In an earlier post  I was mentioned  that traditionally springtime has budding gardeners across Ireland itching to get back into their flowerbeds and rockeries after a long winter break.  Doctors have warned that many gardeners overdo it and end up needing treatment for a host of injuries including gardeners’ back, weeder’s wrist and pruner’s neck, (yes, there is such a thing). It’s not just gardeners that need to relax and take it easy…we all do. 

I got hold of an acupressure Mat a few weeks ago to see if it helped my back…It did.  This might be becuase it’s based on the ‘Bed of Nails’ principle or might be the fact that I now take time out to relax and do nothing for nearly an hour a day.  Whatever the reasons I find myself in a better frame of mind…….and it’s an all natural alternative therapy. I like it much so that I have decided to sell them myself.

To get the new website  going I am offering a FREE mat to the lucky winner of the Free Prize Draw on the homepage of the  shakti.ie   website.  Please feel free to enter and good luck………..The closing date is the end of March 10

Cheers

Ian

“How about Lily” my lad says, having fun trying thinking of a name for the stray dog that has landed on our doorstep. “I like Amaratsu,” the other one chirps. It’s been three days since the scruffy Springer Spaniel wiped its muddy coat all over the glass on the front door, and she’s not got any cleaner since. I tried to shoo it off, like most caring people do, but it just cowered and slid itself across the lawn on all fours. It’s been doing the same over the rug in the front room ever since, leaving a trail of mud behind it. I don’t know how, but it just manages to be wet and dirty all of the time, and so does the house since it arrived. (more…)

This week, I start to investigate the tangled mess of rotting leaves; brown stalks and overrun green stuff that was last year’s vegetable garden. I am very much an early season gardener when it comes to the veggies. I love all the preparation. Clearing away the old dead matter, pulling out as many roots as I can, removing stones, sowing, planting and weeding. However, after I have harvested the last of the string beans and before the purple sprouting broccoli comes into its own, I tend to forget about the vegetable patch, concentrating more on general maintenance, hedge clipping, the last grass cut and clearing leaves off the drive. (more…)

MEETING YOUR NEEDS

I never noticed, or remember bad weather days when I was a child. I also can’t imagine being hot when my toes feel like icicles. It’s no doubt a safety feature we have built into us so we don’t suffer unnecessarily. Imagine being able to feel toothache when you don’t have it…not nice at all.

There must have been days when I just couldn’t go out though and I also must have found things to do to occupy myself. I remember having a day off school because of an illness when I was about six. This must have been one of the longest days of my life….. (more…)

OOOOH. IT’S JUST WHAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED

Most of my family probably don’t agree, but I actually enjoy getting presents. Over the years I have somehow managed to give everyone the impression that I am not bothered about receiving gifts. This is more than likely due to the fact that if anyone asks me what I would like for Christmas, I usually shrug my shoulders and say “I’m not bothered.” Which really means, “Use all of your imagination to bring me something that will entertain me for longer that ten seconds, improve my quality of life and of course make the world a better place.”

WHAT DO YOU FANCY?
It started when I was a young lad, my mother used to ask me if there was anything particular I wanted, but as you all remember, there wasn’t really anything to buy in the 60’s and 70’s. After the bike, all three changes of clothes for your Action Man, a train set and a Scalextric there wasn’t much left apart from the ubiquitous hand knitted jumpers and jigsaws. I did get a top of the range Scalextric set one year which was fantastic, it was called “You Steer” which gave you the illusion of being in control and helping the cars around the track by turning a large steering wheel stuck to the controller. This turned out to be a very limited option though as the cars were still embedded into the track to ensure the metal strips made an electrical contact. This was my first real disappointment at Christmas. The box had lied to me.

TOLERANCE
Toys teach you all sorts of things. I once overheard one of Julie’s self help cd’s that said the primary function of toys is to teach children tolerance levels in life. I am sure if we could read children’s minds they would be full of questions such as, “How hard can I hit this?” “What will happen if I push this in here?” And “Will this cause a reaction if I throw it at dad?.” So don’t be too upset if your youngsters break most of their toys before the New Year, they will be all the wiser for it.

I have a great photo of me last year hugging a pair of socks with all of my might. I had a massive smile on my face and looked so pleased to be getting a pair of socks with no holes in (the days of darning socks have well and truly gone in our house). This photo was shown around the family and everyone was convinced that I have a look of over enthusiasm with a hint of sarcasm at receiving the gift.

I’ll tell you now. It was genuine. As was the smile on my face when I received the jar of pickled onions, (even the fact that my mother in law put the jar inside of an iPod box didn’t dampen my joy), curry paste, a giant saltcellar and a pack of sun-dried tomatoes. These are great gifts and fulfil all of my criteria for a good gift (apart from making the world a better place maybe).

GARDENING BOOKS
Gardening books are something that I don’t really get as presents anymore, perhaps they think I am a bit of a know it all when it comes to gardening or perhaps they know I use the internet to answer my gardening questions rather than books these days. In the past though I relied on printed material for my horticultural education. In the past a good present one year was an annual subscription to Gardeners World and the Irish Garden magazine. These were great for keeping up to date with what’s going on all year in the garden and all the latest gadgets and trends.

Other books I was reared on were the Hessayon “Expert” books. My first copies were off my father who bought them in the early 1960’s and still had his scribbled notes on the pages from when he was planting his crops and dealing with vine weevil. The Rose Expert, The Lawn Expert and Pests and Diseases were three that I remember and these are still in print although they are a lot thicker than the originals. Maybe there’s more to learn or more pest and disease than in the olden days. I doubt it; maybe they just have bigger pictures.

IMAGES
I like pictures in books, I tend to go for the coffee table types, the RHS A-Z book helped me immensely when I was selling plants as I could just turn to the page and show the customer how big a plant would get and where would be the best place to plant it. It was so well used that the covers fell off and it was all dog eared. You would be surprised to see just how big most shrubs can grow. It made customers realise that you don’t need as many plants as you would think in the garden. In hindsight, that’s probably not the best idea when you are selling something, oh well.

There were two other books that I got a lot out of. Garden Design by John Brookes helped me no end when I was studying. Another favourite that I inherited was The Lazy Gardener, which was printed in the 1940’s. This small paper backed book followed the exploits of an extremely practical pipe smoker, dressed in a very smart suit who spent most of his time relaxing in a hammock with a gin and tonic in hand telling us what to avoid doing in the garden….I have always been a great advocate of do less, accomplish more whilst working outside and thinking back ‘The Lazy Gardener’ was definitely a strong influence in my formative years.

Happy New Year. May your garden grow productively and beautifully in 2010.

FLAUNT YOUR SKILLS
The Christmas period is the perfect time to flaunt your natural indoor decorating skills. There are plenty of opportunities to be creative, either by home baking or making decorations. Maybe not everything you see lying about outside is suitable for hanging on the tree or decorating the walls, but, it’s amazing how an everyday item can be transformed with a bit of glitter and some cotton wool. Evergreen shrubs are ripe for picking just before the holidays and make a wonderful addition to the table.

Here are some other fun and unique ways to bring the outdoors inside.

COLLECTING ALL YEAR
Start collecting things now. For the best decorations keep your eyes open year-round. My mother in law has the same principal for buying the presents, if she sees something at any time of year it goes into the present’s drawer, if only I had that discipline. Items that can be found in the wooded areas or countryside include discarded bird’s nests, large seed pots and pine cones. Flowers, herbs and berries can be picked and dried early.

STRING THEM UP
Try stringing popcorn to make a garland, stale popcorn works the best. Add pine cones, plain or spray-painted in plain colours or glittered. Or just add fake snow to cap them with.

Sliced citrus fruits make beautiful homemade stained-glass windows when hung from the branches of the Christmas tree. Simply slice the fruit, place on baking tray and put in the hot press. If you are in a rush (and who isn’t at Christmas?) then put the slices in a warm oven. Sprinkle with sugar or varnish or just keep them as they are to enjoy their natural colour as the winter sun catches them.

Large nuts and seed pots are easily sprayed with gold paint or glitter, adding to the much-welcomed sparkle.

PINING FOR SCENT
Baskets filled with pine cones are beautiful around the fireplace, near the backdoor, or as a centre piece on the dining room table. Since many pine cones drop early in the year, the scent may need to be refreshed with evergreen or cedar oil. A few drops will do the trick. Pine cones also can be dipped in egg whites, then rolled in cinnamon and other spices. These make unusual gifts or as an aromatic pick-me-up just before guests arrive when you throw them on the fire (the cones, not the guests).

An inside wreath created with flowering herbs, twigs, and berries not only is a graceful addition to your own wall, but it makes the perfect gift. The key to creating a wreath is to forget about being perfect. Any holes can be filled in later, and every wreath has it’s own appeal.

CHRISTMAS HOUSE PLANTS

No festive Season would be complete without some indoor house plants to freshen the air, soften the hard edges of a room and give an extra splash of colour. Here are some easy to look after varieties that are all widely available and hopefully grown locally……

Cyclamen – this winter to spring flowering plant is excellent for indoor use and is available in a variety of colours, red, pinks, purple and whites.

Winter Cherry (Solanum) – These have brilliant orange/red berries.
Christmas Cactus (Zygocactus truncatus) is another great plant to use in your home and will flower for weeks.
African Violet – One of the most popular houseplants here in Ireland and so widely available in a variety of colours with great velvety green foliage.

Ivy (Hedera) – Small ivies make great houseplants.

Ferns – Try the holly or maidenhead ferns, both make excellent indoor plants.
Osmanthus – Commonly known as ‘False Holly’ it is a great Christmas display.

Primrose (Primula) – These give colourful clusters of flowers a range of yellow, red, pink, white, orange and purple.

Poinsettia – Red white or cream, they will compliment any Christmas theme.

Azaleas - Colours including white, red, pink and purple. They don’t like being hot and dry, so keep cool, which is good advice all around at Christmas……
NOT EVERYTHING IS SUITABLE
I mentioned earlier about not everything outside being suitable to be used as Christmas decorations, or ornaments at any other times of the year. This got me thinking about the times when I carried unusual (or dangerous in some cases) things into the house thinking “It seemed a good idea at the time”.

I have decided to do a Top Five list.

1. When I got my first house, I wanted to look sophisticated so I bought a load of old books from a charity shop to give me an instant bookcase full of “Old Classics” These classics had bookworm issues, which put the woodwork of the house in danger and made me look really daft when anyone asked me what a particular book was about, having not read any of them.

2. A friend of mine bought a fresh oyster each for us to enjoy. He guzzled his down making horrible guttural noises, which frankly made me feel ill. I therefore kept my new pet in a bucket in the front room for three weeks simulating the tide with my hands and feeding it fish food. I eventually had to throw it out as it was becoming a health hazard and the neighbours were complaining about the smell.

3. Like many people of my age, I have (when much younger and more foolish) come home with a traffic cone, usually on my head and had a road sign in the bedroom.

4. I was getting fed up with the wallpaper in my front room one day and decided to change it. The paper came off really easily as it was vinyl, revealing some older wallpaper from the 1940’s. It looked OK to me so stayed there until I moved out four years later.

5. A friend of mine wanted to spend a couple of nights sleeping on my settee…He ended up living there for two years.

COPING WITH A FLOODED GARDEN
More and more people are getting concerned about flooding and the damage it causes. No house is really safe, although the severity of the floodwater will differ depending on where you are.  Although we escaped the severity and distress of the damage, there have been floods in Inishowen with Greencastle being the worst hit.  The issues of why this is happening are open to debate…Global Warming and the fact that we have been building on flood plains are just two theories.  Whatever the reasons our hearts go out to the families who have been so affected by the floods. When the waters recede and it is time to clear up and count the costs there will also be some work to do in the garden.

HERE COMES THE FLOOD
I used to live in an area where the bottom of the garden got washed away every year. It wasn’t that the area was low lying though, it was because the storm drains were not sufficient to carry away the water fast enough. The result was the manhole covers used to pop off of the drains and the water would come out like a very powerful fountain.  It wasn’t just the water of course as the drains were also linked to the sewage pipes. Having sewage in the water is why so many household items have to be dumped. Veggies contaminated by sewage couldn’t be eaten either.

AFTER THE FLOOD

After the water level has gone down there are some steps you can do to bring the garden up to scratch.

· Add some slow release fertiliser or well-rotted manure to the soil (beds and lawn) as nutrients will have been washed away. Don’t disturb unti it has dried, then gently aerate the soil with a fork.
· Put some coarse lime-free sand into the holes as well to aid the drainage.
· Most garden plants will survive a day or two under water so don’t panic and start digging everything up straight away.
· Wash down hard surfaces and collect up debris to prevent drains blocking, soil surfaces being covered, and pollutants or contaminants lingering in the garden. Wear gloves and overalls to minimise contact with pollutants.
· Remove damaged shoots from affected plants.
· Consider planting trees on a slight mound.
· Grow plants in raised beds.
· After flooding, edible crops near to harvest are best not eaten: no assurances can be given that root crops will be safe to eat, so they should be discarded. Plants eaten raw should be discarded too, and it is prudent to avoid growing salads and other uncooked crops for two years in case disease spores remain in the soil. However, the following year after flooding, it should be safe to grow crops that are to be cooked.
· If you know in advance that a flood is coming then try to gather everything from the veggie patch that you can before it comes.

Here are a few other things you can do:

· Roofs converted into living green roofs absorb storm water and release it slowly.
· Move any items kept outside such as garden furniture to higher ground. Remember that floodwater could get into your garage so move any chemicals or fuel to ensure that they do not spill into the floodwater and cause damage.
· Close off the flow valves on propane tanks, oil drums, or other fuel containers that supply your home through pipes and fittings.
· Unplug any exterior electrical connections such as outdoor lighting, pond pumps and filters.
· Turn off the water supply to the garden.
· Tie in climbing plants.
· Check tree ties are secure on any newly planted trees.
· Anchor fruit cages and coldframes against storm damage or dismantle them if time permits.
· Take valuable or sentimental items and store them indoors or move them to higher ground.
· Empty petrol lawn mowers.
· Lock gardening tools away.
· If there is somewhere for water to go, drainage can be installed. Or, where appropriate, it may be worth digging out a ditch or seasonal pond at the lowest part of the garden to catch surplus water and let it soak in slowly.
· Choose permeable surfaces when laying drives, paths and patios to allow rain to soak in.

REMEMBER:
Floodwater will often be contaminated, usually by untreated sewage, spilled chemicals, silage from farms or dead animals.

· Always wear protective clothing when working in or near floodwater.
· Wash all cuts and cover them with waterproof plasters.
· If you receive a wound during a flood you should go to a doctor and get a tetanus injection.
· Small children, pregnant women, elderly people and those with mobility difficulties or other health problems should be kept away from floodwater.
· If you feel unwell at any stage or if you ingest floodwater you should contact a doctor.

If you would like some more information about how to cope with flooding then go to
www.flooding.ie.

I inherited a mantelpiece Christmas decoration a couple of years ago from my mother.  It is a collection of moulded together resin figures that have a frequency sensitive snow effect backdrop, which automatically plays a selection of Christmas carols at totally inappropriate moments. It gave my mother loads of enjoyment, as she would leave it on all year round to irritate the carers that come to visit her when she was ill. I tried to keep the tradition going in my own house after she died, but the rest of the family know where the off switch is on the back. However once the Christmas season comes it takes its place at the heart of the trappings and decorations of the season.  Apart from this ‘Christmas tat’ as my 14 year old son calls this family heirloom with a look of patronising disdain, the other favourite decoration in our house (and in many others) is the Christmas tree.  Now Although our family tend to put up our tree sometime in the week before Christmas, I have noticed many families put it up in the first weekend in December. (more…)

I’ve been digging up some dahlias this week to store for next year. Dahlias store best in moist, cool areas with plenty of air moving around them. I lost a few last year because of the frost, so this year I am going to wrap them in newspaper and then put them in the shed. There are other things I could do such as cover them in sawdust or wood shavings, but the guinea pigs have got all of that for their bedding. Talking of bulbs… (more…)

I’m getting onto a bus with 11 other volunteers who have turned out at eight in the morning for voluntary duties with the British Trust For Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). (more…)