Spring Garden Walks & Talks in Coolwater and Terra Nova.

To welcome in the new spring please join us on a relaxing, informative day of garden walks and talks in two of Limerick’s beautiful gardens.

10.30am Meet & greet with a cuppa and cake and then join Deborah on an exclusive tour of Terra Nova Gardens to enjoy the snowdrops, hellebores and lots of other spring treasures. This is a unique opportunity to see this garden in early spring as Terra Nova has never been open to the public before in February. There will be a small selection of choice plants for sale and an opportunity for any fairy lovers to visit the fairy gift shop which also stocks some unique gifts for gardeners!

12.30pm Arrive at Coolwater Garden where a delicious lunch of homemade soup and an array of lovingly made sandwiches await you.

After lunch Kevin will take you on a tour of Coolwater Garden where you will discover a myriad of beautiful alpines waking from their winter slumber. Coolwater is an example of what can be achieved in a relatively short time with passion, flair and a half acre of land. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and advice on both garden tours. The afternoon will be rounded off with a welcome cuppa and more scrummy cake – yes, we aim to spoil you!

What :- Spring Garden Walk & Talk

Where :- Terra Nova Garden, Dromin, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick & Coolwater Garden, Fedamore Co. Limerick .

Hosts :- Deborah Begley & Kevin Begley

When :- Saturday 24th February 2018

Time :- 10.30am – 3pm

Cost :- €35 which includes entry and personal tours of both gardens plus delicious home made lunch and morning and afternoon tea/coffee and cakes.

Places are limited to 12 people so early booking is advisable. Full payment in advance by 12th February please. Contact Deborah on 086 0658807 or email terranovafairygarden@gmail.com to book your place!

Ah, well, December draws to a close. Not much to report in the garden as I was away helping to clear out my mother’s house after she died in November. There was “excitement” in the house while I was away as lighting struck it and mushed a load of things. Very, very fortunate that the house didn’t catch fire as there was nothing too flammable in the area where it melted the phone and blew the alarm off the wall.

I’m installing three uncommon Eucalyptus in the West Garden, where I will restrict their maximum height to around 10 feet. They are E. Sturgissiana (pictured), only found in a restricted area in NSW, E. Macrocarpa from the Perth area, so I’m certainly chancing my arm with that one and E. Neglecta with it’s beautiful leaves.

Planted a few tenderish plants in the early part of December but unfortunately with some of the frosts we’ve had this year reaching to -6°C, quite a few of them are toast. These include a few Lampranthus, Eucomis Comosa and Begonia Garden Angel Blush. Pseudopanax “Moa’s Toes”, pictured here, has survived, though.

September Soliloquy.

Muses to oneself: must get on this autumn with assembling some garden features. These are a couple of sandstone urns that I must get around to assembling and positioning.

Then I must organize these two water features. (they’re upside down at the moment.)

Then I must really plant up and re-position these pots. So much to do; so little time. 🙂

As I’m walking along beside the Japanese maple bed, I can see these Toad Lilies, Clematis Boulevard, Sedum and Allium all in flower. There’s loads of colour around at the end of September.

That’s it for now. Must get on and do some work. 🙂

A mediocre month, weather wise this year, Coolwater still maintained plenty of interest in the garden with garden visitors. A very nice group came from Estonia. Tere Tulemast, Estonia.

Pink sedum in a pot.

Ferny exuberance.

One of the many troughs.

Acacia Baileyana Purpurea constantly puts on a show.

This is a newish Clematis, Boulevard, only grows to about a metre high.

Baby cones on the Blue Atlas Cedar.

Drimys from Chile.

Japanese maples. (The pole is still available for pole dancing!)

Euphorbia Tasmanian Tiger.

Bowles Mauve flowers for 365 days of the year.

Tricyrtis “Pink Freckles” PBR..

Calla Lilies. Not the normal type of thing seen in Coolwater but there you go!

Growth in the garden was very good this month with warm temperatures and average rainfall. Our floating Buddha seemed very content in his watery environment as seen here.

Arrowheads in the Water Garden have quite interesting foliage seen here.

This is a “borrowed view” seen from the smaller patio besides the Water Garden.

Coming on quite well now is one of the Fern Dells. Foxgloves, Himalayan Blue Poppies and Bluebells all compete for attention here.

An Agapanthus in full bloom.

Sedum Obtusfolium with its pink flowers.

Whilst this monkey seems quite embarassed at Ivy growing over him. He doesn’t want to know! 🙂

In the West garden, Japanese maples are coming on in leaps and bounds this year since the wind deflecting panels went up on the wall in the Spring.

Across from the Japanese Maple bed the upper pond in the West Garden is starting to mature after its major operation this Spring.

Standing sentinel over seven troughs in the front, this piece of Bog Oak stands proud. 🙂

June was a lovely month with interesting visitors to the garden. An army of flowers was seen with Monarda as a vanguard,

Erygonium, the main battalion

and Rock Rose acting rearguard.

Standing out in the garden are Agapanthus

and this lily from Nepal.

Below are various shots around the garden.

Yep. For those of you so inclined, there are pole dancing facilities in Coolwater. 🙂 Here you go! 🙂

Lovely alpines, Physoplexis Comosa, are flowering at the moment; here is one of them. Unusual flower.

Purple cones on a miniature conifer always raise interest.

The next photo shows the remarkable vase shape of this Dryopteris Filix-mas.

The next few pics show in order. 1) Arum Lily. 2) A wild orchid volunteer on the right. 3) Primulas in Uncina Rubra. 4) Lewisias, which just flower all year round.

So far this year, every month has been running at a median temperature 1° above normal and April has been no exception so far.

The Mini Rhododendrons shown here are in full flower except for Ptarmigan, which comes out much earlier.

Here’s a delightful, little Primula, “Sooty”, living up to her name and growing in Limestone chippings.

Then a new addition to Coolwater, this Pieris in a pot. Given to me by my mother, who’s nearing 90 and can’t maintain her little garden anymore.

Opposite the Pieris, this Hutchinsia Alpina has been flowering its socks off. (I didn’t check to see if it had any socks in the first place, though.) 🙂

Nearby is this Mossy Saxifrage with colour to make the girls wink. 🙂

Another dependable performer is “Bevan’s Variety” Armeria.

Alongside is this trough with different colours.

Then under one of the Flowering Cherry trees, more troughs are starting to show their wares.

Looking forward to a good summer this year.