The top shelf will fill up between now and Paddy’s Day.
Wednesday
Month: Feb 2024
Six-on-Saturday: February 2024 Week 4
Featuring: alyssum, apple shoots, a lone crabapple, lettuce, moss, and powerwashing.
I am retired but my weeks are busy. Increasingly during February I’m busy in the garden for short daily bursts. I’m busy too with meetings, book readings and creative opportunities. This week has been exceptionally busy. There were some added chores including car repair, book emails, handwritten letters, and further failed efforts to reorganise my website.
Now it’s time to focus on SIX. This week’s offering excites me. I do hope you enjoy it. Ar aghaidh linn… Off we go…
Powerwashed Patio
Changed utterly. A terrible beautiful patio is reborn. The powerwashing is finished. Moving all pots and planters amounted to more lifting than I’ve had in the gym since Christmas and still they lie higgeldy piggeldy waiting for my energy reserves to be replenished. The blue bin and the Budda are not normally side by side and the path to the shed is gridlocked. Next week I’ll show the end result. My plan is for a radical shake up.
Moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss, and inversely the moss on this stone is there for a reason. Nature ingeniously fills the void.
Crabapple
Up close with a decaying Crabapple. There were several flies in and around this but I seem to have scared them off.
Lettuces
My best guess it I’ll be having homegrown lettuce for lunch in about three weeks. In case you’re wondering, I’ve put a few obstacles to deter the curious blackbird. She loves to scatter soil looking for delicious food beneath.
Apple Buds
My intention was to get a decent shot of the emerging apple shoots. I did but both shoots are slightly blurred. So, as a means of turning my disappointment to a positive, I changed focus to the lichen growing on the bough. Delighted with myself!
Technically, the shoots are not blurred, merely the shot. Operator error once more. I’m considering self-flagellation.
Nesting Material
Here lie the mortal remains of last summer’s white Alyssum. Although I’m tempted to tidy it away I’ll leave it for the birds. Nest construction has commenced so I’ll keep a watchful eye for activity. Many of the wild grasses have been trimmed back and the clippings are strewn about in as higgeldy piggeldy a fashion as the pots.
Summary
Páraig
Primrose Lore
(republished from another of my defunct blogs, written in 2019).
Garden centres are gearing up for the mad rush and gardeners are gearing up for visits to garden centre. Its a win-win situation.
Before the mad rush, I visited my local Country Life yesterday and came away with nineteen plants for a tenner. A single Aubretia Kitte Blue, a container of twelve cauliflowers and six beautiful promroses. The variety is unknown. While primroses are generally known to be yellow, it’s not always the case: there are so many varieties and colours available now.
I chose the stunningly vibrant lilac/pink ones standing erect on tall stems. The petals are so precisely formed, and right in the centre is a contrasting yellow. Within an hour, I had planted them into larger pots and they look great among the other spring plants.
Later, during the course of several gun battles on television, I elected to open up my Irish Wild Plants book. Primroses are given a chapter to themselves. Here are some items of information relating to them:
- Long ago in Ireland, people used to hang a string of primroses over the door at the start of May. It was said that the primroses would protect the house as the fairies were not able to pass.
- In many places primroses given as a gift should be a very full bunch or else misfortune would ensue, and a single primrose brought into a house was an omen of death.
- In herbal medicine primroses were considered useful to treat jaundice, insomnia, tuberculosis, toothache and anxiety.
- Coughs in horses were cured using crushed primrose roots strained in breast milk and put into the horses’ nose frequently!
- In Irish it’s name is sabhaircín (pronounced sour-keen)
- Finally, the Druids often carried primroses during their Celtic rituals as a protection from evil. Fragrant primrose oils were used to purify and anoint during these ancient rites.
P.
Hellebores
It’s a wet and windy Thursday but the Hellebores continue regardless.
Six-on-Saturday: February Week 1
Daffodils, Verbascum, Aucuba, Agapanthus, rhubarb and Pieris.
It’s the 5th week of the year and we are into February. Already there’s a noticeable cock’s step. In Irish, we call it ‘léim an choiligh’ , or in slang ‘The Grand Oul Stretch’. Since the Solstice we’ve got about 20 minutes extra daylight in the morning and 50 before sunset. That’s not to be sneezed at. Plants are responding well too.
Can someone answer me this?
Why are extra morning and evening minutes not evenly distributed?
Here are six that are among the said responders:
1. Aucuba
This is Spotted Laurel, officially Aucuba japonica. The variety is ‘Rozannie‘. This may be a misprint of Rozanne which would sound better. It’s doing well in the front garden, laden with large red berries.
Most of the berries are hidden within the shrub. For sure, I’ll propagate it at the right time. Must go check when that is.
2. Agapanthus
One hundred and forty two skeletonised Agapanthus stems. Yes, I counted as I gently pulled them away. Some are damaged or very weak, so I’ll filter them out. I may have enough left for two bouquets.
3. Rhubarb
In a sheltered corner, the rhubarb is thriving. I did cover it with a bucket during the very cold weather last month. I am debating keeping a lid on it to force it for earlier dessert with custard.
4. Pieris
I love variegated evergreens. Pieris japonica ‘Little Frosty’.
5. Verbascum
Successful germination of Verbascum. Crikey, it’s as if I’m taking credit for what happens naturally, but I did all the right things to help. Heated propagator at 20°C, pressed the seeds on the compost without covering them. This, as you can see, is Verbascum phoeniceum ‘Violetta’. All going well, I’ll be sure to feature it in June. Verbascum is commonly known as Mullein. Here’s a shot of Verbascum ‘Snowy Spires’ from last year, grown from seed in 2022.
6. Any Day Now
It’s their time! I’m guessing other northern Six-on-Saturday bloggers will feature a daffodil or two today. I’m not a betting man, yet I’m offering odds of 1:3.
Summary
Pop over to Jim’s Site to discover more Six-on-Saturday updates. Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy some time in the garden.
