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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This year has absolutely flown! It seems like yesterday that I was thinking about sparkly lights, my annual colour scheme for my Christmas decorations, and getting excited about the wonderful fun of Christmas gifting. I love gathering clues throughout the year, taking note of what the people in my life like and collecting gifts which will hopefully make their faces light up with joy. When it comes to gardeners or
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Did you know that the daisy is one flower which grows everywhere in the world except the Antarctic? When I came across this fact again during my research for a recent project I’m working on I was reminded why the daisy is one of my absolute favourite flowers. Surely a plant which grows in the heat of an Australian landscape will struggle in the much cooler Canadian landscape? But this
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Get inspired by master plantsman Jimi Blake and plant your own border of jewels I love this time of the year. The garden is still full of colour and flashes of colour surprise and yet there is a change in the air. Waking this morning I saw a misty fog drifting over the lake, a sign of chilly air coming in. Arriving perfectly in time for back to school days
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Great gardens reflect the people that create them. This statement is something which I think of every time I visit a new garden. Particularly those gardens that make you stop for a moment and admire their uniqueness, gardens truly are an expression of the creators personality. Much like people’s homes, gardens are spaces where people can continue to express their style and lifestyle in a unique and interesting way and
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Why our roadside perennials make more than just pretty borders Thought you knew the plants that grow on our roadsides? Well, I certainly thought I was familiar with most of them. That was, until I started to look a little closer and realised that our native roadside perennials are anything but simple. The other day, as part of my research for my ‘Native hedgerows’ series, I looked a little closer
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