News - Page 57

One of Ireland's best-loved gardening celebrations opens its doors this week as the Carlow Garden Festival gets under way at various locations around the county.

The whole family can join in with an afternoon of wild adventures, minibeast hunts and nature trails at Huntington Castle, Clonegal, or perhaps take part in a summer safari adventure complete with train rides and treasure hunts through the newly-planted maze at Rathwood, Tullow.

Give your pond a summer makeover while it's in full growth and problems are instantly visible. While you're at it, treat yourself to some of the fabulous summer-flowering water plants you'll find in our garden centre too, from pretty floating water forget-me-not to zingy purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).

Follow our checklist to keep your pond in perfect condition this summer:

Get rid of algae: twist blanketweed o...

Keep the greenhouse pest free by staying alert for signs of pests and diseases. This is the time of year when many come out of hiding and start to feast on your tomatoes, cucumbers and melons, turning them from healthy plants to sickly, mottled and struggling ones – so it's worth taking action early.

Use a yellow sticky trap as an early warning of trouble ahead: you'll often see greenhouse pests like whitefly on s...

See a garden fit for a President as the Donegal Garden Trail opens for business with a new addition to its sparkling lineup of the county's best gardens.

'Irish Garden for the White House' was created by Ireland's best-known designer, Diarmuid Gavin, for the US President in Washington DC and is currently being built in the gardens of the White House. For the first time you can see an exact replica at Castlefinn, Co. Donegal, a walled garden p...

July's plant of the month is the dahlia, a real glamour puss and a flamboyant star of the late summer border. Gardeners can't get enough of them at the moment: maybe it's because they're such great value for money, providing spectacular colour from mid-summer until the first frosts.

There's a variety to suit everyone, from the simple, large daisies of the 'Bishops' series to tall, showy cactus types like striking deep red 'Spartacus'. Pompons like 'David Howa...