Horticultural Therapy and care in the garden

Having a garden is a wonderful thing. Gardening helps to relieve stress and is being more widely used in the Health Service as well as in the community for its social and financial benefits as people can remain healthier for longer. Community initiatives such as the one set up on a housing estate in Carndonagh are becoming more popular as the recession bites. Local residents have the space and facility to grow their own vegetables and be actively involved in a healthy outdoor community initiative, making friends with people they probably wouldn’t normally see in the day. As a rehabilitation method in the Health Service gardening is proving to be very successful with positive results from people with both mental and physical issues. The practice is known as Horticultural Therapy.

Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural therapy or Social and Therapeutic Horticulture as it is also known has been an extremely successful method of keeping both mind and spirit healthy and positive. There are loads of different areas of the Health Service where it can be used and specific exercises and projects can be created to suit the individual.

Where can Horticultural Therapy practiced?

• Psychiatric hospitals and mental health programs
• Vocational, occupational and rehabilitation programs
• Substance abuse programs
• Hospitals and clinics
• Hospice and palliative care programs
• Correctional facilities
• Public and private schools
• Community and botanic gardens
• Assisted living and senior centres
• Residential setting such as foster care, homeless shelters
• Physical rehabilitation hospitals

There are a couple of places where Horticultural Therapy are practiced very successfully in Inishowen, the Whites Oaks Centre in Muff and Cashel na Cor on the outskirts of Buncrana. A growing number of schools across the peninsula are also finding that creating their own gardens for the pupils to work in has beneficial effects on children’s behaviour as they get fresh air exercise and the satisfaction of seeing something grow that they can eat or cut and put into a vase.
All of the jobs such as digging, weeding, mowing and lawn maintenance, pruning, trimming hedges, sweeping and raking, watering, sowing seeds, planting out, growing in containers and moving things in the garden can be tailored to the individual depending on their requirements.

Different Approach

Someone who gardens after recovering from a stroke or has heart disease will need to approach things differently to someone in a wheelchair, with sight loss, a weak grip, only the use of one hand or not being able to bend. Suffering depression can be debilitating and sometimes the client will feel totally exhausted by just being in the garden and will benefit from just being out of doors. Senior citizens in nursing homes might be stuck in doors all day too so the option to work gently outside for an hour could make their day, especially if they were used to being active in the garden before being moved from their home.
Limber Up
Regardless of our condition it’s always important to limber up with some stretching exercises before going to work in the garden
I know myself that when I am physically fit the garden is a joy to work in, on the other hand when I have a bad back the garden can be quite stressful and appear to grow in size. An even simple job such as picking the trowel up from the ground is a major issue.
Getting ready to garden when you can't bend easily
• Taking a bit of time to get ready can really make a difference. Some of the stresses and strains of gardening happen when we begin a job on impulse, without any planning.
• When you have difficulty bending, working in short bursts and changing position frequently will cause less strain.
• Try and avoid over reaching by making sure that you are working at a comfortable height.
• Make your raised beds narrow, so that you can reach without straining.
• Get all the tools you’ll need together to save trips back and forth to the shed or garage. Try and keep your storage area tidy and you’ll be able to find your tools more easily.

Taking care in the garden

• Have breaks with a warm or cold drink according to the weather. Stop work before you get too tired.
• Hand rails and resting places can ease the strain of moving around the garden. Also, make sure that your paths are even and have a non-slip surface.
• If you find it difficult to carry things, you might need to base your activities near the house or the place you keep your gardening equipment.

Tools for the job

• Make sure you choose the right tools for the job. Try out tools before you buy them and check for weight and comfort. Choose well balanced and lightweight tools to help prevent stresses and strains.
• Picking small things up from ground level can be easier using a litter picker. A grabber rake is useful for lifting larger amounts of debris. A long handled dustpan and brush is another option.
• Find the best way for you to carry your tools. You could use a garden trolley with a sturdy frame, which could double up as support if your balance is a problem, a twin wheeled barrow, tool carrier, bucket, or a tray or basket attachment if you use a wheelchair.

Book Review - A Space for Nature by Liz Sheppard

I have three books on the go at the moment to help while away the wet evenings. I have the 2005 Beano annual, classic yearly fun that’s a bit like Viz but not funny, but I like looking at the pictures. The second book is called 50 Ways to Kill a Slug by Sarah Ford and is providing me with even more ways to help eradicate the ongoing issues with these pests. You think you have found all of the methods of killing the slimy creatures then find come more.

Here are my favourites up to page 30:

• Hoe the slug eggs onto the soil surface in early spring for the birds to eat.
• Spray them with extract of Yucca. Simply stick a yucca leaf into a blender, pour on water then spray onto the slugs. Slugs won’t go anywhere near the plants.
• Create a slug playhouse made from grapefruit halves. After eating the insides of the fruit place the fruit halves face down onto the ground and cut out a small doorway for the slugs and snails to go in. Pick them out in the mornings as they sleep.

The third book is a bit more of a grown up read but it still has loads of pictures if you are not feeling in the mood for too much text. It’s Liz Sheppard’s beautiful book called Space For Nature.

Book Review

Space for Nature-The Wildlife Story of a Donegal Farm by Liz Sheppard
Space for Nature is a beautiful reminder that we are not the owners of the earth but trustees who are here only for a blink of an eye. The land we live on, though constantly transforming, has its own story and the creatures and plants that we live alongside are ruled by natural rather than man made laws. Liz Sheppard not only embraces her stewardship but shares her journey with her readers. The book has evolved from Liz’s ‘Natureview’ articles in the Donegal Democrat and highlights the lack of differentiation between humanity and the natural kingdom on her farm in East Donegal. Liz describes her many encounters with her neighbours; the birds, plants and animals and in their meetings there is a mutuality where she seems to be accepted as an unthreatening life form that happens to share their territory.

There is a friendliness throughout the pages of the book and a deep appreciation of the land and all that dwells there. There are also stunning photos of the farm, its flora and fauna (taken by Liz’s husband Ralph) showing the beauty of our landscape, the hedgerows, the primroses, butterflies and fungi. The book also has beautiful illustrations of the animals not captured on film by John Shiels.

This book will deepen our appreciation of the life that might be unseen by those of us who move upon the earth too fast to take the time to tune into our surroundings and uncover the rich diversity of life. There is a tender, timeless quality in the descriptions of nature’s ways which have continued uninterruptedly for thousands of years. It is a book that slows the reader right down. A book that is light in its touch and fascinating in its detail.

Space for Nature will be appreciated by any-one who loves the land, loves nature and realises that we are only travellers on the journey of life.

Where to buy your copy
Space for Nature priced at 10 pounds can be purchased at local bookshops. Amazon and the Book Depository have copies too if you would like to buy online.

The Dream Team

I’m contemplating hiring my dogs out. I think they would make the perfect rotovating duo when it comes to totally eradicating grass from the garden, turning the resulting ground into mud then filling the space up with chewed up work boots and garden ornaments.
I’m not sure there would be much of a market for this though but at least the lawn would have a bit of time to mend itself as they played somewhere else for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I love having them “helping out” in the garden, it just means that when it comes to garden design, most of the features you read about to include in the plan go out of the window and are replaces with chicken wire, concrete slabs, six foot fences and shrubs that would spring back up again after a JCB had run over them.

Crazy

Of course not all dogs go crazy in the garden, some of them are very well behaved, use paths, leave plants alone and don’t spend all day looking longingly at the fish in the pond as their appetizer for dinner. Our dog Chips spends a considerable proportion of her free time in the evenings staring at our one remaining guinea pig in his cage. I think they are really good friends as Chips always wants to be looking through the bars. This was confirmed a day or two ago when the cage somehow fell over and the guinea pig escaped into the garage. They still just stared at one another and I am sure if either of them had tails, they would be wagging.

How to plan the Doggy Garden

If the garden needs a makeover to accommodate a dog then the layout might need to be changed a bit. Frequently used grass paths are likely to become worn and muddy in wet weather if the dog uses it as a path. Bricks or paving stones along the routes the dog uses most frequently can be effective rather than grass cover. By doing so, you can greatly reduce the maintenance levels of you garden. Hard materials such as brick, slab or stone can also be easily hosed down if your dog messes on them.
Moving around the garden is an important factor; try to make it easy and enjoyable for the dog. Beware of slippery surfaces, especially in wet weather. Cover slippery steps with mesh or some other material to increase traction.
Take your dogs' age and physical condition into account and make adjustment accordingly. Ensure they have easy access to the house, their kennel, water bowls, shaded areas and their favourite spots in the garden.

Protecting Flower Beds

Flower beds in central areas of your garden are vulnerable to damage caused by the dog running through them or playing in them. Damage often occurs in flower beds separating two open areas of lawn or paving. Dogs often charge straight through these to get from one area of the garden to another, and plants may be trampled and crushed. Likewise, flowerbeds situated between the back door to the house and the main area of the garden often suffer as dogs run through them in the excitement of being let outdoors.
Flower borders around the periphery of the garden are generally much less likely to incur damage them than flower beds in central areas. You may decide the easiest option is to remove any flowerbeds in the middle of your garden your garden. Laying central areas of the garden to lawn will reduce maintenance and also provide more space for the dog to play.
Another solution is to create a formal pathway through a border. A path made of bricks, stone or slabs along the route your dog normally takes can minimise damage, allowing the majority of your plants to remain intact. Materials such as wood chip or cocoa shells could be poisonous to the dog, so preferably make the paths out of things they can’t eat.

Sturdy Plants

As another option, you could try using robust plants in flowerbeds that your dog tends to pass through. Some plants are remarkably resilient, and will stand up to dogs crashing around in them, heather and lavender for example. Planting tough lavender in a border near the back door has the added bonus of making the dogs smell nice when they run through it and come into the house.

Poisonous Plants

There are loads of plants suitable for gardens with dogs and you will find even the most delicate looking specimens pick up again after being trampled. There are some plants that could be poisonous to the pet though. Apple leaves, stems and seed all contain cyanide (all be it in very small quantities) but if they eat enough it could prove fatal to a dog. Azalea and Rhododendron are toxic to dogs. All parts of these plants are poisonous if chewed or ingested. Slug pellets and other chemicals shouldn’t be used in the garden either when dogs are around. They are not daft generally and don’t eat things that are poisonous intentionally, but if your dog is anything like Chips’ puppy, they will eat something first then decide if it’s edible later.

My First Houseplant

My First Plant

I remember my first car. It was a 1956 Morris Minor with no floor. I remember my first yogurt, back in the days when Ski just started and forgot to put sugar in the mix. I remember the name of the first man on the moon, my first go on a two wheeled bike and strangely enough I also remember my first house plant.
I was a young teen and spent my weekly paper round wages on a two stemmed yucca in a 2 litre pot. They were very exotic and quite rare at the time coming in from overseas and the plant took pride of place on my dressing table in the bedroom next to the coloured light bulbs, incense sticks and Gong LP’s (I was and still am a bit of a hippy). The plant survived for quite a while and died mainly due to overwatering I think, which is why most houseplants die. I kept taking the leaves off and cutting it back but it finally gave up on me and ended up as a stump. I went out to buy more plants to adorn the bedroom but try as I might I just can’t think what I bought. It’s like trying to name the second car you bought or the second man on the moon. All that I know is by the time I was on my mid twenties I prided myself in having over 90 different types of plants (300 in total)festooned around what was then my own home.

High Humidity

There’s a lot of moisture in 300 houseplants so I had a bit of a humidity problem and some of them, like my 5 foot in diameter aspidistra tended to get in the way a bit when exiting the room. It might have been the biggest one in the world and just the one that the song was written about. I did pride myself in not having paid a penny for any of them too. I used to take cuttings from friends plants and got a lot of them from garden centres skilfully nipping the tips off to root at home, of course no-one does that sort of thing anymore. Another way I used to add to the collection besides rescuing ones from dustbins was because of the job I did at the time. I delivered furniture to customer’s houses and if I saw any nice specimens I would ask them for cuttings or little baby plants. I found this was a great way to get things and eventually stocked most of my kitchen out with cups and mugs. I used to tell people that I collected them, which usually resulted in them rummaging around and offering me one to add to the collection. I suppose I wasn’t telling fibs as after the first one I probably was collecting then anyway.

Doubled Up

Things have changed dramatically since living in the humid house though. We had a present from a neighbour last week of a potted begonia. It made me realise that this plant actually doubled our houseplant collection. Before this one came along all we had was a neglected petunia in the hallway. I suppose it’s because I tend to look after edible plants outside and I have found other things to fill the gaps on the shelves, or the lads have anyway.
There will be lots of “exotic” (Don’t like draughts) plants around at this time of the year and I’m sure there will be something for everyone to brighten up the Christmas table, poinsettias, orchids, cyclamen, azaleas and the rest. One of our neighbours has plastic shrubs and flowers in their garden for winter and although this might save a bit of time and effort watering them and protecting them from the frost, they do look a bit odd.
I am trying (in vain I might add) to get the synthetic Christmas tree again this year, they don’t look odd at all do they? The family is split 50% about getting a real one or a lovely 1metre high plastic one that neatly folds away until the following year with all its needles in place. It’s been like this for years now and I can’t seem to understand why, although it’s a 50-50 split in the family, I am always on the losing side when it comes to choosing the tree. I suppose we are keeping the forestry industry going if nothing else.
I’ve just remembered what my second plant was. Well not so much plant, but type of plant. I delved into the prickly world of cacti and grew hundreds of them from seed. Now there’s a plant that thrives on neglect.

Buzz Aldrin was the second man on the moon ( I just Googled it)

Trees

Experiment to find trees of the future

I’m doing a bit of shredding this week. We have chopped back a few old shrubs in the garden and thought it would be a better idea for us to put everything back into the garden as mulch.
We have a small electric Mountfield shredder with the words “Quiet” written on the side. It is quiet too, sitting there on its hollow plastic wheels with only one moving part making the log grumbling noise. The machine actually grinds more than it shreds. There is a circular disc inside the bit where you push the twigs with sharp edges that push the waste through a very small gap. It is effective for anything up to the size of a broom handle, as long as the material isn’t too hard, dry, soft, wet or anything that resembles brambles as it causes the machine to clog up and irritatingly puts the grinding mechanism into reverse so it pushes everything back out of the hole.

All in all then it’s not really that good and every time I shove some shrub cuttings into the extremely small hole I wonder to myself if I would be far better off just building a small bonfire and have done with it. I am persevering though and hope to get through everything by Christmas, as long as I work nights.
I’m being a bit unreasonable here I think. There’s no point buying a machine for €80 and expecting it to do the same job as a €10,000 professional machine that can shred a whole tree in minutes.

Resilient trees

According to some boffins we might not have any trees left soon unless we find species that will be able to withstand higher temperatures. An experiment is under way to find the garden trees of the future, able to withstand the extremes of weather brought about by climate change and potentially replace any of today's garden favourites which may not survive.

The trial at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, entails planting tree species from all over the world to see how they fare in UK and Irish conditions over the next 40 years. It's predicted that in that time the currently temperate climate in here will become more like that in the Mediterranean, with overall temperatures rising by 2-3°C.
The first trees to be planted in the 1 ha (2½ acre) site have already had their first challenging test with the winter of 2010-2011, which saw the coldest December in a century. Many succumbed to cold, including Eucalyptus dalrympleana, African Juniperus procera and Acacia melanxylon.
However there were notable survivors, too. Turkish Mallotus japonicus (kamila trees) and Liquidambar orientalis, both trees with outstanding autumn colour, are now earmarked as possible substitutes for vulnerable species such as Acer which may suffer in the anticipated hotter, drier conditions.
'People are reluctant to change but this is why we've got to start thinking about it now,' said Hugh Angus, Head of Tree Collections at Westonbirt to a reporter from the Royal Horticultural Society. 'The weight of scientific opinion is that the landscape could look very different in 50 years' time.'
About 50 species, raised from seed collected in countries such as Japan, Chile and Mexico, will be planted to begin with, with casualties replaced with new varieties as the trial proceeds. I wonder if my shredder will be able to get through those branches.

Get ready for winter

Even if you are an optimist it does no harm preparing for the worst in winter.

With weather forecasters warning that the UK may suffer from the coldest Winter in decades the Royal Horticultural Society is advising gardeners to get prepared. Cold winters are actually very good for gardens, they force the trees and shrubs into a heavy dormancy making them less susceptible to frost and icy cold winds later in spring.
• Wrap your cordylines up with sacking; it protects them from frost.
• Cover pots with loads of bubble wrap (do the water pipes too while you are at it)
• Mulch thickly around plants, this protects emerging shoots and keeps soil in place come the floods.
• Try not to use too much salt on the paths, it can kill of delicate plants or burn their leaves. Get the kids outside and arm them with shovels.
Enjoy the winter process in the garden and look upon it as nature doing a lot of the hard work for you. Most plants will survive and if they don’t we can plant some new ones like they are doing at Westonbirt or put in something that’s more suitable.

I’ve finished my book!

It’s been a long time coming, but I have finished my book. What started out life as a one page A4 information leaflet about how to make your own raised beds has grown to over 25,000 words and 80 images.
I first started putting the information together in January in the cold spell when the ground was so frozen I couldn’t go out and do anything in the garden. As the weather warmed up, I got back into my usual routine and the book fell neglected into the background, until a few week ago when the rain was so constant I found myself again looking for indoor work. The final copy can’t be found on bookshelves in the garden centres though as it’s been published as an ebook. This means it’s only available to download from the internet through Amazon and the website I set up for the book. For those of you that are interested in such things it’s available in pdf, ipub and .mobi so it cvan be read on any of the latest electronic reading devices.

Raised Bed Handbook

The book is imaginatively called the “Raised Bed Handbook for the Organic Garden”. I have had such a success growing vegetables in raised beds and gathered up so much information that it seemed the obvious choice subject for my first book; I even had great success with beds made from old books. I have the first chapter here for you.
It’s 14 reasons for why I thing raised beds are great!

1. They help to define the edge of your beds and the paths.
2. Soil works better if it isn’t trodden on and compacted so if the beds are small enough you never have to tread on them to weed or harvest.
3. Raised beds have clean paths made from grass, woodchip or gravel help to stop you trailing mud into the house.
4. The soil and plants stay where they are. The soil doesn’t creep out onto the paths like it does in beds that are just mounded up with soil.
5. With raised beds there is better drainage. This is particularly an advantage in wetter gardens with clay soils, eliminating the chance of root rot. Drier soil can also lengthen the growing season.
6. The soil in a raised bed warms up more before seed sowing because of the sun shining on the sides. This is better for the germination of the seeds.
7. With a raised bed you can choose the type of soil that you want in the beds. Sandier soil for carrots, richer soil for pumpkins. Every year you can condition and improve your soil for crop rotation by adding bulking agents like compost and manure.
8. With deeper raised beds there will be very active root development of the vegetables. This means that you can plant closer together. This helps support taller vegetables and helps to keep the weeds down.
9. They can fit into any shape of garden. Wood can easily be cut to fit even the oddest of angles.
10. You can keep your vegetable garden to a manageable size. It is better to start with one or two small beds to build up your confidence and enthusiasm rather than too big and feel overwhelmed.
11. No heavy digging is necessary after the initial preparations.
12. With raised beds you can try out square foot gardening. All this means is areas are marked out (usually in one foot squares) on the raised bed and planting different vegetables into each square. One tomato plant could take up one whole square, four strawberry plants in another, and up to sixteen radishes in another. Compact planting in rich soil helps to suppress weeds.
13. Raised Beds can be built to any height you desire. This is particularly beneficial if there are any mobility issues with the user. Beds can be specifically designed at the correct height for wheelchair users and firm paths in between the beds allow for total access to all parts of the bed and vegetable garden all year round.
14. Raised beds are great for kids to experience the joys of growing their own food. A starter bed just 3’ (1m) square is enough. All too often children (and adults) can be put off growing vegetables because the plots are too large. A small raised bed gives the child their own personal plot.

http://raisevegbeds.com

Get one of 5 FREE copies

At just over 5 euro it would make a great gift for that budding gardener. And as a special offer I also am including Klaus Laitenbeger’s 10 page “Sowing and Planting Times” booklet so you always know the right time to plant seasonal vegetables. For your chance to get one of five free copies of “Raised Vegetable Beds in the Organic Garden” and Klauses booklet, just email me through the www.raisedvegbeds.com website with the words “Raised Beds”. I’ll announce the lucky winners next week. (offer closes tonight!)

Autumn Tidy Up

The recent DIY work I have been doing on the house makes me realise that sometimes you have to make a bit of a mess to get things done. I’m one of those irritating people that have the pans washed before the family sit down for dinner and try to keep mud free when I’m digging the garden. It can be a sign of stress, or a never ending cause of it. I’m getting better at not noticing jobs that need doing in the house though. I’m working on the theory that the dust only gets to a certain depth and then stops.
Outside it’s a different matter. I am noticing more and more that its nature that does most of the tidying in the garden, thank goodness.

The heavy rains come and the driveway is cleaned.

The winds come and as if by magic the leaves swirl around into an orderly pile at the corner of the walls ready for me to collect without really having to do anything.

Even the leaves that don’t blow in the wind are taken care of as the worms pull them underground and eventually mulch and feed the plants. I have been taking some of them out of the guttering though as they can be a bit of a problem if they block the downpipe. A bit of wire netting scrunched up and placed over the hole should spare me having to go up too regularly though.

Frost

Frost is a great tidier too. One good blast of cold expands non hardy plant stems until they burst causing them to die off. Perennials go brown but stay on throughout the winter for hibernating insects to live in then decompose almost entirely in spring after they have protected the new emerging shoots of fresh growth from the worst of the weather.

Pots

Pots and piles of debris are also places where wildlife will live happily over the winter so don’t look upon the clutter in the corner of the garden as a job to do. It’s already doing it. You can always go out when the weathers nice in spring to clean up after the wildlife has moved on, or been eaten. The garden will be teaming with hiding insects for the birds to find which could be far more beneficial than hanging a fat ball out on the washing line.

Safety

There are a few things to do in the garden that I would say are more for health and safety reasons than anything else. If you have a patio or decking, get it cleaned up and remove any algae. Some surfaces, especially decking are really treacherous when wet, especially if the wooden boards are in line with the door frame. It only takes a second on a wet day for your feet to slip from under you as you grab for the door handle.

If there are any stray twigs, branches or leaves falling onto or hanging over the paths, these could be trimmed back. Some of them could be a tripping hazard but my main issue is brushing past them when I go to get the coal in when it’s wet.

If you have a pond there could be a bit of clearing up to do, especially if you have fish.

Lawns

Contrary to popular belief, lawns don’t really stop growing, they just do what we do and slow down a bit over the winter. You might need to move and compost a few leaves if there are trees around. If there isn’t a compost bin, put the wet leaves into dustbin liner bags and put them in an out of the way place for the winter and spring. They should have rotted down well enough next summer to be spread around the base of the shrubs and trees in the garden.

Because the grass doesn’t stop growing, why don’t you join me on Christmas day in cutting the lawn? After everything has been cleaned in the house it’s lovely to go outside and put a clean crisp set of lines on the grass.

I said I was getting better at not noticing jobs that need doing, not cured of it!

This week it's painting....

Last week’s attempts at becoming a plasterer ended up with me covered in the stuff and the remainder sliding down the walls. I’ll leave it to the professionals next time. This week I have decided that I am a painter and thought it would be a good idea to brighten up and protect a few outside fence panels.

I don’t usually paint anything out of doors, especially fences. Once you start you need to keep it up every year. I think that the pressure treated wood used for fencing can’t be improved upon with anything painted on it so another layer of varnish, stain or paint is purely for aesthetic purposes. I think it’s the same for external walls of houses, as long as they are treated for algae. On saying that, I will no doubt be corrected by builders telling me that external paint protects the render from frost. I’m willing to take the risk if it means not having to climb up a ladder every year and refresh the paintwork. There’s nothing wrong with grey, it blends perfectly with the weather and makes the houses invisible.

As there are only a few planks I thought I would give them a few coats of the water based gloss that’s on the market. I have put on four coats and although it’s very pleasant to work with, it still looks like eggshell. I had a real job on finding a suitable covering for the bit of fencing. Down at the local diy shop I glazed over at not only the types of products available to brighten up the garden, but also at the ways at which they can be applied. If you are revamping the fence and can’t be bothered getting the brushes out then there’s a spray gun you could use. Great fun, especially as the spray still works as you go over the gaps in the planks. Hopefully your neighbour won’t be out sunbathing. Not much chance with our weather this autumn.

Painting in the garden

Let’s have a look at what you can paint in the garden should the urge take you.
Plant pots. A simple thing you could do with the children (not using them to paint with silly). Have fun with water based paints then varnish them to make them weather proof. They could brighten up the patio until the sharp frost cracks them in winter (or you could put them in the shed for protection).

Fences. Try going for bold colours to accentuate lighter coloured plants. A deep red background sounds a bit garish but variegated foliage really stands out against it. This type of fence would be ideal for a smaller garden, though it might be a bit over the top on an acre boundary.

Patios. Like fences you don’t have to stick with the standard teak or oak colours, try painting the banisters or railings different colours like you see in children’s playhouses.

Paving slabs and tiles. I spotted paint you could use for both of these surfaces. Check for longevity though, our garage was painted with the red floor paint last year and most of it trailed into the house when the garage floor got wet. It was a real mess. Make sure you pick something that’s going to be really hard wearing and weatherproof.

Ornaments. Brighten up an old pair of wellies or give the garden gnomes a few licks of gloss to brighten them up

Sheds. If you don’t fancy turning the shed into a Wendy house then paint some trellis to go onto one side. Even in the depths of winter they will still give you a bit of colour when you look out of the kitchen window.
Sinks and troughs. If the idea of painting (and the need to re-paint) worries you as it does me then try painting with a different concoction. If you have anything with cement in it such as an old sink or even cement blocks then paint them with yogurt or buttermilk mixed in with a bit of moss. The acidic environment is ideal for the spores to multiply making even new terracotta pots look old in no time. Whether it’s faster than leaving the pots outside for one year in Ireland’s damp climate is debatable. Maybe it would make an interesting school project for someone.

This week I'm a......

A bag of trouble

I’m at a local DIY shop getting some plastering finish for a wall (This week I’m pretending to be a plasterer). The 25kg bag that I wanted is unfortunately still on a pallet, shrink wrapped and six feet up in the air on a large shelf. I was going to jump on the mobile stairs that are for workers only but thought I would conform and ask a member of staff to get a bag down for me.
“I can’t do that” the shop assistant said, “The pallets are wrapped up with cling film and I can’t take the cover off.” Shop keep continued.
“How about cutting it with a Stanley knife then and passing me down a bag?” I asked helpfully.
“We are not allowed to use Stanley knives,” came the reply.
“How about getting the forklift then and lower the pallet to the ground and then we can draw on it with crayons” I said wishing I hadn’t.
“We can’t use the forklift in the shop whilst members of the public are in.” I was getting nowhere.
“OK, I said, seeing as I am the only person in the place, how about if I stand well back, pretend I am not here then you get the forklift and then get the pallet down?”
“Wait here a minute” The shop assistant moved over to the tannoy system and summoned a member of staff who had a fluorescent jacket with the words ‘Health and Safety’ written on the back. Now we are getting somewhere I thought.
The health and safety officer looked at me, then the pallet in the air, then me again and said “I’ll be back”
Fifteen minutes passed and I was getting a bit fed up looking at trowels and thinking I ought to stick to gardening instead of trying to plaster a wall, when I heard an intermittent beeping sound coming in the distance and getting closer. I peeped around the end of the isle and saw the forklift coming towards me with its hazard lights flashing brightly on the roof. The driver was beeping the horn and in front of the forklift there were two more members of staff walking slowly in my direction. As I stood to one side ( as I promised I would) three more members of staff became apparent behind the machine all walking with military precision. I make that seven members of staff all here to help me get one bag of plaster finish. Must be some kind of record and taking wages into consideration they are definitely on a loser with this sale.
“I’ve changed my mind,” I said jokingly “can you split a bag for me instead I only want a spoonful.”
The staff were too preoccupied to react (either that or it was a rubbish joke).

Crowd Control

As the forklift went to work, five members of staff with the glowing jackets stood with their back towards me as if they were practicing crowd control, well they were I suppose, if you count me as a crowd. I peeped over their shoulder to watch the one tonne pallet with 20 bags on it slowly move to ground level. The operator then removed the empty pallet from the display area (complete with one single ripped bag) and moved it into the centre of the isle then deftly placed the full pallet in its place.
Crowd control followed the forklift back into the distance in a sombre procession whilst the remaining sales person tore open the shrink wrap with his bare hands and offered me the bag.
Success, twenty minutes and at considerable inconvenience I had my one bag of finish to play with. I put it on my trolley and attempted to steer it to the checkout.

I couldn’t help thinking that the shop also had one rather dangerously placed pallet in the centre of an isle with a burst bag on it that everyone seemed to forget about. My guess is that there is an eighth member of staff hiding in the wings ready to check up what’s been going off and put everything right when no-one’s looking.
I didn’t have time to hang around any longer to see if someone appeared. I was preoccupied with the wobbly wheeled trolley. I thought technology would have rectified that problem by now. I wonder if there’s anyone in customer services I could tell?

Autumn Bulb Planting

Is it just me or does anyone else think it’s been a bit of a strange year regards to the weather? Most of the trees have had an autumn look to them all summer and, some fruit has flourished while others were non-existent and I have no idea what the season is in the vegetable garden. We’re still waiting for our first courgette and I was busy last week chasing our pea and bean structures (complete with peas and beans) down the road in the strong winds. The cabbages have gone brown and I don’t think we got one strawberry. None of these issues are any fault of mine of course; thankfully I have the weather to blame.
Time is moving on mind you and it’s now time for us to be thinking about the seasons to come. If we plant our spring bulbs now they will get a great start for next year.

Planting spring bulbs

The bulbs of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are planted during the autumn months of September, October and November. Select good firm, disease free bulbs. Plant the bulbs three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. For example, crocus bulbs that usually have about a one-inch diameter should be planted three inches deep. The bulbs will grow and flower best in well-drained soil. Hyacinths and tulips can be left a while until planting as they flower later in the spring, so they can go in before the first heavy frosts in winter. The bulbs need to develop a root system to take up water and nutrients from the soil, so early planting is recommended for all of the others.

Tools of the trade

One of the best tools to use to plant your bulbs is a spade. (If you were to dig a separate hole for each bulb you will still be in the garden by the time they are in flower!) Pick an area where you want to plant the daffodils and did out a comma shape or something curvy, a straight line can look a bit regimental. When the shape has been dug out, stand with your back to the hole and throw the bulbs over your shoulder. If they haven’t ended up in next-door’s garden you should have the bulbs settled nicely in a naturalized manner. These can be covered over with soil. Try to keep the “pointy” end facing upwards as this is where the leaves and flowers come from. This isn’t really critical though as the bulbs have the ability to set themselves upright underneath the soil

Wood Shavings

If the ground is wet work some sand or wood shavings around the bulbs as they mostly originate from dry soils and tend to rot if they sit in water for any length of time. Put bunches of bulbs of the same colour for maximum impact. If you are doing more than one patch let a few of the next batch of different colours mingle at the edges. The other option is to go for a mass of colour. Plant the bulbs in layers, the largest ones go in first then throw on some soil and then smaller bulbs can then be planted. Try to go for bulbs that flower at the same time so you aren’t left with yellowing leaves when the later flowers come out.
If you fancy planting bulbs like crocus into the grass then dig up a sod and tuck the bulbs underneath and replace the sod. In spring they will come right through the grass and look as though they have always been there. The same can be done with daffodils but they will need to be planted a bit deeper. If they are too shallow rodents can munch away at the bulbs, the flowers tend to be smaller and if there is a heavy frost you can say goodbye to them altogether. The rule of thumb is the depth of soil above the top of the bulb should be about twice the width of the bulb.

After Planting

After planting you can sprinkle a little bonemeal or other slow acting fertilizer over the area, this will help them establish in spring. While the plant food is in your hand it would be a good idea to give any other bulbs a feed (if you can remember where they’re planted!) Failing this you can wait until spring when the tips of the leaves start to push through the ground and then feed with a fast release nitrogen fertilizer, I have my comfrey juice made up ready.

Old Gardens

Renovating old gardens.

As satisfying as it is planning and planting a new garden, there’s something magical about unearthing an old garden with lots of history. I imagine it’s similar to renovating an old house, peeling back the layers. Sometimes it could be old cracks and falling plaster, but other times it can be unearthing gems such as old antique fireplaces or hidden signs of how things used to be. The garden I am working on at the moment has had its fair share of history and stories.
Originally built in the mid 1930’s, this small town garden has been left to grow wild since the previous owner of fifty years passed away. The garden is divided by a solid concrete path with railway type tracks running the length of them, again made out of mass concrete. At the side of the path are small areas of grass and sprawling roses that spike your arm as you walk up the four steps from the kitchen. The garden hasn’t been cut back for about three years so I can see at a glance that cotoneaster is starting to take over and there are a few trees that will get very big very soon, especially an ash tree covering the washing line and a sycamore that will send it’s helicopter seeds all over this garden and the neighbours every autumn unless it is removed all together. I can also see a small area where a glasshouse used to stand and a small patio area just large enough to set a table and chairs. Surrounding this are old herbs, sage, curry plant and a dead basil tree, the frost from last year has forced another casualty

It’s only the first day I have seen this small overgrown garden so I won’t be doing anything too drastic straight away. First of all I will just spend time in the garden. This standing around looking into space thinking is what used to get me into so much bother both at school and when I worked for other people, it was always assumed I was “slacking off work” when I stared out of the window or into space, when I was actually using my imagination. Who am I kidding, I was slacking off work. I still am probably, but now I don’t have anyone telling me off.
There are moments of pure inspiration though and these can come to anyone at anytime, so I don’t want to force the issue. The garden will let me know what to do, but I must make a start, well Julie is, as I am thinking about things she just gets on her boots and starts clearing the area around the clothesline. Practicality sometimes outweighs artistic temperament- if you don’t have anywhere to hang the washing, it could ruin your day.

My mind wanders back to 1997 when I answered a job advertisement from a stately home in Edenderry, County Offaly. They were looking for someone to lead a team of gardeners and landscapers to renovate their 2 acre walled garden and bring it back to its former Victorian splendour of grape houses and melon pits.
Ballindoolin Walled Garden
The walled garden was created with the house in 1822. It was built at the beginning of the modern garden era, as we know it today, before then natural landscapes were popular around large country houses.

In 1822 Scot J. C. Loudon published his "Encyclopedia of Gardening" containing instructions for all the various garden elements which became fashionable in the 19th century and all these elements can be seen at Ballindoolin; the rockery, shrubbery, glasshouse, rose garden and massed carpet bedding which lent itself to the planting of parterres in a formal manner.

The 18th century landscape gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown designed "natural" landscapes by using clumps and belts of trees to enhance the natural countryside. This can be seen in Ballindoolin looking West from the Iron Age Mound on the nature trail. The woods were planted around this time and it is possible that the folly (Dove Côte) was built as a ruin to compliment the natural wild look of the landscape. The ha-ha or sunken ditch which surrounds the land at the front of Ballindoolin House is a barrier to livestock but gives the illusion of continuous fields stretching into the distance from the front door of the house

After the First World War labour became increasingly expensive, and many beautiful gardens became neglected due to decreasing family fortunes, and large scale planting of shrubs as ground cover to reduce maintenance became popular. The Ballindoolin gardens shared the same sad fate, over the years the walled garden and pleasure gardens became almost completely overgrown and deserted.
Restoration

In 1996, Finola Reid the co-ordinator of the Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme, first visited the overgrown gardens at Ballindoolin. One year and much soul searching later the decision was made to apply for assistance. It was a big step to take for the family living in the house because one of the stipulations was that the house should be open to the public. Ballindoolin's only other means of income was from farming and the anticipated earnings from agriculture didn't look very promising in Ireland in 1997.
The refurbishments didn’t stop at the garden. Ballindoolin House now has a museum, enclosed children’s animal farmyard, nature trails, a lime kiln and craft shops.

I didn’t get the position but I keep a keen interest in the gardens development and pop in occasionally to see the family and stand and stare into space. I am still staring, albeit on a greatly smaller scale.

We're Back

My gardening.ie website was shut down a couple of weeks ago. It’s all very technical, but stems from me getting a “budget” web hosting company to put the site through some years ago. They promised “unlimited” everything and a 24 hour helpline, all for about 2 euro a week. It all seemed too good to be true, and it was. Hidden somewhere in all of the small print was something that referred to the CPU usage. I’m not sure what this is exactly but a quick glance at the search engines on the computer tells me it’s either a Central Processing Unit or Cold Pad Underwear, whichever one it was I was using too much, and without warning the site disappeared off the internet. It was only the patience of my trusty friend Adam Porter from Porter Computer Repairs in Buncrana who painstakingly compressed all of the information in the site to 1GB and transferred it to another hosting company. It’s probably the same sort of thing as me stuffing an acre of grass clippings into one dustbin liner bag.

Because the site was off for nearly two weeks, all of the work I did in the past getting recognised on the web seemed to disappear. Before the “Great Crash of 2011” I was getting up to 2500 page hits a day from gardeners all over the world. This has now dropped to about 40. How soon we are forgotten! Hits are rising again and I’m sure I’ll be back up there on the top of Google shortly.

Questions and Answers
As soon as the site came back I had a few gardening questions to answer. Some of the issues raised this week show that neighbourly disputes with boundaries can get very serious and out of control. Most of the time boundary problems can be sorted out amicably. It’s only is extreme circumstances that you will need to seek legal help.

Before you read them though I must stress that it isn’t me giving the advice to the problems so take no responsibility for their accuracy. Ah, the joys of the legal system.

Neighbours tree causing damage.

Q. The roots of our neighbour's tree have damaged our side path and garage wall. They have only been living there for a year and a half and obviously did not plant the tree.
1. Who is responsible for repairing our path and wall?
2. We have asked them to take the tree down and they are considering this. However if they refuse, we will need to think about cutting the roots and erecting a root barrier. If they agree to this, who is responsible for paying and which side of the fence should they be cut from?
A. They are responsible for the abatement of nuisance after you have established (proved) the tree is implicated and served formal notice. The abatement of nuisance may fall short of felling the tree, they probably only need to cut the roots from their side. The neighbours or their insurance company are only responsible for damage that occurs AFTER you have served formal notice, so right now the costs of repairs and rectification fall on you.

Installing a root barrier is your choice and your expense. I would stress here that dealing with issues such as this will best be done with the neighbour directly.

Transparent Hedge

Q. We have a very long privet hedge down one side of our property. The neighbours hacked the hedge back to the very edge of the boundary. My neighbour asserts that it is his right to cut it back to the boundary. However we are now left with a hedge that I think is completely died. There are no leaves on it and it is completely see-through I can basically see directly into my neighbour’s garden and he can see into to our garden. Before he cut it back we couldn’t see anything through the hedge.
A. Your neighbour had every right to cut back the hedge to the boundary because it’s trespassing. However Privet is tough as old boots and will quickly re-grow.

Invasive Cows

Q. My garden backs onto a field where the farmer keeps cows... I have a 4 ft wooden fence along the back of my garden, but the cows are now leaning over to eat my shrubs and plants resulting in the fence being broken. I contacted the farmer who told me that it was my responsibility and that I shouldn’t plant anything in my garden! I cannot afford to keep replacing the fence every summer and wondered if anyone knew of farmers obligations for his livestock etc.

Any helpful advice would be most gratefully received!

A. All livestock owners have a duty to retain their animals. The farmer could install a barbed wire fence back from your wooden fence to retain his livestock. Other ideas could be to make the fence higher with wire so it keeps them from nibbling your shrubs but doesn't spoilt he lovely view of the cattle, barbed wire might be a bit excessive. If you have the room try growing an attractive hawthorn hedge, one of the best deterrents you can get.

You are entitled to grow what you like in your own garden by the way...

Barbeque's

I remember the lengths we used to go to cook food “al fresco” before barbecue’s came along and were affordable to the masses. A friend of mine wanted a can of soup when we were camping in the woods so threw a can of Heinz mixed vegetable onto our campfire and waited patiently for it to warm up. He didn’t have to wait long as it exploded in his face. After cleaning up the mess on both he and the tent and then eating the tiny bit that remained in the bottom of the jagged edged can with a fork, he went home to nurse his wounds. He told his parents that he came off of his bike, as it was too embarrassing to give the real story.

Cooking Outside

Cooking outside can be very civilised with the introduction of barbeques. What probably started out as a bit of wire mesh over an open fire has progresses to some very space aged designs and variations. Glancing through this seasons Argos catalogue I see models ranging from the tin foil tray to a six ring gas burner complete with a wine cooler. The tin trays now come with a stand to keep the heat from radiating from underneath and scorching whatever they have been placed on. The country is branded with rectangular scorch marks where enthusiastic outdoor diners have made their mark on public property. The basic metal types are adequate for most of us without having to spend the 700 euro needed for the top of the range ones. It’s more fun not having a knob to regulate the heat, that’s like cooking in the kitchen. We need (I’m talking about men here) to have control ourselves of the raging inferno that’s going to part cook our chicken.

Bricks

Our own barbeque in the garden is influenced heavily by the person before us who spent a lot of time in Australia. It’s made from bricks and instead of a wire mesh to place the food onto it has a thick steel plate. The plate is curved slightly so that the fat runs away from the food. We do the cooking by using well seasoned wood, which makes the food taste delicious. It’s a bit embarrassing to confess that we have only got it going once this year. I could make excuses about the weather not being fit, but that would be a very weak excuse as there have been loads of days that could have suited. It’s just that kick starting the outdoor cooker into life seems like a lot of bother to go to when you want to cook four burgers for the kids. Maybe I should invite people around more.

52 Gallon Drum

One of my favourite designs for a cooker was done by Johnny Blegs who waited a year for an old 52 gallon drum to become empty, normally the drums contain crude oil but this one was used for honey, yum. The end result after a lot of cutting and screwing is a beautiful looking piece of art for the garden which could be compared to some of the gas cylinder wooded stoves that are on the market and used as chimineas. The legs are made from scrap galvanised piping and the ability to close up the cooker and reduce the air flow enables him to slow cook the meat, leaving it anything up to 6 hours to tenderize. No part cooked chicken with this method of heating we will be pleased to hear.

Chimineas

Chimineas originated in Mexico thousands of years ago and were used both for cooking and heating. Most of the ones available to us here are ornamental and only used very infrequently and can be made from cast iron, steel or clay. The clay material was the original method of making these and if they cracked, as the often do, with the heat, you could just scoop up another handful of clay and patch it up. Cast iron ones are a bit more technical to fix though and generally end up in a skip when this happens. They look lovely in the garden but best not build up a fire if there’s risk of a downpour as it’s the hot/cold of the water on the hot surface that cracks them. This isn’t such an issue in Mexico as it rarely rains.

Youtube

 

Raised beds..fed and not fed

We’ve been making Youtube video’s today. It’s been a while since we kept our 33 subscribers happy. We’re working our way up to Justin Beiber’s level and looking for 605 million video hits, we’ll settle for 100 at the moment, you have to start somewhere.

Making more videos

Our first short video was an update on deadheading roses. Our first attempt with a video a few years ago ended up as an outtake as I was too busy getting tongue tied and laughing on screen to do anything ( I put it down to first time nerves). It’s still not appeared on Rude Tube or You’ve Been Framed yet, probably because I wasn’t riding on a skateboard, naked or falling off a table drunk at a wedding. Now there’s an idea...

Roses, it depends who you talk to...

It depends who you talk to when it comes to deadheading your rose bushes. The usual method is to cut off the faded flower at the first big stem joint. This is supposed to rejuvenate the plant into a second flush of blooms. If your rose only flowers once a year then the flowers can be left on to produce hips. The other method is to just nip the head off just underneath the flower itself just where the hip would develop. This keeps more foliage on the plant, which in turn produces more energy, producing more flowers. The debate continues but just noticing that your roses need attention is a step in the right direction. The time for cutting the plants back comes later as the end of autumn arrives. Giving the plants a good cutting back of the old wood keeps them solid in the ground reducing the chance of wind damage as roses tend to work themselves out of the soil even though they have a long taproot.

It’s funny writing about this now. I didn’t say any of this in the video. All the1minute film consisted of was a slow motion shot of me cutting a stem, the dog running around with the cut stem in his mouth and fast action music playing frantically in the background for dramatic effect. Oh, how we laughed making it...In hindsight it’s not that informative...or funny.

The second video update was more of a seasonal warning about caring for raised vegetable beds, dramatically stating that “This could happen to you if you are not careful” This is what happened to us because we weren’t careful:

Raised Bed Update

At the end of last year I made the raised beds and filled them with soil. The soil came from Linsfort on two big lorries and looked pretty good with a good proportion of sand, silt and clay. The main thing that was missing was nutrients, but that’s what creating good soil is all about, working on it until it’s full of goodness for the plants to thrive.

I fed some of the beds with well rotted cow muck but put it quite deep and didn’t mix it in. The other beds were just left without any soil enhancing at all (I ran out of cow muck, it wasn’t a grand plan for research). I planted the mange tout into the bed with the cow muck and after a slow start the legume roots managed to tap into the added nutrients and have shot eight feet up in the air to the top of the hazel rods producing lots of fine fresh pods to eat. The other bed without feed has the runner beans in them and they are a disaster. The leaves are pale and sickly looking with stems that should be nine feet tall hardly getting past the two foot mark. Add to this the fact that no beans are appearing means that it’s going to take more than a few pints of nettle juice to revitalize these plants. The peas haven’t fared much better either, the hazel structures look great but the only thing that’s growing up them at the moment is the weeds. Our dog loves the peas even if they are a bit chewy, he likes the pods too for that matter.

Talking of weeds, I put some of the raised beds down on top of some small coltsfoot plants and they have penetrated through the paper and cardboard I put down then grown through the soil and taken over the beds. The courgettes didn’t stand a chance as the rose bay willow herbs have taken over. It’s not all doom and gloom though, there is loads of chickweed, and the guinea pigs love that. So there might be a couple of plump additions to the Christmas dinner table this year.

ps
Mary from Greenhilld farm rekons that the beans will fix their own nitrogen...It was probably the fact that the beans were in a cold spot...she's right again I'd say.. :)

Covering an oil tank

 

Our oil tank could be seen from space when it was first installed. The tank glowed bright red and used to be a bit of landmark when the house was first built in the 1980’s, you were never lost when you had the tank as a pointer. Over the years the colour has faded slightly and also certain measures have been taken to tone the glowing barrel down a bit.
Around the tank there is a leylandii hedge, which is allowed to grow to about three feet high,. There’s room between the tank and the hedge to walk around for maintenance and if you are anything like me storing old coal bags and moving things out of sight.
Over the tank we have a large honeysuckle climber growing and providing year round cover, even when most of the leaves have died off in the winter. The branches are now so thick and prolific you can hardly see the tank. All that is needed is a bit of snipping with the shears and we manage to keep the plant from covering the hole and lid where the soil tanker driver fills up once a year. The tank is practically invisible in the garden and people in the area have to find other methods of finding their way home.

Covering your oil tank

Most of us wouldn’t put leylandii around our tanks as they can grow too quickly and become unsightly but there are plenty of other shrubs and climbers that could be used. Just remember to keep the shrubs at least three feet away from the tank to give them a chance to grow and still give you access to the tank. Climbers can be planted a bit closer to the tank, but try not to get the roots under the tank as a fuel leak could kill off the roots, even a very infrequent dripping could have disastrous results.
Bamboo might look very pleasing also but check that the type you buy isn’t a big spreader. I have heard stories where the bamboo totally engulfs the tank and also heads out towards the neighbours gardens. Digging down to over one metre didn’t get all of the roots out either.
Trellis
You could get some attractive wooden trellis to put around the tank. If you do buy the trellis from diy shop, try to get treated wood that is at least one inch thick and got a lot of strength to it. There’s no point in setting up the trellis and it rotting and collapsing before the climbers have had a chance to grow over the tank. There might even be synthetic screens you could get to put around the tank. You can get them for wheelie bins made from plastic grass so I can’t see why not.

Water Storage

As I am on the subject of outdoor tanks, has anyone considered installing rainwater storage into their gardens to help irrigate the garden and supply the house with water for washing, heating and even drinking? Convert what you get for free running off the roof into money saving method to be used for household services and watering the garden. You don’t even have to spend extra money buying plants to cover it.
The bigger tanks are best put in when the house is being built as it can be quite disruptive but there are smaller types that can be fitted that would be no more inconvenient than installing a small pond. 3500 litre tanks can supply enough water for a household of four people. They will also offer one of the fastest payback rates (when the water charges are brought in) of any other green energy saving method for the house. You could build a system that gave you toilet flushing, car washing, clothes and cooling systems for less than €1000. You would also be totally independent of the water companies if restrictions or price increases were brought in.

Cotoneaster

Q. I didn’t mention cotoneaster when it came to covering your oil tank. One of the reasons is that I find these plants very invasive. Not because of them growing too fast or having large root systems though. It’s mainly because they self set from the seeds that the birds drop. They don’t just self set in easy to reach places either; the roots get a hold in the most awkward places too, especially in concrete and asphalt. I have had a question asked about how to get rid of these shrubs when they self set in the gap between your driveway and the house wall. The shrub is cut back every year to ground level but just keeps coming back, stronger than ever. It has cracked their concrete and can also do the same to asphalt.

A. The shrubs could be dug out. This would mean the area would have to be re-concreted or asphalted. This could be very messy, depending on the size of the shrub and root system. If the shrub can't be dug out safely, one suggestion would be to use a systemic weedkiller such as a brushwood killer. This would kill the roots too. Don’t chop back the foliage beforehand because that’s how the poison is taken down to the roots. I don’t  use chemicals at all and would always try to find an alternative. But in this case, the house foundations might be at risk if something wasn’t done.

Extreme Rose Pruning!!!

Safety in the garden -Especially with step ladders

 

Gardening injuries

Gardens can be a place of pleasure, relaxation and exercise. They can also be a dangerous place. In Ireland and the UK there are over 100,000 people attending accident and emergency hospitals every year with gardening related injuries.
According to research done by the BBC, the lawnmower tops the list of the most dangerous pieces of equipment, with 7,500 lawnmower related accidents reported each year. Surprisingly the innocent looking flowerpot is the second most dangerous tool, causing 6,300 accidents, with falls, cuts and lifting injuries some of the most common types of accident recorded.

Here are some reasons why accidents happen in the garden:
• Ignorance of potential risks.
• A lack of planning and preparation.
• Taking shortcuts and not preparing areas before starting work.
• A lack of skill or training to ensure that the job is done safely.
• Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

DIY shops are full of mechanical equipment to make you life easier in the garden. There have been recent reports of counterfeit goods being sold on the internet which look like the real at discounted prices. They are mainly chainsaws and power tools and could be potentially lethal as the safety cut off switches and low grade casings could be accidents waiting to happen. Always buy off reputable dealers.


How to make the garden a safer place
You can help to avoid accidents by following some simple guidelines:

• Empty paddling pools after children have finished playing in them.
• Learn which plants are poisonous and ensure children and pets stay away from them.
• Avoid trip hazards such as loose paving slabs, hosepipes left unravelled or uneven surfaces.
• Use surfaces that provide a good grip underfoot, especially on decking.
• Avoid the garden if possible when conditions are icy and slippery, again, especially decking.
• Do not leave sharp tools lying around. Lock them away from children.
• Wear safety equipment - such as goggles, hard hats, gloves and steel toe capped boots - when using machinery and tuck in loose items of clothing.
• Never leave a barbecue unattended and make sure the flames are extinguished before going to bed.
• If you are in the least bit unsure about the safety of tackling a job, call in professionals.
• Electrical equipment should have surge protectors RCD (residual current device) and never be used in wet weather.
• Lock away chemicals such as weedkillers and insecticides. Just because they have the words 'organic' or 'bio' on them, does not make them safe to touch.
• Design a garden so that it reduces the need for high maintenance and lifting.

Using a step ladder

Apart from the obvious reason of being covered in paint, the main superstition for not walking under a ladder stems from the days of public hangings, the only time they would see a ladder is when the body was being removed. We still need to be wary of stepladders, here are a few reasons why:
One of the biggest dangers with a stepladder is when you work sideways. Putting pressure on a screwdriver or a bow saw is enough to push the ladder over and you with it. Face the work directly and preferably have someone holding the base of the ladder at all times.
Don't overstretch yourself. Ensure the ladder gives you enough height for the job. Teetering on the last rung of the ladder isn’t a good idea.
Never leave tools on the platform at the top of the ladder. These become very dangerous if the ladder is knocked at ground level as the tools can come crashing down, and not all of us wear hard hats in the garden.
Ensure the ladder is in good condition and the rungs are structurally sound and not damaged, rusty or dented. Having a rung missing can be a disaster.

More brief tips:
• Is a ladder the best tool for the job? In many cases, a scissors or aerial lift is a safer option.
• Do not paint wooden ladders.
• Keep ladders at least ten feet away from power lines.
• Stand in the center to avoid tipping.
• Do not carry objects when moving up or down.
• Never move a ladder with someone on it.
• Lower an extension ladder before moving it.
• Never leave unsecured ladder unattended.
• Always secure a ladder by tying it down or having someone hold it.
• Keep areas around ladders clear.
• Do not tie ladders together unless made for that purpose.
• If possible, use a personal fall protection system attached to a secure point when working from a ladder.
• Check the ladder has rubber feet to prevent it slipping and place them on a flat hard surface.
• Make sure the ladder's feet are on solid, even ground and the angle isn’t too steep.
• Keep the steps clean and dry.
• Keep one hand firmly on the ladder when working.
• Do not leave prunings on the rungs of the ladder. They could become slippery and create a trip hazard.

Personal safety equipment

Always make sure that you are wearing the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to avoid a serious injury when working in the garden. This is particularly important when operating machinery such as mowers, strimmers, chainsaws and hedge-trimmers. PPE can include steel-toe caped boots, goggles, ear-defenders, gloves and hard hats. Always consult an expert if you are unsure what you should be wearing for a job.

Where’s my Fruit?

I’ve just come back from a rather fruitless journey up the garden. I had gone to take a photo of my blackcurrant bushes to show you an image of them bursting with ripe fruit. Julie’s mum Hilda has some bushes that are just a shimmering hew of dark purple, so heavily laidened that you can’t even see the branches. Mine on the other hand show no sign of fruiting at all this year. There are no tell tale signs of birds feasting on the sweet fruit or anything laying on the ground half eaten by slugs either, we just didn’t get any.

Poppy Fields

Hilda’s fruit harvest is looking very promising this year with apples and strawberries also doing well. The only crop that’s not producing this year for her is the raspberries. Generally Hilda will be boiling up her rich pickings by the gallon in her jam making cauldron. This season though There’s hardly enough to fill the lid, and Hilda has resorted to collecting them on a daily basis and building up her supply until there is enough ripe fruit to warrant turning the gas on. I’m not sure what the reasons for this are but it might be something to do with the fact that her vegetable garden is overrun by large poppies. These are of sentimental value to Hilda and so she won’t let anyone pull them out and they have self set seed freely over the few years they have been planted. You’ll soon be able to see the poppies on Google Maps, which could spark an international opium poppy growing alert. They do look pretty though.

Codylines – Here to Stay

I notice that the cordylines have started to grow back. For those who waited patiently for the growing season, their reward is a new tropical looking plant growing in their garden. The Cordyline will be a bush more than a tree now as it will be multi stemmed. Not everyone’s happy though. I put the issue out onto the gardening forum and people are split about their loyalties to this New Zealand plant. Putting to one side the fact that this plant has been used for centuries for fibre, sweetening food, treating skin injuries and food, especially the carrot like rhizomes, some people just don’t like it because they think they are messy and invasive. However you feel about them, they haven’t gone away and they are coming back with a vengeance!

Courgette catch up

We’ve started to harvest the peas and mange tout this week. They started off badly but have picked up not and producing well. Our runner beans are very slow to establish, but there’s time yet. We don’t seem to be having much luck with the courgettes though. It might be a bit late in the season for them to catch up now and produce the bumper crops were have been used to over the years. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the soil. We are managing to produce the most enormous dock leaves we have ever seen. You could hide under them in the rain or use them as sails on small boats. They will come in useful as an antidote to the nettle stings we generally get when we are weeding, they are doing well too.

Jury’s Out
Julie has just pointed out that the shrub I have been looking at to get the blackcurrants from is actually a ribes, which is an ornamental current bush. Now I might be getting a bit forgetful at times (or choose not to remember in the first place) but I know I have collected loads of blackcurrants off this shrub in the past year. I an adamant and so is Julie so the jury is out. I’m back out into the garden to do a leaf comparison.

Checklist

Having your cake

There are certain comments people make in all innocence when you are young, and not so young, that have a marked influence on your lives. Off the top of my head I can think of two that stunted my already fragile development.
One time when I was straight out of school and working, a colleague of mine told me that he thought I didn’t have the “face for selling.” Just what that is supposed to mean I just don’t know, but it did put me off any type of selling in my job and private life. It’s a bit like being told that you have a great looking face for the radio. I realise now that there’s no such thing as a face for selling. If you believe in a product and don’t spit your dinner over someone when you talk, there’s a pretty good chance that you could sell anything.
Years before that in the days when I would get really excited when the iced cream van tootled down the street, I was at a family wedding and the cake was being handed around on a silver platter. It had been carefully cut into manageable slabs for people to pick up and attempt to get into their mouths in between swilling the beer and dancing rather badly to 70’s disco music.

I was offered the plate and without taking too much interest or notice, I picked a piece of cake and put it on my plate next to the left over chicken bones.

“Ooooh!” Exclaimed one of my inebriated second cousins. “Look at old greedy guts there”. I was totally at a loss. “Ian’s taken the biggest piece on the plate. Someone had to do it but trust it to be him.” My distant relation laughed proudly telling everyone in the whole room to watch their plates because I was doing the rounds. I was totally confused as all of the pieces looked the same to me.

Now if I’m given a choice of something that’s been divided up, such as a pizza (and someone’s looking) I’ll take a medium sized bit. Of course , if no-one’s looking I’ll take the biggest (and as I generally have the job of cutting them up I can also manipulate the slice so it has the most pepperoni on it).

Choosing Plants

When it comes to choosing plants, unlike pizza or wedding cake, it’s not always the largest size of plant or the one with the most flowers that are the best ones to choose. If you are buying bedding plants for the second time this year (due to the first ones being killed off by the cold winds) then picking the ones with buds instead of full flowering specimens makes more sense and you will get more enjoyment out of them staying in bloom for longer. Don’t assume that the bigger plants are always better. Many times the smaller specimens may be healthier and can transition into your garden without suffering from transplant shock.

So what to look for when choosing your plants. 

• How fast does this plant grow?
• It might look good now, but what will it look like in a month’s time?
• What am I looking for?
• How much time do I want to spend in the garden?
• What about garden safety -are they poisonous to children or pets or really spiky?
• How much sun/shade will the plants need and can I provide it in my garden?
• Does the plant look pest and disease free?
• Do the roots come out from under the pot? If so this is a sign that the roots are bound and overcrowded. If the roots are really matted, the plant could suffer.
• Will the plants survive after I buy it? Look for strong stems and healthy leaves.
• Do I really need another plant?
As your experience grows you will be able to assess what plants you really need and their quality without too much effort.

Just an afterthought about what I said earlier. I still get excited when the iced cream van tootles down the road.