ME AND MY MOTOR- JOE WILSON

This week I was privileged to have a tour around Joe Wilson’s collection of fabulous cars. Joe has been fascinated by cars his whole life and is the owner of Premier Limousine hire in Carndonagh. The company caters for all types of functions from weddings to hen and stag nights. There are more cars to come as well because Joe is lovingly renovating 2 Daimlers, including a DS420 wedding car. There is also a 1973 Rolls Royce Shadow 1 in the workshop at the moment being restored back to its original condition.


Name: Joe Wilson.

Address: Carndonagh.

Car: 1996 Lincoln Town Car 120" Stretch limousine


How long have you had the car?

I bought the car in September of last year.

Any plans to change?

No, I wouldn’t like to part with any of the fleet of stretch limos I have.

Is it reliable?

Yes


Best thing about the car?

That has to be the size. It isn’t the easiest vehicle to get in to a tight spot though!


How often do you wash it?

After every run. Although saying that there is still some crazy foam on the bodywork from the St. Patrick’s day parade that I took part in!


Any modifications?

Yes. The car was stretched by a company called American coachworks, who are based in California. As well as being long it has all of the added luxuries like a leather interior, bar, TV and DVD.


If you were the minister for finance, what would you do to help motorists?

Make petrol cheaper. This car only does 12 miles to the gallon.


What would you really like to be driving around in?

I also have a 1971 Ford Zephyr V6. It has to be my favourite stretch limousine by far. I plan to renovate it so hopefully driving around in it will be a reality soon enough!

Motoring.

ME AND MY MOTOR - SHANE CAREY

Name: Shane Carey

Car: 2001 Volkswagen Beetle 1.6


Shane works at Cavanaugh’s petrol station in Greencastle. His VW Beetle is meticulously maintained and there is even a replica baby VW on the dashboard.

How long have you had the car?
Two years.

Any plans to change?
Not at the moment. Although saying that I have a four month old child so things might have to change as the car is only a two door.

Is it reliable?
Yes, very.

Best thing about the car?
The colour. I like the black and think that the brightly coloured beetles are a bit over the top.

How often do you wash it?
Nearly every day! I don’t like the car being dirty and I make good use of the fact that I have access to a pressure washer.

If you were the minister for finance what would you do to help motorists?
The cities have bus lanes and cycle paths. In rural areas I think we should have tractor lanes to keep the traffic moving.

What would you really like to be driving around in?
A Porsche 911. The VW beetle is said to be the poor man’s porsche, so I’m half way there!

Motoring.

GARLIC SPRAY

Ian
I have heard that you can make a spray out of garlic to get rid of garden pests on vegetables. How is this done? L.C. by e-mail

Reply
Garlic spray is great for getting rid of pests such as wireworms, slugs, caterpillars and weevils. Chop 3oz (75g) of garlic and mix with two teaspoons full of mineral oil. Leave for twenty-four hours to let the garlic soak in to the oil. After this time, add a pint (575ml) of water into which two teaspoons of soft soap have been added. Stir thoroughly and strain into plastic containers to store. To use, dissolve one part of this mixture to twenty parts of water. Spray this on to the leaves of affected vegetables and also treat the soil around the plants.

Horticultural.

JOBS TO DO IN MAY

SURVEY THE SHRUBBERY
Yellow or undersize foliage on your trees indicates a lack of nourishment. Feed them regularly, but don't overdo it. If the trees are less than three years old, water them well in dry weather.

HOUSEPLANT CARE
If you have any houseplants sitting directly in the window, make sure the light is filtered or the plant is moved to a site out of direct sunlight. The windowpane intensifies the heat, and you don't want to scorch your plants. Fertilize your houseplants frequently to ensure vigorous growth.

DON’T FORGET TO SMELL THE FLOWERS
Extend the indoor life of your cut flowers by putting them in a solution that is one part water, one part clear soft drink (such as 7-Up, Sprite, etc.). Some people recommend that you put a few drops chlorine bleach in to the water , but I will leave that decision up to you.

Snip off the old flower clusters from rambler roses to encourage them to bloom all summer. Deadhead traditional roses too

If you have thick, thriving phlox, thin the plants to four or five stalks per clump to provide adequate ventilation and avoid mildew.

Pinch out the growing tips of basket and container plants to encourage them to produce bushy even growth and lots of flowers. Encourage chrysanthemum shoots to branch out and carry more blooms by pinching out the shoot tip. This technique is called stopping.

SEED SOWING
Biennials, such as foxgloves, sweet Williams, Canterbury bells and forget-me-nots, should be sown as soon as fresh seed is available; most biennials are producing seeds now.



CUT DOWN EARLY FLOWERING PERENNIALS
Remove faded flowers on perennials such as lupins and delphiniums. Early pruning often encourages a second flush of flowers late in the season. Cut the flower-spike down to just above a new shoot or leaf, and give each plant a generous liquid feed to encourage fresh growth. Remove the seedheads from aquilegia to prevent them from spreading.

Horticultural.

NO DIG

It always amazes me how quickly the plants are growing at this time of year. The seeds we planted in early spring have germinated and we spread them so thickly that the new growth has completely covered any bare soil that we had in the raised beds. Even though the growth is dense we are still getting weed seeds germinating so these have to be kept in check to make sure that they do not go to seed or grow too big and take away the nutrients from the soil. I managed to get some new soil for some areas of the garden recently. It really needs to be checked closely as it came from a piece of ground that wasn’t cultivated. I have put it in one particular place and every week I am finding small dock plants growing. Catching them small means that they will not become too much of a problem. We practice a no dig policy in the garden so hopefully if I do not disturb the soil the area should be weed free soon. Digging the garden would bring new weed seeds to the surface of the soil. No digging will keep the weed seeds safely under the soil so they remain dormant, that’s the theory anyway!

Horticultural.

LEATHERJACKETS

Dear Ian
I have a problem on my lawn. The grass is going yellow and brown in large patches. I feed and cut it regularly but there are a few rushes on it. Is the soil too wet? Regards F. T. Templemoyle

Reply
If only things were that simple. The lawn is probably a bit on the wet side but this is only the start of the problem. It sounds to me as though you have a bad case of leather jackets; these are a 1-inch long, grey or brown legless grub. In poorly drained soil or after a wet autumn as we had, they can be a real nuisance. Crane flies (Daddy long legs) lay their eggs in the soil in late summer, usually in the turf or as in my case last year, inside pots in my tunnel. These hatch out into the grubs that cause the damage by eating the roots of the grass. This results in the yellowing of the leaves and eventually death for the plant. You will probably see a lot of activity from starlings on your lawn too as they try to dig up the pests.

CURING THE PROBLEM
I was talking to someone last week that sprayed his lawn with a chemical that made the leatherjackets come to the surface of the soil. The dead pests were then swept up. He collected enough of the leatherjackets to fill a large plastic carrier bag from Dunne’s! I’ve forgotten the name of the product so you will have to ask at the garden centre, The Co-Op sells it as well. Alternatively you could try the natural method. Improving the drainage of the soil will help to keep them down. Another method would be to water an area and cover it with plastic sheeting overnight. In the morning you can lift the sheeting to expose the pests. Leave them on the ground for the birds to feast on or start sweeping them up.

Horticultural.

PLANTS FOR CONTAINERS

Believe it or not, now is a great time to get those containers filled with summer bedding. We still have to watch out for cold nights but most of the annuals should be safe enough barring a frost. I put out all of my cacti a couple of weeks ago thinking that they would be safe on the windowsill. Unfortunately I was a bit early and they have all gone a very funny colour and some have turned into mush because the frost got into them. More fuel for the compost bin!

PLANTS FOR CONTAINERS
You might be tempted to go for the baskets that are already filled in the garden centres. There might not be as many plants in them compared to baskets you make up yourself. Also the plants will probably be in full bloom so you won’t get as long a show of colour. When you are choosing plants go for ones that have a long flowering season to get the best out of the basket. Whichever ones you go for, remember that they have been grown indoors and they will need a bit of protection against the elements for the first few days, so put them in a sheltered spot for a day or two. Try filling the basket with just one type of plant for a dramatic effect. Busy Lizzies; fuchsias or geraniums give a brilliant display until the first frosts. Avoid plants such as nemesia unless you can grow new plants at regular intervals as they only flower for a short period. Here are a few on offer that I found to be reliable in baskets:

Trailing lobelia. Very well behaved around the sides of the basket.

Pansies. The summer varieties will last all summer. Deadhead often, but save a few seed heads for planting up next spring.

Verbena. Loads to choose from here. Pick the trailing type and plant near the centre of the basket so they fill out before going over the edge. They take really easily from cuttings too.

Busy Lizzie. Bright display all summer. Again they root easily from cuttings.

Geranium. We’re spoilt for choice again with these. Upright or trailing, take your pick.

Bidens. These are very fast growing. They have yellow flowers and trail very well. Buncrana council use them to very good effect in their displays. Cuttings take very easily as well so don’t buy too many of them.

Helichrysum. These are grown for their silvery foliage. They trail very well and can be over wintered.

Begonia. Again, these will flower until the first frosts. The tuberous types can be over wintered.

When you are buying the plants try to buy the ones that aren’t in flower yet as these will give you a longer display. If you find yourself buying a plant that is pot bound then tease some roots out gently from around the root ball, this should help the plant to establish once it is planted into the basket.

Horticultural.

CACTI CARE

Photo: Ronnie dried grapes on his cacti to get sultanas.

CACTI
Now the days are getting longer and there is a bit of heat in the sun it’s a good time to tend to houseplants. A lot of plants may need repotting, Cacti included. Cacti are amongst the longest living, easy to care for plants that you can grow indoors, in fact it’s the only type of plant that I have in the house at the moment. By the time I come in from tending to all my plants outdoors I just don’t notice any indoors and they tend to get severely neglected! The Cacti benefit from little or no water all winter in the dormant season, but spring is a good time to see whether they have outgrown their pots.

REPOTTING A CACTUS
Check the bottom of the pot, if the roots are showing then it may be time to think about repotting, if so, water the plant so the soil is just moist a couple of days before.

1 Fold a newspaper to make a collar to fit around the plant when you take it out of the pot, this will save your hands the irritation of getting spiked to bits and it will also protect the spikes of the plant from getting damaged.

2 Hold the ends of the newspaper together then ease the plant out of its pot and lay it down on some crumpled newspaper.

3 Pick a slightly larger pot and set the old one inside it. Fill the gap around the edge with cactus compost (this can be bought from garden centres) or you can mix coarse sand and grit into the compost you already have.

4Carefully remove the inner pot from the compost. This will leave a hole just the right size for the rootball of the plant.

5 Gently pick the cactus up with the newspaper and lower it into the hole.

6 Trickle a layer of grit around the plant, this makes it look more attractive and also allows water to drain quickly through the compost.

TIP: Small quantities of grit can be bought from D.I.Y stores or garden centres, or you could also pop down to the pet shop. They usually have grit for use in fish tanks.

CACTUS CARE
Most Cacti are suitable for a sunny south or west-facing windowsill. They also do well in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory, but they do need good ventilation, even during mild wintry periods. Remember that the plants will dry out quickly in the summer months on a bright windowsill, so regular watering will be needed, but like most houseplants try not to over water them.To give your cacti a clean, brush them gently with a soft brush, if there are any pieces of grit lodged in the spines then you could get out the tweezers and pick them out. This can be a bit tedious but the plant will love you for it.

TIP

Add crushed eggshells into the soil in which cacti are plants to give them extra calcium and a better draining medium in which to grow.

Horticultural.