A STROLL IN THE GARDEN -TERESA MCFEELY

Teresa McFeely from Ballyliffen is in the gardening spotlight this week. Teresa has a real eye for beauty and scale in the garden and her garden features and finely maintained shrubs highlight her artistic talents. Teresa has won the Best Garden Award at the Clonmany Tidy Towns competition for the last two years running. The gardens, with their fabulous mountain backdrop are also a favourite place for wedding photographs to be taken.


How long have you been working on the garden?
20 years, since the house was new.

What is your favourite plant?
The Camellia, I have three different varieties in the garden and they all grow extremely well even though the garden is exposed.

What is your favourite feature in the garden?
There are lots of features that I love but my favourite has to be the grotto that I had built recently.

What is your favourite season and why?
Spring is lovely with all of the new growth. I also like May/June because that is when the glorious deep red roses come into bloom in the garden.

What work gives you the most pleasure in the garden?
Everything! But I do particularly enjoy weeding and cutting back.


Any irritations in the garden. How do you cope?
Moss on the lawn is a problem. I scarify it and brush sharp sand in which seems to help.

What is your best gardening tool?
I have an extendable hoe, which proves very useful.

Top Tip for spring?
Start weeding early and keep on top of them and they won’t be a problem.


Any plans for the future?
I am planning a wishing well and an area for my grandchildren to play.

Horticultural.

JAPANESE KNOTWEED LEAFLET

JAPANESE KNOTWEED LEAFLET

Ian,
I read your article is last Wednesday's Inish Times regarding the control of Japanese Knotweed. Clare County Council and The Heritage Council have produced a leaflet with advice on the control of Japanese Knotweed. Copies are available free-of-charge from the County Donegal Heritage Office at the address below. Thanks.

Joseph Gallagher
Heritage Officer,
County Donegal Heritage Office,
Donegal County Council,
Station Island,
Lifford
County Donegal.
Telephone: (074) 917 2576
E-mail: heritage@donegalcoco.ie



Environmental.

GREEN GREEN GRASS

(Click on the title for a link to the Western Organic Network)

Photo:Horses soaking up the sun in Moville at the weekend.

Hello Ian
I have a field where I keep a horse and would like to improve the quality of the grass. How could I do this organically? Thanks T. D. by e-mail

Reply
It sounds as though you are on your way to improving the grass by having the horse turning it’s food into manure for you. Mineral fertilizer is not usually put on to organic grassland; instead legumes (such as clover) are usually grown to fix the nitrogen. Manures such as the horses and even slurry are added too. Research has shown that the most active soil is the one that doesn’t have any type of fertilizer. So there must be other factors at work such as the Ph of the soil, soil depth and the density of the plant roots. If you feel that you need to know more on the subject, the Western Organic Network will soon be running a course on the subject under the heading of Livestock - Grassland & Soil Management

This is a one-day course in Clare, (sorry you have missed the Leitrim one!) to enable farmers to increase grassland production for fodder and thereby reduce reliance on external feed inputs. The areas covered will be on maintaining the flora and diversity in the fields, analysing the soil structure, grass seeding, clover swards and fodder production. There will be a small fee of €20 for the day. Check out the Western Organic website for more information about the course and other ones that could be of interest to you over the year.

http://www.westernorganicnetwork.com/


Environmental.

HAZEL RODS

Hazel rods make great supports for peas and beans. They are free too if you are prepared to go out into the woods and get them yourself. It is very tempting to go to the shop and buy a ten pack of bamboo poles, but I resisted this and ventured out into the undergrowth with my loppers. Being up to my knees in mud didn’t deter me and in no time at all I had far more poles than I could carry. Coppicing hazel seems to be a bit of a dying art now, and it is a pity because the trees benefit immensely. It regenerates the tree with fresh shoots, which prolongs the life of the tree. At one time it is all that cattle had as shelter in the winter. Putting the pea and bean structures will take no time at all because my lad has learnt how to tie a marlin spike hitch at scouts, which means I can delegate another job to the children and have more time to lounge about in the sun.

Hi Ian
I have just made a small border around my lawn. I was wondering how I could improve the soil to make it ready for planting some shrubs. I have removed the grass sods already Thanks D.P. By e-mail

Reply.
If you can stack the sods upside down in a pile for the summer you would end up with some fine soil to add the border. The grass will soon die off. If the soil is heavy add sand and add lots of well-rotted manure or garden compost to all of the soil types, especially where the shrubs will go. Do a Ph test too (available from the co-op) and check how much sun the site has. This will influence the type of shrubs to grow.


INISHOWEN GARDENING FORUM PAGE

Check out the new Inishowen gardening forum at www.inishindie.blogspot.com then go down to the Visit this Group button. This forum is in its infancy and aims to provide a cyberspace for local gardeners to share our knowledge and chat about our gardens. Hope to meet you on-line!

Horticultural.

IRISH SEEDSAVERS

(CLICK ON THE TITLE TO GO TO THE IRISH SEEDSAVERS WEBSITE)

Background: The ISSA is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the location and preservation of traditional varieties of fruit and vegetables. The Association maintains a seed bank which distributes seed of these non-commercially available vegetables, as well as a network of heritage potatoes. We pass them on to members so that they can learn to save them and in this way ensure a living agricultural legacy.

A primary goal of the ISSA is to bring Ireland's cultural and genetic heritage into the hands of ordinary people. One of the unique aspects of seed saving networks, which exist all over the world, is the opportunity to share in the responsibility and joy of conserving the planet's diminishing genetic resources in a real and practical manner.

ALPINE AND HERBACEAOUS SEEDS
If you are feeling adventurous then try collecting seeds from alpines and perennials to grow in your own garden. Some of the seeds need nature to take care of them so put them in a pot, label them and put them in a sheltered spot away from slugs. Some might germinate quickly but others need a frosting before they appear. Alpine plants are one of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings. If you see any plants you like the look of then cut off a couple of small pieces of stem with a node on it and push it into compost. Be careful if you try this in garden centres or parks as you could get arrested for stealing. Stick to friends’ gardens!

Horticultural.

KNAUTIA

Photo: Knautia persicifolia

PLANT OF THE WEEK
Cottage garden plants are looking terrific at this time of year. Tall plants in the cottage garden are a must and if you plant thickly then there is no need for staking. Bearded Irises have a bold structure and can support flimsier stems of such delights as the Delphiniums and large campanula persicifolia. One tall plant that would need a bit of support in the cottage garden that was brought to my attention this week was the Knautia macedonica. These upright perennials bear globular, bright crimson flowers that insects adore. The flowers are going over now and the birds are walking along the stems and having a feast on the abundance of seeds. All together these plants have been a haven for wildlife for well over two months, these are a must for the wildlife garden and if you can get some seeds before the birds eat them, then they will germinate in any sunny, well drained spot in the garden.

Horticultural.