Cow Parsley - Fan or Foe

This time of year the weeds are like invaders that seem to strategically begin to take over the garden. My garden weapons in hand, spade & hoe, I fight them endlessly, winning in some cases and losing in others.

I've every weed you can imagine in the garden (I might even hold the national collection), from dandelion, nettle, buttercup, chickweed, willowherb,  and even the dreaded horsetail (so far contained to a certain area). As I've a large garden I've let some areas stay as wildlife areas and I let nettles and cow parsley do their thing. However, every Spring armies of weeds seem to be coming at me from all directions, kind of like the board game 'Risk' I used to play as a child. The object of 'Risk' (developed by a Frenchman) is to use your armies to take over and control territories, the winner taking over the most areas. Similarly the weeds are definitely coming at me from all sides, creeping in from all directions, taking over my garden territories. My battle continues, but every year I give in a little, resulting in more wildlife areas within the garden, which I tell myself is a good thing.

Pictured: cow parsley - isn't it gorgeous! Boy, does it multiply and grow quickly. Easy enough to pull or dig out, but hundreds of these plants aren't much fun to control organically.

There are domesticated versions of cow parsley for the garden such as Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing and I assume it behaves a little better than the hedgerow type of cow parsley. Many of the garden designs at the Chelsea Flower Show featured cow parsley (or domesticated versions). Dare I add it to the flower borders? With these thoughts, I'm off to the garden to do some weeding...

What's your most invasive weed?

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

Chelsea Flower Show - What I Liked Best

Looking back at the photos I took at Chelsea Flower Show there are big expensive posh-looking gardens, exotic plants, detailed displays and many a perfect plant. But what appeals to me most are the veg displays (few there were), wildflowers and natural, cottage-style planting. Maybe I'm a little bit country at heart but the hard landscaped gardens with marble structures and fancy features weren't my favourite things - maybe because I consider them a bit too formal. Whatever the reason, here are some of my favourite photos taken at the show...

Above: Love the cottage style planting and the greenhouse in the background. I like the way the purples and pinks are to the left and the yellows and greens to the right. 

I love the idea of growing veg that looks so regimented and perfect, however, not quite a reality in my garden!

And of course not a blemish on the flowers or veg at Chelsea. I grow organically and of course my plants are prone to green fly, caterpillars, snail holes and slug slime.

It was great to see some veg and herbs at the show and the promotion of growing your own. 

Above: I loved the idea of using a wood pallet to make a plant shelf or wall hanging in the garden. This is something I aim to do this year. Generally these pallets are free and easily obtainable.

Above: I am drawn to these plants, the big giant heads of pink look very dramatic, and I will see about incorporating something similar into my garden (depending on the cost).

Above: One of my favourite Artisan Garden designs at Chelsea called Potter's Garden based an abandoned potter's garden from 1914. The simplicity of the brick building and the cottage style planting both appeal to me. I could basically live here!

And of course, this display at Chelsea with wildflowers and what I assume is willow structures was fun and interesting. Reminds me of being a child and doing cartwheels in the grass whilst looking for bugs and creepy crawlies! 

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

Flowers are Blooming Beautifully

It's the first of June and all go in the garden, with lots of growth, lots in flower and lots of weeds! 

Here's a little summary of what was flowering in May, and plants that are coming into flower in June.

From Top Left: bud and flowers going strongly (think a camellia? / or rhododendrum); Aubretia hardy perennial grown from seed flowers in Spring; Lavender topiary housed in the herb box.

From Top Left: Bergenia flowers attract bees; Arizona Sun Gaillardia looks a bit like a sunflower; tulips are now finished; poppies and calendula grown from seed/self seeding are flowering.

From Top Left: (the first plant I can never remember its name); two of the aquilegias long spurred hybrids grown from seed; purple Centaurea montana.

From Top Left: Ornamental tree cherry blossoms; leaves of Forest Flame / Pieris shrub; rhododendron I think; roses beginning to come into flower.

From Top Left: Nasturtium grown from seed;  shrub with white flowers is Iberis; shrub with pink flowers that smell like bubble gum; lupins (grown from seed) are starting to flower.

From Top Left: Hosta leaves, Solomon's Seal, Honesty seed heads (Honesty self seeds nicely around the garden), orange-yellow coloured flowering prickly shrub -Golden Barberry /Berberis Stenophylla.

From Top Left: Azalea/Rhododendrum; Lithodora diffusa Grace Ward that provides an evergreen carpet of little blue flowers, Blue and hot pink Geraniums that are just coming into flower.

Does anyone else find it difficult to remember plant names? 

I just felt I gave myself a horticultural quiz there trying to remember the names of plants. And, of course, there are some I just can't ever seem to remember.

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