BUSY DOING NOTHING
The barometer on the hall wall has moved from Change to Rain and its feeling cold, so I am not taking any chances of starting an outside job. There’s plenty to do though, especially leaf clearing, but I think I will head out and visit another gardener and we can talk about jobs to do instead of doing them.
I pick up the phone and call Jacqueline from Willow Hill Nursery in Fahan. “Hi Jacqueline.” I am shouting. I do that quite often on the phone, I think people can hear me better. “Would you be up for a visit today?”
“Hi Ian. You’ll have a job on catching me in,” replies Jacqueline. “I am in and out at the moment, I have a lot of people to see about landscaping work and I am very busy working in houses that are up for sale. Developers are keen to get their homes sold and realise that a well-planted garden and indoor plants could make the difference between a sale and the customer walking away.”
“Yeah” I reply conversationally. “I was reading yesterday that estate agents are giving away Smart cars with their houses to entice sales. But making the garden look good is a far better way to help sales” the confirmed gardener in me is coming out.
“What else are you up to in the garden centre?” I ask. Jacqueline has a lot on. “We are really busy,” she bubbles. “There is a lot of work to on, and we have started getting young shrubs ready for next year. We are also setting up a new tunnel especially for growing bedding plants as well. We are also busy getting in the bare rooted trees.” She continues. “We are stocking hawthorn, beech and hornbeam, which are ideal for the coast. A lot of farmers buy them in bulk as part of the REPS scheme, but we do sell small quantities too. They will be ready to plant at the end of the month.”
This is interesting. “What’s the best way to plant them?” I ask.
Jacqueline continues. “The REPS recommendation is to plant the whips into the ground and cut them down to 6 inches, then push the black polythene over them. I think it will be a better idea to put the polythene in place first and then push the whips through the polythene after making a hole in the soil and plastic with a crowbar. This will reduce the risk of the buds being damaged. Whichever way it’s done, the polythene is vital for large areas as the weeds would be a real problem.” Jacqueline continues. “If you were planning a hedge in the garden you would work on the soil to improve it before planting but in a field it’s a different matter.” She advises. “Now is still a good time for planning any hedge though, Escallonia, fuchsia and griselinia will all do well”
She pauses and then adds thoughtfully. “If the ground isn’t too wet you can work in the garden for most of the year.”
“It’s great to hear that the horticultural industry is still buoyant in these unsettled financial times. Thanks for that Jacqueline” I say. I can hear that she is in the middle of a downpour and obviously getting wet through, so I let her go. She is a busy woman.
WIN THREE FABULOUS GARDENING BOOKS
The barometer on the hall wall has moved from Change to Rain and its feeling cold, so I am not taking any chances of starting an outside job. There’s plenty to do though, especially leaf clearing, but I think I will head out and visit another gardener and we can talk about jobs to do instead of doing them.
I pick up the phone and call Jacqueline from Willow Hill Nursery in Fahan. “Hi Jacqueline.” I am shouting. I do that quite often on the phone, I think people can hear me better. “Would you be up for a visit today?”
“Hi Ian. You’ll have a job on catching me in,” replies Jacqueline. “I am in and out at the moment, I have a lot of people to see about landscaping work and I am very busy working in houses that are up for sale. Developers are keen to get their homes sold and realise that a well-planted garden and indoor plants could make the difference between a sale and the customer walking away.”
“Yeah” I reply conversationally. “I was reading yesterday that estate agents are giving away Smart cars with their houses to entice sales. But making the garden look good is a far better way to help sales” the confirmed gardener in me is coming out.
“What else are you up to in the garden centre?” I ask. Jacqueline has a lot on. “We are really busy,” she bubbles. “There is a lot of work to on, and we have started getting young shrubs ready for next year. We are also setting up a new tunnel especially for growing bedding plants as well. We are also busy getting in the bare rooted trees.” She continues. “We are stocking hawthorn, beech and hornbeam, which are ideal for the coast. A lot of farmers buy them in bulk as part of the REPS scheme, but we do sell small quantities too. They will be ready to plant at the end of the month.”
This is interesting. “What’s the best way to plant them?” I ask.
Jacqueline continues. “The REPS recommendation is to plant the whips into the ground and cut them down to 6 inches, then push the black polythene over them. I think it will be a better idea to put the polythene in place first and then push the whips through the polythene after making a hole in the soil and plastic with a crowbar. This will reduce the risk of the buds being damaged. Whichever way it’s done, the polythene is vital for large areas as the weeds would be a real problem.” Jacqueline continues. “If you were planning a hedge in the garden you would work on the soil to improve it before planting but in a field it’s a different matter.” She advises. “Now is still a good time for planning any hedge though, Escallonia, fuchsia and griselinia will all do well”
She pauses and then adds thoughtfully. “If the ground isn’t too wet you can work in the garden for most of the year.”
“It’s great to hear that the horticultural industry is still buoyant in these unsettled financial times. Thanks for that Jacqueline” I say. I can hear that she is in the middle of a downpour and obviously getting wet through, so I let her go. She is a busy woman.
WIN THREE FABULOUS GARDENING BOOKS
There is no better way to while away a wet afternoon than look through a good gardening book. I have used the Dr Hessayon books for years now and find that they answer most gardening questions. Dr Hessayon’s best-selling guides have had a big influence on gardening over the past 50 years, I’ve still got some from the mid 1960’s and they are still relevant today, well apart from using DDT to get rid of blackspot.
I have three brand new editions to give away as a fabulous prize this week.
Dr Hessayon: The Bedside Book of the Garden.
Dr Hessayon: The Vegetable and Herb expert.
Dr Hessayon: The Easycare Gardening Expert.
All three of these books will be an interesting read for the lucky winner. The Bedside Book because that’s the best way to garden when it’s cold and wet, the Easycare Book is great for reluctant gardeners who would like to learn some labour saving short cuts, and the Vegetable and Herb Book because in today’s credit crunch climate, growing your own is the way to go.
To win these three fabulous books valued at over €40, all you have to do is to answer this simple question.
What is your favourite season and why?
E-mail your thoughts to me with your name and contact number, or drop it into the Inishowen Independent office in Buncrana. The closing date is in two weeks so there’s no excuse to not enter. It’s that simple. Closing date- 22nd Oct 08
Send your entries to: info@gardening.ie - or the Inishowen Independent office.
