News - Page 9
Now is the time to start frost-tender vegetables including courgettes, cucumbers, French beans and squash. You’ll find these on sale at the garden centre in Youghal both as seed or as young plants, ready-grown for you. These plants are destroyed by cold weather so can’t be planted outdoors until after the last threat of frost has passed: luckily they grow at lightning speed, so it doesn’t matter that you’re starting them off later in spring...
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Fill your garden with sweet peas for a summer full of scent and colour! You’ll find potfuls of seedlings on sale at the garden centre here in Youghal right now, ready to go straight into the garden at the foot of a sturdy wigwam or obelisk. Put them near a door, seat or path so you can really appreciate their simple yet delightful flowers and lovely scent.
Sweet peas
Sweet peas thrive in the open ground or in containers of rich pot...
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A subtropical garden in South Kerry has installed a rope bridge believed to be the longest in Ireland, taking visitors 40ft up among its palms and bamboos.
Kells Bay Skywalk
Kells Bay, off the Ring of Kerry, benefits from the warmth of the Gulf Stream and its garden is packed with exotic plants including giant tree ferns, yuccas and succulents, as well as Ireland’s largest palm tree, a South American Jubaea chilensis risin...
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April showers may feature this month – but so does increasingly warm sunshine, making planting and pruning a pleasure. Here are a few of the jobs to be getting on with this month:
General tasks:
- Clean water features scrubbing off algae, fallen leaves and other debris then rinsing before refilling.
- Rake over patches of coarse grass in the lawn to raise them up before mowing so they’re...
Give spring bulbs a little TLC now and they’ll bounce back even better next year for an even bigger and more colourful display.
Spring Bulbs
As blooms fade, pinch or cut them out to stop the bulbs wasting energy producing unwanted seedheads. This make sure that all the plant’s energy goes back into the bulb and encourages bigger clumps to form.
The only exception is bulbs you are naturalising in long grass, like snowdrops...
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Slugs and snails are back in top spot as the most-hated pest for gardeners, after a year of playing second fiddle to box tree moth. The slimy critters topped the annual RHS poll of the most asked-about pests and diseases, based on enquiries they received at their Gardening Advice Service.
Slugs and Snails
Honey fungus was named most troublesome plant disease for the 21st year running, with RHS scientists identifying...
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It’s the perfect time to lay new lawns right now as the soil starts to warm up and new grass bursts into growth. Whether you choose seed mix or turf, select a mix which is suitable for the site. Think about the amount of light reaching the area, and how much wear it is likely to get, as well as the look you want to achieve. You’ll find specialist turf and seed grass mixes to suit your requirements in our garden centre here in Youghal, including lawn mixes for sh...
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Plant your new potatoes now and you’ll give yourself the best chance of an early harvest. Timing your planting is a bit of a lottery as there’s always the chance of a late frost, but you can usually risk it by late March. Just in case, keep some horticultural fleece handy (you’ll find fleece at our garden centre here in Youghal) and throw a couple of layers over emerging foliage to protect it if the temperature drops.
Plant your tubers with the �...
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Ireland is celebrating the 30th annual Daffodil Day this Friday, 24 March – so get involved and do your bit to fight cancer. You can join thousands of volunteers around Ireland selling daffodil pins and flowers, or enjoy some of the many national and local events raising money for the Irish Cancer Society.
Annual Daffodil Day
Daffodil Days started in Canada 60 years ago and quickly caught on around the world. The da...
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