I just love gardening but to be honest I’ve probably killed way more plants than I’ve grown. I reckon it’s the same with most people. In this column I will share my successes and failures, and hear from the real experts about what’s looking good during the year. If you have a favourite plant I’d love to hear from you.
Boston ivy. \ Mairead Lavery
Boston ivy
No matter the time of year, there’s always something to look forward to in the garden. Right now it’s hard to beat the blazing red of Boston ivy and Virginia creeper. However, when people see the word “ivy” they think, ‘Oh no, bad for the foundations of a house, full of insects and not a good thing to be climbing our walls’. And they’d be wrong.
After years of trying to get it established, Boston ivy now covers most of our house. Unlike most ivys, Boston ivy sheds its leaves in autumn, leaving behind the vein-like structure that supports the leaves in summer. It’s the same with Virginia creeper. You can tell them apart as Boston ivy has three points on its leaves (tricuspidata) while Virginia creeper has five (quinquefolia). As well as that, every tendril of Boston ivy seeks out a place to latch onto, while Virginia creeper has a looser habit.
The leaves of both make an appearance in April even though the buds can be seen as early as March. This can be a dangerous time as a hard frost could finish a young plant. If buying in spring, check with your garden centre that the plants have been out-wintered and not imported from a warm location where they’ve known no hardship from the weather. Try planting one on a south- or west- facing wall (also thrives on north- and east-facing walls) and you will be well rewarded for your trouble.
What I love to grow: Margaret Leahy
I remember visiting my grandparents in the south of England as a child and eating tomatoes off the vine in grandad’s greenhouse.
Tomatoes. \ Margaret Leahy/@gardenngather
The taste was so sweet that I have grown tomatoes everywhere I have had a garden. When we lived in New York I discovered the joys of growing them outside with enough sun and heat to ripen the largest beefsteak varieties. Back home in Mayo I gave over half the polytunnel to growing them, well they are green and red in fairness.
A few years ago I moved from a farm to a large garden and a good size glasshouse was top of my priority list. In fact, I decided to put up a 10x14ft glasshouse instead of putting in an en suite. I can shower anywhere.
Last summer, I was with a commercial organic tomato grower who gave me beautiful cherry tomatoes in four colours. I saved the seed and sowed them with heat in February, potted them several times until they were planted into the glasshouse in April. I’ve enjoyed them since June and will have some right up until October. Visitors weren’t asked if they would like a tomato sandwich but rather what colour tomato sandwich they would like.
Every day, I pick a basket full and they are eaten in sandwiches and salads, roasted for sauce to freeze, made into a puree and bottled or dehydrated and preserved in oil. Later in the winter I can open a jar of dried tomatoes or defrost some sauce and there’s the taste of summer. I love growing my own spuds, carrots, peas and beans but tomatoes or trátaí are the queen in the garden.
The garden centre recommends
Time to plant autumn garlic and onions
As a rule, garlic and onions like a free-draining soil and must be planted in full sun. Garlic and onions that are planted in autumn will be ready for harvesting by late June.
The advantage of autumn planting is that you get bigger yields and you have more time to dry bulbs for winter storage.
Looking good for September
Bluegrass. \ Arbouretum Garden Centre
Festuca glauca ‘Intense Blue’: This must be the bluest ornamental grass you can buy. A beautiful compact form with intense tufts of spikey hair-like foliage. Perfect for garden borders or creating an evergreen wow in your pots and planters. Grows to 30cm high.
Hypericum. \ Arbouretum Garden Centre
Hypericum ‘Miracle
Attraction’: Better known as “St John’s Wort”. Miracle Attraction has a compact habit growing to a metre in both height and width. It bears bright yellow flowers in July, followed by beautiful big red berries in autumn, perfect for flower beds and planters.Thanks to Rachel Doyle of the Arbouretum, Co Carlow.
Lady's mantle. \ Mairead Lavery
Time to tidy up alchemilla mollis, better known as “Lady’s mantle”. This is a topping little herbaceous perennial, meaning it comes back year after year. It spreads like wildfire if you let it. It’s low sized and great as edging or along paths. Its lime green leaves are scalloped and when it rains the rain drops are held like diamonds on the leaves. It produces great sprays of tiny flowers and unless you want hundreds of seedlings, you need to cut back hard on the sprays before they set seed.
I just love gardening but to be honest I’ve probably killed way more plants than I’ve grown. I reckon it’s the same with most people. In this column I will share my successes and failures, and hear from the real experts about what’s looking good during the year. If you have a favourite plant I’d love to hear from you.
Boston ivy. \ Mairead Lavery
Boston ivy
No matter the time of year, there’s always something to look forward to in the garden. Right now it’s hard to beat the blazing red of Boston ivy and Virginia creeper. However, when people see the word “ivy” they think, ‘Oh no, bad for the foundations of a house, full of insects and not a good thing to be climbing our walls’. And they’d be wrong.
After years of trying to get it established, Boston ivy now covers most of our house. Unlike most ivys, Boston ivy sheds its leaves in autumn, leaving behind the vein-like structure that supports the leaves in summer. It’s the same with Virginia creeper. You can tell them apart as Boston ivy has three points on its leaves (tricuspidata) while Virginia creeper has five (quinquefolia). As well as that, every tendril of Boston ivy seeks out a place to latch onto, while Virginia creeper has a looser habit.
The leaves of both make an appearance in April even though the buds can be seen as early as March. This can be a dangerous time as a hard frost could finish a young plant. If buying in spring, check with your garden centre that the plants have been out-wintered and not imported from a warm location where they’ve known no hardship from the weather. Try planting one on a south- or west- facing wall (also thrives on north- and east-facing walls) and you will be well rewarded for your trouble.
What I love to grow: Margaret Leahy
I remember visiting my grandparents in the south of England as a child and eating tomatoes off the vine in grandad’s greenhouse.
Tomatoes. \ Margaret Leahy/@gardenngather
The taste was so sweet that I have grown tomatoes everywhere I have had a garden. When we lived in New York I discovered the joys of growing them outside with enough sun and heat to ripen the largest beefsteak varieties. Back home in Mayo I gave over half the polytunnel to growing them, well they are green and red in fairness.
A few years ago I moved from a farm to a large garden and a good size glasshouse was top of my priority list. In fact, I decided to put up a 10x14ft glasshouse instead of putting in an en suite. I can shower anywhere.
Last summer, I was with a commercial organic tomato grower who gave me beautiful cherry tomatoes in four colours. I saved the seed and sowed them with heat in February, potted them several times until they were planted into the glasshouse in April. I’ve enjoyed them since June and will have some right up until October. Visitors weren’t asked if they would like a tomato sandwich but rather what colour tomato sandwich they would like.
Every day, I pick a basket full and they are eaten in sandwiches and salads, roasted for sauce to freeze, made into a puree and bottled or dehydrated and preserved in oil. Later in the winter I can open a jar of dried tomatoes or defrost some sauce and there’s the taste of summer. I love growing my own spuds, carrots, peas and beans but tomatoes or trátaí are the queen in the garden.
The garden centre recommends
Time to plant autumn garlic and onions
As a rule, garlic and onions like a free-draining soil and must be planted in full sun. Garlic and onions that are planted in autumn will be ready for harvesting by late June.
The advantage of autumn planting is that you get bigger yields and you have more time to dry bulbs for winter storage.
Looking good for September
Bluegrass. \ Arbouretum Garden Centre
Festuca glauca ‘Intense Blue’: This must be the bluest ornamental grass you can buy. A beautiful compact form with intense tufts of spikey hair-like foliage. Perfect for garden borders or creating an evergreen wow in your pots and planters. Grows to 30cm high.
Hypericum. \ Arbouretum Garden Centre
Hypericum ‘Miracle
Attraction’: Better known as “St John’s Wort”. Miracle Attraction has a compact habit growing to a metre in both height and width. It bears bright yellow flowers in July, followed by beautiful big red berries in autumn, perfect for flower beds and planters.Thanks to Rachel Doyle of the Arbouretum, Co Carlow.
Lady's mantle. \ Mairead Lavery
Time to tidy up alchemilla mollis, better known as “Lady’s mantle”. This is a topping little herbaceous perennial, meaning it comes back year after year. It spreads like wildfire if you let it. It’s low sized and great as edging or along paths. Its lime green leaves are scalloped and when it rains the rain drops are held like diamonds on the leaves. It produces great sprays of tiny flowers and unless you want hundreds of seedlings, you need to cut back hard on the sprays before they set seed.
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