Laura, Seon, Mary, Brendan and Rose collecting blooms for Daffodil Day in Buncrana
TOP GARDENING TIP 1
There’s no need to be too tidy under hedges; keep a rough area to encourage wildlife. Keep a pile of logs or branches to rot down and an uncut grass area with a few weeds.
PLANNING A GARDEN
Some of the best-designed gardens in the country have come, not from professional training, but by trial and error. Over the years dedicated gardeners will plant shrubs, lay paths, create herbaceous borders and put in water features. Then the next year everything could change. The garden is a living thing and like all of us, changes all the time (hopefully for the better)There are as many designs for gardens as there are gardeners and some people wouldn’t dream of doing anything in the garden unless a professional landscaper was present. A garden designer could save you a lot of time and money, as they know the pitfalls of poor planning in the garden, they will listen to your ideas and then put them into a workable plan.
If you choose to go it alone you can create your own ideas. Put them down on paper first. If they don’t work you can try something different. You can start on a small area of the garden first, maybe a flower border or raised bed for some salad vegetables. If you decide to get in the big boys or hire machinery to get the garden levelled, check out the local hire shops. Remember to have fun.
TOP TEN FLOWERING SHRUBS FOR SPRING
All of these shrubs do exceptionally well in Inishowen. Check out the fine examples at your local garden centre.
Azalea. Avaliable in many varieties and colours. The Japanese hybrids are wonderful when grown together.
Berberis. Spiky evergreen plants look great all year round.
Chaenomeles japonica. Japanese Flowering Quince. The flowers are large pink, red or white and the shrub produces quince fruit that can be made into jelly.
Forsythia. Beautiful yellow flowers emerge before the leaves emerge.
Hammemelis intermedia. Witch hazel flowers before the leaves in yellows or oranges clustered down the twigs.
Lilac. Lilacs have a strong scent that carries quite a distance. Although classed as a tree they make a fine addition to the spring collection.
Mahonia aquifolium . Spiky evergreen shrubs with spiky leaves and yellow flowers.
Ribes sanguineum. Pink flowering currant.
Rhododendron. Evergreen shrubs range from 30cm to 10 metres. Early varieties are in full bloom now.
Viburnum Pieris japonica. An evergreen with white or pink flowers in tumbling clusters of bell shapes. The new leaves are a strong red colour.
TOP GARDENING TIP 2
Take your time removing winter mulch and cutting back evergreen plants such as lavender. There’s still time for a cold spell and there could still be a frost.
IN THE FLOWER GARDEN
Now is the time to:
Leave daffodil foliage intact for at least six weeks after flowering to regenerate bulbs, so they'll bloom again next year.
Sprinkle organic fertiliser around clumps of tulips.
Fill up those gaps in flower beds with primulas and polyanthus.
Prune forsythia and flowering currants as soon as flowers have faded.
Plant out groups of gladioli and begonias in borders.
Sow sweet peas directly outside at the base of obelisks or supports.
Plant out perennials in groups of three, five or seven. Odd numbers look better.
Sow hardy annual flowers directly into beds.
IN THE VEGGIE PATCH
Now it’s time to...
Sow seeds of dwarf and climbing beans in deep pots or cardboard toilet roll tubes filled with compost.
Plant new asparagus beds, they will take time to mature,but it’s worth the wait.
Continue planting potatoes, shallots and onion sets.
Feed spring cabbage with a high-nitrogen fertiliser.
Feed fruit trees and bushes.
Check out the garden centres to see what veggie plants are for sale.
IN THE GARDEN
Now it’s time to...
Check tree ties are not too tight or cutting into bark, and loosen if necessary
Cut back any overgrown ivy, it can be a pest on trees and take the plaster off of your walls.
Freshen up the garden by pressure washing patios and driveways.
Snip plain green shoots off variegated shrubs Spread a compost mulch around border plants to suppress weeds, grass cuttings can be used too.
Put pond pumps and fountains back into pools, thoroughly cleaning filters first.
The ground is drying so you can lay turf or sow new lawns from seed .
Clean out bird baths and top up with fresh water.
TOP GARDENING TIP 3
Work with nature. Grow native plants, which will thrive in Inishowen. Ask your local garden centre about the best plants for your garden
TOP GARDENING TIP 4
Don’t become green with envy when you see your neighbour with the latest gadget…. This year, less is more….
How to be an ethical gardener
It’s more important than ever to be environmentally conscious in the garden. Here are a few ideas to help you along the way.
Avoid nitrogen-rich fertilisers - they require large amounts of fossil fuel to make and emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more powerful than CO2
Add homemade compost (about a bucketful per square metre) to boost the amount of water and nutrients that soil can.
Go manual - buy a push mower and a watering can.
Choose sustainable wood for your garden furniture.
When you're paving, consider lower-emission alternatives to concrete. Made from recycled and reclaimed materials, they have catchy names like pulverised fuel ash or ground granulated blast furnace slag.
Get low-carbon outdoor lighting, such as solar lights or LEDs
Recycle wastewater from the kitchen and bathroom for use in the garden
Discover plants that can withstand long spells of heat, including French honeysuckle, Lavender, Iris, and Salvia, and water infrequently but thoroughly, at the base of the plant
Avoid patio heaters
