This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Thursday 10 May 2012

Around the Garden

Can't believe its early May! The weather has been a roller coaster ride the past few weeks. On May Day, 7th May, it was reported that some areas of the UK/Ireland were colder than Christmas day! Burr!

Around the garden...

Potatoes are growing rightly in bags. This year I've planted up several bags and also have two varieties in the ground -  Maris Peer and Pentland Javelin.
Most seeds were sown in April this year. Kale and calendula seem to be better on than many others. Many seed haven't germinated (yet) and many seedling are so tiny I can't imagine planting them out in early June. 
Above: Soloman's Seal - an old cottage garden style plant often seen in Northern Ireland gardens.
Below: variegated hostas are coming up.
The pot grow, self fertilising apple tree is starting to bloom. I'm still finding some worms.  I've been researching on the internet but can't quite find any leads on the black worms (pictured below).
Above: Poppies will soon be in flower and if deadheaded will flower all summer. I really enjoy poppies in the garden. I think this one is a California poppy that has self seeded.
Above and below: Aquilegia / Columbine - the foliage on the purple one doesn't look very healthy. After I took the photo I noticed a large family of green fly (far right below).
One of my favourite flowering plants - Armeria maritime / sea thrift with some black mondo grass starting to invade it!


Copyright: All words and photos are property of "Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden".

10 comments:

  1. We have a poppy like that one that comes up every year by the greenhouse. I don't think it's a californian poppy as the leaves and flowers look a bit different. Does that caterpillar move? Could it be a dead one which has been parasitised?

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    1. I think it may be a wood poppy - a wild woodland flower.

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  2. Seedlings seem to be taking an age to put on any growth this year. I think we're looking at late harvests as things aren't going to grow very well until the weather picks up.

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  3. I agree with Jo - some of the brassicas I planted are still the same size as when they went it - every year is different!

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  4. I can't tell you what the poppy is, but I can say for sure that it's NOT a Califirnia poppy, which has almost-gray, very finely-divided leaves.

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  5. Hi Kelli, your spring gardens have such pretty cottage flowers! I hope that warmer weather will arrive for all of us soon! Sea Thrift is one of my favorite spring flowers too :)Cheers, Jenni

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  6. I love poppies too, but I don't get any self-seeding in my garden. It's a bit warmer today, but still raining.

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  7. Kelli, looks like your potatoes are growing right well. I think it is a great idea to plant some in bags! I love the Soloman's Seal. It may be somewhere in the States, but I have never seen it before. It does look very cottagey.

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  8. I am looking forward for your poppy to bloom!

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  9. It's so funny to see your garden half a world away, but often growing the same plants as I do. We've had roller coaster weather too, hot, cold and everything in between. But summer is almost here, my favorite, with lots of sun and warmth!

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