NEWS FROM BALLYROBERT COTTAGE GARDEN AND NURSERY
NOV TO FEB 2009
The autumn display continued well into November; swamp cypress were still in their autumn prime in early December!
This is the time of year for the end of year maintenance and garden improvements. New drains, lawn topdressing and new plantings are underway.
We are always eager to try new plants. It is very clear that many species and varieties of plants which perform well in South England are miserable here in our conditions. Bearing this in mind we propagate only those plants, that perform well with us, for sale in the plant centre.
February coincides with the blooming of the hellebores and snowdrops. The extensive plantings of both species are at long last looking mature and in future we are considering a few special open days at this time of year.
Our plant list is bigger and better than ever and we have been lucky to be able to obtain a range of new varieties to add to our own propagation programme of 2008.
We have decided to attend more show venues this year, especially following our GOLD award at the Garden Show Ireland at Hillsborough in June last year.
MAR/APRIL 09
The most memorable aspect of our garden was the outstanding display of yellow single flowered hellebores. We have hand pollinated a number of the best in the garden and hopefully there is enough warmth for pollen tube growth.
This period is associated with planting in the garden and like previous years hundreds of new plants have been added to the collection; day lilies and astilbe varieties in particular have increased.
Our climate is good for rhododendron performance. Whilst our soil is poor for this genus we have made a special effort to prepare areas for the Yak hybrids.
In the nursery, propagation and potting is in full swing and lots of new varieties have been added, often as a result of trials in our own garden.
MAY/JUNE 09
What a month ? I do not recall May being so wet and cold. Our soils are naturally wet but conditions during the month could only be described as swamp like. Thankfully some plants like theses conditions and our rhododendrons were superb especially the Yak hybrids.
May and June are always hectic at Ballyrobert. The plant centre is visited by many and the garden had a record number of organised group visitors. In June we welcomed many English and Southern Irish visitors to the garden.
We also attended the Rare Plant Fair at St Annes Park Dublin and the Garden Show Ireland at Hillsborough. We obtained a Silver Gilt Award for our exhibit at the Garden Show and in addition Maurice designed and constructed the N.I Tourist Board garden; all plants were supplied from our nursery. The comments from the public in relation to the design were very complimentary.
The following weekend we held our Open day and there were over 300 visitors to the garden. The entrance money amounted to approximately £990 for the National Trust and the tea money secured £450 for the Northern Ireland Hospice. A big thank you to all those who visited the garden and supported the two worthy charities, not forgetting all the voluntary help!
JULY 09
The garden is at its peak with day lillies, roses, astilbes and kniphofias flowering. The outstanding performance of roscoeas and Japanese iris this year has encouraged us to grow more of these species for sale next year.
The garden is full of opportunities for wedding photos at this time; all we need is sunshine!
The Plant Centre is bursting with colour now; echinaceas, phlox, astilbes, heleniums and agapanthus to name a few!
WORKSHOPS/ TEA FACILITES
With the development of a Garden Resource Room, we were able to cater for a few workshops this year; we would welcome suggestions and expressions of interest for others.
Basic catering in the form of tea and coffee facilites is provided in the Garden Room for all our customers on a self help basis, while organised groups visiting the garden can be served with tea and scones.
AUGUST 09 TO NOV 09
Yet again we have experienced one of the wettest Augusts on record; apparently we had in the region of 7 inches of rainfall during the month.
I am glad to say not all dislike the rain and wet and certainly not our Astilbes. They were fabulous with the varieties Weisse Gloria, Veronica Klose and Purple Lance to the fore. Many of the newer varieties of Astilbe flower for more than two months!!!
Herbaceous plants in general were excellent but the addition of more grasses to the garden has reaped rewards. At the end of November the Miscanthus were outstanding, however it is clear to us that many grasses for example the Pennisetums perform poorly here compared to the south of England.
What a poor year for top fruit. Our orchard produced a few dozen apples only although I have to admit we are in a pretty awful frost pocket. Thankfully a range of old Irish apple varieties are available again and these are much more tolerant of frost, in addition to being more resistant to pests and diseases. A collection has been planted in the orchard and there is a range available for sale in the plant centre.
No complaints about our autumn display with our golden larch being the top preformer; it really is the perfect tree for the smaller garden.
The better spell of weather in autumn allowed us to paint more of our traditional buildings and these have been much admired by visitors. During the coming weeks we will display some of these on this web page.
August is a key month for our propagation programme and I am pleased to say has been successful. The really critical and difficult task now is ensuring that the rooted cuttings survive the winter.
JANUARY 10 TO MARCH 10
A really 'tough' spell of weather and one wonders about the conseqences. There is no sign of the temperature beginning to return to normal and looks set for a late spring.
The hellebores are struggling to make an impact but this is in sharp contrast to the snowdrops which have excelled for what seems months. Our collection extends to about 2 dozen cultivars and we are continuing to add to this.
Our woodlands are in need of thining and a recently acquired chain saw makes this an easier task.
Potting is in full swing with many of our liners having coped well with the very cold weather. Many gardeners do not appreciate that there is not much protection from cold weather in polythene tunnels. However the over wintered penstemon liners have suffered.
APRIL 10 to MAY 10
At long last the rain has stopped but it has been very cold; perhaps almost one month later than 2009. I don't recall seeing plums and apples in flower at the same time and I suspect the next few months will throw up some perculiar flowering and fruiting combinations.
Sadly we seem to have lost many of our garden located penstemons and it looks as though our dahlias may be sharing the same fate.
Many new plants have been added to the garden during the past two months and despite the dryness these are growing away nicely.
There are lots of outstanding plants in the garden and it is a very good year for flowers. The prize for the best must go to Astrantia Roma and the cool weather has intensified the deep pink colour.
The range of plants in the nursery is the biggest to date but perhaps more importantly the range of really good species and cultivars has been extended.
The Garden Festival at Hillsborough was held in May this year and the cold spring made this a trying time for growers and exhibitors. We had our own plant display in the Growers Pavilion and for this we won the prize for the best in the show and obtained the Gold Medal.
The Nothern Ireland Tourist Board provided a good quality exhibit in the form of a fishermans cottage to promote gardens in Northern Ireland; Maurice designed the associated garden. This exhibit was judged to be the best in the show and also won a Gold Medal. A good weekend for Ballyrobert Cottage Garden and Nursery!!!!!
Our participation in both exhibits allowed us to meet many of our existing customers and hopefully many new ones.
May has seen lots of groups to garden but has also been really good to see
groups coming to see the property from an historical perspective. The Abbey Histrorical Society and The Friends of Armagh Museum were recent visitors and were freely forthcoming with their knowledge. Thanks alot folks.
FORTH COMING EVENTS
OPEN DAY on Saturday 21 August 2010 2-00pm to 6-00pm. This event is being held to support Spina Bifida research. Two demonstrations on propagation and flower arranging will be held during this time. Afternoon teas will be provided.
