Yet another plant enthusiast

The last few weeks have mostly been on the dry side with quick a but of sun, however the easterly sea breeze has tended to keep the heat down.  I’ve had to do some watering to encourage a few plants that prefer bog type conditions such as the variegated iris and Himalayan primulas which are shooting at the moment around the edges of my mini-pond.

Being the 3rd week in April the gooseberry sawfly larvae were in action, they are consistent with their timing I’ll say that for them.    Maybe I should look into nematodes and see if I can break their cycle so I don’t end up with green fingers having to squash them every evening during the forthcoming 2 waves.

The tulips are in the final stage of their flowering season this week I thought I would show the progression of Tulip ‘Daydream’ from yellow to orange.

Since daylight is stretching out into evenings I went for  cycle around the Phoenix Park to get some exercise in due to the lockdown and I noted a wonderful scent passing by certain parts of the roadway so following my nose it led me to tale a picture of this plant for later identification which is Smyrnium olusatrum, its common names being Black Lovage or Alexanders.   Interestingly the deer don’t seem to touch it.

In bloom this week

• Tulips (various)
• Spanish bluebells
• Aubretia
• Common blue violet
• Daffodils
• Primroses
• Wallflowers
• Honesty (Lunaria annua)
• Sweet cicely
• Dutch iris
• Aurinia Saxatilis
• Apple blossom

To do list

• Get petrol for the mower.

Spent an hour or two emptying the compost bin a laborious task with little to show for it except aching muscles in any case the job had to be done before lawn cutting season started.  I noticed Geum urbanum seems to be staging a mini come back after I rooted it all out a few years ago I applied the hand fork with extreme prejudice.  Another weed I will need to figure out how to deal with is I think Allium vineale which has invaded one of my borders to the extent it has become a nuisance.   Think I will leave that border bare next year to weed it out.

I have put down the Slug Gone pellets around some plants that sprout at this time of year that tend to be a culinary delicacy for the slugs and snails such as day lilies, Madonna lillies, Dogs tooth violet (Erythronium) and Nerines.

Stocked up with some herbaceous roots from Lidl.    As the weather was reasonable I planted some in the Greenhouse. I also assembled the Lidl polycarbonate cold frame which is somewhat delicate and would not take much abuse so I tied it down to stop the wind taking it away.

• Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’ (potted)
• Lilium ‘Rosella’s Dream’
• Rudbeckia nitada ‘Herbstsonne’ (potted)
• Hemerocallis ‘Crimson Pirate’ (potted)
• Begonia ‘Illumination Apricot’
• Tricyrtis hirata

In addition potted up Ismene ‘Sulphur Queen’ and Hippeastrum ‘Balentino’.

The weather this week has been characterised by strong winds and sub 10C temperatures. It’s unusual to get a sustained wind field like that in Dublin.  There has not been any significant frost this winter.  Despite the wind I was able to cycle over to Mr. Middletons warehouse and got some plants for the new season.

• 1 x Rose ‘Rambling Rector’ rootstock (potted on 22/02)
• 1 x Rose ‘Paul Scarlet’ rootstock (potted on 22/02)
• 1 x Rose ‘Graham Thomas’  (climber) rootstock (potted on 22/02)
• 3 x Calanthe Orchids (Pieter hybrids) – placed in cold frame.
• 1 x Iris siberica Peacock Butterfly ‘Ginger Twist’ (potted on 22/02)
• 20 x Acidanthera murielae bulbs
• 6 x Nerine bowdenii (planted in ground on 22/02)
• 2 x Lilium ‘Scheherazade’ (Orienpet Lily)

In most seasons the first of my daffodils start the flower on the last week in February, this year they are at least a week maybe two early and comparable to last year.

In bloom this week

• Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’, ‘fuscotinctus’ sieberi’, ‘mamooth yellow’, ‘tommasinianus’, ‘Blue pearl’, vernus ‘Pickwick’
  
• Daphne bholua ‘jacqueline postill’
• Viola odorata
• Hesperantha coccinea ‘Mrs Hegarty’
• Daffodils (various)
• Tulipa polychroma
• Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Giuseppe Verdi’
• Clematis armandii ‘Apple blossom’
• Mahonia

To do list

• Gooseberries – find new stock
• Pot up some plants.
• Get potting compost.

Finally got around to some gardening to start 2020.  I am thinking of digging out the old stock Gooseberries this year and replacing them with new varieties but rather than remove them for now I cut them back hard and removed all the old wood.

I pruned the roses and the apple tree since it that time, though it is probably poor timing with frosts expected for most of this week.

I finally figured out what the correct name for one of the shrubs I picked up a few years ago Daphne odora Marianii and bought Daphne gemmata ‘Royal Crown’ for some fragrance in April/May time frame.    The strongly scented Daphne bholua ‘jacqueline postill’ is currently in full bloom is are Sarcococca confusa which is also scented and Cyclamen coum.

Even some of the Crocus and snowdrops are starting to bloom after the relatively mild December.

Stocked up on seeds – Night scented stock, Lupin ‘Tutti Frutti’, Tomato ‘Sungold’, Lettuce ‘Mizuna mixed’.

In bloom this week

• Sarcococca confusa
• Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’, ‘fuscotinctus’
• Galanthus elwesii
• Cyclamen coum
• Daphne bholua ‘jacqueline postill’