I have always been fascinated with water lilies. Many years ago as a child I visited a botanic garden in France and marvelled at the stunning colours of the tropical varieties in the glasshouses. Vivid pinks, striking purples and snow whites, seeming to float just above the water, these rare and exotic plants fascinated me no end. Even today I find water lilies one of the most mysterious and exotic
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Nothing says Autumn like the spires of ornamental grass in the garden. At this time of the year, when our September gardens are having a final flush of delicious perennial colour, grasses slowly start coming into their own. Plumes of fluffy flower heads are emerging and gracing perennial borders with frothy texture and elegant movement, seeming to float above the reds, yellows and burnt oranges of late blooming flowers. I
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I love the changing of seasons. There is something truly magical about watching the garden gradually change from one season to another. Colour tones shifting in their greens, textures emerging or softening and small explosions of colour surprise. A well designed garden space is a tapestry of ever changing planting which changes gradually, through morphing of shapes, merging textures and of course the constant opening and fading of blooms. Our
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One of my earliest memories in the garden is picking fresh apples from a tree in my friend’s garden. Drawn in by the shiny red and perfectly imperfect spheres, we picked a couple and when I bit into the small fruit, the taste was a totally different one from shop bought apples. Tangy yet sweet and distinctly apple-like and yet it was fresher than any other apple I had every
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Many of us enjoy planting some fruit or vegetables in our gardens. Growing something together as a family and seeing the seeds turn to plants, through to the harvest and all the way to our table is an incredibly wholesome and rewarding experience, one which teaches us patience and respect for the things we eat on an everyday basis. Also, anyone who has ever cooked with their own vegetable will
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How a local regeneration project in the rural countryside has put Leitrim on the map Yesterday I had a lovely day. Just back from a trip away I was heading to check on a recently completed planting job, expecting to make some final snag lists on mulching, weeding and pruning and then head off again. Instead, I found this particular design happily settling into the borders- weeding complete, beds mulched
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Today I spotted the first leaf buds on the trees outside my office window. These tiny nibs of tightly-furled green always send a tickle of excitement through my veins. Are we really that close to Spring? To daffodils and April sunshine and my first salty surf of the year? While we have one of the mildest Winters in a long time and a seemingly early onset of Spring, the optimistic
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This morning I came across a picture of my garden last Summer. A lush green canvass full of happy dots of purple and pink and looking at out the window at the Winter garden now, it almost feels like I dreamed it. Is it really possible that a garden can be so vastly different? In a way this is what I love most about gardens, the changing seasons and the
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The other morning while wandering in the garden I had this odd sensation that something was different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but when I spotted a huge pile of leaves in one corner it hit me- where the previous day the scene still had accents of copper and yellow leaf, today there was absolutely no foliage left on any of the trees in the garden. This
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I can’t believe it’s December! With the weather getting colder and the garden almost stripped back to a blank canvass, while I am ready to get excited about Christmas, I can’t seem to let my garden sleep just yet. I love planning ahead at this time of the year and planting some shrubs for colour now will really pay off all Winter long – as well as getting a head
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