eileen's Blog at GardenStew.com

All change.

eileen — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:55:16 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:55 am (GMT 0)

I decided on Saturday that I really didn't like the planters having bark chippings in them to cover the soil as I thought they looked rather dull.
While we were out and about yesterday we visited a garden centre (how unusual id that for me eh? LOL) and bought a bag of plum slate chippings They are exactly the same as the ones we have in the front garden already only much smaller.
Today, between showers of rain, I removed all the bark and put it into the back garden. Now my planters seem much more cheerful and certainly look more attractive.

Here's what they look like now:

I'm a happy bunny now!!

The bit I enjoy.

eileen — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:45:02 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:45 pm (GMT 0)

Well, once again, Ian and I have been busy in the front garden.

Planters are in place......

......and getting ready for planting up.

Plants positioned to see how they look.

Planting finished!!

Now all I have to do is wait for the fetterbushes to arrive, plant them and enjoy the finished garden.

Almost there now.

eileen — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:40:27 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:40 pm (GMT 0)

At long last my garden planters are here!!! I've given them three coats of clear, satin finish, yacht varnish to make sure they retain their colour and also so that they will withstand the weather better.

Now all I have to do is wait for the last coat of varnish to dry overight and then I can get them moved to the front garden and plant them up.
Also got a letter from Spaldings saying that the two bushes I ordered should be here before the end of the month. Sooooo by the beginning of October the front garden will, at last, be done and dusted!!!

Will post more piccies once the planters are in place and the plants put into them.

Starting from scratch.

eileen — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 13:29:28 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 5:29 pm (GMT 0)

Well at long last the weather has been good enough for Ian and I to get on with getting the front garden sorted out. We originally had a large conifer in each side with various low growing plants around them and an old, rickety stone wall.

This is how it used to look:

The first thing we did was to remove all the plants that were in the garden so that we had a clear space to work on the fence.

Out came the large conifers:

Next we had to tackle removing the low growing plants and the stone wall.

No plants left now except the hedge and my beautiful bell heather. I really didn't want to pull the heather up as I'd grown it from a tiny wee thing in a 4 inch pot but, sadly, it just had to go too.

I think we must have dug out about three tons of stone before the job was completed. Maybe I should have sold the stone on e.bay!! LOL It would certainly have saved us having to move it all into the back garden which was back breaking work.

Next we had to remove the old, rotting, green picket fence.

All the fencing was taken up to the council skip and weed control fabric was laid over the bare earth.

Finally, work on the new fence got underway!!

New fence is now completed.

The next job we tackled was building the new wall around both front beds. The colour ties in nicely with the paintwork around our front windows.

We had to take a break at this point as the weather deteriorated but we did telephone the builders yard and order up two tons of plum slate chippings for delivery.

Here they are:

Now for some more hard labour - getting the slate into the garden and raking it smooth.

Job done at long last!!!

Now all we have to do is wait for our friend, Jim, to make six planters for us and for Spaldings to send out the two fetterbushes for planting.

This may now be a very low maintenance garden but boy was it hard work getting it that way!!!

I'll post more piccies once they arrive and are all planted up.

Isle of Skye.

eileen — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:57:49 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 2:57 pm (GMT 0)

I decided to put these photographs into my blog rather than post them all in the forums.
It was a long, hot trip to Skye especially as Ian was working and I was left to amuse myself for about an hour each time he went off to check the exchanges. Did I sit in the car? Did I read? Did I go for a cuppa or have a nap? No way!! I braved the searing sun, the rough terrain and the clouds of swarming midges just to take photographs to share with you all. LOL So without further delay here they are:

This is a view of Ben Nevis the highest mountain in Scotland - Elevation: 1344 M (4409 FT.) Ben Nevis is located at Lochaber, near Fort William in the highlands and its name means Venomous Peak.

This next mountain is worthy of mentioning too because of its unusual shape. It's called the Pap of Glencoe as it is said to resemble the nipple on a human breast.

There are 284 Munros (mountains in Scotland that reach an elevation of 3,000 feet (914.4 m) or more.) Many of them can be found in Glencoe. I don't know the names of them all but here are a few I thought you might like to see.

I thought the low cloud in the valley between these mountains looked as though a volcano was gushing out clouds of steam.

This is a photograph of one of the highland lochs that we saw on our trip. If you look at a map of Scotland and then at this loch they are remarkably similar aren't they?!!

This is a picture of the new Skye Bridge which put the ferries between the mainland and the Isle of Skye (and quite of few locals) out of a job. Until recently the bridge was a toll bridge but now it is free to travel across it.

There used to be a large fleet of fishing boats at Kyle of Lochalsh in Skye but, sadly it has dwindled over the years as young men have moved away from the island to seek work, and live, elsewhere. These are the remaining fishing boats.

At the mouth of the harbour at Skye there is a lovely old ruin. I'm afraid I didn't have enough time to find out what it once had been but I thought it looked lovely.

I came across this curious sight when we were driving through Glencoe. I think one cairn (the largest one) was the origional one built but then, for some reason or other, people started building seperate, little ones and now there is quite a large area covered in piles of stones of varying sizes.

Now for a few views of the countryside on Skye for you to see.

This second photograph is of some small highland tarns. Tarns are small bodies of water in the highlands not large enough to be called lochs. Some tarns, however, are bigger than some of the so-called lochs, most of the tarns though are very small, and some are not even named. The highlanders call them lochies.

I took this piccie of Eilean Donan Castle as it is rather famous and not just because of its history either!! It was said to be the castle that inspired the makers of the Harry Potter films to build Hogwarts school in the way that they did. There is also a bridge somewhere in Glencoe that was used in one of the HP films but I didn't get a snap of it. We actually saw a film crew out in the valley as we drove past on Wednesday. I wonder if they were making another HP movie in the area?

Eilean Donan Castle is recognised all over the world. It is situated on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some magnificent scenery. It is one of the most visited and important attractions in the Scottish highlands.
The castle was first inhabited around the 6th century but became a fortified castle in the mid 13th century and stood guard over the lands of Kintail. Since then, at least Four different versions of the castle have been built and re-built.

The castle was partially destroyed in a Jacobite uprising in 1719, Eilean Donan castle then lay in ruins for almost 200 years until a man by the name of Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island in 1911 restored it to its former glory. After 20 years of toil and labour the castle was finally re-opened in 1932.

I couldn't visit Skye without taking a photographs of the glorious sunsets to be seen there so here is one I took on Tuesday evening.

Lastly this sheiling is still being lived in but has been well maintained in its origional state. I couldn't take a pic from the front of the house as the owners were sunbathing in the garden!1

I hope you enjoyed the Isle of Skye as much as I did!!

Visit to the island of Texel.

eileen — Wed, 23 May 2007 11:19:32 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 3:19 pm (GMT 0)

We left the mainland in Holand and took one of these ferries over to the island. It was a wet and blustery day but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as there was such a variety of bird life to see.

Here are just a few of the species we spotted whilst on the island.

Nesting cormorants.

Black tailed godwit.

Lapwing with three babies.

Greylag goslings, oystercatchers (back left) and shellduck (back right).

Turnstones.

Marsh harrier. Not the best of photographs but I didn't want to scare it off so took the piccie from inside the car.

Best of all - a spoonbill!!

Here are a few more piccies from the island.

The lighthouse at the most northerly point of Texel.

Ina told us that she'd always wanted a plastic cow for her lottie - well look what we found for sale on the island. I must send her a copy of this piccie!!

I just has to take a picture of these too to show you all - every single flower is a flag iris!!! There must have been more than 5 acres of them altogether simply growing wild.

Last but not least a beautiful sunset to finish off a great day.

Everyone visits garden centres in Holland even..............

eileen — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:48:31 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:48 pm (GMT 0)

....... truck drivers getting married - here's a piccie of the groom's truck:

The bride's car:

The wedding took place inside the garden centre where they have a special area, complete with organ, set aside for weddings. Such a pity I left my camera in the car when we went inside.

Another visitor to the garden centre was this Macaw. He's probably making sure that his owners didn't forget to pick up his supplies from the pet section. LOL

Anyone for cheese?

eileen — Sun, 20 May 2007 19:55:38 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:55 pm (GMT 0)

Ian and I visited a town called Alkmaar while we were on holiday.

Every week they hold cheese auctions in the town centre and have market stalls lined up selling almost every kind of cheese you can think of.

We arrived too late to see the whole of the 1/2 acre site covered in cheeses but these piccies give you an idea of what the auctions were like.

By the way, Ina's father used to work as a chesseman and carried the cheeses the way these two men are doing.

The costumes aren't just worn for the sake of the tourists these are the actual uniforms of the Dutch cheese workers.

Some beautiful Dutch houses.

eileen — Sun, 20 May 2007 19:47:18 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:47 pm (GMT 0)

This first house was, by far, my favourite as it had almost everything you could wish for.

The houses in Holland are just so pretty that I couldn't resist taking a few more to show you.

Of course no Dutch pictures are complete without at least one windmill!!!

Sculptures at De Tuinen.

eileen — Sat, 19 May 2007 18:55:06 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 10:55 pm (GMT 0)

As we all walked around the gardens at Appeltern we saw these wildlife sculptures. All were for sale but, sadly, were well beyond my means.

I think my favourite is the frog bird bath.

Here are a few more photographs from the gardens that I thought would be of interest to you all.

This seems like a great way to give the impression of more space in a garden. The wall with the mural certainly makes it appear as though the garden just goes on and on.

Pretty, perfect, pink waterlily.

Solomon's seal.

A gorgeous orange honeysuckle.

Peonies.

eileen — Sat, 19 May 2007 18:49:03 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 10:49 pm (GMT 0)

While in Holland Ian and I visited De Tuinen at Appeltern with Clint and Ina. There were some gorgeous peonies there that I simply couldn't resist taking photographs of. I'm afraid there were no name tags on any of the plants but it makes them no less beautiful.

Here they are:

Peonies were never one of my favourite flowers (the blooms never seem to last very long) before visiting Holland but I'd love to have just a few of the ones above wouldn't you?

All things bright and beautiful.

eileen — Tue, 01 May 2007 10:12:11 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 2:12 pm (GMT 0)

Just before Ian and I leave on our trip to Holland I thought I'd post a few photographs for you all of some of the plants and flowers in our garden.

Primroses.

Water buttercups in our pond.

Little pear tree.

Grape hyacinth and white anaemone.

Euphorbia. Can you spot my little Dooley?

Red acer.

Strawberries in flower.

Quince bush flowering VERY early.

Thrift.

Bluebells.

Pieris.

Bleeding heart.

Tulips.

Lavender.

Azaelea.

Peony rose.

Some of my clematis ready to flower.

Lily, iris and others.

I think I'll leave it there before I bore you all too much.

Vine weevils.

eileen — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:48:22 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:48 am (GMT 0)

Many gardeners here in the UK are already beginning to find their plants under attack from these nasties so I thought I'd write a bit about them which may help you recognise the damage they do and how best to deal with them.

The grubs of the VW will attack the roots of almost any young plant in a container so beware!! They are especially fond of primulas and cyclamen for some reason. Plants in the soil are less at risk but are by no means safe from them.

How do you know you have a VW problem?

Your plants will be stunted and will quickly turn yellow and wilt. Unfortunately, at this stage it’s usually too late to save them. For an advance warning that vine weevils are about, look for notches bitten out of the sides of leaves by the adult beetles.

What does a vine weevil look like?

The adult weevil is a dark, oval-shaped insect approximately half an inch in length with a blunt snout and long, distinct antennae. In North America, all of the adults are females so every insect has the ability to cause and infestation. Feeding occurs at night; the adults do not fly but instead need to crawl up plants. The larvae are off-white in color with dark heads and can also do extensive damage as they feed on plant roots.

When to look out for them.

The adult weevils emerge from the soil in late May or early June through to mid-July. These adults feed for 4-5 weeks in order to produce the 300+ eggs that are dropped into the ground under the plant. The eggs hatch within 2 weeks and the larvae then tunnel into the soil where they feed on plant roots. They then tunnel deeper into the soil to protect themselves from frost and pupate in the spring.

Understanding the lifecycle and feeding practices of the weevil is the key to keeping the pest under control. Since adult weevils feed on leaves during the night and look for dark, moist spots during the day to rest, trapping them in these areas can be quite effective.

Some tips on how to control vine weevils.

Simply place a white drop cloth under your plant in the evening or early morning and shake the leaves this will help to catch many of the adults.

During the day, place a board under the plant. Check the board for hiding adults and scrape them off into a bucket of soapy water.

The eggs and larvae of the black vine weevil require moisture to survive. If your plants are heavily mulched, pull back this mulch to allow the surface of the soil to dry out and do not water plants unless necessary.

Using Nematodes to conttrol vine weevils.

Rather than attacking the adults, beneficial nematodes go after the larvae in the soil and are a safe and natural method of controlling vine weevils. Follow the instructions to the letter and you should find they really help to reduce or eradicate the weevils from your garden.

Simply type 'Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer' into your search engine to find suppliers.

Last of my reasons for liking Holland soooo much.

eileen — Fri, 19 May 2006 11:08:53 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 3:08 pm (GMT 0)

The Dutch plants are all approximately 1/3 of the price that I can buy them here in Britain. It's just as well we own a 4x4 Renault Kangoo because it comes back loaded with plants each year. The customs officers now just roll their eyes and grin at me saying, "Bye Bye, see you again next year!!!

Some of last years booty:

only around a 1/4 of what we brought back. What's that you say? I'm a plantaholic!! Yes and extremely proud of it!!! LOL

Keukenhof public gardens in Holland.

eileen — Fri, 19 May 2006 11:02:19 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 3:02 pm (GMT 0)

This has got to be one of my favourite places in Holland. Soooo much colour and so much scent. I could happily pitch a tent there for the whole week if only they'd let me. LOL

Well I hope you all enjoyed my Dutch photographs. No doubt there will be many, many more to come as we're probably going back there again later this year!!

Dutch flower festival.

eileen — Fri, 19 May 2006 10:54:28 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 2:54 pm (GMT 0)

When we visit Holland we love to go to their flower festivals. This selection of photographs will show you why we find them so irresistable.

Flower festival in Ghent.

Even something for the veggie grower!!

Why I love Holland so much.

eileen — Fri, 19 May 2006 10:48:16 -0400

Author: eileen
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 2:48 pm (GMT 0)

Firstly it's to visit our friends. Clint and Ina don't have a garden of their own but they do have the most fantastic allotment. Clint grows the most wonderful, and beautiful flowers and Ina is the queen of veggie growing.

Then there's the entertainment:

and the glorious scenery:

Couldn't resist snapping this local woman asleep with her little dog outside her house!!

And of course not forgetting the wonderful bulb fields.

Just a few of the reasons why we love to visit Holland!!

Soapy fingernails.

eileen — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:43:26 -0500

Author: eileen
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:43 am (GMT 0)

If you are, like me, one of those gardeners who doesn't like to wear gloves when gardening then you'll be able to relate to, what I call, 'grubby nail syndrome'.

After a day in the garden I can spend an eternity scrubbing the embedded soil from deep under my nails. However, nowadays what I do is: - before going out into the garden I run my nails firmly over the surface of a cheap bar of soap. When I come in to wash my hands at the end of the day the soap under my nails is easily removed and along with it all the dirt!!!

Another use for egg boxes.

eileen — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:35:04 -0500

Author: eileen
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:35 am (GMT 0)

As you are no doubt aware ladybirds are one of the most useful predatory insects you can have in your garden. They'll happily feed for hours on those troublesome aphids.

To ensure that ladybirds will be resident in your garden from early spring you'll need to provide them with a safe haven in which they can overwinter.

The best 'ladybird hotel' is an old egg box, opened out and pushed, upside down, into a hedge, under a shed or somewhere else that it will be relatively dry and undisturbed through the winter months. The ladybirds will find the egg compartments warm, dry and safe as a refuge from predators.

Rose mildew recipe.

eileen — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 20:27:45 -0500

Author: eileen
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:27 am (GMT 0)

Mix 1 tablespoonful of baking powder with 1/4 of a pint of milk and add a teaspoonful of cooking oil. Stir well and pour into a hand sprayer.
Liberally coat both sides of the leaves of any affected roses.
The baking powder and the milk are the affective ingredients and the oil helps the mixture stick to the leaves.

This has worked for me on many occassions and it's totally organic!!