topped, the poor old oak did look a one sided, sad and spindly specimen. Today, as the sun was attempting to show itself, I couldn't help but notice the improvement. Five years on, the little oak now has branches on both sides albeit a tad short on the conifer side. Oaks are so slow growing, they need extra care not less!

5 years later & thriving once again.

Perfect Plant Presents!

Following a significant (ahem!) birthday, Head Gardener is now the lucky owner of a David Austin 'The Lady Gardener' shrub rose and 2 Acers - Acer Palmatum Beni Komachi and Acer Palmatum Osakazuki!  Who's a lucky girl?  I also have some garden vouchers and have decided to spend them on pots for the Acers - good idea or good idea???

Beni Komachi 

Osakazuki

Beni Komachi is a densely branched dwarf and slow growing variety whose intensely coloured leaves remain bright red for most of the year.  Osakazuki is a bigger and more open growing specimen - approx 5' after 10 years.  Again, a bright red leaf in autumn but bigger and not as curly as Beni Komachi.

Always good to have a pop of red!

The Lady Gardener

The Lady Gardener is an apricot repeat flowering shrub rose which, usefully for us, tolerates some shade.  I have just the spot for it!  No wonder we gardeners are such an optimistic breed.  There's always so much to which to look forward!!

THE FRUSTRATED GARDENER!

Head Gardener is recuperating following some major shoulder surgery so, frustratingly, garden work is presently out of bounds - sigh!  So... here's a what's happening.  Not a lot.  There's tons to do and  I'm trying not to think about all the leaf clearing that needs doing!!

Autumn Golds.

This year, I'm wondering if the autumn colours have been more spectacular than usual or: have I had a whole year to forget last year's colours? Even looking out of the windows, the garden has been ablaze with colour and the surrounding cider apple orchards are just pure gold!

With the mild weather, I certainly haven't needed a single excuse to find a garden job but then, that's true anyway!  If it's a toss up between indoor and outdoor jobs; outdoor always wins hands down! Leaves are falling fast now so the leaf mould pile is getting bigger!

Thinking of Spring

I thought I'd finished planting bulbs until some Pheasants Eye Narcissus bulbs arrived late from Parkers and then guess what!  Tammy popped over from Stockton Bury Gardens to pick up some calligraphy and gave me some tulip bulbs.  They were the fattest, plumpest most lucious looking bulbs I've seen this season.  I must ask more about their origins!  I'fe always loved the Pheasant Eye variety for their wonderful perfume and their bright eye.  They're also much later than most Narcissus

Pheasants Eye Narcissus

There was nothing for it but to enlist some help (new bionic shoulder now on order!) lugging heavy pots and compost.  I'm pleased to say that they're now all planted in some gritty well draining potting medium and top dressed with some horticultural grit. Very smart. 

Roll on spring!