Garden Pests

 Helix aspersa, the common garden snail

My lettuce crop is under severe threat from blasted slugs and snails. Nocturnal attacks have really taken their toll on my poor helpless lettuce plants. I refuse to use slug pellets of chemicals on organic principles. So over the last few months we have tried everything else. River Cottage inspired night time slug hunting expeditions have been about the most disgusting and yet probably the most successful. The only equipment required under the cover of darkness is a flash light to spot the blighters, gloves, tongs or trowel and a bucket of water. I will leave the gruesome details to your imagination!

My Garden Hero

 

Diarmuid Gavin’s West land Magical Garden: the journey begins. 

 

 

 

 

 

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My gardening hero, Diarmuid Gavin made a series of short videos documenting  the progress of his Chelsea Flower Show entry for 2012. Diarmuid's 2012 project was as ever, controversial. Known as 'Diarmuid Gavin's magic pyramid' by some and as 'his enormous erection by others'. The theme behind the project is based on the principle of vertical gardening and the ideology of shared green space in urban environments. Diarmuid says the new design is inspired by ideas of sustainability and city living, as well as the cramped apartment blocks from Hitchcock's Rear Window. Apart from the fact that Rear Window is one of my all time favorite films. I am including this video for a couple of reasons. Firstly because I genuinely admire Diarmuid's approach to garden design. He will always come up with something thought provoking. Secondly because we share a love of the Wicklow landscape, notice the breath taking view of the Sugar Loaf in the background. Thirdly because my garden actually features in some background clips, watch out for the wildest looking garden in Wicklow apart from Diarmuid's own that is.

Some Of The Other Residents

The Madra Rua Clan

As promised in the last post, it's now time to introduce some of the other residents of my wicklow garden. Yesterdays' post about fox gloves reminded me that I must mention our family of foxes, the Madra Rua Clan. They are a fairly illusive family and as we are surrounded by gorse there are plenty of places for them to hide out. Every evening between seven and eight thirty they parade across the rocks in front of the house on their way to or from somewhere. I have been advised that they are most probably heading out on a bin raiding mission though I do worry for the neighbour's hens down the road. They are quite comfortable in close proximity to the house and sometimes the cub will even linger and play a little to our amusement but not to the liking of my two dogs! We don't allow the dogs out until they are well gone as we our not sure who would come off the worse, our dogs are only little and foxes can be mean as well as clever. More about other residents later.

Digitalis

 Foxglove Digitalis purpurea

Wild Wicklow Foxgloves

Compliments of Mother Nature :
A corner of my garden has been taken over by tall, elegant, beautifully scented foxgloves. They are shades of purple and pink and some are pure white. Although beautiful to look at foxglove is well known to be poisonous.
Despite that, this plant has been found of enormous use in medicine.  It has been used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.
Known by a variety of names such as 'Fairy thimbles', in counties Fermanagh and Cavan, you are not supposed to bring Foxgloves into the house as they are deemed to be unlucky.

The name foxglove is from the old English name "foxes glofa." It comes from an old myth that foxes must have used the flowers to magically sheath their paws as they stealthily made their nocturnal raids into the poultry yards of rural folk. The association is natural for the foxgloves grew on the wooded hillside slopes that foxes chose for their dens. This will lead to a further post relating to some other garden residents. Foxgloves are a biennial plant (it blooms the second year, then dies),  nevertheless it has the same performance as an enduring perennial because it reseeds so readily that every year the dramatic flower spikes will hopefully appear in the garden.

Straw Bale Gardening?

This one is news to me, but I have to say I love the simplicity and am very curious. Basically your average run of the mill straw bale becomes magically transformed through organic wizardry into a super fertile, weed free, pest free container garden. This idea is particularly appealing to me because my Wicklow garden is very rocky and arid and not at all suitable for vegetable growing. Also the bit of extra height would make things much easier on the backbone.
Farmers beware ! I've got my eye on your bales!
Bales away

1 day to BLOOM

Ireland's answer to the Chelsea flower show kicks off tomorrow in the Phoenix Park Dublin.
This is Ireland's largest garden, food and family event and will run for 5 days over the bank holiday weekend.
Check it out here

Primula Denticulata

Primula Denticulata var.alba

The white "drum stick" primula is suitable for any garden where the soil is neutral or acid and does not dry out in summer. It blooms from mid-spring through to summer. First scientifically recorded in 1804, it is commonly found in a fairly wide area of Asia from Afghanistan to Bhutan and into China. More recently spotted far far away form its Himalayan home, courtesy of my local garden centre, in a corner of county Wicklow, Ireland.