A few days good weather has brought Bellefield to life and reinvigorated us all. The garden is teaming with birdsong, light and flower!
Our daffodils have all but finished but the tulips have continued to perform, despite lots of them being in the ground for a number of years. ‘Princess Irene and ‘Ballerina’ both brilliant oranges are shining in the pots by the back door as I type this.
With the heat come the weeds but our team of volunteers have been helping keep them at bay. We try to balance the work and give a lesson on relevant topics every week too, gardening isn’t all weeding!
This brilliant spell of weather gives us false hope that frost is gone, but be warned there’s plenty of chilly morning and surprise frosts on the way… especially here in Irelands Hidden Heartlands.
Some formative pruning of one of the large yellow Magnolias left us with some flowers which we floated in the pond with the volunteers help. I later learnt I should have pickled them, lesson learnt!
We’re moving on seedlings at a fast rate too, potting on, pricking out and sowing new batches. Hopefully we’ll have lots of new annuals and perrenials to fill the garden and to sell as the season progresses.
Our colleague Judith celebrated her Birthday this week by planting a beautiful specimen of Malus ‘Profusion’. A stunning variety with pink flowers followed by masses of deep red crab apples. Something for us all to enjoy for year to come.
If you’re interested in volunteering we are always on the lookout for gardeners of any and no ability, just bring your enthusiasm and we can supply the rest. If you’re interested please email bellefield@rhsi.ie
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