Forgot to say I met the "head gardener" (ie the paid one!) at the Community Garden half a mile from here, because I want to volunteer there. It's not that I won't have enough to do in my own garden to keep me out of mischief, but it's good to meet local gardeners and swap experience - and do something for the local area too. I was made very welcome, and encouraged to return in February to help with propagation. (February?? Bit earlier than in Yorks...) Said head gardener is very chuffed to have an apple variety named after his family. The "O'Gorman" apple, found growing in the garden of his centuries-old cottage locally, was DNA tested by the Irish Seed Savers, who have their gardens and nursery locally, preserving Irish varieties of fruit and veg, and found to be unique. It's apparently the only known aerial rooting apple tree. You can cut off a reasonable sized branch and stick it in the ground, and it'll root...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Probably so, @Dovefromabove... I've got a lot to learn! It's very exciting adapting to completely new conditions... except for the amount of rainfall, which is similar to what we had in Todmorden.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Strangely the conditions which caused the worst havoc in my Yorkshire garden, @Obelixx, were not particularly long-lasting frosts but dessicating easterly winds in late winter. Plus really damp air in November and December, sitting in the valley and making plants rot. No doubt there will be problems here too, but at least they'll be new and different...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
In my last garden, @Liriodendron, it was serious night frosts of -20C and worse lasting for a couple of weeks at a time thos I'll never forget the effects of a -32C on 6/1/2009. In this garden it's drought but I can tackle that with plant choices, soil improvements and seep hoses.
Enjoy your volunteering. Great way to meet people and make friends.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Cold East winds cause a lot of problems ... since I've lived in Norfolk I've discovered how slow the garden is to wake up in the spring compared with Suffolk which is more protected.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi @Pat E ... we watched the start of Im a Celebrity (or Bungle in the Jungle as we call it in this house) ... the scary bit on the high rise tower (nr Brisbane?) was even more scary due to the obvious smoke in the air as well as the high winds.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Enjoy your volunteering. Great way to meet people and make friends.
I've lived in Norfolk I've discovered how slow the garden is to wake up in the spring compared with Suffolk which is more protected.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The bushfires in NSW and Qld are still going strong. Over 540 homes lost in NSW. Don’t know the Qld number.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.