Search Results for 'Byrne'

If there is one thing I would love gardeners to consider more often, it’s the need to be generous with your borders.

THE PAMPHLET was the chief means by which an 18th century man - particularly one with revolutionary zeal - with things to say got those things off his chest.

They must be one of the most impressive climbing plants, with glorious blooms in a beautiful range of shades, but there’s no denying clematis can be tricky. Winter and spring types can mostly take care of themselves, but summer flowering clematis fall into several different categories, all needing pruning, and if you prune at the wrong time of year, you could lose a year’s flowers. It’s this kind of calendar-watching that puts lots of people off gardening, so my rule of thumb is always to keep it simple and choose things that don’t need to be mollycoddled.

For many of us, the garden is the first thing we see when we open the door in the morning, or return to our homes after a day’s work. Increasingly, however, I find I’m called on to produce garden plans for second homes, for lots of reasons. The second property might be a holiday let, or a much- needed weekend refuge for city dwellers. It’s often the ‘home house’, originally belonging to parents and now being restored for the next generation to spend vacation time in with their families, keeping them linked to their roots. Sometimes, the plan is to move there altogether during the retirement years, so starting the garden now and allowing it to grow and mature in the meantime makes sense

A garden by the sea can be magical. Or windswept, bare and failing to realise its potential. Personally, I’d go for the former if I had one – and lots of people do – we seem to be drawn to towards the coast like a magnet, to live, to holiday, or just to spend a day near the water.

BRAY WANDERERS 0 GALWAY UNITED 0

I’m often asked about scented plants. They can pack a powerful emotional punch, reminding you of your mother’s favourite flowers or the blooms from your granny’s garden, so it’s not surprising they’re high on the wish list of lots of my clients.

Did you know Enable Ireland’s charity shop has moved? They are now located in the heart of the city at 3, Cross Street Lower, Galway. Their new shop is opposite The Corn Store, and near to Charlie Byrne’s Bookstore and the Dáil Bar.

If you are growing fruit and vegetables this is likely to be a bountiful time of year for you – and I wish I had the space, time and diligence needed myself to run a kitchen garden. Unfortunately, I don’t – but there are still things in the garden that are good enough to eat, and lots of us are likely to have these without even realising.

GALWAY UNITED 2 ATHLONE TOWN 1