The Garden Diaries: nature’s magnificent bounty

With the spring bulbs coming to an end, there’s a bit of a gap until the real summer show begins. Here in Ballyanne, nature has filled that gap all by itself. We have a gravelled area encircled by two patio beds and at one stage all that was there was gravel. Not anymore, as the gravel has disappeared under a mass of self-sown beauties.

Chief among them is aquilegia in every shade from magenta to creamy white. You can always tell that a plant is popular, easy to grow and a stalwart of the ‘cottage garden’ if it is best known by its common rather than Latin name. Aquilegia is better known as ‘Granny’s Bonnet’ and it’s a humdinger.

It produces lots of flowers and self-seeds with ease. I leave it be until the seed heads develop and pop out before cutting back the spent stems. As well as ‘Granny’s Bonnet’ the multi-coloured candelabra primulas are great self-seeders, as is the daisy like ‘feverfew’, another cottage garden favourite. The deep yellow Welsh poppies add to the mix and I don’t have to lift a figure to create this gorgeous mishmash of shape and colour.

Granted it’s a bit of a mess when the flowers are dying off and I’m waiting for the seed heads to mature. But it’s worth it for the weeks of delicious colour these old-fashioned cottage favourites produce if left in peace.

Now I have a new reason to love this bit of the garden – the echiums have self-seeded like mad and having got them through one winter, I hope to get them through another before their towering pillars of tiny blue flowers emerge. The bees will be so happy.

A gardening token

I’m looking for your best whitewash recipe and tips to apply. Twenty-five fresh snowdrop bulbs for whoever sends me the best recipe/advice. Pictures optional. Email me or write to Ballyanne, Shanagolden, Co Limerick.

Time to keep dead heading daffodils. You will be rewarded with bigger and better daffs next year. Don’t cut back the foliage until it’s well withered. There’s no shame in daisies and dandelions, just keep them under control. Be sure to take time to enjoy your garden. Take in the sunshine and admire your handiwork.

When snowdrops come into bloom they are joined by flowers that look very similar. But the ‘spring snowflake’ (Latin name Leucojum) is not related to the snowdrop. I have been growing them for a few years and now for the first time I’ve grown the ‘summer snowflake’. It carries its elegant flower about knee high, starts flowering in March lasts for ages, and is well worth looking out for.

Flower farmer and floral designer Maura Sheehy on how to fill your garden with colour, starting now

Annuals are temporary visitors to your garden. Grown from seed, they flower and die all in the one year. Growing them as cut flowers is an inexpensive and highly rewarding project. You can even save some seeds at the end of the season so you will be all set again for next spring.

You can choose to raise your seedlings either by sowing directly in the open ground from now.

Getting ready

Prepare the soil for your cutting garden plot making sure to remove weeds and stones to get a nice crumbly soil. If you have an overgrown area, it will demand a little more effort, but setting up any garden bed should be a job you need to do only once.

Make sure the area is moist before you begin groundwork. Invest in a good garden fork and hoe, then pull on your gloves and get stuck in. If you take one section at a time and start with the bigger weeds, you will see a difference very quickly. The three flowers I’ve chosen for this project can be scattered together or grown in separate plots. All are very easy to grow.

Cosmos can grow fairly tall, so keep an eye on them and stake if needed. Staking is straightforward. All you need are bamboo stakes and some biodegradable tying material such as twine. If you twist the twine into a figure of eight, this prevents the stem being pulled too tight up against the cane.

Be sure to start cutting some of your lovely flowers as soon as they appear if you want them to keep producing during the summer months, otherwise they will go to seed.

Cornflowers also have an upright posture. I don’t stake them individually; instead I place four stakes or bamboo canes around the bed and use a light rope attached to the canes as twine would be too light.

Calendula is one of the easiest flowers to grow and will happily self-seed. They are usually low growing and require little or no maintenance, although they can be prone to greenfly.

These flowers should keep blooming well into November, the secret is to keep cutting and share them with your neighbours and friends.

Annuals for containers

Nemesia are a firm favourite as their dainty, multi-coloured blooms are sure to cheer you up. These easy to grow flowers bloom very quickly, they grow in clusters and are about one foot in height.

Poppies are also easy to grow and like the calendula will self-seed. I use the seed-heads in buttonholes and bouquets. They have a lovely light green colour and are well worth growing for their fleeting beauty.

Nigella or love-in-a-mist is very easy to grow. It can be cut while in bloom or if you wait its seed-head is beautiful mixed through arrangements.

You can mix these seeds to create a mini wild flower feel for your patio containers and window boxes or you can grow them directly in the soil. Follow the same instructions as above.

All of these flowers self-seed very easily, meaning they will drop seed before they die, and will germinate on their own the following year. Happy sowing and remember flowers are food for the soul.

To contact Maura email maurascottageflowers@gmail.com or call 087-061 2622