Autumn has definitely arrived and with it comes the gorgeous autumnal shades of reds, oranges and amber. One of my favourite sights is that of a house or smallbuilding covered in the vibrant tones of the climbing plant Parthenocissus. Parthenocissus henryana (Chinese Virginia Creeper) with it five fingered leaf which is dark green in spring […]
While Sarah is off galavanting at the Ballymaloe Garden Festival I have the responsibility of selecting our Plant of the Week. With cooler nights it clearly is a sign that autumn is on the way and for that reason there is no better choice than the the Sedum which has the aptly named ‘Autumn Joy. […]
Sarah has selected the tropical showgirls of the garden for our ‘Plant of the Week’ With their many colours and forms, Dahlias are one of the lowest maintenance, highest production cut flowers and garden plants you can grow. In a good year, they’ll flower from late June to late November (particularly in a sheltered spot). […]
The outstanding award of ‘Plant of the week’ goes to the very elegant Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’ (Japanese Plume Cedar) Once winter kicks in there will be many gaps left in the garden once the deciduous trees have finally shed their leaves. I always believe, it is essential then to include elegant evergreen specimens in your […]
This may appear to be an unusual choice for the plant of the week as Berberis is often associated as being hardy, thorny and is often overlooked. However at this time of year there are some varieties of the humble berberis that bring the garden to life with their autumn colours. Berberis thunbergii Starburst A […]
Given the weekend it is, the Potentilla is a good old reliable choice for this week. Flowers comes in red and white (Cork colours) and even gold/orange (half of Clare colours) blue has yet to be developed but in time I am sure they will be. This reliable hardy shrub is a mainstay in most […]
I pondered this week about what would make our plant of the week and nearly succumbed to the gorgeous blue flowers and red autumn foliage of Ceratostigma willmottianum Forest Blue but on looking around all this week all I seem to have noticed was the thriving buddleia bush. Given that the common name of this […]
Sometimes bigger is not better!!!!! This is often the case when showing the rather lovely Physocarpus ‘Diablo’ et al, as they can grow up to 1.5 – 2.5m in height and spread. I certainly do not object to it in my own garden however there are some people who perceive this as gigantic. So the […]
Our plant of the week is one of the easiest to grow as it is relatively low maintenance and hardy of the cold and is one of the most popular shrub for gardeners. It is no wonder as you get both very attractive foliage display as well as nice, full vibrant flower heads that last […]
Fancy a ‘Cherry Cola’ and ‘Southern Comfort’ then our plant of the week is just for you. The wonderful and very versatile Heuchera which makes the most stunning container plants which can even bring vibrancy on a dull winters day either in the ground or used in a hanging basket. The stunning foliage comes in […]
As it has been ‘Painting all week’ this weeks ‘Plant of the Week’ post is going to be much shorter. This week is all about lilies from species to tree to fragrant. My absolute favorite cut flower that is hard to resist with their fragrance and beauty. This is just a taster of some of […]
With this unusual balmy summer weather we are experiencing, this weeks ‘Plant of the Week’ is well suited to drought conditions. The architectural Agapanthus (African Blue lily) is a clump forming perennial with its strap shaped leaves and stout stems bearing blue and more rarely white trumpet shaped flowers. We currently have two gorgeous varieties […]
Sarah’s plant of the week has elegant flowers from now through to the first frost, with their rich diversity of lovely hanging lanternlike flowers from pure white to deepest purple. May I introduce the fabulous Fuschia. The fuschia for me creates evocative memories of coastal drives in Cork and Kerry during summer. And is a […]
