The soft mist is relentless, fine droplets rapidly dancing against my face. My initial reaction is to quicken pace, my mission is to retrieve something from my van, the destination a whole 50m away. Just as pull the zip up to its full collar limit, and I grimace in annoyance at the wet world, gentleContinue reading “Emergence into a misty evening”
Tag Archives: gardening
Vertical Spring
I took a few pictures of my vertical planting for a talk to a garden club that I am giving tonight. They planters were made from old 5l plastic water bottles, chicken wire and weed control fabric. Recent research from Harvard reports that people who live in areas with more leaves and plant life aroundContinue reading “Vertical Spring”
Two little big surprises from seed
We made a list of all the plants that we are currently growing in our container garden. Some of the plants we brought with us from our old garden. Included in these are a number of plants that we raised from seed. When growing plants from seed, each one is genetically distinct from the others.Continue reading “Two little big surprises from seed”
“Why do you garden?”- My Answer
Would you garden if you had no garden? What if you were imprisoned, locked away for life, unjustly, punished out of hate? Would you ask your captors for compost, for pots, for seeds? And if they let you, would you share your earthly bounty with your jailers? One man did. And in his actions heContinue reading ““Why do you garden?”- My Answer”
National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin, November 17th 2012
A beautiful sunny day in the National Botanic Gardens. I was there with students today. Lots of nice autumnal colour, some flowers and fruits too.
Lonicera nitida – learning to love it
I thought it was a box hedge that we were chopping. We had a saw, a shears and even an axe. It was a family event. My dad was cutting the thick stems with the saw while questioning the wisdom of the act. My mother directed the operations, ensuring him that it had to beContinue reading “Lonicera nitida – learning to love it”
Testing Soil for pH…its easy!
pH. Two letters, one small, one big, not even a proper word. Yet, it is a term every gardener should be familiar with. Whether you grow vegetables, fruit or ornamentals, knowing the pH allows you to select the right plants for your garden and to maintain soil fertility at the optimum for better crops. pHContinue reading “Testing Soil for pH…its easy!”
Ciaran The Gardener 