The Lovely Lenten Rose

Tue, Feb 13, 2018

One of the challenges facing a garden designer is how to make a garden look good all year round. The choice of plants for spring, summer and even autumn is endless, but when it comes to the colder months of the year you need to rely heavily on shrubs and ornamental grasses that will add colour and structure even in winter. Fortunately, there are loads of these to choose from and I relish the challenge of producing planting plans to suit different locations and soil types – always remembering that they need to look good and perform reliably. When winter flowers are needed, one of my favourite plants to design with is the hellebore or Lenten Rose.

Getting into Gear and Putting the Plot in

Tue, Feb 06, 2018

Last week ‘s Gardenwise was about reconnecting with your garden after a long, cold and muddy winter and I hope you had a chance to do that and that a few rays of sunshine appeared to encourage you! We may still have the cold and the mud for a while yet but spring is drawing nearer with every week, and there are some jobs that are well worth doing around this time if you can manage it, so here are a few suggestions if you’re itching to get outside and get gardening. These will help freshen up the garden and hopefully the air and exercise will freshen up the gardener too!

Woolies, Wellies and Jobs to do!

Mon, Nov 20, 2017

Regular readers of Gardenwise will know that I’m firm believer in making your garden work all year round and in enjoying it for twelve months of the year. It’s very tempting as the days grow shorter and colder to retreat inside and forget all about the garden until spring rolls around. Whether we like it or not though, the garden’s still there and still visible from inside all winter long, even if we’re not spending much time outside. A little time and effort now will help keep things looking well throughout winter and beyond and ensure that the garden is ready to spring into growth next year, ideally without too much winter weather damage.

Dare to Bare in the Garden this Season

Mon, Oct 23, 2017

With November approaching, the bare root season is about to begin, so it’s time to think about how you can make the most of this if you’re planning any changes to the garden. First though, it might be helpful to explain what exactly bare root means for those not in the know as these terms can be confusing if you’re not of a horticultural bent!

Going Down in a Blaze of Glory

Tue, Oct 17, 2017

If you’re a spring person like me this may not be your favourite time of year. However we are all part of the great circle of life and as the year draws to a close there are many compensations to be had for the shortening days in the outdoor world. This is when those with large gardens are to be envied as autumn, more than any other season, is the time of the tree. If you live in an area with acidic soil you are even luckier as many of the best trees for autumn colour produce their most vivid tints in acidic areas.

Think pink this October

Mon, Oct 09, 2017

You’ll be seeing a lot of pink this month and if you don’t know why, then lucky you. Most will know that in this part of the world, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month when pink is the order of the day to raise awareness of this dangerous disease and remind us all to be vigilant, as thankfully, when detected and treated early, outcomes for those affected can be much better than in times past. This month you’ll see magazines with pink covers, designers flogging pink frocks and all manner of products from phone covers to lipstick to kitchen utensils produced in limited-edition shades of pink, with many donating a percentage of proceeds to breast cancer charities both here and in the U.K.

Tiny Treasures to seek out now

Mon, Sep 18, 2017

Yay, it’s time to go shopping! Depending on your gender, this is either a cause for celebration or a reason to run away - far, far away – and hide until the danger is over. If you’re a bloke, don’t worry, it’s not clothes (or even worse, Things for the House) – it’s September and time to stock up on spring flowering bulbs to lift the spirits and bring colour and cheer to the garden after the grey dreary days of winter.

Plan ahead to get your Garden Working

Mon, Sep 11, 2017

As another Irish summer (no irony intended!) draws to a close it’s time to take stock of the space outside your home and consider whether it’s pulling its weight and working for you. With a bit of luck you can continue to enjoy golden late summer afternoons outside for several weeks to come. Calm, dry, sunny weather at this time of year allows you to soak up a little more warmth from the sun before the dark days of winter.

Colours for Champions

Tue, Sep 05, 2017

At this stage of the week I hope the hangover has eased if you joined in the celebrations on Sunday – and Monday – and Tuesday….although I’m sure the sense of euphoria throughout the city and county will last a good while longer, and rightly so. As the champions prepare to return to their well-deserved welcome in the City of the Tribes, as well as towns and villages throughout Galway, the green-fingered might like to consider showing their appreciation in a horticultural way. After all, flags and banners in the county’s colours of maroon and white have fluttered from windows and decked our streets for weeks. Why not include our window boxes, hanging baskets, front gardens and even roundabouts – all areas where the hard working members of our Tidy Towns groups do so much to cheer up and beautify our streets for everyone’s benefit.

Keep borders glowing for a golden end to Summer

Mon, Aug 28, 2017

Do you ever find your garden is lacking in late summer colour? Sometimes June and July can be the best months in the garden and by August and September, there isn’t much happening in the borders to bring colour and movement. Early flowering perennials have gone over and most flowering shrubs do their thing in spring and early summer, leaving them green and unexciting for the rest of the year.

The sensory garden

Tue, Aug 22, 2017

It’s easy to think of a garden as something you just look at or look after – and with our west of Ireland weather that can be the case all too often. A garden can do so much more for you than just enhance your home and look smart – if planned carefully it can bring you so many benefits and enhance your well-being by appealing to all five of the senses – this is what we call a sensory garden and thinking about the garden this way and incorporating elements that appeal to the senses can help you to get the very best from this valuable space.

Madness, Obsession… and Water

Mon, Jul 24, 2017

As you read this we could be in the middle of a drought or heatwave, or we could have just had two month’s worth of rain in approximately four minutes – this complete unpredictability of climate is one of the things that make this Emerald Isle so attractive to folks who have two seasons back home – summer’n ‘winter, wet or dry, hot or cold. It’s also one of the things that drives the natives nuts. I think it’s one of the reasons the Irish are famous for being so friendly – conversation is never, ever a problem, whether we know you or not. “Desperate isn’t it! For July, like! It’s ridiculous!” “Isn’t it beauuutiful out thank God! Sure we’re long overdue a bit of sunshine…” Maybe this slight edge of madness and obsession makes us more interesting to tourists, or is that wishful thinking?

Mind Trap – a positive garden about mental health

Mon, Jul 17, 2017

As we were talking about gardening and mental health last week, I thought you’d like to hear about a very special garden produced by Ian Price Design with idverde.co.uk for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Ian, a garden designer based in Northern Ireland, designed a garden to tell the story of his own struggles with mental health with the aim of letting others know that they are not alone and to encourage the conversation around mental health.

Perfectly Pretty Penstemons

Mon, Jul 17, 2017

If you’re not familiar with penstemons, I’d like to tell you about these brilliant garden plants that I think are often overlooked and are definitely worthy of a little more attention.

Let the experts at Right Price Tiles and Wood Flooring make your home beautiful

Thu, Apr 13, 2017

Right Prices Tiles and Wood Flooring, in the Oranmore Business Park, has a 7,500 square feet showroom and warehouse offering customers an increasing range of laminate flooring.

The store is located behind the Maldron Hotel at the Oranmore roundabout. There is no need to battle the traffic of the city centre, simply pull in, enjoy ample free parking at the front of the building, browse to your heart's content, pick out your choices, load up, and go home satisfied. It is as simple as that.

Crown Decorating Centre Galway has moved

Thu, Apr 13, 2017

Crown Decorating Centre has been synonymous with supplying quality paints to the people of Galway and its surrounds for more than 35 years.

Tile store in Oranmore – Spellman TBW really is a one-stop shop

Thu, Apr 13, 2017

Spellman Tiles Bathrooms and Wood Flooring in Oranmore invites people to visit its showroom where they can view a wide range of wall and floor tiles, bathroom suites, and shower enclosures as well as a wide range of solid, engineered, and laminate flooring.

If you are renovating or building it can be very daunting, but at Spellman TBW you will find everything under one roof. Why not make an appointment with Sean, who with almost 30 years’ experience in tile and bathroom design can talk you through your plans and work with you to keep within your budget.

Dangan House Garden Centre celebrates forty years

Thu, Apr 13, 2017

Dangan House Garden Centre is 40 years old this year. This is the story of how a humble market stall in the Saturday market grew into the successful business it is today.

The Show Ain’t Over – Last Blast of the Perennials!

Thu, Sep 29, 2016

As the Autumn Equinox approaches, it’s time to stock up on firewood and pull out the woolly blankets and snuggly cushions, as the evenings draw in and we get ready for cosy nights catching up on those Booker- nominated novels (or binging on Netflix – whatever’s your thing....) There’s still lots to enjoy outside though, and I’m still hoping we’ll get some of those golden autumn days when time seems to stand still. If you have a fire pit or chiminea and are lucky enough to have a sheltered garden, it’s not too late to enjoy some time outside, even as the autumn chill creeps in.

Planting Bulbs for Spring Scent-sation!

Fri, Sep 23, 2016

At the time of writing it looks as though the much hoped for Indian Summer is not going to put in an appearance this September, and instead of the golden, sunny afternoons a damp, browny-green sogginess is the order of the day. If there’s one thing gardeners have lots of though, it’s hope, and it’s already time to think about next spring and what we might have to look forward to.

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