My Garden - August 2026

Dear Gentle Reader,

Half a year later I'm back again in my garden. Since my last post in January alot of things have happened in my life.  Shortly after Easter I had to go back home to my parents, my father's health got from bad to worse, he was fading slowly, and we lost him at the end of April. I love you dad and miss you every day.... 😢

Here are they in 2013 on their trip to Ireland. Mom's health isn't great either, I had to stay behind to take care of her. It has been difficult and a very complicated situation, but I'm blessed with friends, neighbours and relatives who can take care of mom so I could come home for a while. I've returned to Ireland at the end of July.....

After some TLC my garden is starting to look like a garden again, gifting me with a little bounty of fruit: apples, pears, grapes, raspberries etc. 

My greenhouses are starting to look pretty too with fast growing lettuces, tomatoes, cabbages and cucumbers. Grapes and kiwi Jenny looking awesome too. The Kiwi is starting shooting new shoots and the new shoots on the grape vine are showing new fruit, like the plant is trying to make up lost time and with its extra bounty to comfort me in my sadness and grief. I'm blessed with my darling, caring husband who is been just amazing since I came home. 

Also in my smaller greenhouse I took home 2 grapes that my father grew from cuttings and it was from my fav grape. The 2 plants are just thriving, just like everyone else that was left in my hubs care, for which I'm eternally grateful. He took so great care of my plants, I'm very proud of him. He says he is a musician, not a gardener, but he has done a great job.

Oh and my fish are alive too 😜

Outside my flowered looks good too, had to replant a few of my plants that got damaged, but now all is thriving aand looking good. My bug hotel is occupied again by solitary bees: leaf cutters and mason bees. 

However where ever I turn in my garden my father is with me, I feel his presence, his guidance.... A few days later we went for a drive, we stopped at the cemetery where my husband was paying his respects, I was just thinking off my dad and when I lifted my eyes to the skies, there it was....it was just his way of saying "I'm OK, don't worry about me sweetheart, I'm just fine...." 😢😭

My Garden - January 2026

Dear Gentle Reader,

Happy New Year to you all. 

I hope this post will find you all in good health, happy among your loved ones. 

Today Winter granted us a light dusting of snow that discreetly covered everything. Some parts got more snow then they wished for.

My kale still stands proud with its sugary crown. Gammon and kale next week? Could happen... 😜 The railing and the picnic table along with the garden got a bit of taste of the freshly fallen snow shower. While in other parts of Ireland people are getting inches upon inches of snow and blizzard, my garden got another light dusting...🤷🤦

Today (5th) we woke up to another bitterly cold day - 2 C outside, everything frozen and dreaming of warmer days. Although the sun came out melting the ice on the footpaths, yet it has teeth, the air stays bitterly cold. 

The morning of the 12th started mild, not so cold, but windy and wet. It rained all weekend and it was bitter cold. My garden is sleeping, not much to report on that front. 

Today (14th)I harvested some kale for the dinner and I was amazed how quick it boiled and how sweet it was. Maybe the frost made them sweeter, which is true thinking of sprouts, experts say that a bit of frost will turn them sweeter. I like them anyway they are 😜🤭

Sun was out today, it was quite pleasant (18th), bit still had a lil bite. To my surprise the greenhouse was nice and warm. Outside my garden is slowly waking up despite everyone thinking that this month is a dead month. 

Inside the small greenhouse, the fruiting buds on my peach tree is swelling up nicely. How do you know it's a fruiting bud?, you may ask. Here are a few tips I've found for you :

Fruiting buds are plump, fuzzy, and protrude from the branch, developing into flowers and then fruit, while leaf buds are slender, flatter, and lie closer to the stem, growing into new leaves and shoots. Think of fruit buds as "fat" and "furry" for reproduction, and leaf buds as "skinny" and "flat" for vegetative growth, often found in clusters or on short spurs for fruit, versus along the main branch for leaves. 

Key Differences

Appearance:

Fruit Buds: Plump, round, often covered in downy or furry scales, and stick out more.

Leaf Buds: Slim, pointed, flat, and smooth, lying close to the branch.

Function:

Fruit Buds: Contain embryonic flowers that become fruit.

Leaf Buds: Contain embryonic leaves and stems for new growth.

Location:

Fruit Buds: Often appear in clusters or on short spurs (modified stems) at right angles to the branch, especially on horizontal shoots.

Leaf Buds: Usually found in the leaf axils (where leaves attach) or at the branch tips. 

How to Tell Them Apart (Example: Apple/Pear Trees)

Look for plumpness: A fat, furry bud is likely a fruit bud.

Check its shape: A flat, pointed bud is usually a leaf bud.

Note its position: Leaf buds grow from leaf axils; fruit buds often sit next to them or on spurs, making them look like separate, larger bumps. Think of fruit buds as "fat" and "furry" for reproduction, and leaf buds as "skinny" and "flat" for vegetative growth, often found in clusters or on short spurs for fruit, versus along the main branch for leaves. 

Key Differences

• Appearance:
  • Fruit Buds: Plump, round, often covered in downy or furry scales, and stick out more.
  • Leaf Buds: Slim, pointed, flat, and smooth, lying close to the branch.
• Function:
  • Fruit Buds: Contain embryonic flowers that become fruit.
  • Leaf Buds: Contain embryonic leaves and stems for new growth.
• Location:
  • Fruit Buds: Often appear in clusters or on short spurs (modified stems) at right angles to the branch, especially on horizontal shoots.
  • Leaf Buds: Usually found in the leaf axils (where leaves attach) or at the branch tips. 

How to Tell Them Apart (Example: Apple/Pear Trees)

1. Look for plumpness: A fat, furry bud is likely a fruit bud.
2. Check its shape: A flat, pointed bud is usually a leaf bud.
3. Note its position: Leaf buds grow from leaf axils; fruit buds often sit next to them or on spurs, making them look like separate, larger bumps.

After reading these, there's your challenge, go out find a fruiting tree and try and tell the difference between a fruiting bud and a leaf bud. Are you ready? Let's do this! Let me know in a comment how did it go for you..... 

In the collage you can also see my newly planted grape vine. The vine comes from the town I was born in, and I can't wait to see it fruiting. Nice warmish inside for them (13 C), while outside was 8 C the 1st snowdrops are showing their little, delicate white faces, Christmas roses are blooming again, while the viburnum (winter lilac) never stopped blooming all winter. 

This month ends on a wet note when Storm Chandra swept across Ireland flooding everyone everywhere, including my garden and just for a moment I was contemplating if we should start growing gills. The waters were up to my low raised bed, and kept growing then stopped when the rains stopped. It will slowly drew back in the following days, hopefully my plants didn't suffer from the excess if water. 

This has never happened before, thanks Storm Chandra. 

All the best, take care

Annamaria 

My Garden - December 2025

Dear Gentle Reader, 

December is the 12th and final month of the year, with 31 days, named from the Latin decem (ten) because it was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar before January and February were added. It marks winter's start in the Northern Hemisphere (with the Winter Solstice) and summer in the Southern, bringing holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, alongside winter traditions, festive lights, cozy pubs, and opportunities for both winter sports and warm-weather getaways. 

Key Facts

Length: 31 days.

Position: The last month of the year.

Name Origin: Latin decem, meaning "ten" (the original 10th month).

Season: Winter in Northern Hemisphere, Summer in Southern Hemisphere. 

Traditions & Activities

Holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve.

Northern Hemisphere: Winter Solstice (around Dec 21/22), Christmas markets, cozy pubs, winter hikes.

Southern Hemisphere: Summer activities, beach holidays.

In Ireland: Winter Lights festivals, traditional music in pubs, Handel's Messiah performances. 

Symbolism & Culture

Flower: Narcissus.

Birthstone: Turquoise.

Themes: Fresh starts, clarity, and a time for reflection as the year ends. , with 31 days, named from the Latin decem (ten) because it was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar before January and February were added. It marks winter's start in the Northern Hemisphere (with the Winter Solstice) and summer in the Southern, bringing holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, alongside winter traditions, festive lights, cozy pubs, and opportunities for both winter sports and warm-weather getaways. 

Key Facts

Length: 31 days.

Traditions & Activities

Holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve.

Symbolism & Culture

Flower: Narcissus.

One would think that once the frost set in ones garden the giving season is over. Far from it. The onion and garlic sets are sprouting nicely, the kale is still standing proud, and the sprouts are ready for Christmas. The greenhouses are full of life too. The kiwi is still alive, new grapes have been potted and once they establish, they'll be planted outside. This grape is coming from all the way home from my parents garden.

on the scale is the leftover sprouts, we harvested twice ass much. 

Winter is also the time of taking stock of seeds, ordering fresh and unique seeds, then planning for next year. I already have ordered some tomatoes, lettuce, melon, etc seeds. I can't wait for spring now 😁🍈🍅🍇🍎🍐🍒🥝🍆🥕🌽🥒🧄🫜

Today (New Year's Eve) we woke up to a frozen world. Everything was white and still, the frozen dew sparkling in the morning sun added to this stillness. Everything is dreaming, dormant waiting for spring to wake up and start the circle of life once more. We are just hours away from the new year and I would like extend my sincerest wishes to you for a healthy, happy, joyful and peaceful 2026. 

May your gardens flourish with harvests every month of the year. God bless you always.

Wishing you all the best, 

Anna

My Garden - November 2025

November came with its raggedy look, coldness and wetness. Sharon winds blowing through the trees tugging on the stubborn leaves, plucking them, yanking them off the branches and twigs, twirling them around in a mad and dizzy dance, high high, up in the skies then settling them down on wet roads and mucky paths. This last month of the year is when a gardener starts thinking and planning for next year's garden. Taking seed stock and ordering more if needed.

Yesterday (20th-21st) the garden was covered in white frost, the day before that was the same. My kales looked like miniature Christmas trees, the grass like a white carpet. Today rain melted the frost and the temps got milder. I wish we could have some snow. 

The rest of the month didn't really show any improvement, so I'll just discreetly dissapointed I shall quietly say goodbye to this month. It's going to be a quiet, reserved time for my family, as they say time will heal and will make our loss less harder to bear. We'll always miss our lost loved ones, but they'll never be forgotten, they'll always live in our hearts and memories. 

All the best, 

Anna

My Garden - October 2025

Dear Gentle Reader

October is the 2nd Brrrr month of the year, and came in with rain, and chilling days. Although the sunny spells between showers are always nice. October is the tenth month of the Gregorian year and has 31 days. It was originally the eighth month in the Roman calendar, derived from the Latin word octo for "eight," but became the tenth month after January and February were added to the calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, October marks the arrival of fall, bringing in colorful foliage. It is also associated with holiday like Halloween. Boo👻🎃🦇🍬🍂🕸️🕷️😜😁

Just a taster of the scary stuff in the Range 😁👻💀☠️👻🦴

On my way to work I couldn't not stop and snap a few pics that made me think of Monet and Van Gogh paintings. It was like I'm stepping in a world of colors and hues, emotions and feelings. For an artist Autumn is a timeless subject. It's said that nature is the best artist, creating canvases of eternal beauty in nature. I'm an autumn child too, was born in autumn and I love wearing autumnal colours and looking at this palette of colors I could only smile. I always liked Autumn with all it's tantrums, bounty and beauty.

Wild clouds are gathering above my garden, storm yellow warning is issued. It's very windy, raining outside already, my poor trees are bending in the wind like reeds, but I'm sure they won't snap, I'm hoping they won't. It's mad weather outside. The garden and footpath is covered by a rich colorful carpet of leaves, randomly piled up at the street corners. Some alleys were covered by debris and fallen trees. I just hope and pray everyone will be safe and sound. Rain and wind continued the next day too but not as wild as yesterday. Even the sun occasionally peeked out announcing a calmer, warmish day.

"In the hush of October, the world holds its breath in color" - how true the person who said this was. Looking at the landscape as days go by, colors like a caleidoscope was over trees, bushes and hedges creating their own Autumnal Symphony. It's like every deciduous tree in the forest got on fire, figuratively speaking of course. 

Today (the 7th) is the day when the last bits of yummie I grow in the big greenhouse will be harvested. Tomatoes, chillies, cucumbers, aubergines and grapes gave me a late crop. Although I have lots of green tomatoes, that will ripen inside tucked away between newspaper prelonging the delights of summer.

Although I discovered tiny aubergines are still growing, I'll water them and feed them tomorrow and hopefully I'll have a few more before the frost kills them. I had 2 huge bunches of grapes sweet and juicy. Also tomorrow I'm planning to sew some winter lettuce, spinach, that will give me fresh leaves all through winter (more about it here). Weather permitting I also  need to clear the greenhouses, plant onion and garlic sets. Right now we were chased in by the rain that wasn't in the weather charts....oh well, tomorrow is another day :) 

Yesterday and the day before yesterday ( the 8th and the 9th) I was out planting my garlic and onion sets. Read all about it here. 

Look at that huge clove of garlic! That's the Elephant Garlic, I put a hardneck garlic clove next to it for comparison. I also got to harvest my only Honey Crisp apple which was huge, so brought it in, and shared with my family. Everyone got a 1/4 and some. I must say it was oh so juicy, with a bit of sharpness, but not like the Granny Smith Apple. It was lovely. I hope I'll get a decent crop before I get to push up the daisies 😜😂. The celery and green kale keeps giving still. 

Sunny, warm days slowly step out of the picture leaving place for the gloomy, damp, wet, cold autumnal days. Today outside is coldish, drizzly rain, however I guess even these days have some sort of a charm in them. I do love the light, the texture that of this dove feather peppered with raindrops. 

Yesterday I went shopping with hubs and I caught that dramatical landscape in Tesco's Carpark. If the buzzard could sing I'm sure it would sing "Somewhere over the rainbow...." 😜😁😂. However in my garden the red crabapple got even redder since the last time I saw them, it's colorful leaves randomly carpeting the lawn around the tree, as the cheeky wind keeps plucking on it's autumnal canopy "dress". It's raining today (30th), the raindrops tap dancing on the window creating their own music, while the wind is chiming in adding its own tune to the orchestra. It's cold and gloomy outside, I just hope the weather will turn a bit kinder for all the halloweeners gone trick or treating outside. 

Unfortunately the end of the month didn't have a happy ending. My family has lost an icon in my father-in-law, he was a good parent to my hubby and sister-in law, a great grandfather to his grankids, a gentleman among gentlemen, an excellent musician and an amazing carpenter. He will be very much missed, but never forgotten. Rest in peace, fly high dear man 😥

My Garden - September 2025

Dear Gentle Reader

September is one of those brrrrrrr months that with every day that passes draws closer to the end of the year. Kids go back to school, some go back to work from their extended holidays or start a new job or a new crafting challenge, who knows? New season, new start? However, whatever that is I hope this month goes well for you all. 😊🍁🍂

Slowly Autumn creeps into my garden too making the dog rose hips blush with it's cheeky antics. Fruit and nuts give their best, the last push of bounty from everything before frost stills growth and time.

As the weather slowly changes, days gets peppered with sunshowers and heavy downpours one is looking for some comfort food. Stewed apples, apple crumble and such are a good choice.

Today (21st) I thought I check on my pears to see if they are ready to pick. As I was walking in the biggish grass I saw a few on the ground and that's when I knew it was time. So armed with a bowl I went back out and picked 12 gorgeous, sweet smelling, juicy pears. The pear growing guide said after picking to out the fruit on a sunny windowsill so it can ripen further. So I did. But there was one that had a little mark that was surgically removed, cut into wedges and handed out to be taste proofed. Bobbing heads from hubs and father in law proved me that my pears are a success. Can't wait to enjoy their delightful juicy flesh in a few days. My one and lonely apple still hangs to dear life onto the branch blushing every time I go out checking if it's ready and it's stubborn clinging to the branch says "not yet". All right then, I shall try again. Honeycrisp apples are typically ready to harvest from mid to late September, extending into early October, but the best indicator is to taste one: it should be sweet, crisp, and juicy with a creamy or white flesh and brown seeds. Also, check that the apple's background color is a creamy or yellow hue and that it releases easily from the tree with a slight twist or tug.  Knowing this I move on to the Hazel nut tree checking if there's any nut left for me to harvest. Zero. All the nuts vanished, gone, evaporated, vamoosed. Birds? Rodents? Squirrels? Who knows? Oh well, bit disappointed, I shall live in hope that next year's harvest will be better. As you can see this day ended with a gorgeous sunset, however the weather hadd been totally disappointing, more showers then sunshine, tad bit chilly, but we are in the first brrrrrrr month, so I wouldn't have expected less.

On my way to work next day I noticed this sicamore tree in the car park that has been changing it's colors since August. The autumnal pallete always amazes me, each year at this time is the same, yet so different. I think the colors are more vibrant this year then the year before. The deep and then suttle pastels are just fabulous.

All the best, enjoy the season

Anna

My Garden - August 2025

Dear Gentle Reader,

August has arrived and ready to reveal what it has in stored for the gardener. This year my garden, for many reasons didn't perform the way I would have liked, but still it has its own moments. The pears are getting bigger and bigger (don't ask me the type, wind blew away the lable, but I know one of my pear trees is Conference the other something else. Thus coukd be Conference, I'm not sure, though), my apple trees were full of flowers, though only one fruit is on the tree. This could be due to early blooming, not enough pollinators, wet spring, honestly, could be anything at all. Cobnuts never fail they just produce. Happy(ish) days.

Yesterday (the 11th) I had to harvest my grapes, they were so ripped that at the smallest shake would end up on the floor, which would be a shame. They are so sweet and juicy and amazingly beautiful bunches. 3.2 kilos not bad from a 5 year old grape vine. 

This was a bunch from my 1st pick, but I'm sure there are heavier bunches. It doesn't come fresher then this. Tomatoes and chilies are keep giving which is awesome.

Aubergines keep growing which is fabulous too 😜

I decided to try my luck with kiwis....yes, they can be grown in Ireland in a greenhouse, this perticular cultivar is called 'Jenny' and it's specifically bred for colder, Irish weather. More info here. So I got my kiwi plant, gorgeous looking, strong plant and planted it according to instructions in my small greenhouse, because I felt that that greenhouse it's really not used to the max. So, with a bit of luck I shall eat my own, home grown kiwi in about 3-4 years 🤷🤦. I live in hope. 😁😁. So continuing on, that's my huge crop of onions so far and cucumbers and part of my succulents and cactae enjoying the sauna conditions in my small greenhouse. 😜

Autumn raspberries are full of yummie, delicious, sweet fruit. And they'll be producing fruit until the 1st frost will turn them into frozen delights (don't ask me how I know this 😜😂). The beebalms are young plants and I think they are doing well so far. The succulents and cactae in my small greenhouse will join the others in the living room on the windowsill before the 1st frost. 

I feel like all the odds were a bit against me this year, nothing went they way I would have liked. However the little blessings are keep coming and I'm OK with that. I count my blessings every day and I give thanks to God that I can enjoy life with the people dear to my heart 😊❤️

My Garden June - July 2025

Dear Gentle Reader,

Months came and go, and here we are 7 months into the year. These months went by flying, of course they would when one has fun. 

July is the seventh and current month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the calendar that started with March. "Dog days" are considered to begin in early July in the Northern Hemisphere, when the hot sultry weather of summer usually starts. Spring lambs born in late winter or early spring are usually sold before 1 July. 

I never imagined harvesting such a big quantaty of strawberries from my young patch. I took out the old and replanted them with new plants bought and from what I had growing in the garden. They'll give me what I need for the table for the next 4-5 years 🍓😁😋

Oh I must brag... Did you see the huge crop of cherries??? Oh my gosh, I could barely carry them in the house 😂😍🍒however when I tasted them they were so sweet and juicy and the flesh was dark. Can't remember the type, but I think I'm one of the few who are lucky enough to grow such heat demanding fruit in the East Coast. Hey, at least I got to taste them 😜😋Pears look good, Conference I think, I'm going to have a few of them too. Bushes of currants, canes of raspberries are laden with fruit. And lord behold, I have 1 lonely plum on one of my plum trees. The other apples didn't do well, they bloom early when the pollinators were still sleeping, yet I will have 2 apples from my Honey Crisp apple tree.The yellow and red crabapples look good too.  Birds will be happy during winter. 

Yesterday (11th of July) I harvested some of my raspberries, and red currants. I'll juice them out along with some apples and oranges, it will be amazing :) Tomatoes, chilies, eggplants are coming along nicely too. Grapes look fab too. Look at those huge bunches.... Yummm :) 

Looking at my grapes I've noticed a few very young, still in bloom stage bunches... This way I might have grapesbwell into autumn 😜🍇my Callas are blooming too, so far yellow and dark reddish. Freshly picked raspberry duo for brekkie.... Breakfast doesn't come fresher then this ❤️

Bounty season continues in my little garden. 

That's all for this month. 

Enjoy your garden

Annamaria 

My Garden - May 2025

Dear Gentle Reader,

May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May (in Latin, Maius) was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. 

Wherever I look in my garden everywhere everything is blooming, fruit are forming, plants are growing. My white and pink Clematis Montana is intertwined with the sweet smelling Honeysuckle. Eventually the trio will cover the shed and offer the wildlife a safe haven. Currants, Gooseberries laden with fruit. Raspberries and blackberries soon will open their blooms too. 

The Tamarix is full of flowers too and the Comfrey is open self-service for bumble bees, bees and other polinators that can reach the treasure within. Some bumble bees have long feeding tubes, those have no problems going deep into the flower to find the nectar, but some have short ones, and these are cheeky, because they poke a little hole at the neck of the flower just big enough to reach in and steal the precious dew. Survival skills, 10 out of 10 there. 

Am I seeing things? This is my Clematis "Pixie" who thinks it's an alpaca standing tall in the "wild garden" 😜 and I didn't even try to train the new shoots to look like that at all🤷‍♀️ but I'm glad the way it looks like, and it was absolutely covered with pale lime green flowers. 

Not long now and I'll be tasting the 1st strawberry grown in my big greenhouse in a hanging basket. The grape berries are forming now and from now in they'll get fatter and fatter until ripen. My lower raised bed starts looking like a producing spot with herbs (vinter savory, sage and rocket), lettuce, green kale, stem celery, cauliflowers, spinach and beetroot. These veggies all like lettuce which acts like a good companion plant, and at some point they'll all benefit from eachother. Onion sets, garlic and the radishes are coming up nicely too. 

More stars stepping in the podium today, Viburnum "Snowball" offers now a great display with its snowball like white flowerheads, which will turn into fruit for the birds after thepollination is done. Allium stand tall with their white mop heads, in competition with the blue Kamasias. The dog rose isn't shy at all either, opening its single flowers rich in polen for polinators and pollen lovers. These flowers will turn into Vit C rich fruit, called rosehips that will make a great tea during winter or jam. However mind those pesky thorns, not fun picking them though, but worths every band-aid 😜 The next competitor is the Sweet Rocket.... It is really sweet smelling wonderful flower. In my garden there every single plant, bush and tree is a winner, because all serve a purpose. 

All the best until next time

Anna 

My Garden - April 2025

Dear Gentle Reader 

And Spring has finally landed, sun is out warming the earth, caressing nature with its warmth. Life started  bursting in my greenhouse too, grapes are showing their bloom bunches already and I still harvest lettuce and spring onions. 

Buds on trees and bushes bursting into flowers and foliage, spring flowers popping up everywhere, adding colour to the greys of winter's design. Not only my garden is bursting with life, fields are full with new born lambs, calves and other baby animals and birds. New year, new season, new life. 

And since this gardener didn't have much time to grow her own seedlings this year, sometimes she has to buy in. Thank goodness for Garden Centres. 

My local Garden Centre is always full of goodies, so yesterday I went there and bought gorgeous Lettuce , York Cabbage and Sprout seedlings. Immediately soaked them in rainwater, the poor darlings were very thirsty looking. They shall be planted next month after the last frost has passed. And speaking of cabbages, I have to mention companion plants, like Tagetes (which camouflages and confuses the pesky Cabbage White Butterfly)

I also got some Tete-a-tete miniature Daffodils (5 bulbs in a pot) and I was splitting them up, to plant them in my flower beds as small clumps, when that little orange bum bumblebee landed on one clump having a drink of the sweet nectar. Last year, in the autumn, I potted up approx 100 snowdrops which came on fabulously this spring giving me a real showcase of early blooms. Now it's time to plant them in green for another showcase next year. Also got some Tulips from Amsterdam (Schipol Airport) and my goodness, what a display they put on with their frills and stripes and mixture of colour. I'm looking forward to next year's display now 😜

And on this happy note, that's all for now....

All the best 

Annamaria 

My Garden - November 2024

And the mild weather continues, stretching into this month too. The weather person promising a mild winter with occasional cold and frosty days. However its dull and wet with occasional misty rainy patches.

When I harvested my chillies and saw those 2 red ones, I almost shouted "for the love of chillies" and I just had to....hearty meals help somewhat with these dull days so I made a Hungarian dish called Paprikás potatoes with sausages. Hubs even chopped some up green chillies on his. Anyone needs a bit of spice in their lives, don't they? That went down like a treat. Also harvested 6 out of 11 planted York cabbages. I planted those in June or July and now I shredded them small, bagged them and in the freezer they went. Enough for a few gammon and cabbage meals. As I was walking out to the car the next day, I noticed these small snails sliding up the gable end of the house, looking for cracks and dips in/on the wall, where they can start hybernation. 

6th of November

This morning the sun peeked out from behind the clouds brightening everybody's morning up a bit. I'm grateful for partly sunny days as the mild weather continues. The sun occasionally peeks out, breaking through the mist and clouds. Although was nice to see the sun, I guess it was just  a wishful thinking for a sunny day. 

Raspberries are still giving, only a handful at time, just enough for a snack or to top your morning porridge. Lettuce, onion sets are in the ground in the greenhouses. It's nice to have some greenery during winter. The grape vine got its fixer upper with chocking pellets and a drench where I shall pour the water from the fish when water change is due. I'm not sure because of that nitrogen rich water or the pellet and farm yard manure mix but I had a pumper crop this year Read all about it here. 

After a short shower the sun peeked out again adding a bit of sparkle to the place. I just love the stary rain droplets on the nasturtium leaves. The gardener's shadow came out to play and decided to follow me wherever I was going😜😂. Roses are still blooming, only this yellow standard was worthy of a shot. The Viburnum happily spreading its sweet perfume over my garden, which always makes me smile 😊

After a few days of warmth, temps just dropped and chilling wind and rain took its place. I just love these days, the ones just before frost changes the landscape and winter definitely sets in. Love the colours, the last leaves clinging to the branches, the way the autumnal sun is flickering between the trees, through the leaves, the earthy, wet smell in the air and what I really love, and loved since I was a kid is kicking the leaves and giggle like a child. 

And as nothing lasts forever, cold frost creeped in making everyone yank out the warm clothes, hats, mittens, gloves, woolley socks, scarves, shivering and rushing with lively steps to keep warm with coffee or hot chocolate in hand. Somebody already put up Christmas decorations already. I guess starting festivities early and getting into the spirit of the holidays earlier then the rest of us. Back home this frosty weather and snow would be a perfect time to get roasted chestnuts and have it on a bench in the park with  loved ones. 

Found this picture on the net which represents everything I said about freezing cold and roasted chestnuts. For me, Winter Holidays start with roasted chestnuts. 

20th November 

This day throttled in with a thick layer of frost, freezing everything in time. As fine icecrystals lay on fence, gate, car, and grass blade winter truly settled in. Snow was present on higher grounds like the Wicklow mountains, Co Roscommon, Co Galway, Co Mayo and another Western locations (the pictures are not mine, found them on the Internet) 

However Winter is as beautiful as the other season. Even frost and snowy days have their own charm as nature start hibernating, saving energy for the next season. For a gardener this is the perfect time to take stock, check seeds and seed catalogues and dream about spring. 
And since we are talking about snow here's a few funny ones taken by me years ago

2023 my legendary "mahoooosive" snowman, mind you he was tiny, but he was mighty😂

2015 was the year when my snowdrops were trying to walk away in my hub's runners😂

2013 KittyKat has proven to me that she is not fit for snowy weather. We stopped being friends that day, but a few treats and a warm cuddle fixed that in no time at all. I still miss you so much, you were the best fury friend I ever had. Love you my KittyKat forever😢

Today is also a special day because today we celebrate my father in laws 92 birthday. A great age for a great man. A few years ago he was the special guest of the St Patrick's Day parade, leading the parade in a nice vintage car. 

Happy birthday Kevin O'Brien, I hope you'll have a great day with many surprises. 🎉🎁🎊

Frosty days came and go leaving behind frosty beauts