LORETO HOUSE FLORAL WEEKEND

Photo: Loreto House with Tyred View by Debra Richardson.

Photo: Loreto House conservatory.

Photo: Large display by Michael Doherty and Mary McCullagh.

Photo: Karen Sanson display.

Photo: Kazuhide Egewa displays.

Photo's:Julie Pearson displays.

Photo: Jane Marsh display.

Photo: Hallway,Loreto House.

Photo: Floral mix

Photo: Petal Power by Michael Doherty.

Photo:Decorated boots by Jane Marsh.

Carpet of flowers: Loreto grammer school Omagh,Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana,Crana College, Buncrana

FLOWER SHOW AT LORETO HOUSE

Loreto house in Linsfort was bathed in sunshine over the weekend, giving a perfect backdrop for their first flower show. The idea for the flower show came from a conversation with flower arranger Michael Doherty and sister Eveleen from Loreto house soon after Sister Anne McDaid passed away. It had always been something that Sister Anne wanted to do but was unable to organise because of ill health. It seemed fitting therefore that the show went ahead in her memory and floral artists came from here and overseas to take part. The money raised will also go towards the refurbishment of the stable yard, which was also a plan that Sister Anne was hoping to implement. I went down to see the varied display of artwork for myself and was amazed at the size and variation of the arrangements. Before walking into the newly painted building I was greeted with a decorated car that Michael Doherty had put together called “Petal Power”, complete with hazel sticks in the exhaust pipes. There was also a collection of three decorated tractor tyres on the lawn to steer you into the house, these were put together by Debra Richardson and called Tyred View”

Jane Marsh created a fantastic show of flowers in the conservatory using driftwood and old wellies that were still covered in mud. Sticks poked out of the top of the boots, which reminded me of the feeling of my own boots after a day grafting in the garden. Every room in the house was full of stylish displays. Loreto Grammer School, Scoil Mhuire and Crana College decorated the hallway with two gigantic carpets of fresh flowers and the staircase banister and post decorated by John McDonald and Christine Skipper were intricately woven with flowers. There were some gigantic displays that would be well suited to a stately home. The idea of floral arrangements go back centuries but really became popular in Victorian times to display new species of imported flowers as well as prosperity. In contrast to these larger displays, Kazuhide Egewa showed us very inspiring Japanese styled minimalist displays using dogwood, roses and something we tend to just throw on the fire, the humble lump if turf!

GARDEN DESIGN-DOORWAY

Photo: The red hot poker plant (Kniphofia) could make an interesting centre piece in a pot by the door.

BRIGHTEN UP THE DOORWAY
Bring some colour and warmth to the doorway of your house by carefully picking some hot pots and plants

HOT REDS
Perfect for: a cool corner that needs brightening up. Choose bold Mediterranean blue pots. They are usually associated with summer sun, but they also look great planted up with warm winter plants. A single colour scheme always creates instant impact - in winter,try a combination of cyclamen and Gaultheria procumbens.

OLIVES
Perfect for: an alternative look. Choose an olive tree! Although olive trees may be associated with sunnier climes, they are surprisingly hardy. Dress up your olive tree by placing it in a terracotta pot and under planting it with variegated ivy. It should be kept sheltered from cold winter winds, but makes a great alternative to the traditional Christmas tree.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE
Perfect for: a warm welcome to a door or driveway. Choose large red planters and plant them up in rich tones of red, orange and chocolate brown. It's a warm and inviting look that's easy to replicate. Plant a chocolate-brown cordyline in the centre of the pot and alternate orange flaming katy (Kalanchoë blossfeldiana) and red Gaultheria procumbens around the base of the cordyline. Place in a bright but sheltered spot and water sparingly.

Horticultural.

GARDEN DESIGN-BIRDS

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE BIRDS WHEN PLANNING YOUR GARDEN

(Click on the title for a link to the RSPB)

Birds are on the decline in the garden and one of the reasons could be blamed on lost lawns. Decking, patios and gravel gardens may be contributing to a decline in song thrushes, house sparrows and starlings. Conservationists said their numbers have plummeted over the last 30 years as a trend to replace lawns with a low maintenance alternative has taken off. Without a habitat for insects, there is less for the birds to feed on. The RSPB over in England said studies suggested this was threatening some species' survival rate and urged people to leave lawns. It said that gardening makeover shows and a lack of time to spend tending a garden had led people to pave over their gardens or lay decking. Richard Bashford, of the RSPB, said: "We are losing more and more of the natural environment around our homes, particularly our front gardens." He said research had shown that even tiny front gardens or green verges are vital for urban wildlife and can house more than 700 different species of insect. "The RSPB is still investigating the causes of declines and why bird populations aren't recovering. Currently there is no one factor this can be attributed to. "However supplementing natural food with seeds and nuts and planting natural food sources for next spring can only help." The RSPB is also urging gardeners to plant native shrubs, leave patches of long grass and introduce bird feeders and tables.

RSPB ADVICE

Plant a native shrub or climber
Leave patches of long grass
Do not cut back old stems of herbaceous plants and annuals until spring
Fill a shallow dish with fresh water every day
Put nuts, seeds and household scraps in feeders or on bird tables

Horticultural,environmental.

POINSETTIAS

As we are looking at brightening up the doorstep let's look indoors too. There were some interesting houseplants on sale before Christmas to cash in on the buying frenzy. Some of the choices will last longer than others. Don't be too disappointed if the beautiful plant you bought looks like a pile of twigs, they will have done their job. Some plants are for Christmas, not for life!

A favourite is the Poinsettia. These attractive foliage plants prefer cooler rooms otherwise they wilt. To keep the humidity up, stand them on a layer of pebbles in a water-filled tray. Put the plants near a window with lots of light but out of draughts, let them dry out between watering, and feed occasionally. They could last for months but don't bet money on it though! Most of the problems you will get with this plant are because of the poor conditions they were displayed in at the shops. They were grown in hot glasshouses so a cold draughty doorway of a shop is the last thing they need. Pick ones from shops that keep them watered and out of the cold air. If you do want to over winter the plant so that they produce the coloured bracts ( kind of flower petals), it is possible but tricky. They'll need 14 hours of total darkness followed by 10 hours of daylight every day for 8 weeks. Leave it to the professionals!

Horticultural.

INISHOWEN ORGANIC GROUP

ORGANIC INFORMATION

Ian

I would like more information about turning my veggie plot organic. I have read a few books but would be grateful if you could put me in touch with any organic group in Inishowen. Thanks T.M Carn


Reply.

Hi Tom. You will be pleased to know that Inishowen does have a really strong organic group here in Inishowen. They meet every last Thursday in Simpsons bar in Carndonagh , so you won't have far to travel!. The main focus of the network is on subsidised training, and now they have such a large membership, most of the training can be done here in Inishowen. An earlier meeting included guest speaker John Long from North West Organics, based in Derry. He spoke about farmers markets. NWO now organise several markets,including Donegal town and Strabane. The markets are slowly becoming more popular as people are getting the 'buy local' message, The group are always looking for organic growers. So if you have a large plot with loads of surplus stock to sell or just produce enough for youself them contact Mary Reilly at jandmreilly@eircom.net> . Mary will happily answer all of your questions.

Horticultural.

BIO FUEL

IS BIO FUEL THE WAY TO GO?

Steps towards motoring without petrol and diesel came one stage closer recently, with Volkswagen, Shell and biotechnology firm Iogen agreeing to look into producing a new biofuel in Germany. A European Union directive on cutting greenhouse emissions means that by 2010, 5.75% of fuel in use in the EU has to be biofuels. In this agreement, VW, Shell and Iogen are looking to produce a new biofuel called cellulose ethanol, which is produced from the straw and leaves of agricultural cereals. Two vehicles that run on biofuels are already sold in Europe at the moment. Saab launched its 9-5 Biopower saloon and estate models in November of last year. These run on a bioethanol mix known as E85 and Saab claims this fuel cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 70%.

Bioenthanol-powered cars could offer the best of both worlds. They can run on bioethanol (effectively alcohol derived from fermented cereal crops), petrol or any mixture of the two. The concept of bioethanol is simple. The crops grown to produce the renewable bio-fuel absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This almost cancels out the carbon dioxide produced when the fuel is burnt. An engine using bio-ethanol produces no sulphur and generates less carbon dioxide than an engine using petrol. Currently, Saab has BioPower version of its 9-5, Ford is selling the Focus Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) and Renault has just released details for a Bio-Power Clio. In theory, this all sounds great, but just how useable is one of these bio-cars when compared to a petrol equivalent? Apart from the colorful livery on the car, there is no easy way to tell a bio-ethanol Focus from its conventional petrol sibling. Get in, turn the key, and drive off, and you won't notice anything different and you don't have to treat the car in any special way. The Focus FFV uses a 1.8-litre engine modified to cope with a mixture of ethanol and petrol. The engine constantly measures the combination of fuel in the tank and adjusts itself to get the best performance. That means you don't have to worry about what ratio you put in the tank -just fill up when you want to. Once you take into account that the crops grown to produce the ethanol have already absorbed carbon dioxide, the 1.8 FFV engine produces only 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted when running on petrol. Engine power is slightly improved when running purely on bioethanol, but only by five bhp you'll struggle to notice any real improvement.. Unlike LPG systems, there's no need for a separate fuel tank, hidden in the boot or spare wheel recess, so even luggage space isn't compromised. The Ford Focus FFV is priced between the existing 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre petrol-only models. As with any car in the Focus range, you can order it in LX, Sport, Zetec and Climate trim levels, and you can order from any Ford dealership. One area where the Focus FFV seems to let itself down is fuel economy. A tank of bioethanol will only take you about 200 miles and, according to the car's trip computer, this averages roughly 28mpg on a mixture of faster roads and urban driving.

Ford quotes an official combined fuel consumption of 40.4mpg for the FFV when run purely on petrol, but admits that will drop by up to 25% when you switch to bioethanol A litre of biofuel should be about 10 cent cheaper than unleaded. Drivers who use bioethanol currently pay 20% less fuel tax than for petrol and diesel, and company drivers will also pay slightly less road tax. Owning a biofuel car will not be practical yet around here, because it is almost impossible to get your hands on the fuel. However, in England last month, the supermarket chain Morrisons started selling biofuel and already has 10 stations up and running. Hopefully the large petrol companies in Ireland will add a pump to the forecorts. So, the future for bioethanol may look bright. Other parts of Europe are already keen on biofuel cars. In Sweden, 80% of all Ford Focus models sold are biofuel-ready, and Renault is claiming that by 2009, 50% of all its petrol-engined cars sold in Europe will be bio-powered. Currently all the bioethanol sold here is imported from Brazil, but the first two manufacturing plants are now being built in England, with production starting next year. The Ford Focus is one of the best small family cars on the market, and the FFV is a fine replacement for a conventional petrol model. Once more petrol stations stock the biofuel, and if the Government keeps the tax down, bioethanol cars could prove a real hit, especially as petrol prices are on a sharp incline.

Environmental.