The Love of My Days

 

Photo: The killer plant looks harmless, but so far has taken out 20 fish.

 

I had a very upset Facebook friend contact me this week about her pond.  The woman had stocked her medium size water feature up with some lovely Koi carp and wanted to protect them from any wayward herons that were looking for a free meal.  The family had tried the plastic herons around the perimeter of the water but it didn’t seem to work.  They were advised to plant bushy marginal plants along the bank to give the fish protection and shield them from view should any predators come along. 

All was well with the foliage cover but one of the plants got a bit too big for its spot so her husband cut some of the stalks to reduce the overhang.  When the stalks were cut a white sap came out of the centre, a bit like when you break the stems of dandelions.  They thought nothing of it until the next day when they went out to feed the fish, and found them all dead.  Just a few drops of the sticky white sap had dripped into the water and poisoned every fish. 

I was asked to identify the plant.

Killer Plants

I found out that bamboo sap is poisonous to fish, but by the looks of the stems and leaves it wasn’t bamboo. I found out after a bit of investigating that the plant is a euphorbia.  They are quite common plants and although they can be delightful to look at there are certain types that can be a real irritant to the skin and potential killer.  In South Africa the latex sap is used to actually catch fish, when they ingest it they float to the top of the water paralyzed and are easily caught. Other varieties are used for waterproofing and in leather polish, dental mouldings, sealing wax, metal lacquers, paint removers and lithographic colours. Mixed in paraffin it is used to make candles, so the plant has many useful uses but wear rubber gloves when handling them!  E. Candelabrum latex is very poisonous and is sometimes used to make poison arrows, the plant varieties we have can cause blistering and skin irritation and if ingested could mean a trip to casualty.

The woman will be removing the euphorbia from the side of the pond, draining the water and leaving it a while before restocking with more fish.  There are a lot of safe marginal plants out there so hopefully they will make a better choice next time. Gardening can be a dangerous business.

Poetry Corner

I have another fantastic poem for you this week from Tara Rowan in Letterkenny. Even though she is tired, the expectations of her garden flourishing are keeping her going.  

The Love of My Days.

Planted, watered, covered with soil

My arms and legs are tired from toil.

Watching and waiting, silent and sound

Friends nod in amazement when they call around.

Nails, netting and pieces of wood,

To keep the dog where she is stood.

Watching and waiting, silent and sound

Sprouts of green appear from the mounds.

Tired as I am, my eyes are awake

As I take in all my hard work, leaning on my rake.

Watching and waiting, silent and sound

Such inner contentment I have found.

Sunshine, drizzle and torrential rain

It doesn’t matter I still do the same.

Watching and waiting, silent and sound

Colours are beginning to blaze up out of the ground.

Rainbows and sparkles in a slight breeze

It’s starting to become a visual tease.

Watching and waiting, silent and sound

My beautiful garden, natures astound.

Damp Squib

 

They don’t move very fast but catching all the slugs and snails is a real challenge!

I’ve been expecting a thunder storm all week but as yet nothing has happened.  It sounds very domesticated of me but the high humidity means that nothing is drying.  We can hang the clothes up on the line or in the house but they just sit there, damp and dreary.  It’s too warm to light a fire or put the heating on but I doubt that will make the slightest bit of difference. It’s like living in a bathroom with the hot shower constantly running. 

I’m also getting reports from disgruntled gardeners who are saying that this time they had lush wildflower gardens or heaps of broccoli flowering, but this year the plants just are not growing.  Not everything in the garden is at a standstill or growing slowly though. There are some things that would like the humid, damp conditions to last forever, namely slugs, snails, and fungal growth. Blight has been a bit of a problem and so have things like liverwort that quickly multiply on the soil which prevents water from getting to the plants.

 We have also been greeted at the front door by as many as twenty snails and some have even been trying to get into the letterbox.  I don’t mind so much as long as they are not munching the veggies. There are some plants that seem to be unaffected by the dampness, peas and beans are really growing well and my precious bedding plants seem to be thriving as does the grass. I have had no need to water them ever since they were planted three weeks ago!

Poetry Corner

The standard of poems was so high in the competition that I thought we could enjoy another great ditty from H.V. Mackey, Muff.

My Garden

With the radio on, I was lying in bed

When ‘Grow it Yourself’ infiltrated my head

And those three words sparked an altercation

So from bed I hopped, ready for action.

Now my garden plot was full of weeds

Where should I begin to sow my seeds?

I’d need a spade, fork, rake and hoe

Perhaps to the CO-OP I should go.

And their expertise fuelled my ambition

As I was a gardener bound on a mission

I bought peas, shallots, sets, plants and seeds

Along with all my other needs.

Once back at home, I got really busy

With nice steady rhythm – no need for a ‘Tizzy’

And by setting-sun the weeds had gone

I’d a nice clear plot as smooth as a lawn.

Next day I started to plant my plot

And had rows, drills and beds – indeed quite a lot

I was stiff and sore by my GIY start

Sun and rain could now play its part.

Quite soon green shoots began to appear

Slugs and snails now wanted here

Daily I pick, poke and view

This garden plot is no longer rue.

A gardening book is what I now need

To survey and study whilst waiting crop yield

‘Cause there’s so much more I need to know

And so much more I’ve GOT to grow!

Next year I hope to become a dab- hand

At getting maximum yield from my land

Raised beds, polytunnels, there’s so much to try

And I’ll feast like a king from what pleases the eye.

A copy of my e-book is on its way!

POETRY COMPETITION - WE HAVE A WINNER!

The poems have been read, scrutinised and judged by our well known radio gardening celebrity Gareth Austin.  The poem that he thought was the worthy winner was penned by Noeleen Walker from Fahan.  Gareth picked Noeleens poem ‘Genesis of a Gardener’ because it flows well, contains lots of gardening terms, humour and play on words. He also thinks verse 5 is super as it really catches how he feels when he sees the slimy trails left by slugs and also thinks slugocide is a great word!

Here is the winning poem. 

GENESIS  OF A GARDENER

I recall with great nostalgia

Times when ‘Teacher Bryce’ would say

Pack up your school books children

We’ll be gardening today.

She taught us all the basics

We planted, sowed and dug

We raked and hoed and watered

And waged war on enemy bugs.

We sowed seeds of all descriptions

With great determination

And observed with satisfaction

Their successful germination.

We raised sunflowers tall and stately

We grew lettuce, beetroot, peas

There were biennials and perennials

And fragrant annuals for the bees.

My teacher realized even then

That on gardening I was hooked

For long after I had left the school

She sent catalogues and books.

Inspired by information

That I gleaned from all those tomes

I assumed the role of ‘Gardener’

In our modest plot at home.

In approval of my efforts

(Really no one cared a bit)

 I was given carte blanche

To chop and change as I thought fit

I cultivated, propagated

I pruned and mowed with glee

It’s still a work-in-progress

I’d need help from Alan T!

It’s a therapeutic hobby

For if I’m feeling a bit low

An hour spent in the garden

And the blues are sure to go.

But slimy trails on my prized plants

Now that, I can’t abide

I don my big Doc Martens

And commit mass slugocide!

I’ve launched many a futile ‘jihad’

On ground-elder, nettles and docks

I’ve chased all round the garden

After dandelion clocks!

My potting shed’s my haven

I work in it with pride

And if there’s someone to avoid

It’s a splendid place to hide.

The love of gardening is a seed

That once sown never dies

And to this same old adage

I can surely testify.

My fingers may not be so green

As yours were, that is true

But if you’re looking down on me

Mrs. Bryce – A Big Thank You.

More next week

Thank you to all who entered there are some fantastic entries, so many in fact I will be printing another runner up next week.  The winning books by Klaus Laitenberger and me will be in the mail to Noeleen today.

Gabion baskets are getting more imaginative and here is a new design called the Archimedes Spiral 

Gabion Baskets

I have mentioned Gabion Baskets a few times and said how impressive the basic types look in garden design.  The traditional wire meshed baskets hold the stone in place on many embankments and building developments but smaller ones can look great as a feature in the garden. I recently came across this great design from a company in the UK (see pic).  It’s called the Archimedes Spiral and made from mesh usually seen in goat pens. They are delivered in kit form and take a couple of hours to assemble. The cost is about €160 for the mesh, €100 for the stone and about another €50 for the plants so the whole creation will be in excess of €300.  What do you think?  Would you spend that amount of money on a planter?

Bedding Plants

This is the first year ever that I have bought bedding plants

The garage wall has had a thick coat of white emulsion painted onto it this week.  I generally shy away from painting bare concrete as it will always need repainting, generally sooner rather than you would like.  It’s amazing how much light the newly painted wall throws back into the living room, so for now I am very happy with the result. 

It’s a big wall though and very white, so I thought it needed a few contrasting colours to break up the monotone.  The easiest and most effective solution for this is to do something I have never done before and that is to go out and buy annual bedding plants and hang them in baskets on the wall.  I usually grow annuals myself (some people might even remember when I had the small nursery at the bottom of the hill in Clonbeg, Buncrana). 

As I have no protective tunnel or greenhouse and there is only a certain amount of young seedlings you can get to grow under a clear plastic bag on the windowsill I paid a visit to the Sow and Grow garden centre based at Gransha hospital in Derry to see what was on offer this year. There was a great selection of annual plants and after my initial resistance at the price tags I decided to take the plunge and see what I could get with my very limited budget.  It wasn’t long before I spent up.  I came away with a 6 pack of petunias, 4 trailing surfinias, pansies, trailing geraniums, 5 other trailing half hardy plants whose names escape me being out of practice growing these types of plants. I also did an impulse buy of 5 types of herbs and 2 lavenders for a new herb bed.

I had already bought three small semi circular planters made from woven hazel and thought these would look well on the wall. All it took was to drill three holes in the block wall and put in some screws to hold the planters in place.  I also had three window boxes to fill with plants.

Cramming them in

When I was growing annual bedding for myself, or for sale, I tended to cram as many plants into the containers as possible. This wasn’t a good idea in hindsight as there isn’t much room for root growth in most containers.  As these plants have cost me a lot of money I am only putting two plants into the baskets and about five plants in the window boxes. I have also used up the remaining water absorbing crystals I bought for my moss graffiti experiments in the potting compost mix. Then I added a bit of normal soil for weight and some blood fish and bone fertiliser which was the only organic fertilizer I could find in the shops. 

Hanging the baskets and putting the containers near the white wall have instantly improved the area and for the first time in my growing career I can see the benefits of showy annual plants, and that’s before they grow to full size.  Let’s just hope that I remember to water them regularly and also to keep the dogs from sitting on the window boxes.

Eaten Sunflowers

We have planted some young sunflower plants in the garden to cover up a bit more concrete block and had to take some extremely inventive methods to keep the dogs from trampling them. Initially I pushed a few sticks into the ground next to the plants but the dogs decided they could be used as posts to weave in and out of. They will be pestering me to go on talent shows next.  I have added more and more sticks around the plants to stop them being ruined, so many that it looks like I have been creating wildlife habitats for hibernating hedgehogs.  I’m sure the sunflowers will grow quickly and be safe in no time. I did have a bit of a mystery with the sunflower leaves being eaten, nothing to do with the dogs this time.  I initially thought it was slugs, but couldn’t find any sign of them breaking past the slug deterrents I have laid out.  I think the problem is pigeons.  I know pigeons have a taste for young cabbages and can strip a whole row in next to no time. There are ways to keep pigeons off plants. Netting works as does putting old CD’s on strings. I’ll leave it for a while as I think the plants have enough cluttering their growth already and any hungry pigeons will have to join the dogs weaving in and out of the sticks.

Competition Results

I will be announcing the lucky winner of the Garden Matters Poetry Competition next week after Gareth Austin has read through them all and decided on his favourite. Thanks for your entries.